Terrified of Upcoming Cardiac Ablation

[Labonita_ca2014]

I am going in for a cardiac ablation in 2 weeks and was feeling only slightly nervous until I read some comments about how the burning hurts and is very intense. I know I will be only mildly sedated and I have an overactive vagal response so am worried about that.  It probably doesn't help that I also have an anxiety disorder : ( I know I can't live with these continuous runs of pvcs anymore as it is limiting my life drastically. If anyone could shed any light on this, I would greatly appreciate the support.

[Labonita_ca2014]

My ablation is in 1.5 days and I honestly can't wait now. I had to stop taking the beta blocker which slightly decreased the pvcs so the last fee days have been ugly : ( I am getting through it with the help of Ativan, lots of rest and the occasional sleeping pill. Still pretty nervous about the procedure but so excited at the prospect of being pvc free!!!!  Apparently I will meet with the cardiologist and the anesthetist just before the procedure so I can remind them of my anxiety issues and ask to be as sedated as possible. Thanks for all of the well wishes!!!!

[Bigmax]

I have had two ablations and in my country they put you out completely so I was completely unaware of what was happening. Afterwards I did not feel in pain although I did feel a bit delicate for a week or so and I was not going to do any serious exercise for a while. Considering the discomfort etc you have now some unpleasant effects even if they are more than most people have, are nothing compared to the constant anguish you had beforehand. Good luck and keep us in the loop.

[achillea]

So, I hope you have communicated with your doctor and told him/her about your worries?  Really, docs cannot read your mind and truly prefer to know beforehand what a patient hopes for.

[MichelleP_3811]

You are going to be scared.  That is understandable.  Someone is going in to mess with your heart but it is actually a very safe procedure with low risk.  Odds are better for an svt ablation than for pvcs but I can appreciate that it is worth a shot to be rid of the pvc.  In general I think they are more of a nuisance then my svt ever was.  I will not lie, I did feel them burn me.  It was a deep pain and it didn't feel good but not terribly excruciating.  If you are uncomfortable at any time I was told I could ask for a higher dose of sedation. They did up the levels right before they burned so they try their best to make it as painless as possible.  If you are nervous do let them know so they can account for that.  The main reason they use conscious sedation is so they can find the spot better.  Once it is found there is no reason why they can't give you enough to fall asleep.   Most do but I was kind of interested in watching what was going on.  I had 2 other surgeries for fibroids and I was knocked out for those so I was kind of curious to be awake for it.  I was quite scared I will admit but in the end it really turned out to be not a big deal.  Best of luck with the ablation. Let us know how it goes.   I will keep you in my prayers.  

[Labonita_ca2014]

Thank you so much and thanks for the links too- I had tried to find these previously but had no luck.

[tom_h]

... and this one too:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Rhythm/Jannie411s-Ablation---Part-2--Section-3---The-Actual-Ablation-continued/show/1499079