Catheter Ablation for SVT - any success stories as I'm so scared?

[ReggieEve]

Hi, I'm a 32 year old female, diagnosed with SVT in December 2011. I saw an Electrophysiologist in March and he advised that I have a Catheter Ablation due to possibly having AVRNT or a concealed accessory pathway...
I am absolutely dreading it to say the least. I understand that I may be sedated and I have never experienced that before. I don't want to be awake and know what they are doing as the whole thing freaks me out. I am als petrified that something will go wrong. Can anybody share anything that will make me feel a little better? I know I need to have it done as I am living with constant fear of the SVT. Many thanks :-)

[Alexandrarose22]

Hello everyone,

My story is similar to yours as well! Had SVT from the time I was 13 until the time I was 24 years old.....was hospitalized twice and had to get adenosine and lived in fear of my palps coming at any moment so I decided to get the ablation.  My ablation went well! I was in the cath lab for about three hours and my Doctor said my pathway was easy to find and only had to burn 1 1/2 times. The procedure wasn't so bad....the scariest part was when he put the catheters in and started to make my heart go into SVT but besides that I don't remember much.  When I woke up he told me I was cured.  It has been 11 months now and I have had no SVT attacks.  Although for six months after my ablation I had very, very bad PAC's (ectopic beats) that felt like flutters, "mini palpitations" or heavy beats.  They just started up again but I know they come with stress and can come at random times and then go away.  Reading these post makes me feel better because it seems that many people get funny beats after the ablation and that its normal (like my Doctor said).  I hope everyone is well and thank you for the great post!

p.s I am in medical school now to become a PA and we learned about the heart, PAC's are so benign that whenever one of my professors asks me how I am doing they say "Those PAC's are nothing and almost all SVT ablation patients get them and its normal" so that is good news!

[MichelleP_3811]

I can't think of anything to say that I haven't already said.  I would say try to stay as calm about it as you can because as you have read the procedure to fix the problem is really not all that bad.  Best of luck at the doctors and do let us know how it all goes.  Stay strong.

[Charleneg5]

Hi there Everyone Im 22yrs old And just found out yesterday about It Im one of those people who literally panics about anything wrong with me for the most part im healthy im going to see a specialist soon im very worried but after hearing all your stories I feel a little relieved Is there any questions that you guys didnt ask that maybe I should?
or any other advice you can give me would be greatly appreiciated

[tom_h]

Your story sounds a lot like my story..... Wait!.... Sounds like a lot like all of our stories.  My SVTwas for 54 years. My physician was concerned of high heart rate and an aging heart, so I decided to get it done.  Left side also, but no puncture. He went through an unsealed flap in my septal wall.  Unlike you, I was under general anesthesia the entire time.  I woke up fresh and was out the door several hours later.  2 years now SVT free.  Expect some jumps, and skips for up to a year following yours.  Perfectly normal.  Congrats, and enjoy your life!

[jellybean261]

I just had ablation two days ago (Jan.10th, 2012).  I have had SVT since I can recall and I'm 37 now.  I have never had surgery before so believe me this was a huge decision and it took me years to make this decision.  I suffered with many episodes, multiple times a month for years.  Even driving once I had to pull over and call an ambulance to the road side because I was neary passing out and i couldn't get it to normal rhythm which normally I bare down and it works.  Last straw was April as I was running a ten km race, I was the cliché who had to be taken to the hospital because again it wouldn't go back to normal. This time I had Adenosine and it didn't work, and I was 5 minutes away from being shocked with the paddles but it went back to normal all of a sudden.  It was then that I decided no more!!  I was freaking out to say the last, very scared, I was fearing the worst.  And you know what?  It was all petty much for nothing.  I was awake the whole procedure but very sedated, not out if control but felt very relaxed.  I watched the catheters go into my heart on the monitors, it was very cool actually.  Time flies by.  All of a sudden it was over and it took about 4 hours.  Didn't seem like it.  I even drifted off to sleep during the procedure.  My issue turned out to be on the left side of the heart so she had to make a hole in the heart wall to ablate the extra partway so risk of Stoke is there but what can you do? I am so glad it's over and I have never felt my hearty so quiet, its very strange and will take some getting used to.  My groin is a bit sore but just slightly, its not much worse than a sore bruise with a bit of stiffness. I stayed over night in the hospital with a IV of blood thinner, and I have to take baby aspirin for three months.  That's it!  It isn't near add bad as you think. Hopefully it works and I don't need to go back for a second ablation.  Good luck!

[ReggieEve]

Thanks again Michelle :-)