Aa
surgery
sorry for typos - only allowed to use r hand atm and in severe pain - hospital was wed - sat
tilt test - positive - crashed @ 2 min w/nitro HR went to 20
surgery was pure torture - 1st mapping site they lost me - flatlined got me back by defib paddles; back - tried mapping again, same thing again ; almost had to defib again; heart straightened out - fully mapped ablated 54,181 pvc's gone!
had to do xrays, cardiac mri; cardiac cath & implant pacemaker/icd yesterday - today top lead moved so I'm in alot pain but happy as a can be to be alive
just wanted to say thank you for all of the support, prayers & thoughts
Lisa
tilt test - positive - crashed @ 2 min w/nitro HR went to 20
surgery was pure torture - 1st mapping site they lost me - flatlined got me back by defib paddles; back - tried mapping again, same thing again ; almost had to defib again; heart straightened out - fully mapped ablated 54,181 pvc's gone!
had to do xrays, cardiac mri; cardiac cath & implant pacemaker/icd yesterday - today top lead moved so I'm in alot pain but happy as a can be to be alive
just wanted to say thank you for all of the support, prayers & thoughts
Lisa
Irene thanks :) I go to the EP next Wed for a check up and to see how my icd is working. More swelling has gone down and I can tell I've probably done too much too quick by going shopping Monday LOL
As for my children, my oldest daughter is 22 and has had abnormal HB since she was young - passed out quite a few times but the drs always attributed that to asthma & the meds she took. She's scared now because she still gets palpations so I told her she needs to go do a full check up with my cardiologist.
I'm keeping a close eye on my youngest 2 & going to have their dr really listen to their hearts & pay attention. Still keeping my fingers crossed it's not genetic, but they haven't had a chance to read the tests and I already had surgery so they're in no rush.
I wasn't sure about my EP at first, he seemed all business and wanted to get me in & out of surgery at our first meeting. The 2nd appt was better; but still kind of all business, what really counts though is the time he took before surgery with me and then after with my family.
While the other surgeons were rushing in & out of the waiting room, he sat with my family for over 15 min and then came to see me and came back to see me after his rounds. He even called twice the next day to make sure I was being taken care of and to assure me that his partner would do the same, since he had a prior speaking engagement.
He told me I could wait for him to get back in town to do the cath & ICD, but I would have to stay in the hospital until Monday. He felt that it was urgent I have it done, so he recommended his partner.
I'm glad I trusted my instincts & went with this EP, hopefully I won't have to change for a very long time.
1 week post op and I haven't felt 1 pvc, but I have felt a few "twinges" where maybe my ICD is doing it's job :P
As for my children, my oldest daughter is 22 and has had abnormal HB since she was young - passed out quite a few times but the drs always attributed that to asthma & the meds she took. She's scared now because she still gets palpations so I told her she needs to go do a full check up with my cardiologist.
I'm keeping a close eye on my youngest 2 & going to have their dr really listen to their hearts & pay attention. Still keeping my fingers crossed it's not genetic, but they haven't had a chance to read the tests and I already had surgery so they're in no rush.
I wasn't sure about my EP at first, he seemed all business and wanted to get me in & out of surgery at our first meeting. The 2nd appt was better; but still kind of all business, what really counts though is the time he took before surgery with me and then after with my family.
While the other surgeons were rushing in & out of the waiting room, he sat with my family for over 15 min and then came to see me and came back to see me after his rounds. He even called twice the next day to make sure I was being taken care of and to assure me that his partner would do the same, since he had a prior speaking engagement.
He told me I could wait for him to get back in town to do the cath & ICD, but I would have to stay in the hospital until Monday. He felt that it was urgent I have it done, so he recommended his partner.
I'm glad I trusted my instincts & went with this EP, hopefully I won't have to change for a very long time.
1 week post op and I haven't felt 1 pvc, but I have felt a few "twinges" where maybe my ICD is doing it's job :P
It's good to hear from you again. I'm glad the PVC's are gone but more importantly, I'm glad you survived the cure. Not an easy procedure for you. Sounds great that you've got some energy back. Once the ICD leads are anchored down, you'll be free to enjoy life again.
Certainly if one of your kids starts having funny heart beats, take them in to be checked. Two of my kids have occasional tachy bursts but they're so used to me handling mine, they don't seem too upset about their own. I kind of wish they'd at least be checked to make sure theirs are harmless.
I don't know about you but I have a special spot in my heart (no pun intended) for my EP cardiologist. Not only is he a truly nice person but he worked so hard to get my heart to behave. There are no words to express how much I appreciate that.
If you have the time, let us know how things are progressing. Happy day to you.
irene
Certainly if one of your kids starts having funny heart beats, take them in to be checked. Two of my kids have occasional tachy bursts but they're so used to me handling mine, they don't seem too upset about their own. I kind of wish they'd at least be checked to make sure theirs are harmless.
I don't know about you but I have a special spot in my heart (no pun intended) for my EP cardiologist. Not only is he a truly nice person but he worked so hard to get my heart to behave. There are no words to express how much I appreciate that.
