Ablation

[coun79try]

I am having an ablation done Tuesday, Feb. 28. I am a little consern about it because the Dr seems to think he knows whays going on but is not 100% sure. He seems to think im having SVT and PAC' and I also have a second degree morbitz 1 blockage that only shows up durning the rapid heart rates so that has him stumped also lol. I have seen four diffrent Dr. and tons of test over the past two years for my arrhythmia. Im concered if the ablation will fix it because when my heart does this acting up it seems more like sinus tachycardia then SVT. These fits go on for hours usally start around 5 or 6 that evening and last until I get out of bed the next morning. What happens is my heart rate will start running around 105 resting, after about a hour of this it will start to drop every second or third beat or sometimes its runs of PAC'S but when theses start then my heart rate will began to jump all over the place. If I go from a sitting to standing position then it will shoot up to around 190 then come down to 140 but it will stay around 125 for a couple of days then return to the normal. My other consern is that if they do fix the rapid heart rate what will happen when the blockage shows up because for the first time the other night the morbitz 1 blockage showed up when I had a normal rate so it knocked my rate way down. When I went to bed it was around 37 bpm. All and all I really want this fixed im so tired of dealing with this. I have nevered had any health issues for 30 years and as soon as I turned 30 then it hit the fan lol....  Thanks all for ur advice .....

[Jerry_NJ]

While checking on your insurance, check to see if your doctor(s) hospitals (surgery sites) are "in-network".  My long time United Health Care coverage pays sooner on "in-network", i.e., I also have a $1,500 deductible (and an out-of-pocket maximum) both of which are more if the work is out-of-network.  It wasn't too much of a limitation for me, I was able to fine a heat surgeon for open-heat surgery who is in-network.  

My experience personally and on the forum is heat rhythm problems and their treatment/cures are always less than 100% effective... well I have read of some ablation procedures that were/are effective (so far).   My heart valve repair was also successful, now approaching 5 years.  I recall the mini-maze to treat my AFib done at the time of the "valve-job", was given a 60% chance of success.  Not good odds, and I came in on the 40% side.  That worked for only a few weeks, now in permanent AFib.

[MichelleP_3811]

Your deductible and out of pocket are 2 different things.  Most yearly out of pockets range from 3,000-5,000 grand.  Essentially once your deductible is met the insurance will pay round 80% of costs until the yearly out of pocket is met and then they pay 100%  You should find out what your yearly out of pocket is and subtract the 1,500 you already paid and that is what you will likely owe.  

[coun79try]

Two of Dr are Ep's both are a little stumped with my issue. The Ep im seeing now come highly recommended and told me that everything going on is in the top part of my heart and he is pretty sure he can fix both the pac's and rapid rate. As far as insurance I have a 1500 dollar deductable that has already been met dued the all the other test this year. Now what has lead this Dr to beleave that this is what is going on was an 30 day event mointor but my heart rate is wierd all together because when I wore a holter mointor it showed heart rates in the 140's and down to 40 bpm. My ecg also reads very funny my st segments and T waves read abnormal. They didn't at first when this all started but over the past year they have changed ......

[MichelleP_3811]

You say you have seen 4 doctors?  Were they all cardiologist or better still EPs?  If you saw other EPs what did they think about your situation?  It doesn't sound like you have classic svt.  I had avnrt and I would go from a normal beat to a crazy manic beat of around 230 but it always started and stopped suddenly.  Yours sounds more like inappropriate sinus tachycardia but obviously only a doctor can say for certain and they really don't know for sure until they are in and doing the EP study.  What did your EP say he thought you had?  Maybe he thinks he can ablate the runs of pacs you are having though I haven't heard of this being done often.  Well, it's a tough call, it is an expensive procedure and depending on the type of insurance you have you will probably be expected to pay your full out of pocket for the year, mine was $4,000 so it isn't a procedure to rush into in the States if you have financial issues.   I wish I could tell you what the best route is for you but no one can really do that.   I'd say go by what your gut is telling you to do.  If you feel a little uncomfortable about either choice try to distinguish which makes you feel more uncomfortable and then you can say you at least went in the direction that felt like the right choice.  Well take care and keep us posted on what you decided and how you are doing.