Repeat Ablations

I had an ablation done in 1996 and a second in 1997 for SVT.  I was good until 2006-2007 when my problems started again.  I had another ablation done then and it helped but continued to have problems.  My Dr. wanted to do a 4th ablation to the point of needing a pacemaker.  I was terrified since I was only 31 at the time.  I went to a new cardiologist who changed my medicine and that seemed to work for a while.  Having the same problems again but now experiencing both rapid heart rates and very slow rates, is this a common problem?  New cardiologist says shoudn't have had to have the ablation that many times.  I am ready for the pacemaker now!  Any input will help....thanks!

[ireneo]

I've also had 3 ablations (total of 38 burns to the heart). And yes, I still get tachy bursts, usually lasting less than a minute and only rarely up to 15 minutes. I get several tachy bursts a week. But. . . . . that is still a great improvement over what I had before my ablations. So I won't be going in for any more.

I'm not sure about the slow beats. When I was taking Diltiazem I did have some short periods of what felt like brady. My rate would drop to about half the normal speed I had and I would get very light headed. I was told that could be due to the medication. Now I don't take Diltiazem every day and I don't have the brady problems either. I do keep the med handy if I have a particularly bad day with erratic heart beat and chest pain. Otherwise I'm fine with the occasional burst of fast rate and the ectopics (PVC's and PAC's) don't bother me at all.

That's my experience. Don't stop your medication without discussing it with your doctor first. It's never a good idea to stop it cold turkey. Perhaps there's another medication that would help you more.