If you have the time, let us know how things are progressing. Happy day to you.
irene
With my left arm in a sling sometimes even c&p takes a bit to do lol or I get distracted and come back later and remember I never posted with my other support team :P
I feel comfortable knowing if my heart stops again, I have my own personal "paddles" inside to give me the jolt I need to hopefully sustain life until I can get to the heart unit.
Some of my questions may never be answered; if the cardiac MRI shows idiopathic instead of ARVD. I would feel a bit guilty if it is arvd knowing one of my children may have to go through what I have.
How do you ever thank a doctor enough for saving your life? If I go pvc free I will thank him even more - the site where these were found was such an intricate area in a thin spot of the lower left ventricle that is hard to work on and even harder to ablate.
I feel comfortable knowing if my heart stops again, I have my own personal "paddles" inside to give me the jolt I need to hopefully sustain life until I can get to the heart unit.
Some of my questions may never be answered; if the cardiac MRI shows idiopathic instead of ARVD. I would feel a bit guilty if it is arvd knowing one of my children may have to go through what I have.
How do you ever thank a doctor enough for saving your life? If I go pvc free I will thank him even more - the site where these were found was such an intricate area in a thin spot of the lower left ventricle that is hard to work on and even harder to ablate.
I just cannot get over how much you've been through over the last few months. I'm so very happy that your procedure was a success and they were able to successfully ablate your PVCs. :D
I posted an article a few days ago about a woman who had an ICD implanted seven years ago - hers has never discharged yet, but she loves having the extra security of knowing it's there should it ever be needed. Hopefully you'll be in the same boat, having it but never needing it.
Wow, what an odyssey. I posted questions to you elsewhere but I think most of them were answered here.
I posted an article a few days ago about a woman who had an ICD implanted seven years ago - hers has never discharged yet, but she loves having the extra security of knowing it's there should it ever be needed. Hopefully you'll be in the same boat, having it but never needing it.
Wow, what an odyssey. I posted questions to you elsewhere but I think most of them were answered here.
Sorry that first post was so brief, I was waiting for my husband to go pick up my prescription and stay awake while he was gone. I saw I had a lot of questions in my email about how surgery went.
yes! I'm pvc free finally - none of the monitors over the past week picked up anything.... 54,181 pvc's gone....for good since I have a pacer/ICD now.
Oh yes I had alot more going on inside than what they thought just from all the testing before. I'll have to wait till I get their report so I get it all correct. ( I think ARVD was one of the problems, along with orthostatic hypotension; which they put me on meds 3 x a day for (subject to change dx when I get drs report I think thats what its called I was a little out of it until Sat)
After the ablation Wed.; even with complications I started immediately feeling better by the hour. If you're contemplating ablation, really think about it - it's not as bad as it sounds, which is why I waited on mine. Thurs afternoon I wanted to walk around the hospital but they didn't want me to yet. I'm PVC FREE! I even started getting color back and energy that I haven't had in years.
The ablation itself was pretty easy - they did both groin areas which did not hurt as bad as I thought it would; surgery was about 4 1/2 hours. They gave me morphine and something for nausea right after. After a couple of hours laying flat they gave me sprite & crackers; then a couple hours more I got to sit up. They gave me percocet & pepcid around the clock until Sat that kept the pain bearable.
Dr said the first mapping he started my heart flatlined, so they defib'd me and he wanted to see if it was a fluke or something else. He started into the area a 2nd time and I flatlined again, he got the paddles counted down and on 0; I came back or it would have been a 2nd defib. He said he thought it was safe to map then and it started a 3rd time but within a few sec my heart straightened out. He said he suspects ARVD, but could be idiopathic (no cause) either way I had to have the ICD implanted so I wouldn't have sudden cardiac death.
My cardiologist & EP consulted & decided I needed a heart cath first to make sure no blocks - everything looked great - no kinks, no plaque, no blocks etc.
I had a cardiac mri in between ablation & heart cath, wow talk about a strange test. It took over an hour of laying flat and no moving whatsoever - breathing, holding your breath, legs up on a platform, headphones on and a rag over your face. I had to go to the bathroom which they had NO sympathy for :( I told them they better hurry or I was going to embarass myself and mess their expensive machine up. After laying there an hour with dye injected not sure what they expected but they got done fast lol
The heart cath took about 15 min for the test itself and I had an injection at the site and something to relax me, the worst part was the stint? they put in the artery for the cath - had to stay in during my implant and I had to have 2 iv's for the cath; cant remember why though.
The pacemaker/icd surgery took a couple of hours and I was in heaven - the tech put a "hugger" blanket on me and I was toasty warm. I've never been offered that until then, so ask if they don't offer one it makes a huge difference.
