I'm a 60 year old man with type 2 diabetes in fair control with metformin and Lantus, a bit of hypertension, good lipid profiles, good metabolic panels, no manifest symptoms compromising my quality of life...except for bouts of SVT that take me to the ER about every 1-3 months for a hit of adenosine to convert the rhythm.
Every time I go to the ER they fuss at me to get an ablation, but frankly, I've just been scared about the (admittedly low) risks...but recently I've had to change medical plans, and the ER coverage just isn't as good as on my previous plans. If I end up in the ER for the adenosine jolt every time I get one of these, under my new plan I could end up paying in the five figures every year just to "manage" my SVT. I'm on 100 mg of metoprolol succinate a day, and it still doesn't keep the SVT away.
I finally decided to get the ablation, and mine is scheduled for November 21. My EP doc is a guy who's done thousands of these procedures, who has studied with some of the foremost doctors in the field, and who projects every confidence that it's all gonna be fine. And I know the odds are with me. And I'm tired of having to worry about what I'd do if I had an attack of SVT on a plane flying over the ocean, or on a bus while I'm chaperoning a church youth group trip. Most of all, I feel like I can't afford the chronic trips to the ER to convert the rhythm. I used to be able to convert it myself through Valsalva, but it won't convert any more like that...it makes me a little bitter that the rhythm itself isn't dangerous, so in a sense it's an elective treatment for something that can be taken care of by trips to the ER. But the ER treatment is expensive...so it makes you put a price on your life, and apparently my wife and I have come to the decision that my life isn't worth not risking, so that we can save the money we're paying for the chronic trips to the ER.
That said, I know the risk is low. And I've seen post after post from people who've had it done for SVT and who say it's the best decision they ever made. And I have confidence in my EP, and he uses anesthetic so I don't worry about any discomfort during the procedure, and he uses cryo for AVNRT and RF for AVRT and says he won't know which it is until he does the mapping, which makes sense...and I'd really love not to have to be troubled any more by this arrhythmia that's plagued me for 46 years.
Still...I'm scared. I've set the date, and I'm resigned to it...but I'm scared.
Not sure what I think sending this out into the InterWebz will accomplish; maybe I'm just venting. I need to get over myself, I guess.