Aa
ventricular tachycardia
Hi! I am due to have a catheter ablation done in 2 weeks. I am an active 42 year old female. My biggest concern is "do I really need to have this done?" My problems started when i began playing racquetball again. Each time I played my heart would beat extremely fast and i would feel as if i would faint and had to sit down. I then went to cardiologist for a event recorder. I recorded my event (since it happens EVERY time I play) and they recommended me to a electrophysiologist. I still feel unclear , if i don't do anything about this am i at risk?? It only happens when I'm playing a vigorous sport (which i like to do). Am I at more risk not getting the procedure done or getting it done???
Wow! So your ablation took many hours as well. Wasn't your entire body sore? My back, legs, everything hurt from laying on that hard surface so long. I'm so glad you are able to have a few beers and drink caffeine again. That's a plus right there. Luckily I only have AT and it is only induced by exercise. So i plan to hit the racquetball court in about a week and see what happens (it would happen every time during that activity) Anyway, I thought of some very funny stuff I said to the doc during procedure "Where's Ashton Kutcher? Cause I must be getting punked", i also asked for a boob job while i was there... scary part was i was fully awake while saying this stuff. I also told doc to wipe that worried look off his face cause he was making me nervous. boy i'd love to be hanging out with those nurses & docs to hear all the stories they must have that people say during times like those. Well, good luck to you Brandon and have fun! Midge
Has anyone had an ablation done, then had an ICD ... then an ablation done again later? I was just wondering how they do any additional ablations AFTER having the ICD leads put in.
Hello,
my ablation experience was a bit different than I pictured as well. They gave me a liberal amount of versed because they went on the left side. My Dr does ablations 50-60% of the time on the left side so this really isn't a big deal to them. He has me on 320mg of aspirin daily for 2 weeks to prevent blood clots. My Dr. was able to make a very good guess of my excess pathway by looking at my EKG.
He was 100% right and found the spot within 20 minutes. He said that he accidently bumped the spot and my heart went into tachy. It then settled down within a minute and he was unable to induce it for another 4 hrs because it was temporarily damaged when he bumped it. They were able to finally induce it again by using different types of meds. They had to ablate it 4 times because it just didn't want to die. I had one spot 4 ablations so that sucker had better be crispy fried.
I remember waking up several times during the procedure. It really seems like a bad dream now that I think back to it. They did decrease the amount of versed that they were giving me near the end to help induce my WPW. The Dr told me that I kept on waking up asking for Versed, so by the end of the procedure I was doped up like courtney love. I remember waking up and looking @ the monitors. My heart was full of catheters. I asked," Where are you guys at with the procedure?" The nurse replied, "We are pacing your heart trying to induce your WPW." I then asked, "Where's the Dr. at?" They said, "He'll be back in a minute," I then said, "So who the hell put these catheters in?!!!" Next thing I know I'm waking up with a towel over my face. I later found out that he stepped out for 1 second to get another catheter. I thought that was pretty funny.
I've been testing my heart to see if I still have WPW. I've been bending down picking up stuff off of the ground which used to induce my tachy. I drank a double shot espresso yesterday (delicous by the way), and am sipping on coffee this morning as I write this. I've had a couple of skipped beats but no tachy! I even drank 2 beers on Saturday which would have meant a trip to the ER before last week. I'm going to start another fitness program next week (P90X).
I wish the best for you, think positive. The chances are now in your favor that this is cured!!
Brandon
my ablation experience was a bit different than I pictured as well. They gave me a liberal amount of versed because they went on the left side. My Dr does ablations 50-60% of the time on the left side so this really isn't a big deal to them. He has me on 320mg of aspirin daily for 2 weeks to prevent blood clots. My Dr. was able to make a very good guess of my excess pathway by looking at my EKG.
He was 100% right and found the spot within 20 minutes. He said that he accidently bumped the spot and my heart went into tachy. It then settled down within a minute and he was unable to induce it for another 4 hrs because it was temporarily damaged when he bumped it. They were able to finally induce it again by using different types of meds. They had to ablate it 4 times because it just didn't want to die. I had one spot 4 ablations so that sucker had better be crispy fried.
