Ablation question

[Sue143]

Hello again. I'm 38, good health. I've had palps. for almost 7 yrs. In July I had a-fib for the first time. It was stopped by a Cardizem drip and I haven't had a-fib since. I had another echo, blood work and Holter monitor. Blood work and echo normal. The Holter shows PAC's and atrial tach. My Dr. thinks the atrial tach. is what triggered the a-fib. I had been taking beta-blockers but they increased my palps and caused my BP to drop too low. so they stopped them.
He sent me to an EP dr. and he said I would be a good candidate for an ablation. He said I could take anti-arrhythmia meds but he didn't recommend them because they may not work and they have a lot of side effects. He said if the PAC's were coming from the same  arrhythmia then they would be gone too if I got the ablation. But he said if my heart was quiet the day of the ablation, then they wouldn't be able to find anything.
He said this won't kill me and I can live with it, but he worries that over time everything will get worse and they'll have a hard time keeping me out of a-fib.
I feel like I have no other options but an ablation. He told me all the risks and I have 2 small children so I don't want to take any risks I don't need to. Are there any other options for me? Is it really possible to get rid of the PAC's? I've read how everyone else still has palps after an ablation.
He told me not rush and think about it and call him if I want to schedule. Is there anything else left for me?

Thanks, Sue

[NHS]

Thank you, for your kind message. This was my first experience with an e-mail forum. Exchanging thoughts and information this way has been quite an experience for me, so far.

I can see by the messages you've posted that you take a friendly interest in sharing your opinions, etc. with others who are seeking a serious dialog on a subject that's so important to us all.

NHS

[NHS]

I apologize for having spoken in error. It was difficult to describe what I read when I arrived at that website -- since it was rather general in nature, although it apparently pertained to Norpace. Apparently, I mischaracterized what was there.

Please understand that I have no desire to pursue anything that even hints of a lawsuit. I was simply trying to find out more information about what seemed to be at that website address.

I didn't mean to offend anyone's sensibilities or to commit a breach of etiquette, and I'm very sorry if this is what happened.

NHS

[arthur]

re. PACs after ablation...
In my case, I began by taking some meds in an attempt to alleviate the PAC production which seemed to show at a rate of 3-6 per min each and every day (shortly after the ablation).  The meds were Toprol XL and Tambocor, in order to make the foci less responsive to adrenaline surges and autonomic nervous system fluctuations.  After a couple of months I decided that taking these drugs was not really the answer.  I had become somewhat OCD'd on the topic of my pulse and the PACs, which of course constituted a wonderful self-fullfilling circle of anxiety. BTW, this appears to be a common side effect of such arrythmias as is easily seen by the posts herein. As I read more and discussed the topic with specialists, it became evident that everyone has foci and the ease with which the noise from these buggers travels is controlled by the state of your autonomic nervous system...thus with anxiety, the highway is toll-free, and lots more PACs are bound to show up. (It's the reason that the good doctors on this forum occassionally suggest meditative approaches). My  heightened awareness of these PACs simply led to more.

I stopped taking the meds.  And it took a good year to force myself to stop paying attention to the PAC production.  Spot checking since then has revealed an enormously decreased level of PACs (0-1 per min), more than was ever achieved with meds alone.  I now can claim to be completely cured with the ablation procedure, since the cure was dependent on knocking out the right focus and taking on the right attitude.

At this point I am 56 years old; I participate actively in competitive sports (soccer), which includes very rigorous and regular physical workouts, at the same level as when I was 30.  I am no superman, and I consider myself lucky to have avoided (thus far, knock on wood) any serious injuries.  I just wanted to make the point about exercise, since the PAF I had experienced did threaten to take it away.  Now I can train and play at the highest level and not worry about triggering an arrhythmia.

I am sure that the ablation will do it's thing...the rest is up to you.

-Arthur

[NHS]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences, and for providing encouragement.

You mentioned that you're now experiencing fewer PACs. Do you ever have sustained "runs" of PACs? If so, could you say how many times a day/week/month/year this happens, how long the "runs" continue, and how this compares with your pre-ablation PACs?

Thanks again.

NHS

[NHS]

Thanks once more, for your help.

By the way, I looked up the www address you provided, RE; Norpace. I'd be curious to know more about the details of the legal action that's being taken. I didn't find anything additional on the website, so I did a preliminary search on Google, which didn't yield much more. If you find anything please let me know.

Thanks.

NHS

[NHS]

Thanks so much for the clarification/information, as well as your support.

Arthur, what you said about the likelihood of "new arrhythmias" seems to coincide with what was said by the EP and by the specialist the EP recommended. Do you need to take medicine to control/alleviate the PACs you experience?

Hankstar, what you said about having an ablation (or not)is quite true. One needs to weigh the risks/benefits of one's options and go with the option that seems to be the most promising. I understand from you and from the e-mails posted on this board, that the best plan is to have the ablation performed by the most qualified doctor(s), and to have it done at a facility that's a "center" for such a procedure.  

Right now, I'm looking at having it done by two docs (together). They're on staff at UCLA and/or Ceders-Sinai and they seem well qualified. They were recommended by the EP I've been seeing. I looked them up on the AMA website (for qualifications and for disciplinary actions, if any). One of them is included in a "Best Doctors" list.

Both Cedars and UCLA seem to be set up for ablations, because many of them are performed there each year, and because each of these facilities has two "cath labs" -- something which seems to bear this out.

I was hoping to get additional information about other docs/facilities in Southern California from people who have had an ablation and who use this board, but so far I haven't received any replies in this vein.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to post an e-mail to Dr.Natale, to ask him for some feedback on this subject.

Meanwhile, hankstar and arthur, I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

NHS