Please describe ablation process

[srm6598]

I would love it if someone would describe what your experience was like, in detail.  What kinds of questions did the Electrophysiology doc ask, what they do to you in the hospital, were you all the way asleep, I REALLY want to be SOUND asleep. I have a friend that woke up during her stent surgery and asked the doc to please hurry up (lol).  I am going to be schedule for this procedure soon and am a little concerned....ok, a lot concerned.

[fwilson]

I have posted a detailed report of my ablation experience at my site:

http://www.pvcablation.com

[sueinns]

You should definitely check with your doctor first re: exercise and he/she will most likely give you the go-ahead.  Unfortunately, it's not easy to work out while on beta blockers or when the SVT kicks in.  I couldn't tolerate the BB's because my pulse was in the low 40's and I felt like a zombie.  That being said, they did control the SVT quite well.

My SVT symptoms, besides a wacky/racing heart,  were dizziness, a lumpy feeling in my throat (still get that), breathlessness and a heavy feeling in my chest - hard to describe but maybe the same thing that you have.

[dredg]

Oh dr Day,  

Dr weiss practices with Dr. Day and actually did his fellowship at stanford with Dr. Day.  They are pretty damn good at what they do.  Small world.

[Momto3]

Hi srm6598,

Not sure about the heavy feeling, but maybe some of the others who have dealt with SVT can help.

As for the exercise, I also think the doctor would have mentioned if he wanted you to refrain, or cut back.  If you're worried (most of us worry about that stuff...lol), give his office a call and double check.  Otherwise, the treadmill awaits : )

I'm so glad you feel comfortable and informed here.  It's a great community with lots of very nice people.

Keep us posted!
connie

[srm6598]

Oh my goodness....to say that you have answered so many questions and made me feel so much better is an understatement! And with so much humor!!!!

Ok, one last question.  The doc put me on this Metropolol (50mg 2 times per day) stuff.  I keep having like a heavy feeling in my chest and I am wondering if I would be in SVT if it weren't for the medicine.  I have checked my pulse and it is in the mid 80's when this is happening but other than that I feel fine.  

Oh wait I do have one more question...I go in for the stress test in two weeks... in the mean time, is it ok to exercise? I am sure that the doc would have said something if he didn't want me to do something like that right?

Thanks again you are a wealth of information!!!!  

[rosetoes]

Hi Eve:

Glad to see your post...how have you been?

Rose

[Momto3]

Hi Eve!

SO happy to see you posting!!  I was wondering where you were : )

Don't worry about the cut and paste, it's great info!!  

Hope you're doing great!!

connie

[Eve074]

Sent by Eve074



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Hi, this was another post about a week after my procedure.  Sorry to cut & paste but I just wanted to share.  I hope it helps and it was "A piece of cake!"  Good luck.
  
Jan 30, 2008 08:56PM

Hey Connie,

I wrote part of this to Rose and I'll forward it to Robin too, so if it sounds a little off you know why.  I so happy I found you guys again.

I was able to see my EP Dr. on Monday and didn't have to wait another 3 wks.; I was very anxious to find out what he found and did in there for 4 hours. Remember, mine was a study w. possible ablation. But he explained everything so clearly & answered my list of questions. The ablation was for AVNRT. I sat in awe as he explained what he did & I was so happy I did get the procedure. I knew that had I not done it then, I would truly get another SVT. That thought terrifies me. He let me give him a great big hug & we have a follow-up in 4 months. So I am going to finallly work on me for awhile.I  the hospital staff & my Dr. kept emphazing, "make sure you rest & let your heart heal".  I feel guilty sitting around when I have so much to do... See what we do to ourselves!!!!  


While looking this site I noticed differences in some post recovery processes. I only had to stay still until midnite. I felt like I hadn't eaten in days. I had no weights put on my L&R entry sites, and honestly I just wanted to sleep. I had very minor discomfort there, but I mean minor.  Now, nothing. If I didn't know what happened a week ago, I'd swear nothing happened. But I know my heart is on the mend. Rose asked about waking up..I didn't want to scare her, she's stressed enought right now, but I did wake up a few times. My Dr. said they were giving the minimum of anesthesia, because I have COPD  he didn't want to compromise my breathing.  I just told her that as far as "waking up" I remember feeling a little pinch in my groin, saying something like "what's that" & hearing "more meds for you" and bye-bye. It's amazing.  Next I heard my name and I was "awake". This is true. I just didn't mention the other times. After, I know I kept falling asleep in mid sentence when I tried to talk and being sooooo thirsty. Then I gradually woke up and just waited for the three hr. recovery room stay.  