I remember waking up several times during the procedure. It really seems like a bad dream now that I think back to it. They did decrease the amount of versed that they were giving me near the end to help induce my WPW. The Dr told me that I kept on waking up asking for Versed, so by the end of the procedure I was doped up like courtney love. I remember waking up and looking @ the monitors. My heart was full of catheters. I asked," Where are you guys at with the procedure?" The nurse replied, "We are pacing your heart trying to induce your WPW." I then asked, "Where's the Dr. at?" They said, "He'll be back in a minute," I then said, "So who the hell put these catheters in?!!!" Next thing I know I'm waking up with a towel over my face. I later found out that he stepped out for 1 second to get another catheter. I thought that was pretty funny.
I've been testing my heart to see if I still have WPW. I've been bending down picking up stuff off of the ground which used to induce my tachy. I drank a double shot espresso yesterday (delicous by the way), and am sipping on coffee this morning as I write this. I've had a couple of skipped beats but no tachy! I even drank 2 beers on Saturday which would have meant a trip to the ER before last week. I'm going to start another fitness program next week (P90X).
I wish the best for you, think positive. The chances are now in your favor that this is cured!!
Brandon
Thanks for your comments. Hopefully you are right about not knowing the outcome of my procedure that quick.
When i told my best friend about me having to move around like a dying fish on the table we were laughing about it already so yes it is funny to picture. Actually I wish i could have tapped it, to view later on. They did use meds to trigger my tachy but for some reason they weren't working without a little extra effort from me..... of course i have to have the weird ablation not like most others!
Thanks for making me feel better about waiting it out! ttyl,
When i told my best friend about me having to move around like a dying fish on the table we were laughing about it already so yes it is funny to picture. Actually I wish i could have tapped it, to view later on. They did use meds to trigger my tachy but for some reason they weren't working without a little extra effort from me..... of course i have to have the weird ablation not like most others!
Thanks for making me feel better about waiting it out! ttyl,
I'm not sure if you'll know the outcome of the ablation after just 2 weeks. It takes any where from 1 month to 3 for the heart to heal and settle down. I can't imagine you bouncing around on the table trying to get your heart rate up. The visual in my mind is funny but I'm sure it wasn't at all funny for you. When I had my ablations they used some medication that triggered my tachy.
You're right, if it's on the left side of the heart, it's more complicated. All my burns (about 38 of them) were on the right side of my heart. You will feel tired for a few days. Don't let that discourage you. Dredg did post some place on the board about his ablation. It went well and he's feeling pretty good so far.
You just take it easy for a few days then work up to the activities you want to do.
You're right, if it's on the left side of the heart, it's more complicated. All my burns (about 38 of them) were on the right side of my heart. You will feel tired for a few days. Don't let that discourage you. Dredg did post some place on the board about his ablation. It went well and he's feeling pretty good so far.
You just take it easy for a few days then work up to the activities you want to do.
Hi I had my ablation..... how did it go for you? Mine turned out to be a nightmare.... after 2 hours "twilight" they woke me up and said the only way they could do it was to have me awake to help them get the heart to that exertion and move my hands and feet, then they said i have AT not SVT so it was more complicated , then they said hopefully it's not on the left side of the heart, well guess what? left side..... 3 hours awake , in pain moving my hands and feet until i was too exhausted to move anymore they "think" they got it (not sure in my case) i'm home since 3/21 and still feel exhausted and already started feeling palpitations, I'm ready to freak. Of course i dont blame my doc, he doesnt know what's in there til he gets in to see right? he was very sympathetic and apologetic that this procedure turned out to be so complicated... so 5 hours later and still recovering now i'll have to wait til i do some exercise to see if it worked at all but cant do anything for 2 weeks. I'm so disappointed , i hope yours went better. let me know
Everyone has a different ablation experience but, from what I've read, the majority of people are glad they had it done. I certainly am. My procedure took about 2 hours and I only had two doses of medication. However, the nurses were there in case I wanted or needed more. I remember the whole procedure and it wasn't scary at all. I did feel the ablations (they did two) but it wasn't really painful. More like bad heartburn (an appropriate word) and only lasted for a few seconds.
