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Questions about ablation
I seem to have alot of questions about SVT and having an ablation and I'm hoping some of you who have had the condition and procedure done could help me out(by the way,I have SVT and am scheduled for an ablation).First of all-is having SVT the same as having heart disease?If SVT is benign and only scary as apposed to being "dangerous" why do people get ablations?What kind of shape should you be in before surgery i.e what if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol?Will having the surgery lower your BPM-what should your beats be normally-is having SVT what makes mine high in the first place-Will it lower your blood pressure?Also-if after the surgery you still cant have caffeine or alcohol or stimulants and in most cases people have to stay on their meds or even have the procedure done several times-then why put your self through such a process with so many risks if your quality of life isnt going to change?
I know these questions seem crazy(I just had a baby 2 weeks ago-can I blame postpartum hormones?)However-I met a lot of other people with SVT on another sight for moms who are very negative about the procedure and its got me thinking-Now I'm starting to get scared about the procedure-I just had a C-section surgery 2 weeks ago and it was very scary for me-I dont know if I'm ready to get back on the operating table so quickly.
I know these questions seem crazy(I just had a baby 2 weeks ago-can I blame postpartum hormones?)However-I met a lot of other people with SVT on another sight for moms who are very negative about the procedure and its got me thinking-Now I'm starting to get scared about the procedure-I just had a C-section surgery 2 weeks ago and it was very scary for me-I dont know if I'm ready to get back on the operating table so quickly.
I completely understand your concerns. Like I said, when my cardio told me I should have an ablation, I thought he was weird and I disagreed with him, questioned him. He actually became quite annoyed with me and thus his comment. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask them here. Some doctors are so comfortable with their job and terminology that they tend to breeze through the appointments and often leave us with more questions. Feel free to ask or vent here. We've been there, done that as the saying goes.
thank you so much for your comment back-it really helped ease my tension about my SVT and the ablation.your answers were so positive and supportive which is why i love this community of people so much.i know how much of negative nelly i must sound like due to my anxieties so thank you again!
I'll share what I know but some of it is just from what I've read.
SVT is not considered heart disease. Some people with heart disease may have arrhythmias but many with arrhythmias have healthy hearts.
SVT is generally considered benign in most cases. Only in extreme cases would there be a chance of problems (someone having tachy at 250 day after day would risk injury to the heart and those with atrial fibrillation have to manage things to avoid clots).
Why have an ablation then? That's exactly the question I asked the cardio. To me it made no sense to have someone poke around in my heart to fix something that wouldn't hurt me. He got upset with me and simply said, "I wouldn't live like that." I guess my tachy problems were more than he thought was acceptable. I was used to it. If the SVT is interfering in your ability to live a normal life or causes undue anxiety and meds are not helping, then an ablation may be the answer.
I don't know if there are requirements before having an ablation. Any risk factors will be handled at the time. Or they will ask you to get the BP or weight or whatever under control first. I did not notice any change in my BP after the procedure.
I am one of those people that have had multiple ablations (3). I do not drink coffee or coke, I avoid certain cold medications and I keep my stress levels low if I can. Yes, I do still have some arrhythmias. But I will say that my heart is much quieter than it was years ago. My tachy times never last more than 15 minutes, most are under a minute and very easy to deal with. I even have some days with no tachy at all. Maybe that sounds terrible but for me it's a wonderful change and I don't regret the ablations at all. No, I do not take medication now. I have some available if I have a bad time. I did have to take it for awhile when I had abdominal surgery earlier this year but now I'm going "natural." I'll never run a marathon or climb a mountain but I do so many other things that I'm more than content. I have a wonderful husband, 3 great kids and I've been working with wildlife for almost 18 years. That's not the life of an invalid.
Congrats on the new baby. Think about the ablation, get a second opinion if you need to and don't be afraid to question your cardio - why does s/he think you need one? Then you decide.
SVT is not considered heart disease. Some people with heart disease may have arrhythmias but many with arrhythmias have healthy hearts.
SVT is generally considered benign in most cases. Only in extreme cases would there be a chance of problems (someone having tachy at 250 day after day would risk injury to the heart and those with atrial fibrillation have to manage things to avoid clots).
Why have an ablation then? That's exactly the question I asked the cardio. To me it made no sense to have someone poke around in my heart to fix something that wouldn't hurt me. He got upset with me and simply said, "I wouldn't live like that." I guess my tachy problems were more than he thought was acceptable. I was used to it. If the SVT is interfering in your ability to live a normal life or causes undue anxiety and meds are not helping, then an ablation may be the answer.
I don't know if there are requirements before having an ablation. Any risk factors will be handled at the time. Or they will ask you to get the BP or weight or whatever under control first. I did not notice any change in my BP after the procedure.
I am one of those people that have had multiple ablations (3). I do not drink coffee or coke, I avoid certain cold medications and I keep my stress levels low if I can. Yes, I do still have some arrhythmias. But I will say that my heart is much quieter than it was years ago. My tachy times never last more than 15 minutes, most are under a minute and very easy to deal with. I even have some days with no tachy at all. Maybe that sounds terrible but for me it's a wonderful change and I don't regret the ablations at all. No, I do not take medication now. I have some available if I have a bad time. I did have to take it for awhile when I had abdominal surgery earlier this year but now I'm going "natural." I'll never run a marathon or climb a mountain but I do so many other things that I'm more than content. I have a wonderful husband, 3 great kids and I've been working with wildlife for almost 18 years. That's not the life of an invalid.
Congrats on the new baby. Think about the ablation, get a second opinion if you need to and don't be afraid to question your cardio - why does s/he think you need one? Then you decide.
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