I also told Rose that it'll be .."waiting on Rose time." soon. I asked her to promise to take it easy after.  I know on Friday, I wore myself out, just making myself something to eat and answering calls from everybody. After a few hours, I felt a little woozy, just walking around the house, so I took a nap. My internal clock was really off &  just getting back to normal. I was all those wonderful drugs at the hospital.

So Connie,  I hope this update was good for you.  As I look back, after the SVT I had back in Nov., the wait for the procedure was the second worst thing. We have to stay on Rose.  I told her  I'll be waiting for her post by Feb 13th.  Piece of cake!

Take care & chat soon,
Ev

[Eve074]

Hi srm6598 - I haven't been on site in awhile & just happened to check in and saw your post.  I found my original post on pg.20 & copied it for you. I will search for other details I purposely left out because we were then focusing on Rosetoes & getting her over her procedure. But in the meantime,  I hope it helps.

To: Hi Everybody
Thank you God and "Hello" everyone; I'm back & feeling good, so far. My EP Study went without a hitch. I had my procedure at Montifiore Hospital in NY. Dr.Francesco Santoni performed the EP study along with a fellow/resident, the anesthesiologist and OR nurse.  The EP team came to me pre-study and introduced themselves, told me what each was doing and I was able to ask questions. Since I worried myself to a sleepless nite before, I was so exhausted, I just wanted to get it over with . I was able to express my fears and they clarified so much for me. They were amazingly! Talk about knowlegeable, sensitive, and professional.  

The study resulted in an Ablation for AVNRT & I woke up a few times during the procedure. But it wasn't bad. I am very resistent to meds, for example the dentist.  I shot for you 3 for me not to feel pain. So they just kept saying "she's up again.  More meds for you & I was gone. I had 18 ablations, which I found out later and it took a little over 4 hours. I was in recovery about three hours after and then was settled in my room. The hardest part was that I had to lay on my back & they didn't want me to bend my legs until after midnite. That's for the groin area to recuperate, etc. That part was hard for me because I have a bad back, and that position was painful for me. But it had nothing to do with the procedure.  I was montired constantly, but all I wanted to do was eat a horse & sleep. I was totally pain free (& still am so far) and I'm still in awe, that they were in my heart that long.  I was sent home the next afternoon, with instructions to take 325 mgs. of aspirin/day, lots of rest and no cleaning, excersicing, or any type of strenuous activity for a month.

I'm still feeling sleepy so I'm going to give myself permission to take it really easy for the next two weeks. HBO, reading materials and you guys will help me thru my recovery. I have appts. to schedule and  I'm curious to know what was found and "ablated."  But meanwhile, I'm going to stop being such a "worry" freak.

Rose, I think you had a Birthday so " Happy Belated."  I know you have awhile before your procedure, but try not to worry so much and have faith.  So far, I agree with all who said "It was a piece of cake"!

Best regards and again "Thank you!" to all.

Eve

[rosetoes]

I had my ablation on Feb 11th of this year for SVT (AVNRT) and it was easy...much easier than I ever anticipated.  When I first met with my EP doc, I brought my ER EKG's when I was in SVT.  They did a EKG and basically talked about the procedure and reassured me that I'd be fine...he had done over 1000 ablations.  I was told to stop taking my beta blocker 5 days before the procedure.

I had my procedure on Monday, and the Friday before the hospital called to go over the do's and don'ts the day of, not to drink or eat anything after midnight the day before the procedure....no lotion or powder, etc.  When to arrive and when I could anticipate being in the lab, etc.

When I arrived, I was taken back to prep and hold, where I changed clothes, they started an IV and the doctor stopped by and talked about the procedure and re-assured me that I'd be fine.

I was wheeled into the lab, where there were many (tv type) monitors, and the techs started to put cold pads on my back, shaving me by my groin, wiring my chest, etc.  The nurse had told me that I'd be given Versed and Fentynol...When they gave me the Versed in my IV, I woke in the recovery room..I didn't wake during the procedure and I swear, if I didn't see the patch on my groin, I would have thought that I didnt have the procedure....no pain or discomforted at all.  I had to lay on my back for 2 hours and then I was able to eat and after another hour passed, I was able to go home.  The procedure took 1 1/2 hours.  It has almost been two months and I have a follow up visit next Friday.  I feel absolutely great and it is wonderful not to have SVT!  It did take a month to re-condition myself not to fear SVT anymore.  That was the hardest thing of the whole ablation.  I had lived with it for 2 years and it had taken it's toll on me mentally....I was living in a box...scared to do anything alone and trying not to do much in hopes it would trigger the SVT.

