Post-ablation PVC's...our nightmare

[LovedOneSuffers]

Hi, all!  I'd like to say that I have the answer for it all, but I just don't.  My husband just gone through an ablation procedure for NSVT.  His first attempt a few days after Xmas in '07 they were unable to duplicate in the lab, so this time we changed up EP dr's and he went in no sedation....I am so proud of ANYone who can go through this procedure without meds on board...he's my hero!

They ablated 2 spots, great news!  It's been just about 5 weeks and he's still experiencing PVC's.  At first we had hope...we'd read that it can take time to heal, that the pathway is trying to go the old way so you can feel "half" pvc's, which is the palp not completing.  He felt those, and lots of them, so we thought, hey, this might be it!  

Now he's still having full PVC's, sometimes he has none a day, sometimes he has 6 or 7.  Which compared to the THOUSANDS he was having before, it's nice...but it's all relative.  He didn't go through that and felt everything and hurt so BAD for nothing!  He's still on Rhythmol 225mg twice a day, which was post-procedure instructions.  He's supposed to start weaning down to 1 a day for 2 weeks, then off.  We are supposed to know then if we "got it all".

My question to the forum, since you all have an abundance of experience in this, is this normal?  Can he still be having PVC's throughout the day over a month later, and still mean it was effective?  Can it take this long to heal?  His EP felt that his NSVT and his abundance of PVC's were coming from the same place....so why the symptoms if it worked?  Second idea....he's been taking Klonopin for anxiety (as you all know living with EP disorders causes extreme anxiety and panick) and we wonder if this could actually be causing PVC's/arrhythmia?  He's had periods of not being on Klonopin, but that was after the failed EP study and he still had palp's, so we've got nothing to compare it to really.  Has anyone ever had the ablation done and had PVC's for a few months then they stopped?  Is that possible?

I guess we're trying to figure out....should we reduce the Rhythmol dose?  Did it not work then?  Should we gear up to do it all again in a few months for another ablation?

His procedure was 3 days after our wedding, I was hoping that his wedding gift could be freedom from this nightmare.  I hate seeing him check his pulse, I see the fear across his face when he has a lot of them in a row and he's worried if it was a couplet, or a triple, or worse could this be NSVT?  I hate that we have a calendar tracking how many palps he has each day....I know that you are all living in a box of your own madness at times because of it.  And trust me, you are all in my prayers.

I know you can't give me answer WHY these things occur, because like you said--if you knew that you'd be selling that golden nugget to all of us...but if anyone has been through this before or knows someone who has, that would be AWESOME for us to hear about!  

Thanks, I appreciate all of your help :)  

[Chriswpw]

Hi.

I know exactly how he feels. I must say that after my ablation for WPW I also had, and still have palps and pvc's. Especialy with in the first 2-3 weeks after. It almost felt like i was about to go into that rythm again. I also had an episode of a-fib 6 onths later..thats a different story. But what they tell me is that is is normal. The metoprlol helps me, Ive noticed less palps since being placed on it to controll asy episodes of a-fib.


Hope this helps.

[ireneo]

I'm sorry he had to go through the ablation with no sedation. That is rough. My understanding is ablating PVC's is very difficult. Most doctors hope that patients can learn to accept these "heart hiccups" as benign and live life normally. It's good to hear that his heart is improved from the ablation but to expect a perfectly normal heart might be too much to ask for. Many of us just have strange blips in there and they're difficult to eradicate.

I would say still give it time. In a few months the PVC's may trickle off to a couple a day or some days with none. The heart (like the old Timex commercial) can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.

[Momto3]

Hi LovedOneSuffers,

I answered another post, but figured I'd reassure you here.....

Is he concerned over a daily handful of PVCs?  I'm not sure he will ever be free of them alltogether.....I've had two ablations and went from over 20,000/day to a dozen now and again.  I still have episodes of NSVT, but not very often.

I went into the first procedure with reduced ventricular function (EF 40%) and today I'm back at 60%....The occasional PVCs are not causing any problems.

connie