Has anyone experience cardiac ablation at the age of 68

[whattodoat68]

I am a 68 year old female who has experienced tachycardia for the past 18 years.  These episodes would usually awaken me from sleep; however they could also occur during the day whether I was active or inactive.  In the beginning it occurred maybe 4 or 5 times a year.      However over the last 3 months it had increased to 4 or more times a week.  Last month my dosage of toprol xl was increased from 1/2 of a 25mg tablet once a day to 1/2 of a 25mg tablet twice a day.  This has brought my episodes down to less than 3 times for the entire month.  My doctor has suggested that I do cardiac ablation to try and eliminate the problem entirely.  I have been told that tachycardia usually
worsens with age and becomes harder to control with medication.  Has anyone around my age experienced a history of what I have described and tried ablation as a solution?  If so please give me some feedback.  


This discussion is related to Ablation vs. Medication.

[Saucheech1]

I am 68 and have had two. The recovery from the first was pretty unsettling. Two issues, you can still get episodes for up to 3 months and getting off Toprol is horrific. I had repeated episodes and was told that two are usually needed for a better success rate. The second went seemlessly and recovery within two weeks. Absolutely no issues for 4 months, and I was elated. Then out of nowhere it was back but on a much smaller scale. I'll be wearing an event monitor and most likely will have a third. Actually looking forward to it as I'm very tired of insidious condition. Finally after meeting with my cardiologist, he told me there is a new precedence called Hybrid conversion/ablation. There are only a few hospitals in the country that are set up to do this. Fortunately there is one here in PalmBeach Gardens Florida. It involves a small incision in your chest where a camera is inserted and uses the same technique used in a regular ablation only on the outside of the heart. At the same time the inside ablation is performed simultaneously though the groin. 90 to 99% success rate. If the third doesn't work, I will definitely ask for the hybrid. It's a heck of a lot better than living with afib. Note: certain heart conditions may not make you a candidate. Best wishes to you.

[ksig]

I, too, have been battling heart arrhythmia for years.  Finally at age 56, I was advised to have my first ablation.  I was thrilled and it took care of some of my difficulties.  Now at 61, I just had my second pacer implanted seven weeks ago.  I am SO much better than I was when I started this journey.  I feel wonderful.  I have so much more energy.  I still have AFib but it does not rear its ugly head nearly as much as it used to.  The AFib was getting me down and I finally made the decision to go the ablation route and have not looked back since.  Frankly it was the best decision for me.  I was on a boat load of meds before the ablations and now I am down to two pills a day.

I know you have many questions about the procedure, so please ask.  Many folks on this forum have had to make the same decision you are considering and will be happy to help you.
ksig

[Heiferly]

Sorry to butt into your conversation ... I was just passing through and thought I might be able to help you locate the post you were looking for.  Here are the two posts that seem relevant:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Rhythm/SUCCESSFUL-ABLATION---WITHOUT-SEDATION/show/1269045

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Rhythm/ABLATION-REPORT-FOR--AVNRT-/show/1269655

Best,
-heiferly.

[whattodoat68]

Thank you so much for your encouragement.  I have found and read your April 8th and April 10th posts.  However, I can't locate your June 20th or thereabouts post.  Is it possible I'm not looking in the correct spot.  I'm not very computer savvy.  I really want to read about your experience with the ablation.

Thanks,
whattodoat68

[Darlingorla]

Hi I just had a successful ablation 4 weeks ago for AVNRT.  If you look back you can read my report which I posted around June 20.

I am 60 so it's never too late - go for it if the EP thinks you are a good candidate!