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Skipped Beats w/ Light-Headedness After WPW Ablation
I am 27 years old and had an ablation done because I was diagnosed w/ WPW this past summer. I had a form of tachycardia where I'd get runs of fast beats every so often, but it wasn't that frequent (nevertheless scary). I had the procedure done in Jun-06 b/c I was told there was a small chance that people w/ WPW could die suddenly. I didn't know that after the ablation I'd end up with a different, more unnerving problem.
I now have what I believe are "skipped beats", where I can feel my heart flutter in my chest, sometimes followed by a feeling of light-headedness (not sure why?). This has been a problem since the ablation, and now, 10 mos. later, I'm having the skipped beats even more often. At first I noticed it mostly during the cool-down period post exercise, but it also happened while inactive. The post-exercise skipped beats remain today, but occurrences while inactive increased dramatically in the last few days from 3-5 a week to about 1x every couple mins.
I had an event monitor for a mo. previously & did a stress test (of course the skipped beats didn't happen during/after the test at all), and my EP says everything is "normal" and the skipped beats were "normal". They weren't "normal" for me...I never had them before!
I've since worn a halter monitor for 24 hr. constant monitoring, & later another event monitor for a mo., with results yet to be heard. Other than a few episodes, I don't predict them seeing anything other than what they consider "normal". I was hoping they would subside w/ time, but I'm now getting more skipped beats than ever, immediately after I returned the monitor! I'm not an emotional person, but any time you feel your heart beat irregularly it's not something you can just ignore like they tell you to, so it is an emotional challenge.
What options are there (if any) to decrease/eliminate the skipped beats I'm having post-ablation? Also, why do I sometimes feel light-headed when they occur? Is my BP dropping?
I now have what I believe are "skipped beats", where I can feel my heart flutter in my chest, sometimes followed by a feeling of light-headedness (not sure why?). This has been a problem since the ablation, and now, 10 mos. later, I'm having the skipped beats even more often. At first I noticed it mostly during the cool-down period post exercise, but it also happened while inactive. The post-exercise skipped beats remain today, but occurrences while inactive increased dramatically in the last few days from 3-5 a week to about 1x every couple mins.
I had an event monitor for a mo. previously & did a stress test (of course the skipped beats didn't happen during/after the test at all), and my EP says everything is "normal" and the skipped beats were "normal". They weren't "normal" for me...I never had them before!
I've since worn a halter monitor for 24 hr. constant monitoring, & later another event monitor for a mo., with results yet to be heard. Other than a few episodes, I don't predict them seeing anything other than what they consider "normal". I was hoping they would subside w/ time, but I'm now getting more skipped beats than ever, immediately after I returned the monitor! I'm not an emotional person, but any time you feel your heart beat irregularly it's not something you can just ignore like they tell you to, so it is an emotional challenge.
What options are there (if any) to decrease/eliminate the skipped beats I'm having post-ablation? Also, why do I sometimes feel light-headed when they occur? Is my BP dropping?
To the WPWers, after the ablation, do you still have wpw (showed on the EKG)?
Jon79, I got the symptoms almost same as you. But mine one turns up after 20 years of ablation. Dr said is A-Fib. He is expecting I'll get it but not that early. May be it is the side effect of Ablation but not in the documentry yet. Ask your cardio, he'll tell you the truth. They probably will tell after you had the ablation but not before. I also get told the scares will cause trouble too. Of course when over certain years. Also the treadmill stress test will turn up those symptoms easily. I went through many tests. All come back normal. I know how awuful it is. I believe, if it is happened in their chest, they don't like it too or they are unable to tolerate too.
I am still having wpw but no palpitation after the ablation. I had my His bundle ablated and I have a pacemaker. I am now depending on the pathway conduction, not AV node. The pacemaker is just for the insurance or in case (I didn't use it much).
Take care.
Jon79, I got the symptoms almost same as you. But mine one turns up after 20 years of ablation. Dr said is A-Fib. He is expecting I'll get it but not that early. May be it is the side effect of Ablation but not in the documentry yet. Ask your cardio, he'll tell you the truth. They probably will tell after you had the ablation but not before. I also get told the scares will cause trouble too. Of course when over certain years. Also the treadmill stress test will turn up those symptoms easily. I went through many tests. All come back normal. I know how awuful it is. I believe, if it is happened in their chest, they don't like it too or they are unable to tolerate too.
I am still having wpw but no palpitation after the ablation. I had my His bundle ablated and I have a pacemaker. I am now depending on the pathway conduction, not AV node. The pacemaker is just for the insurance or in case (I didn't use it much).
Take care.
60-80 bpm in sinus rhythm is completely normal. 100 and above is seen as Tachycardia. My normal heartrate is 80-90 and when I get PSVT "attacks" it races to 180 and then I stress it into 200!
In my case the Ablation did not work, because the Electro-Cardiologist could not fix the entire problem. A normal person has 1 sinus node, I had 3 and he was able to Ablate only the 1. I still have 1 extra node and my normal sinus node. If I want him to fix my arrthythmia problem, I must get pacemaker implant and I am not going to do that. I am 32 years old.
In my case the Ablation did not work, because the Electro-Cardiologist could not fix the entire problem. A normal person has 1 sinus node, I had 3 and he was able to Ablate only the 1. I still have 1 extra node and my normal sinus node. If I want him to fix my arrthythmia problem, I must get pacemaker implant and I am not going to do that. I am 32 years old.
my heartbeat isnt even really that fast on average its abt 65 or 68 bpm and every so often it might go up to 75 bpm. It kinda scares me though when im hearing of people who has this condition and their heart races to over 200 bpm
thank you!! smiley2000, So from ur experience do u think that the ablation was worth it? (eg.***@****)
I had Ablation done (Nov. 2007) to control PSVT (paramoxal supra ventrical tachycardia) and arrthythmias (extra systoles/miss beats) and after mapping and Ablation was done, I still get PSVT and arrthythmias. The PSVT is scarry, but not dangerous and the extra systoles/miss beats is annoying, but also not dangerous. Something some of us just have to live with. I also get dizzy, tired and my throat feels as if it is closing.
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