post-ablation questions

[LynnSB]

I had an EP study and ablation for what turned out to be an AV reentrant tachycardia ( 210 BPM) that was easy to get to, according to the EP doc. I'm happy to say the whole procedure was painless and went off without a hitch although I'm still a bit tired.Is that normal? I guess I thought I'd be immediately "cured" of all arrhythmia but I'm having some palpitations.. not many and none of the rapid flutters I used to feel. I have -- maybe 5 to 10 times a day -- feelings of hard heartbeats ( sometimes 3 to 5 together), a skipped beat here and there, a couple of thumps, especially when I sit down or lie down.EP doc said that i might always have a few palps, to try and ignore them. and he said i might have a "transient" increase for a while in palps. questions.
1. do you agree this is normal? is there hope these palps will get better? are they anything to be concerned about?
2.my ep doc said the tachycardia could come back but it's only 1 chance in "many hundreds". Any comment on my chances of being really"cured"?
3. I thought an EP study was DEFINITIVE for whether you have life threatening arrhythmias but i recently read that an EP study doesnt't always elicit arrhythmias.. can you please tell me something REASSURING.i've been through all this and I'd like to know, bottom line, what an EP study DOES reveal so I can STOP WORRYING.By the way , I went to a very well known medical center that does many, many of these procedures. and i went to a highly experienced EP doc. I want to believe i can relax about my heart rhythm now but I've been scared for so long it is HARD!Thank yo

[ValerieL]

Hi everyone! Remember me? I posted a while back about SVT and I was going to get an ablation, well I did it!!! It turns out I had a left-access pathway, so after they went up and checked inside on the right side, through my leg vein, they had to go up through my artery in my left leg and they successfully ablated it (we hope!) For me it was a 7 hour procedure, my heart was SO sensitive, as soon as the first cath reached my heart, it set off an SVT episode, which they can stop instantly. However, it was a problem because of my sensitivity, every time they would try to position a sensor cath in there, it would trigger the arrhythmia. They didn't want it yet!

So 5 hours into the procedure, they had to sedate me fully but that was a problem, because then they couldn't get the SVT to happen when they were ready. Finally, they did and they got it. I woke up feeling tired, but absolutely better than I have since I was 12. I am 38 now. The past few years I had so many episodes of tach, the long ones up in the 245 range, and the others were sporadic sudden ones that would happen every time I would stretch, bend over, lay on my left side and even hiccup (explains the sensitivity they experienced in there!) I found I ignored much of my symptoms except the 245 runs, and now I am amazed how I feel! I do have some PVC's, but they don't bother me at all. I am used to them anyway. I had to stay in the hospital overnight since they went to the left side, and they gave me some blood thinners, but I felt fine. I had my procedure done at Stanford Univerity Hospital in Palo Alto, CA.  

I just hope it is gone for good, HOWEVER, if I have to go in again, I will NOT worry one bit. I was absolutely terrified before I went, and I didn't believe what anyone told me, I thought I would be different and have problems. But I didn't have any discomfort at all, it was easy and they keep you relaxed with some really good drugs. I am hypersensitive to medications, and these meds didn't make me feel bad in any way whatsoever! I highly recommend this, it is a very safe procedure and you will not believe how wonderful and free you feel upon success!

Thanks for all of your support, you guys gave me the guts to do  it! Thanks Lynn!!!!

Valerie

[Justin83]

I am 19 now and when I was growing up I randomly had spurts of rapid heart beats. I really didn't think much of it as it would go away within a minute usually. It was usually after exercising heavenly in gym class sometimes.When I was 16 (2000), I was watching Judge Judy and eatting smart food popcorn, when a palpitation started.(4pm est) I figured it would just go away within a minute so I kind of blew it off. An hour later it was still going on and still I disregarded it. (hoping it would go away). About an hour after this it was still going on, very fast. I remember pumping gas into my car and almost blacking out, I knew something was up.

I drove home and told my dad what was going on. He felt my chest and could clearly tell that I had a very fast heart beat. He rushed me to the ER, and they started feeding me with various IV lines, and medications to slow down my heart. My heart rate was between 300-400 bpm at this time, and I remember having a real blur  going on laying in the hospital bed. None of the medications that they were pumping into me would slow down my heart any. I remember glancing at the clock in the room and noticed it was 7:35 pm, then it started to get real blurry and I blacked out. Well, I actually had a sudden death situation and they of course quickly used a defibrillator on me and woke me up.

I remember waking up and feeling great. It was like I had slept for 12 hours or something and I felt fully rested. The docters pretty much diagnosed me at the hospital that I had a WPW situation. They put me a plane and flew me 150 miles south to a bigger hospital that had a cardiac care unit. The doctor I had in this hospital recommended that I had an ablation done. So I did, and it went well. Its been 3 years now, and I havent had any similar palpatations from it. I have noticed recently a few arrythmias sometimes during the day. I am planning on revisiting the doctor that did the ablation to have some more tests done to see what could be causing these..

[glassheart46]

What did you get ablated for?  Was it for afib or an extra pathway?  Would be very interested in hearing your experience.  I have not been ablated yet but have read many posts and it sounds like your after effects are normal.

[ahowland1]

I just had my catheter ablation done on Sept 23rd.  I have been experiencing my heart racing here and their and some irregular heart beats.  This seems to be a normal thing for up to six weeks or so.  Has anyone ever experienced tightness in the chest or pain that lasts for awhile?  I was wondering if this was normal also?

[minnierice]

Hi Doctor!
I saw a EP the other day and he feels I need a EP study and tilt table test. I'm concerned cause my heart rate with toprol xl 25 mg is about 104 sometimes with palpitations. This has been going on for 5 months where I wake up from deep sleep. Recently ,my anticardiolipid IGG came back high at 26 and I also have LUPUS, so needless to say I'm quite concerned of doing any kind of invasive procedure. Doctor do you have recommendations?
Thanks!
Minnierice

[glassheart46]

Thanks so much for your post.  It made me feel a lot better.  My heart has calmed down some since last night so I am feeling much better.  And you certainly are correct about this taking over one's life.  I have been keeping myself as busy as I possible can.  I am also facing surgery for my neck but the neurosurgeon will not do it until my EP study. My neck problem is giving me a lot of pain again.  I cannot take strong anti-inflammatory drugs so I am stuck with this horrible pain, tingling, and numbness that runs down my arm until the EP study which is not until the 30th of October.  I also had to have gallbladder surgery three weeks ago so I am sure all of the above is not helping my anxiety level.  Once again, thanks for your input.  I really appreciated hearing from you guys.
Mary (Glassheart46)