Aa
Worried about my ablation for SVT
Hi everyone. I'm 18.yrs old, I'm having SVT for 10 yrs now. My RFA is scheduled on 22. july Procedure will be done in St.Bartholomews Hospital (London,UK). I'm having about 0-5 SVT episodes per year. I'm a bit nervous now, but I know that I will be so nervous and anxious when the date will come up.. In Pre-Assessement doctor said, that I would be under a light sedation, so, that means I will feel all the catheters going up through my vein? How will they force my heart to start race? With adrenaline or by making an extra heartbeat or what ? I'm worried that I will be able to feel how the palpitations will start and I will be able to feel how they will burn the extra pathway or damaged cells. As Luvyalab mentioned about urinary catheter.. does it hurts when they are applying it?
Many thanks for your replies in advance! Arthur
Many thanks for your replies in advance! Arthur
Best Answer
Congrats on your successful ablation! I'm glad you had a good medical team and a good ablation experience. You must be so relieved! And now you can begin to live a normal life. I wish you all the best. Please keep us posted on your recovery. And take it easy.....don't try to do too much too soon.
Aren't you glad you're on this end of it now and can help others in this forum. Everyone has a little bit of a different story. Just take it easy for awhile and let the heart heal. I tried to do to much too soon and was short of breath, tired, and my chest hurt which are quiet normal. You're young and I'm sure you'll bounce right back. Thanks for sharing your experience here.
Glad to hear it went well. I too will be having a cryoablation done on august 19th in boston,mass.Just keep us updated how your doing. ☺
so, basically, I went in hospital at 7.30 am, at once a nurse said me to wore a gown, which I did. That was in angio day unit (whatever that means), my mother was allowed to come in with me in ward. Then, I guess that was some kind of doctor (male), he explained me everything, and what will be happening. Then I was supposed to sign a consent form. After that, that male doctor/nurse put a catheter on the other side of my palm. Then a waited till 8.30, when nurses came after me. Then we went downstairs bla bla, then there was some more paperwork. Then I met the doctor, and then my mother went back to my ward, and doctor and his assistants took me to the cath lab. I knew how does cath lab looks a like, so there was no surprises about that special room. Then they asked if I had underwear on, and told me wore it off. Then I sat on the procedure table, they started to apply many wires.. There were many people, each of them were responsible for something, I had feeling that I am in good hands, that calmed me a little down. So then, were again safety questions if I have any allergies etc. Then they applied sedation, but I didn't calm down, I was still anxious, and they told, that they would apply more of it.. The I was sleepy and presumably past out. Then I awoke during procedure many times, I felt how they triggered palpitations by making extra beats, and I felt how they burned them. (There very many burns as doctor stated afterwards) When they could not trigger no more palpitations they did cardioversion, which I remember I made sound ( aaahh aaa), that was not painful but very unpleasant... they tried to trigger palpitations by that. Then they were making so many extra beats and tried to trigger palpitations but they coul not any more, pretty much I was awoke for the last 30 minutes of procedure, and I asked doctor for more sedation. I don't know if they gave me, because I was still awake. Then very unpleasant feeling was, when they took catheters out from the groin. That was it, then they unconnected me of the many wires, they they drove me to some after procedure ward, when I rested for 5mins, then they took me up to the angio day ward where were my family. Then I was supposed to lie flat for and hour after they took out catheters. Then they offered me a meal, which was sandwiches, juice,tea or coffee and yoghurt. Bu they said, that at first I have to try a little amount of water, because I could throw up. So, my mother gave me a little of water, and I felt sick. So, I didn't eat anything for another hour. Then I tried again, an the same, I felt sick again. Very weird was that I had and still have like hot waves coming in my body, then I'm starting to sweat, that lasts for max 2 minutess ,that's all. The nurse said that sedation is the thing that causes sickness and sweating. About 3 pm nurse allowed me to try walk, I walked to WC, there was uncomfortable feeling in my groin, but nothing serious. Pretty much that was it.
Arturs Tiesnesis, RFA for SVT 22. July 2011., United Kingdom , London, St.Bartholomew's Hospital
Arturs Tiesnesis, RFA for SVT 22. July 2011., United Kingdom , London, St.Bartholomew's Hospital
Excellent! Glad it went well. Now relax forq few days. Don't be alarmed if you feel any strange beats; it's normal. Give us a rundown of you procedure when you're up to it.
Have an Answer?
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.
I'm 59 and have had SVT (AVNRT)since my mid 30's. I just had an ablation a month ago while under light sedation. I thought it was all very interesting. I wanted to be an observer rather than the one on the table. To answer your question about feeling the catheter go up you veins...I didn't feel a thing. The only thing I felt was the shot to deaden the catheter site and that was more like a sting that hurt for a very short time. That was the only pain during the entire procedure.
They do something called pacing your heart to create the SVT. I've read that they use adrenaline but I don't know for sure how they did mine. I felt and heard my heart on the monitors starting to get harder and faster and irregular. I heard the doctor talking about inducing PVCs. They asked if exercise was a trigger and I told them no, but stress was biggest trigger and too much caffeine caused it. I was partly awake when I felt the tachycardia and I was so relieved because I was afraid they wouldn't get the SVT to know where to burn. It was a weak one compared to the ones I had so it didn't scare me at all. Afterwards, I found out it was 180 bpm. Mine were always 240-250.
As far as feeling the burn, I did feel that. I only had one burn on the slow pathway in the AV node. It didn't hurt, just felt like a warming sensation. I let them know I felt it and they must have given me more sedation because I don't remember much after that. They will sedate you as needed so you are very relaxed through the whole thing or asleep.
I didn't have a urinary catheter and I wish I had. You have to lay flat for 4 hours afterward so if your procedure is very long and then you add 4 hours afterward, it'll be worth not having the pain from a full bladder like I had.
I've been to the dentist with a lot more pain and stress than this procedure. When you think how invasive it is, it really is amazing that it all goes so smoothly. I was told the average time for the procedure is 4 hours. Mine was only 2 1/2 hours and felt like only 1/2 hour. I was really surprised at how easy it was.
I found a youtube that was interesting on the procedure for SVT. It is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ4qTSAOvbc&feature=related
Good luck! You'll be so glad when its over and you don't have to worry about those anymore.
Keep us posted.