Aa
Scared about Ablation
I am new here, but am looking for a place to turn. I was recently diagnosed with SVT and PVCs (arrythmias). The SVT became debilitating, ending me up in the ER. Laying or sitting, my heart rate was 70 - upon standing up and taking a step, it jumped to 180...then the PVCs started.
At any rate, the docs have me on Metropolol (controlling the SVT, but not the PVCs), so they are thinking about doing ablation.
Holy crap! WHAT?? A couple of weeks ago, I was a normal girl just living my life and now I have a diagnosed heart problem that they want to do surgery on?
I am so scared. Can someone out there share their experience with ablation? Should I do it?
Thanks so much...
At any rate, the docs have me on Metropolol (controlling the SVT, but not the PVCs), so they are thinking about doing ablation.
Holy crap! WHAT?? A couple of weeks ago, I was a normal girl just living my life and now I have a diagnosed heart problem that they want to do surgery on?
I am so scared. Can someone out there share their experience with ablation? Should I do it?
Thanks so much...
Good luck with your procedure tomorrow. You'll do fine! The odds are definitely in your favor. Do you know if you will you be sedated? What are your going in for?
I have an ablation scheduled for 8am Wednesday morning. Have just been up for the past 2 hours reading all these posts on my Ipod in bed because I am so scared for the procedure. It may sound stupid but I'm not scared for after, I'm scared I'm going to die on the table. :( Reading these posts has helped but I just can't wait for this to be over with.
I think we all have a high level of anxiety leading up to it. It's not a "simple operation", but the pain associated with it is fairly low. Plus if you get some sedation, it'll be over before you know it.
The procedure is "surgery" in the most broadest sense. The Insertion of the catheters is done by a puncture, very similar to the size of the needle used for donating blood. There's no sutures, the wound is covered and allowed to clot and heal on its own. Most places use that "Saran Wrap" material to cover the punctures, and you can shower the next day. The covering begins to pull away in the following days. I limped around for a few days, but within a couple of weeks, I was motoring around like nothing happened, and I'm 60 y/o. If you have any further questions, ask them in a separate post, and there are a number of us here who've had the procedure done that would be happy to answer them for you. Good luck!
The procedure is "surgery" in the most broadest sense. The Insertion of the catheters is done by a puncture, very similar to the size of the needle used for donating blood. There's no sutures, the wound is covered and allowed to clot and heal on its own. Most places use that "Saran Wrap" material to cover the punctures, and you can shower the next day. The covering begins to pull away in the following days. I limped around for a few days, but within a couple of weeks, I was motoring around like nothing happened, and I'm 60 y/o. If you have any further questions, ask them in a separate post, and there are a number of us here who've had the procedure done that would be happy to answer them for you. Good luck!
Hi Everyone, I have SVT and going in for an ablation september 13th. I am very scard. even though everyone keeps saying, oh it's a simple operation all i can think of is yeah easy for you to say it not your heart. I was to have it last friday but it was rescheduled for sept 13th so no I even longer to worry... I am concern about the after surgery recovery.
Yah, the foley catheter was a little surprise that I didn't expect. It was like "WHAT THE.....!!!" for me. I was not permitted to preshave due to the possibility of infection, but the orderly that the deed was really nonchalant about and it put me at ease. It's funny how you lose the inhibitions after only a couple of hours in the hospital. I got a hit of Vallium in the drip line just before wheeling me down. I remember saying, "it's not working, it's not working!" but the overhead lights started blur as I was wheeled under each one, so I knew it was hitting me. I barely remember scooting onto the cath table. A whiff of gas and I was gone.
I had a catheter ablation done about a month ago for A-fib. In Minnesota we are very lucky to have two top heart centers (Abott Northwestern/Minneapolis Heart Institute and Mayo Clinic). Before I decided to proceed with having this surgery I did lots of research( I think that's why I was so at peace with the proceedure, even though I am terrified to even go the dentist). One of the key things I found was having a top heart center(one that does many of these proceedures) and a Dr. at that center that has done many. the Dr. I had do my surgery does more of these proceedures than anyone in the upper midwest. That's all he does on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
I did not do well on all the medications that I was put on to control my heart. That was my main reason, besides being fairly young (50) to go ahead with the proceedure. With the high success rate and the very low rate of problems(this is maximized at top centers with top Dr.s) I felt very confident in success and freedom from A-fib and medications.