I still don't have a high exercise tolerance because of PVC's but the dizziness I always felt post-exercise is now gone. I still get a little lightheaded when I stand up sometimes but feel so much better than I did. The EP told me that without the ablation, I would have had to live with it for the rest of my life.
Good luck and keep us posted on how you do.
I still don't have a high exercise tolerance because of PVC's but the dizziness I always felt post-exercise is now gone. I still get a little lightheaded when I stand up sometimes but feel so much better than I did. The EP told me that without the ablation, I would have had to live with it for the rest of my life.
Good luck and keep us posted on how you do.
On researching ventricular tachycardia and ablation I have found that I was wrong and that ablation is sometimes used to treat certain VTs, though not typically. Therefore you could actually have VT. Check with your doctor to be certain what your diagnosis is.
Hi! I just put in a bunch of questions to my EP so I'm waiting to hear back from him. I'm glad u brought up about SVT could possibly turn into atrial fib. I read something on the internet and thought maybe i understood it wrong. But knowing that makes me feel more at ease about getting the procedure done than waiting and worrying if i will develop a.f. So i guess the procedure worked for you! Do you feel less dizzy or lightheaded too? Was it painful?
thanks for your input! It really helped!
thanks for your input! It really helped!
You probably don't have ventricular tachycardia. I don't believe that ablation is a treatment for VT unless it is combined with an ICD (implanted defibrillator). Rather, it is a treatment for atrial arrhythmias like SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) or atrial fibrillation. Are you sure you weren't diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia?
Sustained ventricular tachycardia is dangerous and needs to be treated as it can lead to sudden death. SVT on the other hand is not fatal in a healthy person.
Sustained ventricular tachycardia is dangerous and needs to be treated as it can lead to sudden death. SVT on the other hand is not fatal in a healthy person.
You should ask your doctor if your diagnosis is SVT which is quite different from just VT. Although VT can be dangerous most of the time it is benign. My brother in law is an internist and he told me that people who die of the dangerous VT tend to have no prior symptoms.
Your symptoms do sound like SVT which is what I had. Getting your heart rate up brings on attacks and makes you feel faint. You can't work out at the intensity you are used to. It can be pretty scary and debilitating. Ablation has about a 95% success rate in curing the condition. Although I still have an arrhythmia (I also have PVC's), my SVT has been symptom free since my ablation 2 months ago. To be able to work out without feeling like I'm going to pass out is a godsend.
When I saw the EP, I asked him about the long term effects of living with SVT. He told me that I was at an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation. Even though you will have times when you feel fine, SVT does tend to be chronic. I was told this during my EP study. Living with it was definitely not an option for me because I am very active and the drugs to treat it made me feel worse.
Make your decision according to what's best for you. It's good that you are being referred to an EP physician who will be able to answer all your questions and hopefully put your mind at ease. Good luck.
Your symptoms do sound like SVT which is what I had. Getting your heart rate up brings on attacks and makes you feel faint. You can't work out at the intensity you are used to. It can be pretty scary and debilitating. Ablation has about a 95% success rate in curing the condition. Although I still have an arrhythmia (I also have PVC's), my SVT has been symptom free since my ablation 2 months ago. To be able to work out without feeling like I'm going to pass out is a godsend.
When I saw the EP, I asked him about the long term effects of living with SVT. He told me that I was at an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation. Even though you will have times when you feel fine, SVT does tend to be chronic. I was told this during my EP study. Living with it was definitely not an option for me because I am very active and the drugs to treat it made me feel worse.
Make your decision according to what's best for you. It's good that you are being referred to an EP physician who will be able to answer all your questions and hopefully put your mind at ease. Good luck.
I'm glad to hear your doc's are also treating it like it's nothing. I am feeling better about getting it done now after talking to you guys. Thanks. I'm dying to know how we make out. I hope we'll be writing on here saying "piece of cake" soon! ha ha! I can't wait to get it done and be kicking butt on the racquetball court and beating my kids at something again! lol! have a good one! talk soon, midge
p.s. sounds like you've been doing your homework on this condition, i thought i was until i read your responses!
p.s. sounds like you've been doing your homework on this condition, i thought i was until i read your responses!
