On April 30th 2024 I went in for a regular 6 month doctor check up. He noticed heart rate was consistently around 160. Noting it was high but not seemingly alarmed he sent me home. Over the next few weeks I continued to monitor my heart rate from home on my own where it consistently read in the mid-160s resting numerous times throughout the day. I decided to call my GP back and he referred me to, I guess what would be considered their go-to cardiologist. Just for contacts I had been in the 160s for at least 5 weeks that I knew of but the only reason I knew, was because I was checking it. I never felt a rapid . I never feel fluttering or skipping a Beat, heck I could have been in it for 6 months and would not have known. So, I walk in and sit down in the cardiologist office without so much of an introduction he orders his nurses to put me on the EKG. He originally diagnosed SVT. Then they tried pumping several syringes of something which they did not identify by way of ivy IV which didn't work. The cardiologist who had barely uttered two words for me since I had been there said to his nurse well put another one in. The nurse summoned one of her assistants out of the room to go get another syringe of whatever they were so quickly trying to push into me. This nurse returned after a few minutes of what seemed like a bit of Chaos and said "we must not have anymore of that either we can't find it or it must be on back order." Meanwhile I'm lying there no change in my heart rate wondering what the heck is going on. The man who acted as if he was the cardiologist told the the nurse try something else. So the nurse and her assistant started trying to push syringes of other things through my IV. I still have no idea what. I guess I could have asked but everything seemed so frenzied and I couldn't understand why because I've been in the same condition for likely months and was in no distress had never been in any distress. I likely would not remember the name of the liquid that they were pumping through my IV some of which they said had to be pushed in as fast as it could go and the other of which they said could go in like a regular shot for what that's worth. I have never experienced any problems with my heart. Had never even parked in the parking lot of cardiologist's office. I went there purely out of caution because I knew 160 something not normal. It is this time with six people plus equipment in the cramped office with me lying on the bed hooked up to the EKG that the man who I assume was the cardiologist leaned over me and said in very broken English that I would need to be transferred to the hospital for a night or two and that he could not let me leave. I just looked at him with a
polite smile. Remember no one has explained anything to me. I wasn't trying to be a difficult patient, but this all happened so fast I felt fine and no one explained anything to me as to why I would have to call my wife and two young boys the next morning, and tell them, "I went in for a doctor's appointment and by the way, the Dr. wouldn't let me leave and now I'm in the hospital for a night or two with who knows what kind of heart problems." Yes, I watch cop shows and there was a moment of much needed levity when I thought, "You know, I'm not handcuffed and to this bed, how is he going to keep me from leaving?" I politely told him I would not go to the hospital. Had I known why, I may have gone, but he was either unable, or just didn't feel like explaining anything to me. When he left the room and the nurses were sure he was a few steps down the hall they all rolled their eyes and got a big chuckle out of him. I still lay there half naked with stickers and wires and needles in me, while a 16-year-old girl from a local high school who had been sheepishly standing in the corner of the room from the beginning with no ID and no introduction, remained quietly embarrassed, still observing from her corner. I was then moved down the hall to see the electrophysiologist. He gave a brief explanation of what he felt was going on. He said it was not SVT but atrial flutter. He then said the only option for me would be to have an ablation on each side of my groin in 3 weeks and that I would need to be on eliquis for those 3 weeks prior to the procedure. He asked me what I did for a living I told him that I stayed home and took care of my children. I told him that we had a vacation planned during the week that he was insisting I had to have this surgery. (The week after July 4th.) I asked if we could put the surgery off for a week or do it
the week before, and in a much different kind of broken English, he said, "No, since you are sitting around doing nothing, we have to do it then." And he walked into a room, closing the door. I have since learned through my own research and that there are other things that are often tried such as cardioversion and Metropol forgive the spelling. Is the ablation the only, or typical first go to treatment? I'm frustrated and a little scared and I would love to have someone comment to perhaps give me more realistic perspective. The people on this form are wonderful. This is my first time. Posting so please forgive some of the syntax errors because I am trying to do most of this using voice to text technology which we all know is imperfect. I will do the ablation if necessary, but would love to try something less invasive such as and oral route medication or cardioversion. I will do something I do care I need to fix this I want to be around for a long time for my family. I have to be.