waiting for ablation

[rbeans]

I am waiting to have a EP/study-catheter ablation  to be done.  Scared out of my mind! It's all I can think about.  The EP Dr. tells me it is a relatively safe procedure but I can't help but worry.  Would love to hear from anyone who has had this procedure done and how they are feeling now. Diagonsed with v-tach caught on haltor monitor.  Was a healthy 42yr old who had the occasional pvc.  One night felt my heart race and almost passed out. I am freaking out about this whole thing. Feel very alone.

[mabebesc]

Hi,
I had my ablation done at Boston Medical Center.  Hope you're doing well!
Betty

[RickDG]

Thanks for the explanations.  You guys are lucky that you could go into your rythms so quickly.  Takes them forever for them to induce me - they just won't give me a cigar and a coupla beers, even though that's all it'll take, lol.  Have heard that the SVT procedures can be a little less intense.  Mom, I don't have an ICD... they actually cardioverted me internally with the catheter.  Felt like I jumped a foot off the table.  When they upped the joules on the second jolt, the nurse said most people can't tell the difference.  It wasn't until after that she said that I was the first person she ever did it on without sedation, lol.  It was a choice of getting shocked or taking anti arrythmics to get me out of the SVT they induced (they were going after my VT, I don't have SVT).  If I took the antiarrythmics then I would have had to end the procedure before they did anything productive but after they put the cath in.

[rr2465]

Hi.  I wasn't entirely asleep.  They got the first catheter in there and it triggered my arrhythmia.  It honestly scared the **** out of me - I was very anxious, sweaty etc, but they assured me that everything was under control and it was a GOOD thing that they were able to trigger it so easily.  I recall the Dr. requesting that they up the meds (Versed and fentanyl) and my recollection of the rest of the procedure is foggy at best.  I also remember them pacing my heart but at that point I was relaxed and it didn't really bother me.

[Momto3]

YIKES!!  You are definitely no wuss!!  I can't imagine laying there for all that time, just wondering what I might feel and when the ICD would go off!!

In my case, the versed would calm the PVCs.  Every time they'd increase the versed, my heart would calm down. So, they'd ease off again. Even with that, I have no recollection of the pacing, wires, tachy, etc.  

[RickDG]

You were all asleep?  Dayum, I think I went to the wrong docs, lol.  No wonder I keep reading these posts about what a piece of cake it was.  I was beginning to wonder if I was a wuss or something.  Yeah, they seemed pretty long, especially on my back, legs and shoulders which would all tighten up after the first couple of hours.  Feeling them pace your heart is an interesting sensation, but after three times I'm used to it now.  Being shocked twice during it wasn't any fun either - I let out every expletive I knew, and a couple in foreign languages as well.  I wish they could have knocked me out but because my VT is so hard to induce, no meds at all for me except numbing the groin.  My understanding is that with some of the SVT's, there's not as much of a problem inducing them.

[Momto3]

I was also "on the table" for 6-7 hours for each procedure.  The procedures were primarily for NSVT, but the doctor was able to induce VT.  Fortunately, I was "on vacation" with versed.  

RickDG, I can't imagine lying there for that long while being awake!  Did it feel like a LONG time?