EP study and ablation for atrial tach

[LynnSB]

After years of trying to find out what caused my brief but scary and lifestyle-if-not-life-threatening arrhythmias,an event recorder revealed atrial tach.I am amazed that a 2 lead recorder could reveal so much info but my doc says I have"very frequent PACS,atrial runs, non-sustained for along atrial tach, and inappropriate sinus tach, rare PVCs." In consult with an EP doc,he says the focus of the atrial tach appears to NOT be reentry but ectopic and coming from the pulmonary vein and is, they believe , amenable to an ablation.
I'm very excited about having the EP study/ablation and they think there is a "good chance" of a cure for my problem which would eliminate these horrible feelings ( the a-tach and atrial runs make me feel momentarily scared and sometimes weak).
Questions: 1.isn't a pulmonary vein focus a more difficult location for a successful ablation?
2.In general,what's the recovery time like for an ablation?
3. I live alone and just wonder what i have to avoid or watch out for afterwards.. how soon i can go back to work, etc. I know i need to talk to my docs about this and will when i see them but for now, any info in general would be greatly appreciated.

thanks so much!

Lynn

[Anne 35]

Excuse my typo's, I really do know how to spell neck.  It is just late and I am just tired. Did not proof read.  And my favorite excuse that I cannot use much longer I just had a heart procedure for goodness sake!!!!

[ValerieL]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Anne, thank you for sharing all of the details. I do feel better about what to expect now. Exactly what I was thinking about trying to get answers from the doctor, they are always so busy and to them it is routine. My sister had two points of entry with hers, her neck and one in the groin. She had wolff parkinson white, svt and afib. She also woke up with her heart racing and they asked her if that was what she had been feeling, she said yes, and they upped her meds and off to sleep she was again. She also experienced pain with the first one in her heart, they told her it was not from the procedure, she was a test study, so maybe they didn't realize at that time that it was from that. I also remember her having PVC's afterwards. That is great you are feeling better now. I didn't even notice the typos! I really appreciate all of your help. Thanks so much!!!!!!!

Valerie

[Anne 35]

Glad it helped a little.  Have they set a date for your ablation yet?  If so, when?

Also, post after you have it and let me know how it went.

Good Luck


Anne

[Anne 35]

I like you, did not know what to expect. This is so routine to the doctors, that I think they forget sharing some details with us would ease our minds.  During the office visits, it seems like they get beeped for an emergancy just when we have two more really good questions to ask.  I did not even know where they would cutting me.  

They went in through my kneck, and my groin on both sides (I had one little whole on my right side, and two little wholes on my left side)  I am not sure if there are always this many points of enteries. I had been under the impression there was usually only one point of entry.  So this may have something needed in my case, or perhaps just how my doc does it.

Let them give you a cath for your bladder, because it can run longer than they expect, as in my case.  The nurse told me it was optional, but that she would if it were her.  And I am glad I did.

What to expect afterwards:
I was in the hospital for two days, some people go home after one.  My whole body was sore from laying for so long.  The sooner you make yourself get up and walk the better you will feel.
  
The two days after I got home, were sort of foggy, and I slept alot, and seemed like my short term memory was a little hazzy.  Maybe from the drugs, or just the ordeal.
  
You should not drive, or lift anything heavy for a few days.  I did not drive for about 7 days, because it took that long for my kneck to loosen enough to turn my head to watch for traffic.

My kneck wound hurt the most, but looked the best.  You could not even see the scar after a week.  You can see the punctures in my groin areas If you look really hard. No stitches are needed.    

I felt some bumps and mild palpitaions in my heart, along with some strange chest pain for five days after my surgery.  My heart palpitaions were mild but alarming, I thought it was coming back.  However, I found out it is normal to have some pvc's, and twinges after any surgery. The chest pain, my doctor explained was my heart hurting from the burns they did.  The small punctures you see on your body do not tell the whole story of what is done inside. Now three weeks later I am feeling better than I have in a long time, and have not had any palpitations that caused any major symptoms like I did before. I can already breath better.  

I hope this helps.  And if you have ever had a baby, this is a walk in the park compared to that.  If you have any specific questions let me know.  

Good Luck

[Anne 35]

Hello Valerie,

I am a 35 year old female with pvc's, psvt, afib and aflutter, and heart rates recorded at 256bpm.  I blacked out a couple of times,but do not know the heart rate, because I was not wearing a monitor during.

I had an ablation three weeks ago tomorrow.  It was a breeze. I do not remember the complication%,because I think they vary depending on the type and the number of arrythmias you have.  I will however tell you what to expect.  

First shave your bikinni area very good on both sides, this will save you from having the nurse do it.

What to expect during:  Very good drugs.  My procedure lasted about 5 hours for my family, doctors, and nurses.  For me it lasted about 5 minutes.  I was feeling no pain.  I did however wake up breifly, during the procedure.  I can remember my heart racing like no tomorrow, and hearing the doctor, and nurses talking.  Everything was black, but I was awake.  In my head I was saying over and over again I am awake, I can feel my heart racing.  I could feel a sensation in my chest, but not pain.  Finally I got my eyes open, saw light, and heard a nurse say I see eyes. At the time I thought something was wrong, but found out later that I woke up when the doctor did a burn.  At no time did I feel pain.  Just the racing heart startled me, and confused me for a few seconds, and then the next thing I remember was seein my family.

I will finish on another post in a moment.  My laptop battery is about to go.

[ValerieL]

I have been trying for several weeks to get through, your questions are very similar to mine. I have SVT, with runs over 242 bpm, and that is too high. I am 38 years old and my doctor said he doesn't want me to keep doing this. I have had this for 26 years. I would be thrilled to have it taken care of! I am going to Stanford Hospital to have it done by a well known EP doctor. So, I know I am good hands. BUT, unlike you I am terrified! Should I be? I cannot find out anywhere about the % of complications and what the percentage of peopleis who have complications. I saw the response about a 0% complication rate, is that really so? I would think there could be complications if a wrong site was ablated but honestly I just can't find the info. I just wonder, should I be worried? I am absolutely terrified, and would love to go into this without this worry.  I posted to the post below about the person who had 6 ablations and now has major problems. My sister had 3, and she is fine except for some afib which they say was not caused by the ablation. She was one of the test studies when they first started using the RF ablation.  I also wondered about recovery and such, thanks so much for posting this question!

Valerie