Good luck to you....and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to write...I have walked in your shoes.  By the way, I live in a suburb of Chicago.

[Sweetwaterguy]

My ablation was done by Dr. John Day at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake.  He consults once per month at the cardiology clinic in Casper, Wyoming.  I go there for follow up visits.    I felt very comfortable and confident with Dr. Day, and was especially impressed with the skills and professionalism of the staff at LDS.    I learned while there that LDS Hospital is a highly regarded cardiac center.  They even do heart transplants and artifical hearts.  

[dredg]

Who in Salt Lake did your procedure?  My surgeon was Dr. Peter Weiss of the Utah Heart Clinic.  I had it done at salt lake regional.  Anyway, Dr. Weiss was awesome and I have a follow up in Jackson Hole in a couple of weeks.  

[jdrtwin1]

I had my EPS/Ablation in January 08 and I was terrified and like another peson said, I let them know.  I waited for several hours in the pre-op area and then was taken to the cardiac cath lab and situated on a table where several different types of equipment were surrounding me, along with NO JOKE over 15 wires were attached to my chest and surrounding areas along with the patches they use in case they need to jump start your heart.

I woke up during the last 10 minutes and felt only mild discomfort when they were mapping then i was ok with another dose of fentyl and versed.  I stayed over night in the hospital and was put on telemetry and was in the pediatrics though i'm 21..i suppose you get a bit more watch ful eye if your in with the kiddies, lol.

I wasn't allowed to move from the stretcher onto the bed, it was all done by medical staff and for 9 straight hours I had to lie still which is very hard to do for me so i also had them give me ativan so it made the wait easier.

I was discharged the following morning.

I would consider my ablation a success...i was on 8 different meds for my arrhythmia and now i'm on only 4.

Its not to bad and I would recommend it to anybody.

[Sweetwaterguy]

   I had an ablation for a fib December 06 in Salt Lake City.    I chose ablation after being well controlled with sotolol until a reaction to a flu shot triggered a week of a fib episodes and two trips to the emergency room.  
   I entered the hospital the day before the procedure for testing.  The procedure was performed under general anesthetic the following day, and I spent that night in the hospital and was released about 10:30 am the following morning.  Although my wife was with me, I felt strong enough to drive to my home in Wyoming.  We stopped for lunch and I passed out in the restaurant and got an expensive ambulance ride to the emergency room of the local small town hospital, then off again to Salt Lake City for yet another night in the hospital.    After extensive testing, they determined my only problem was being dehydrated.  During the procedure they pumped a lot of fluids into me to cool the ablation instrument and they had to get it off quickly.  They gave me a diuretic and it really worked--obviously too well.  
   I recovered very quickly.  I was given amiodarone to help me maintain sinus rhythm during my recovery, but did not tolerate that very well.  It caused hand tremors and I found my already poor handwriting became illegible.  The doctor allowed me to withdraw from the amiodarone early and my recovery has been uneventful.  I have had a  skipped or extra beat on rare occasions, but my doc tells me that is entirely normal and not to be concerned.  
  Because it has been so successful to date, I can only give a hearty recommendation for ablation.  I am medication free except for lipitor for cholesterol and a daily aspirin.  

[Momto3]

Darn!!  I missed "sueinns."  She's another member who can tell you all about the ablation "experience."  Between all of us we should be able to answer most, if not all, of your questions.

I was just in Sarasota and it was beautiful!!  

[sueinns]

I had my ablation the first week of January for AVNRT (AV node re-entry tachycardia).  Had been very symptomatic with SVT and they had to ablade the left side which is a little more complicated.  Was initially treated with beta blockers which I could not tolerate.  Then switched to calcium channel blockers with great success until they stopped working.  

I had only two doses of versed and was very with it during the whole procedure.  It took about 2.5 hours and they had no trouble bringing on the tachycardia.  Like dredg, mine was venous entry (not artery).  Almost painless.  The worst part for me was the insertion of the catheters. When they did the ablation, it felt like bad heartburn but the nurses were there in case I needed more meds.  They abladed twice.  

Right after the procedure my EP told me that it was a condition I would have had to live with for the rest of my life.  My only chance for a cure was ablation and they gave me a 95% success rate.  I still have lots of PVC's (nothing like Momto3) and they are a bugger sometimes.  However, the faintness, breathlessness, etc. and overall very yucky SVT symptoms are now gone.