Had ICD implanted on Friday; testing to see placement after then Sat had followup testing to see if it implanted. It showed the top lead moved some, so they said they may have to redo the leads. 4 hours of testing & doctors consults and they said - it's ok, not perfect so we'll watch it, but NO left arm movement - keep the sling on at all times for 6-12 weeks till the lead attaches to the muscle.
ireneo sore is it...my 2nd heart as my kids call it :P is painful. If I move certain ways I can feel it pull so I avoiding those places :)
on a side note - I feel like going shopping which is something I haven't wanted to do in a very long time. I woke up feeling sore and hurting today but refreshed and feeling almost back to normal...there is life after pvc's
yes! I'm pvc free finally - none of the monitors over the past week picked up anything.... 54,181 pvc's gone....for good since I have a pacer/ICD now.
Oh yes I had alot more going on inside than what they thought just from all the testing before. I'll have to wait till I get their report so I get it all correct. ( I think ARVD was one of the problems, along with orthostatic hypotension; which they put me on meds 3 x a day for (subject to change dx when I get drs report I think thats what its called I was a little out of it until Sat)
After the ablation Wed.; even with complications I started immediately feeling better by the hour. If you're contemplating ablation, really think about it - it's not as bad as it sounds, which is why I waited on mine. Thurs afternoon I wanted to walk around the hospital but they didn't want me to yet. I'm PVC FREE! I even started getting color back and energy that I haven't had in years.
The ablation itself was pretty easy - they did both groin areas which did not hurt as bad as I thought it would; surgery was about 4 1/2 hours. They gave me morphine and something for nausea right after. After a couple of hours laying flat they gave me sprite & crackers; then a couple hours more I got to sit up. They gave me percocet & pepcid around the clock until Sat that kept the pain bearable.
Dr said the first mapping he started my heart flatlined, so they defib'd me and he wanted to see if it was a fluke or something else. He started into the area a 2nd time and I flatlined again, he got the paddles counted down and on 0; I came back or it would have been a 2nd defib. He said he thought it was safe to map then and it started a 3rd time but within a few sec my heart straightened out. He said he suspects ARVD, but could be idiopathic (no cause) either way I had to have the ICD implanted so I wouldn't have sudden cardiac death.
My cardiologist & EP consulted & decided I needed a heart cath first to make sure no blocks - everything looked great - no kinks, no plaque, no blocks etc.
I had a cardiac mri in between ablation & heart cath, wow talk about a strange test. It took over an hour of laying flat and no moving whatsoever - breathing, holding your breath, legs up on a platform, headphones on and a rag over your face. I had to go to the bathroom which they had NO sympathy for :( I told them they better hurry or I was going to embarass myself and mess their expensive machine up. After laying there an hour with dye injected not sure what they expected but they got done fast lol
The heart cath took about 15 min for the test itself and I had an injection at the site and something to relax me, the worst part was the stint? they put in the artery for the cath - had to stay in during my implant and I had to have 2 iv's for the cath; cant remember why though.
The pacemaker/icd surgery took a couple of hours and I was in heaven - the tech put a "hugger" blanket on me and I was toasty warm. I've never been offered that until then, so ask if they don't offer one it makes a huge difference.
Had ICD implanted on Friday; testing to see placement after then Sat had followup testing to see if it implanted. It showed the top lead moved some, so they said they may have to redo the leads. 4 hours of testing & doctors consults and they said - it's ok, not perfect so we'll watch it, but NO left arm movement - keep the sling on at all times for 6-12 weeks till the lead attaches to the muscle.
ireneo sore is it...my 2nd heart as my kids call it :P is painful. If I move certain ways I can feel it pull so I avoiding those places :)
on a side note - I feel like going shopping which is something I haven't wanted to do in a very long time. I woke up feeling sore and hurting today but refreshed and feeling almost back to normal...there is life after pvc's
Sounds like you had a lot more going on than just run of the mill PVC's. I don't know your story but your heart must have been in critical shape to act so badly during the ablation. And now you have an ICD/pacemaker? Did they completely ablate the SA or AV node then? Shoot.
I do hope you'll check in with us after a week or so and let us know how you're feeling. The ICD implant site should heal up pretty quickly. You'll have to be careful with the arm for awhile till the leads settle in. This should help you in time. It was a rough road for you and I'm sure the doctors were wetting their pants during the procedure too. LOL Glad you're home safe and sound (and sore - an "S" word you don't need).
I do hope you'll check in with us after a week or so and let us know how you're feeling. The ICD implant site should heal up pretty quickly. You'll have to be careful with the arm for awhile till the leads settle in. This should help you in time. It was a rough road for you and I'm sure the doctors were wetting their pants during the procedure too. LOL Glad you're home safe and sound (and sore - an "S" word you don't need).
COMMUNITY LEADER
Wow, and if I read correctly you are now pvc-free, congratulations.
Sorry it has been a rough trip, but do send my hopes and prayers that everything keeps getting better.
Sorry it has been a rough trip, but do send my hopes and prayers that everything keeps getting better.
You are reading content posted in the Heart Rhythm Community
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Salt in food can hurt your heart.
Get answers to your top questions about this common — but scary — symptom
How to know when chest pain may be a sign of something else
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