WPW is short for Wolff Parkinsons White. It is essentially like Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (think this is what you meant to say you have, Ventricular Tachycardia, not Supra, can be fatal) with the symptoms that I have and also like SVT, it is an excess electrical pathway in my heart. The ablation success rate for WPW and SVT are pretty high (90-95%) so lets hope for the cure.
My dr's treat this like it's a small deal as well. The chances of dying from it are pretty small and I've had Dr's tell me it's more of a nuissance than anything else. For you and I, this is a pretty damn big "nuissance" don't you think? Even though the sudden cardiac death rates are low for my ailment, it's still much higher than it would be if I were cured from it.
Keep posting until the 20th, it's right around the corner. Just think, we can go back to being adults again.
My dr's treat this like it's a small deal as well. The chances of dying from it are pretty small and I've had Dr's tell me it's more of a nuissance than anything else. For you and I, this is a pretty damn big "nuissance" don't you think? Even though the sudden cardiac death rates are low for my ailment, it's still much higher than it would be if I were cured from it.
Keep posting until the 20th, it's right around the corner. Just think, we can go back to being adults again.
Wow, that's exactly an answer I've been looking for. You are totally right about being in fear all the time. I own a preschool and have two kids and I constantly want to play hockey in the street or ride bikes and now I get nervous so I go half as far as I normally would go and stopped playing sports I love. My husband tells me I'll be miserable if I don't get it done. The thing is the docs all act like it's nothing so I thought maybe I was overreacting but it's nice to hear other people are just as freaked out as i am.
I have to say I dont know what WPW is? I'm still trying to understand what exactly I have. My flare ups usually only happen during vigorous exercise and I have palpitations daily. I too gave up caffeine and all the good chocolate stuff to see if it helped ( i think it does). Well, I wish you luck and hope to hear from u again before and after the procedure! Thanks so much for your input! Midge
I have to say I dont know what WPW is? I'm still trying to understand what exactly I have. My flare ups usually only happen during vigorous exercise and I have palpitations daily. I too gave up caffeine and all the good chocolate stuff to see if it helped ( i think it does). Well, I wish you luck and hope to hear from u again before and after the procedure! Thanks so much for your input! Midge
Hello,
I'm scheduled to have an ablation in 2 weeks as well. I've lived the past yr in fear of my tachycardia acting up again. I have only had 2 episodes and just found out that I had WPW last yr. I've given up drinking caffeine, any type of alcohol, if I get a cold then I am very limited in what I can take. If I had to give up exercise in the beginning I would have had the ablation immediately because this is a huge staple in my life.
I am having the ablation so I can be cured of this ailment. So I can go fishing with my son without wondering where the nearest hospital is. So I can fly on an airplane without replaying in my head what steps I would take if my heart started up. I'm doing this so I don't have to worry about passing out while driving my newborn to his grandmas, or killing some stranger while driving to the store. I'm doing it so I can live again.
The ablation is an extremely complex procedure, but I have been checking this (and other) forums for the past yr. I have also talked to 2 people in person who've had it done. The story is always the same; I am glad I did this, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, Piece of cake. I spoke with my surgeon a couple of weeks ago and he does 3 of these suckers/ day. In his experience complications are low and the ablation is a cure.
The stats for my disorder, WPW, I am more likely to die from my disorder than the procedure. mind you, I have a low .6% chance of dying today from an arrhythmia so this is very low but still very real.
Don't know if this helps, but I do know this. I wish I would have gotten the ablation done when I had my 1st episode. I have a whole yr out of my life that I have lived in fear.
Brandon
I'm scheduled to have an ablation in 2 weeks as well. I've lived the past yr in fear of my tachycardia acting up again. I have only had 2 episodes and just found out that I had WPW last yr. I've given up drinking caffeine, any type of alcohol, if I get a cold then I am very limited in what I can take. If I had to give up exercise in the beginning I would have had the ablation immediately because this is a huge staple in my life.
I am having the ablation so I can be cured of this ailment. So I can go fishing with my son without wondering where the nearest hospital is. So I can fly on an airplane without replaying in my head what steps I would take if my heart started up. I'm doing this so I don't have to worry about passing out while driving my newborn to his grandmas, or killing some stranger while driving to the store. I'm doing it so I can live again.
