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Jannie411's Ablation - Part 2, Section 3 - The Actual Ablation (continued)
Continuation of The Actual Ablation......
A disclaimer - I am not a licensed medical professional. The opinions expressed below are my own opinions and should not be construed as medical advice.
Once the catheters were securely in place, they began the mapping procedure to identify the problem areas that needed to be ablated. I felt many different sensations, some uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t call it painful.
After that, they gave me a medication to induce an SVT attack (Isoproterenol). I didn’t think it was going to work at first, but then all of a sudden the SVT triggered. I felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest and I started to panic which is typical for me during one of these attacks, and was having a little trouble breathing. I think it was more from stress and anxiety than anything else. I was given more sedatives and calmed down and was able to hold on until they obtained the information they needed to perform the ablation. It was probably only a minute, but it seemed like forever. Once they had what they needed, they knocked down the SVT and a few minutes later I felt fine. I later learned that my heart rate was up to 240 beats per minute, even more than my last attack which was in the 200 beat per minute range. For whatever reason, the previous SVT felt worse than the one that was induced in the EP Lab.
Now that they had the info they needed, they proceeded to perform the ablation, my doctor at the computer and the other doctor at the controls of the catheters. I could feel the ablation wire moving around in my heart, but nearly no discomfort or pain. When they burned the problem areas, I felt heat in my heart, but it didn’t hurt at all. I lost track of the number of times they burned, but the nurse said it was either 10 or 11 times. I plan to ask for a transcript of the procedure for my records. Even if I have to pay for it, it will be worthwhile to have. I was given medication and sedation throughout the entire ablation and the procedure was much easier to endure than I had expected. Everyone was great and took excellent care of me. No complaints at all. And my doctor came over several times during the procedure to check on me personally and make sure I was doing OK.
Once they were finished, my doctor came over to talk with me. I finally learned what type of SVT I have. It is AVRNT, which is one of the more common types, and is on the right side of the heart. He said they were hoping to kill the entire problem area, but as some of it was very close to the node, they had to stop. If they hadn’t stopped, I would have ended up with a pacemaker. He said they were able to damage the problem area severely enough that I would likely never have a problem with it again. About a 5% chance of any future problems. I can live with those odds. 95% success is excellent!
I asked him if he considered this to be successful and he said yes. I think he was even more disappointed than I was that he wasn’t able to kill it all. He is a good man and a great doctor. I have the utmost faith in him and complete trust in his abilities. After he finished talking to me, I thanked him profusely. He then headed over to the phone and personally called my husband, as he promised. I have never had a doctor do this before. He is truly amazing.
After my other doctor removed the catheters, the nurses removed my electrodes, the oxygen, removed my restraints, and other items, I was transferred to a stretcher. Before I left the EP Lab, I expressed my heartfelt thanks to the other doctor and all the nurses for all they had done for me. I was then wheeled to the recovery room. I saw a clock in the hallway on the way to the recovery room. It was 11:35 am.
Once I was settled in the recovery room, one of the nurses asked me if I wanted something to eat. I was parched as I had not had any water since the previous evening and was very hungry too. I was given the choice of a corn muffin and coffee or a boxed lunch containing a turkey sandwich, chips, milk, and diced canned peaches. I opted for the boxed lunch. It wasn’t easy to eat, as I had to lie flat for a couple more hours, but I was hungry and didn’t care if I made a mess with the crumbs. I ate most of the sandwich and the chips and drank some water. I felt fine and had no pain at all.
