Ablasion didn't work

Hi,
I have been diagnosed with SVT and about a month ago I went in for the 'surgery' where they do a study and an ablasion. I don't know if I am spelling it correctly. Anyway, when they were doing the study they could not reproduce the fibrilations that I normally have every day. Is this a common thing or am I in a small percentile of people who cannot be helped? My doctor wants to start medication. I feel that this is a bandaid to the problem and it is not fixing anything. Can you tell me what my options are? I can't live with this anymore. I am starting to have problems several times a day where I get dizzy and I have almost passed out. Maybe I should go for a second opinion?
Thank you

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

If you have the symptoms every day, a 24 hour monitor should be able to capture the rhythm that is causing your symptoms.  If they are PAC/PVCs, they are not always easy to target with ablation.  They are also not easy to stimulate with an EP study.  Other heart rhythms have a higher success rate but it really depends on what you have.

A second opinion never hearts, especially if your doctor agree.  If they do not agree, that can be more complicated.

The degree to which your heart rhythm will improve with medications depends on what the heart rhythm is.  Some extra beats are resistant to medications whereas other decrease significantly.  That is probably the best I can say without knowing what the heart rhythm abnormality is.

I hope this helps.

[lori_g]

Thank you for your information. All they told me is that I have SVT and that in the upper chamber of my heart there is a nerve that changes the route of the signal that tells the lower part of my heart to beat. When this happens the upper chambers quiver and it does not pass blood through my heart. I get dizzy and the last one started at 3:30 pm and escallated to the last severe one at 1:30 am. I was totally exhausted and I had a severe headache. I don't know if that is the informtion that you need nor do I know if you will recieve this.
Thank you for responding though.
Lori G.

[ddavey]

have they started you on any medications??   i ask this because my daughter had 749 episodes of svt (on 48 hr holter) at the time of ablation.   her ablation was unsuccessful due the fact all episodes are coming from the left atrium and they were not able to ablate on the left due to a mass.    she began treatment with digoxin, and the number of of svt are down to 166.  she is feeling much better due to the digoxin.  there are other meds out there, but some have difficult side effects and digoxin has been working quite well.
i hope everything goes well for you....   dawn

[carolejean]

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[ayoyo60]

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