For someone who has problems going to the dentist I can honestly say that I would do this surgery again in a heartbeat (no pun intended) if needed. I showed up the day of surgery at 5:45 AM, waited a few minutes and was brought to a pre-op room. They had me get undressed and get into a special gown. They shave your chest and groin area and wash it. I waited a few more minutes and then in quick succession I had visits from the Anesthesiaologist, the Dr. and seveal nurses. They all explain what will be happening and what to expect. The IV gets inserted and at the last minute they informed me that I would be having a urinary catheter, fortunately that got inserted when I was sedated and before I could freak out to much about it. With all the preliminaries out of the way it was go time and my bed got wisked into the operating room. I remember a mask getting placed on my face and being told to inhale deeply. I did this twice and that was the last thing I remember before waking up in the post-op room. I had two nurses keeping an eye on me, one that was with me constantly. I was a little nausous and my throat was sore from the breathing tube that they insert during surgery...........no problem she gave me something for both and I felt great and groggy. After a while they removed the five different catheter tubes one at a time, but needed to apply pressure and wait until everything was O.K. before moving on to the 2,3,4 and 5th. After that I was suppose to get transfered to a room but as they say....... there was no room at the inn. I got to spend my laying flat on my back time with all the nice nurses in post op. When a room finally opened up in the hospital I was past the bed rest part of the proceedure and got to spend the rest of the day and night in my room. One other side note......I was always apprehensive about being naked in the hospital..........after getting shaved, washed and having a urinary catheter all that fear is out the window. I think I could walk around naked in the hospital now if they wanted me to. It really was no big deal.
I was put on a blood thinner called Pradaxa for 45 days and was released the next morning. Besides a weight lifting restriction for a week I didn't have to change anything in my life. I was back to work after the weekend(I had my surgery on a Thursday). I have about 15 more days of Pradaxa and have a follow up with my Dr. in another two months. So far no pain, no A-fib and no complications. If everything is still good when I see him the hope is to ween me off all my meds.
I hope this helps anyone considering having this proceedure.
I did not do well on all the medications that I was put on to control my heart. That was my main reason, besides being fairly young (50) to go ahead with the proceedure. With the high success rate and the very low rate of problems(this is maximized at top centers with top Dr.s) I felt very confident in success and freedom from A-fib and medications.
For someone who has problems going to the dentist I can honestly say that I would do this surgery again in a heartbeat (no pun intended) if needed. I showed up the day of surgery at 5:45 AM, waited a few minutes and was brought to a pre-op room. They had me get undressed and get into a special gown. They shave your chest and groin area and wash it. I waited a few more minutes and then in quick succession I had visits from the Anesthesiaologist, the Dr. and seveal nurses. They all explain what will be happening and what to expect. The IV gets inserted and at the last minute they informed me that I would be having a urinary catheter, fortunately that got inserted when I was sedated and before I could freak out to much about it. With all the preliminaries out of the way it was go time and my bed got wisked into the operating room. I remember a mask getting placed on my face and being told to inhale deeply. I did this twice and that was the last thing I remember before waking up in the post-op room. I had two nurses keeping an eye on me, one that was with me constantly. I was a little nausous and my throat was sore from the breathing tube that they insert during surgery...........no problem she gave me something for both and I felt great and groggy. After a while they removed the five different catheter tubes one at a time, but needed to apply pressure and wait until everything was O.K. before moving on to the 2,3,4 and 5th. After that I was suppose to get transfered to a room but as they say....... there was no room at the inn. I got to spend my laying flat on my back time with all the nice nurses in post op. When a room finally opened up in the hospital I was past the bed rest part of the proceedure and got to spend the rest of the day and night in my room. One other side note......I was always apprehensive about being naked in the hospital..........after getting shaved, washed and having a urinary catheter all that fear is out the window. I think I could walk around naked in the hospital now if they wanted me to. It really was no big deal.
I was put on a blood thinner called Pradaxa for 45 days and was released the next morning. Besides a weight lifting restriction for a week I didn't have to change anything in my life. I was back to work after the weekend(I had my surgery on a Thursday). I have about 15 more days of Pradaxa and have a follow up with my Dr. in another two months. So far no pain, no A-fib and no complications. If everything is still good when I see him the hope is to ween me off all my meds.
I hope this helps anyone considering having this proceedure.
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