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@gloaming
Thank you for that very informative and visual response! My anxiety went up reading it all but I feel like I have a better understanding about the procedure over what I’ve previously read. 3-4 hours, yikes! I’ve had propofol for colonoscopies, but those are quick. Meds are so toxic to my body.
The video in your next post was also great! I now have a much better understanding about why people are saying they had to have 2 or more ablations or why the ablation was only effective for x amount of time.
Yes, important to have the best EP but knowing who that is, is probably the next challenge. I’m sure cardiologists know but maybe they think their EP golfing buddy is good enough. Where’s the trust? My cardiologist wanted to send me to his local EP. Doesn’t mean he’s bad just because he’s local. He might be great. I don’t want to travel but I am also close enough to UCLA to get a ride there if they had the right EP. . How do you determine which EP has the best record and handles complicated cases?
I’ve been hoping to control my afib by eliminating my triggers; but the video addressed that too. As a person who has had a slew of serious adverse side effects to many meds and a complication with most every medical procedure I’ve had, I’m not sold on taking action just yet due to my history but I know it may come to that. I don’t like hearing the various procedure risks because I’m always that one off case where something unexpected happens. You might say my body is not user friendly. Fear of history repeating itself tends to inhibit me from taking action. Also, because of my cancer, I’ve been stalling on any elective procedures thinking I’ll hold out till the next scan results and the next, but my cancer situation is going better than I expected so I may have to rethink some decisions if I’m going to be around longer than I thought.
Again, I really appreciate you taking the time to provide so much info.
Replies to "@gloaming Thank you for that very informative and visual response! My anxiety went up reading it..."
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Sorry, Zebra, I forgot that you had at least one question. You choose the best electrophysiologist because you want highly skilled, hard-working, and highly sought ones with a great record of success and for whom many will wait months to get under his/her auspices and care. These 'best' EPs are not exactly rare, but it's not like there's one in every hospital as well. Be careful using the on-line 'rate my MD' sites because so many who have great success can't wait to get outdoors again, go shopping for themselves, go hiking and camping, and enjoying life; they can't be bothered to offer kudos on those sites because they're quick to move on and to look forward. Instead, it's the angry and disappointed people who most often populate those sites with their comments, and they're not very flattering.
Referrals and sites such as these, or affibers.org are good because they are frequented by people who know the subject malady and who field such questions. Certain names get bandied about more often than others. You can also call university faculties of medicine and ask if you can speak to a cardiologist who might be willing to recommend top grade EPs he/she knows. It's at least a start to getting some names and finding contacts with others who might offer yet more opinions.