My husband arrived a few minutes after I had eaten lunch. I think he was surprised to see me looking and feeling as chipper as I did. Since I was still very thirsty, I had two more glasses of water. My doctor stopped by the recovery room to check up on me and make sure I was doing all right. He said I could go home at 3:00 pm. Around 1:30 pm the nurses raised the head of the bed a little bit. Around 2:00 pm they raised it a little bit more. Shortly after that I was allowed to get up and sit in the chair. When I continued to do well, they let me get up and use the restroom. It felt funny to be walking after so many hours of being immobile. Then I was allowed to get dressed. Finally they removed the IV in my arm and I was helped into a wheelchair for the ride down to the lobby. My husband went to retrieve the car, parked outside the hospital entrance, and the nurse helped me into the car. I thanked her again for all she had done for me throughout the day. Then we headed home.
Despite my fears, this is one of the best decisions I ever made and my experience was a very positive one. Most of the credit for that was due to having the right doctors and the most wonderful, caring nurses and other medical staff. Knowing what I know now, I would not hesitate for a moment to have the ablation done. I hope this post has been helpful to anyone considering ablation. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Next post – Part 3 - my post-ablation experiences. Probably won’t have this ready until Monday or Tuesday. Thanks for your patience! And have a great weekend.
A disclaimer - I am not a licensed medical professional. The opinions expressed below are my own opinions and should not be construed as medical advice.
Once the catheters were securely in place, they began the mapping procedure to identify the problem areas that needed to be ablated. I felt many different sensations, some uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t call it painful.
After that, they gave me a medication to induce an SVT attack (Isoproterenol). I didn’t think it was going to work at first, but then all of a sudden the SVT triggered. I felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest and I started to panic which is typical for me during one of these attacks, and was having a little trouble breathing. I think it was more from stress and anxiety than anything else. I was given more sedatives and calmed down and was able to hold on until they obtained the information they needed to perform the ablation. It was probably only a minute, but it seemed like forever. Once they had what they needed, they knocked down the SVT and a few minutes later I felt fine. I later learned that my heart rate was up to 240 beats per minute, even more than my last attack which was in the 200 beat per minute range. For whatever reason, the previous SVT felt worse than the one that was induced in the EP Lab.
Now that they had the info they needed, they proceeded to perform the ablation, my doctor at the computer and the other doctor at the controls of the catheters. I could feel the ablation wire moving around in my heart, but nearly no discomfort or pain. When they burned the problem areas, I felt heat in my heart, but it didn’t hurt at all. I lost track of the number of times they burned, but the nurse said it was either 10 or 11 times. I plan to ask for a transcript of the procedure for my records. Even if I have to pay for it, it will be worthwhile to have. I was given medication and sedation throughout the entire ablation and the procedure was much easier to endure than I had expected. Everyone was great and took excellent care of me. No complaints at all. And my doctor came over several times during the procedure to check on me personally and make sure I was doing OK.
Once they were finished, my doctor came over to talk with me. I finally learned what type of SVT I have. It is AVRNT, which is one of the more common types, and is on the right side of the heart. He said they were hoping to kill the entire problem area, but as some of it was very close to the node, they had to stop. If they hadn’t stopped, I would have ended up with a pacemaker. He said they were able to damage the problem area severely enough that I would likely never have a problem with it again. About a 5% chance of any future problems. I can live with those odds. 95% success is excellent!
I asked him if he considered this to be successful and he said yes. I think he was even more disappointed than I was that he wasn’t able to kill it all. He is a good man and a great doctor. I have the utmost faith in him and complete trust in his abilities. After he finished talking to me, I thanked him profusely. He then headed over to the phone and personally called my husband, as he promised. I have never had a doctor do this before. He is truly amazing.
After my other doctor removed the catheters, the nurses removed my electrodes, the oxygen, removed my restraints, and other items, I was transferred to a stretcher. Before I left the EP Lab, I expressed my heartfelt thanks to the other doctor and all the nurses for all they had done for me. I was then wheeled to the recovery room. I saw a clock in the hallway on the way to the recovery room. It was 11:35 am.
