scheduled for ablation for pvc's and NERVOUS please share your experience

[fxmom]

I'm scheduled for my ablation on 8/14/13. On one hand I'm happy at the thought that I might finally have relief from all of these pvc's. On the other hand I'm just plain nervous. Ironically my mom is going in for surgery the same day and time for colon cancer staging. I'm going to be nervous that day thinking about both of us.

My dr. told me the surgery would be about 3-4 hrs or longer depending on what they find. He said I need to be awake, but they'll give me something for nerves. He told me how they go in, what will happen and that it's most likely 1 site in the RVOT so I'm hoping that will make the procedure quicker and easier.
I'm scared about having to lay on my back for so long. I have spondylolisthesis (a disorder of the lower spine). It really hurts if I lay on my back even for a little while. The dr. said my back might be pretty uncomfortable.

I'd love to hear about your experience if you've had an ablation for pvc's. What it was like. Did you feel awake, or were you semi sedated? How much could you feel the procedure happening?  How did you feel when they gave you adrenaline? How did the ablation feel? Did they give you anything for pain afterward? I'm more concerned about my back pain, honestly, it will really be bad if I'm laying in that position for so long. Did the med they gave you for nerves do the trick, or did any of you still feel very anxious during the procedure? Did you meet with your surgeon beforehand? I'm not meeting mine until the morning of the procedure.

Any feedback would be appreciated. Good thoughts and prayers would be too! :)

thanks,
fxmom



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[ka1218]

I feel great! Thanks. The procedure was a success. My cardio says that if I make it a year without a run of SVT, I am most likely cured. So far, I feel wonderful and have had many fewer PACs/PVCs and no runs of SVT.
You are going to do great!

[fxmom]

I like your advice!  My doc said the procedure has a 90% success rate so yes, I'll be 90% psyched. Hoping the $$ won't be wasted though. Been living with pvc's way too long and hoping they'll be mostly gone after this. Would be worth every penny for me.

I totally agree on taking care of my heart. So far, it is actually very healthy, but dr said such a high pvc load will take it's toll over time. I don't drink alcohol, take in any form of caffeine or smoke and I eat well so I'm half way there. Once I can exercise and move around again without getting short of breath/dizzy I'll be 100% back on track.

Glad your outcome was positive....Keep kickin' it!

[fxmom]

Thanks for the good thoughts! I talked to the nurse today on the phone and she put a lot of my fears to rest. She was very nice and said to give her a call if I had any other questions.

I like the idea of being really relaxed and maybe drifting in and out of sleep during the procedure. Thought I was going to be wide awake for the whole thing. I'll look forward to getting a little rest which I don't often get to do.

Glad your ablation went well. How are you feeling now? Was your procedure successful?

[littlegreenman1]

Oh... my outcome???
Fixed and kicking it hard every day.

[littlegreenman1]

The worst was laying flat on my back for 6 hours after the procedure.
The second worst was the fatigue after being under full anesthesia for 7.5 hours.
The third worst was... nothing. Nevermind.

Here's my pat advice: What is the % success that the doc gave  you?
Be that % psyched that you're having surgery and the remaining % worried about recovery and the wasted 75 grand.

PS - Take car of your ablated heart. If you die of avoidable cholesterol, fat.or smoking. Shame. You must pay it forward with an honest continual effort towards good cardio health.

[ka1218]

I had an ablation for SVT at the end of May. I too was nervous but it was all for nothing! Going to the dentist is worse! I was awake for the entire procedure but very, very relaxed with the meds they gave me. They could have told me they needed to amputate my legs and I would've thought that was great! After the procedure, I was a little groggy and slept on and off for about 3 hours. Then I was released, and went home. The only bothersome part were the groin incisions. They were sore for a couple of days.
I'll be sending good thoughts your way on August 14. You will do great!

[fxmom]

Thank you for your prayers. Yes, I have always had them - at least since my teens, but they have gotten worse over the years. When I was younger I was told I had an "athletes heart". I was very active, fitness trainer, dancer/choreographer so they said the ectopics were no big deal and that many physically active people have them.

Honestly I really don't feel the PVC's much now, I feel myself get short of breath or dizzy and have blacked out before. On average I get about 25,000 per day but have gone above 40 thousand a day when bad. I  haven't had a day without them for at least the last 10 years.

Typically I am in trigeminy or bigeminy but yes, I have had 3-4 in a row then a reg heart beat, sometimes up to 8 in a row when i'm aware of them happening and take my pulse.  What really helped mine go down in number was eliminating all caffeine from my diet. That took me down from the 40's to the 20 thousands per day which are still too many, but not as uncomfortable.

I know it's easy to say, but try not to stress too much about them. Even having as many as I have for so long, my heart is still healthy. My doctor said that if I continue this way though, it will eventually weaken my heart.

BTW, my GP sent me to an ER once because of my PVC's and they said the same thing as you were told. I don't think the ER dr.s  necessarily understand them. You'd be better off to see a cardiac electrophysiologist.

Hope you get some relief soon :)

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

Can I ask have you always had them bad or have they got ton worse as the years have gone by,

I have them to but they were here and there, but the last two times I've had them they come and stay for a day or two, and do you have them like 3-4 in a row thana reg heart beat, that's what mine is doing, driving me nuts, went to er they watched them for 10 hours said they were no problem, now today they have started again, really scaring me bad , just want them to go away. Will be praying for you on the day of your surgery,

[tom_h]

I asked for something to calm me down ahead of time, and got hit with a syringe of vallium prior to getting wheel away from my short stay cube.  When I reached the lab, I was so woozy, I really didn't care what they did to me.  Askyou EP or aanesthesiologist before your day, and perhaps they can line something up for you.  Best wishes!

[fxmom]

Wow! tom_h thank you so much for posting this link. I read Jannie411's journal and feel much better about going in for the ablation. Still nervous, but so much better. It was well written and detailed. It's comforting to have some answers to the unknowns that can cause additional stress.

I think the waiting is the worst part. I talk myself in and out of it at least a few times  a day. :) But then I walk up a flight of stairs and am reminded of just how much these PVC's are controlling my life. It would be so great to not have them anymore, or at least only now and then.

[tom_h]

Check out Jannie411's journal on her procedure; very thorough.  Here's the link: I had general anaesthesia with mine, so remember nothing of the procedure. Personally, I was up within 3 hours of waking up and was not made to lay flat at any time after recovery.  Best of luck!  Hope they get it.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Rhythm/Jannie411s-Ablation---Part-2--Section-2---The-Actual-Ablation-Procedure/show/1499077

[fxmom]

Thank you for the good thoughts DeltaDawn. I hope you can get relief from the afib soon. My brother and mom are both afibbers. My brother has been through ablation before. He said the plus with atrial ablation was that he was knocked out and woke up when it was done. The downside was that it wasn't permanent for him (but it did last pretty long). He's been back in afib for quite a while now. I feel for you, these arrhythmias really suck. I will let you know how mine goes and please keep us updated on your progress too. :)

[DeltaDawn23]

I have no personal knowledge of the ablation process.  I am an afibber and reading everything I can about ablations as I may need one in the near future.  I am however sending you good thoughts and prayers for the ablation to take care of your problem.  Let us know how it goes.  Stay strong.