Here's a good website to visit:

http://www.or-live.com/brighamandwomens/1170/event/webcast.cfm?

[dredg]

I had mine about 1.5 weeks ago.  I was pretty doped up on the versed so I don't remember much at all.  My surgeon used veins instead of arteries to access my heart so I didn't have to stay the night, no sandbags on the groin, and I got to leave 2 hrs after the end of the procedure.  It took about 5 hrs which was longer than the surgeon expected.  It took awhile to get my heart into tachy.  He found the spot within 20 minutes of mapping after bumping it with a catheter.  This temporarily damaged the spot and it "went to sleep" for 4 more hrs.  He, however, was able to induce it and burned it 4 times before he was unable to induce it any further.  

I am taking aspirin everyday to prevent blood clots.  Other than that I was back to work the following Tuesday (had procedure done previous thurs) and am back to running and lifting weights this week.  

It definently was an "experience".  It wasn't too bad, but really hope I never have to go through that again.  I think that the anticipation was definently worse than the experience.  

PS; I had Wolf Parkinson White with one excess pathway.  

[srm6598]

I live in Daytona Beach, Fl.  Thanks for the suggestions!

[Momto3]

I have MR 2-3+ and was having 20,000+ pvcs/day.  Like you, I just dealt with the pvcs.  But, about 5 years ago, I developed cardiomyopathy.  WHAT??  I was shocked!  Anyway, I had a bunch of tests and the doctors determined that I had pvc-induced cardiomyopathy. Because of the MR in the background, the doctor said it was important to treat the cardiomyopathy so my heart would not have to work so hard.  I tried anti-arrythmics for awhile, but yuk!!  I agreed to give the ablations a try and it has been like a miracle for me!  

I no longer have to take beta blockers or anti-arrythmics.  I do take lisinopril (ace inhibitor) for optimal BP control.  I never had an even slightly elevated BP until after the ablations so that might be a good question for your doctor.  Seems that happens sometimes, not sure why.  (I hate taking meds too!!)

I'd be sure to talk with the doctor and let him/her know you want to be in la-la land for the procedure.  I was given a little versed before I got to the EP lab, it was great!  Yep, you need an electrician : )  Where are you having the ablation (what state or country)?

There are a few people on the forum who have had recent ablations for SVT.  Hopefully, they will see your post.  Try searching for posts by "rosetoes" and/or "dredg". They have each had recent SVT ablations and will be able to tell you about their experiences.  If you search on their names, you can go to their profile page and click on "posts."  I'll be here too : )

Connie

[srm6598]

Thank for the great information.  I was diagnosed with MR 3+ about 2 years ago and have really had no problems... the PVCs I just ignore. Now I have had SVT and my doc is scheduling a NUC Stress test, a new Echo, and then the ablation.

Since the SVT my doc put me on Metropolol (sp?) but before that I just kinda dealt with it since I HATE taking meds! Doc also put me on potassium. Do you have to take any medicine now?

Are there any questions I should ask this new doc? My regular cardio doc said he is the plumber and I need an electrician! (I thought that was hilarious). So, I don't know this new doc and not sure what to ask.

I REALLY appreciate your information and willingness to answer other questions. Thanks, again.

[Momto3]

My ablations (2) were for pvcs.  The first procedure ablated an area in the right side (RVOT), and the second procedure was for the left side (LVOT).  Each procedure took about 7 hours and an overnight stay in the hospital.

Prior to the procedures, I was given an IV sedative (Versed) and pain medication (fentynl). The combination of medications worked well to keep me comfortable and "out of it." I have very little recollection of the EPS' or ablations.  Others have said they felt the catheters and burns.  That's something you may want to discuss with your doctor, ahead of time. I made sure everyone KNEW I was anxious and that I wanted to be out of it.  I was "on vacation" with the meds : )

After the procedures, I was taken to a regular room on the telemetry floor and monitored until my discharge the following morning.  Both time, for the fist 6 hours (to prevent bleeding), I had a sandbag on my groin at the catheter entry point. I had to lay somewhat reclined, but was able to sit up enough to eat and read. The second time around, the doctor placed a "plug" in the femoral artery, which dissolved about 3 months later. I was told to watch for bleeding, increasing swelling, redness or pain.  The first time, I had the ablation on a Friday and went back to work on Monday (too soon).  The second time, I waited a week (much better).  I wasn't in any pain, but I was a little sore and somewhat sluggish.  Initially, my heartbeat was faster than I was accustomed to.  Eventually, it slowed back to "normal" and the pvcs settled down.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  I'll do my best to answer.

Connie