Once I was settled in the recovery room, one of the nurses asked me if I wanted something to eat. I was parched as I had not had any water since the previous evening and was very hungry too. I was given the choice of a corn muffin and coffee or a boxed lunch containing a turkey sandwich, chips, milk, and diced canned peaches. I opted for the boxed lunch. It wasn’t easy to eat, as I had to lie flat for a couple more hours, but I was hungry and didn’t care if I made a mess with the crumbs. I ate most of the sandwich and the chips and drank some water. I felt fine and had no pain at all.
My husband arrived a few minutes after I had eaten lunch. I think he was surprised to see me looking and feeling as chipper as I did. Since I was still very thirsty, I had two more glasses of water. My doctor stopped by the recovery room to check up on me and make sure I was doing all right. He said I could go home at 3:00 pm. Around 1:30 pm the nurses raised the head of the bed a little bit. Around 2:00 pm they raised it a little bit more. Shortly after that I was allowed to get up and sit in the chair. When I continued to do well, they let me get up and use the restroom. It felt funny to be walking after so many hours of being immobile. Then I was allowed to get dressed. Finally they removed the IV in my arm and I was helped into a wheelchair for the ride down to the lobby. My husband went to retrieve the car, parked outside the hospital entrance, and the nurse helped me into the car. I thanked her again for all she had done for me throughout the day. Then we headed home.
Despite my fears, this is one of the best decisions I ever made and my experience was a very positive one. Most of the credit for that was due to having the right doctors and the most wonderful, caring nurses and other medical staff. Knowing what I know now, I would not hesitate for a moment to have the ablation done. I hope this post has been helpful to anyone considering ablation. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Next post – Part 3 - my post-ablation experiences. Probably won’t have this ready until Monday or Tuesday. Thanks for your patience! And have a great weekend.
Wow, that was so helpful, i'm going in for mine tomorrow, really hope your permanently cured. Btw you should make a book or be a writer, really inspiring story :) x
Wow...that was interesting and fun to read! I think I WILL buy the book...:) Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a detailed account. It was almost like being there!
It's so great to hear when someone has such a successful procedure done.
I wish MH would sticky a thread called - Successful ablations or something like that so others come here can read the great entries like this and many others; and have some peace of mind over having the procedure done.
Jannie great posts and I've enjoyed reading your entries the past few days =)
I wish MH would sticky a thread called - Successful ablations or something like that so others come here can read the great entries like this and many others; and have some peace of mind over having the procedure done.
Jannie great posts and I've enjoyed reading your entries the past few days =)
Thanks for the detailed information Jannie. I am so pleased that you are doing so well and that at last you know what type of SVT you had, AVNRT. I had the same problem and my ablation was done in June 2010 at Toronto General, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. I am glad to report that I have remained SVT free since then. I had the condition for nearly 30 years and it had greatly impacted on the quality of my life - I wish I had been informed earlier that this procedure existed. At my last visit with the cardiologist, he came close to apologizing to me for not referring me sooner to the EP specialist - one of his patients ended up on a pacemaker and I think that made him very conservative about catheter ablation. However, I think that ultimately doing the ablation had to be my decision and he should have given me my full options...
BTW - I had no sedation for the ablation and I was kept in overnight for observation which is TGH's policy for cardiac day patients.
For anyone who is interested I posted details of my procedure around June 20, 2010.
Best of luck Jannie, who have at last got your life back!
BTW - I had no sedation for the ablation and I was kept in overnight for observation which is TGH's policy for cardiac day patients.
For anyone who is interested I posted details of my procedure around June 20, 2010.
Best of luck Jannie, who have at last got your life back!
Thanks for going over the procedure so thoroughly. It always helps me to know EVERYTHING that's going to happen -- I always deal with whatever it is better that way. Congratulations!
Great journal of the events, Jannie! You filled in a lot of the procedure that I wasn't "present" for! This should be required reading for folks looking at a possible ablation.
Thanks for sharing this. Great story and useful info for many of us.
I really hope you will be permanently cured and no more AVNRT!
I really hope you will be permanently cured and no more AVNRT!
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