The ablation is an extremely complex procedure, but I have been checking this (and other) forums for the past yr. I have also talked to 2 people in person who've had it done. The story is always the same; I am glad I did this, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, Piece of cake. I spoke with my surgeon a couple of weeks ago and he does 3 of these suckers/ day. In his experience complications are low and the ablation is a cure.
The stats for my disorder, WPW, I am more likely to die from my disorder than the procedure. mind you, I have a low .6% chance of dying today from an arrhythmia so this is very low but still very real.
Don't know if this helps, but I do know this. I wish I would have gotten the ablation done when I had my 1st episode. I have a whole yr out of my life that I have lived in fear.
Brandon
Thank you for your suggestions. No, I was never given a stress test with cardiolit or thallium only a regular stress test. They are simply going by my event recorder taping which i did tell them i also have almost constant palpitations (which i assumed was due to my hypothyroidism which i am medicated for but both docs said no)
Oddly enough they just gave me paperwork on VT so i don't really know which kind?? i wonder if they know just from looking at some lines on a paper. It's freaking me out cause i've always been an active person and in good physical shape. I think I'm 20 and I'm 42. Do you have the answer to this question? Is VT why people die of Sudden Cardiac arrest? My episodes were scary and although i didn't faint i was about to the walls closed in , my stomach flips and my heart feels like it is jumping out of my chest. My heartrate went up to 220 bpm. that's all i know and as the date gets closer i'm getting more anxious. thanks for your input!
Oddly enough they just gave me paperwork on VT so i don't really know which kind?? i wonder if they know just from looking at some lines on a paper. It's freaking me out cause i've always been an active person and in good physical shape. I think I'm 20 and I'm 42. Do you have the answer to this question? Is VT why people die of Sudden Cardiac arrest? My episodes were scary and although i didn't faint i was about to the walls closed in , my stomach flips and my heart feels like it is jumping out of my chest. My heartrate went up to 220 bpm. that's all i know and as the date gets closer i'm getting more anxious. thanks for your input!
Hi,
Ventricular Tachycardia is something that is often looked at with concern. Medications may be an option, but they can bring other undesired side effects with them, anything from making people tired to serious Pro-Arrhythmia effects that can cause someone without a serious arrhythmia to experience or develop one.
Specifically, what did they say you have? I realize that the monitoring results were specific, or at least the results combined with the interpretation of the results by the EP, but sometime people confuse the diagnosis when discussing it here. PSVT (Paroxysmal Supra Ventricular Tachycardia) which has it's origin in the Atrial part of the heart and is often not considered as serious, can cause a very rapid heart rate. There is also NSVT, which is Non-Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia, which, although in some instances can be considered as not serious, in other instances it is a warning of possibly more serious consequences that can occur.
I am curious, despite the Monitor Arrhythmia, were you given a Stress Test with Cardiolite or Thallium? Sometimes an insufficency of Blood to the Heart Muscle itself can contribute to an arrhythmia. I would think that the would wish to rule out any other cause before proceeding. Do you have a previous history of arrhythmia?
Be well.
Ventricular Tachycardia is something that is often looked at with concern. Medications may be an option, but they can bring other undesired side effects with them, anything from making people tired to serious Pro-Arrhythmia effects that can cause someone without a serious arrhythmia to experience or develop one.
Specifically, what did they say you have? I realize that the monitoring results were specific, or at least the results combined with the interpretation of the results by the EP, but sometime people confuse the diagnosis when discussing it here. PSVT (Paroxysmal Supra Ventricular Tachycardia) which has it's origin in the Atrial part of the heart and is often not considered as serious, can cause a very rapid heart rate. There is also NSVT, which is Non-Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia, which, although in some instances can be considered as not serious, in other instances it is a warning of possibly more serious consequences that can occur.
I am curious, despite the Monitor Arrhythmia, were you given a Stress Test with Cardiolite or Thallium? Sometimes an insufficency of Blood to the Heart Muscle itself can contribute to an arrhythmia. I would think that the would wish to rule out any other cause before proceeding. Do you have a previous history of arrhythmia?
Be well.
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