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You might contract with a therapist for a few sessions to learn techniques to manage your anxiety.
Your heart IS healthy. How do I, someone who doesn't know squat about you, know? Because the EP wouldn't have you on a waiting list if it were not. If you have valvular problems, cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, serious hypertrophy of the atrium or ventricles, you would not be an appropriate patient for ablation. So, your EP has all the information he/she needs to make an informed decision, or else that person could be sued for malpractice...operating on a patient for whom the procedure could be dangerous due to a known and existing medical condition. You've had an echocardiogram, maybe and angiogram, a stress test, and maybe even an MRI, and they all show no obvious structural defects, no enlargement (hypertrophy) beyond normal for your age and time with an arrhythmia, and you have no other serious comorbidities that will seriously erode his (and your) chances of a successful ablation.
When I was in line for an ablation, and after all the reading I had done, I couldn't wait. I literally felt like the midway was coming, I was still a kid, and I had enough money to go on every ride....three times. Plus a corndog. I was that excited. You need to place yourself in that frame of mind.

Hi I WISH the EP,s would spell it out like you did reading this also calm my anxiety I was just told that I have good chance it will help with my AFIB

I had my first ablation in 2019 and was fine for 9 months. I had another ablation early 2020, which had no effect. In June of 2020 I received a Boston Scientific pacemaker and have been fine until in January of this year. I was having AFIB 29% of the time. Nothing was done. In July when I was check AFIB was 50% of the time. I was put on medication. I see the dr again in September and he and the EP will decide what I need, depending on how much AFIB I am having now. I have never felt it all these years, which is odd to me.

Once again, Gloaming, you have taken the time to do what the doctors don't seem to have time to do. I wonder if that is because of time or the mental set that we mortals wouldn't understand. I think the docs should print off your explanations and hand them to the patients.
Thanks again for sharing all the expertise and information you have gleaned over time.

I'm happy to oblige. You are welcome.

I am struggling to understand exactly what is going on with my AFib. I was told all my life (just turned 81), that I had a mitral valve prolapse. So I pretty much ignored the racing heart beat, and worse feeling with hard exercise. In 2021 I complained of a tiredness I could not seem to get thru the day even with small chores. I had a stent implanted, then Cardiologist said I needed a pacemaker, which was done. Then they put me on Eliquis which I feel has complicated my health and made me feel worse. They tell me I have to stay on it unless I have an ablation, then maybe a Watchman implant. The pacemaker is uncomfortable to live with, I am not excited about having my heart "burned" or another implant. Now my son has a pacemaker for a valve stenosis problem. I worry about a genetic complication as my brother has had similar heart issues. When I complain about the Eliquis they say I must stay on it because I am always in AFib??? I don't know what any of this means. My grandmother died of a massive stroke, never regained consciousness. So I am scheduled for an ablation soon but not happy about it. You seem to understand the disease (if we can call it that). Please respond with any questions I need to ask these Cardiologists because I just had a CT scan of my abdomen for a recurring pain. I have no appendix, no gall bladder. I do have adhesions from previous C sections and other surgeries. I mention this because the CT scan said my heart was enlarged and my liver was cystic and scarred (cirrhosis). So I'm concerned about any invasive procedure. Going for more blood tests as last one not specific for liver issues. Never thought I would spend my golden years in the clinic every time I turn around. My BMI is normal, I don't smoke or drink. Maybe this is just nature's way of winding down but I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Just going by what you say your EP said about you, you are in at least long-standing persistent AF, but you may have gone on further into permanent AF. Each successive stage of AF is more difficult to treat because it usually means all six walls of the atrium are affected by rogue firing cells. In early AF, paroxysmal, only the area around the pulmonary veins is affected, and ablating that area is relatively straightforward, and the quickest of all the procedures. It has the highest rates of success.
I don't think anyone is particularly tickled that they need their heart 'burned' in order to be rid of the discomforts of AF. However, the procedure is now widely accepted as the 'gold standard of care' for AF patients. The reason is what I just explained earlier: getting it early is simple, effective, and gives long term relief. It gives long term relief from the sometimes horrible symptoms, but it also gives long term relief from the dangers associated with more advanced stages of AF (atrial enlargement, mitral valve prolapse, deposition of collagen and its resultant fibrosis in the underlying substrate, and possibly heart failure).
Try to learn as much as you can about ablation. Your goal is to be so enlightened that you literally can't wait for it to happen. That is where I was after reading a lot of research and watching several excellent YouTube videos (go to YouTube and search for 'AFib Education Center' and watch Dr. Lee's videos. They're quite good). I was so happy when my cardiologist asked me, after a hospital visit for AF, if he had ever mentioned being referred to an electrophysiologist to me. I replied that no, he had not, but that I was very happy he was mentioning it now. He didn't raise an eyebrow or ask me why, but he knew me well enough that I was soaking up everything he threw at me and I was able to discuss my case knowledgeably by then...so he must have put two and two together an understood that I knew what he was offering. You need to be there as well...educated, reassured, confident, and very, very eager to get this AF under control!
I have had two ablations. Why two? Because the failure rate for index ablations (first attempts) is 25%. This is because the lesions generated during that first go did not completely seal off the source of the extra beats, which are almost 100% certain to be around the mouths of the four pulmonary veins at the back wall of the left atrium. Chalk up this failure rate to conservatism. The EPs are loath to cause more damage than is absolutely necessary, and the cauterizing does damage to tissue. They want to spare the phrenic nerve and the soft tissue of the esophagus, both of which pass right behind the left atrium's posterior wall. They burn less, and if they fail to close it off, they'll offer to do it again. Happened to me, and I'm now 30 months free of AF.
Try to find security and reassurance. Get a really good, top notch, EP, get in line, and hope for the best. Learn all you can about the procedure, remind yourself that it's just day surgery, just like a colonoscopy or a laparoscopic procedure like an appendectomy. Most patients are discharged by supper time and your friend/relative drives you home.

Bridig4, Just wanted to reach out to applaud your fight. I, too, am 81. Though I am not dealing with the scope of your problems, I am resistant to continued interventions that seem to reduce my everyday quality of life. I am impressed that you still mention exercise. I hope all goes well with you.

Pay attention to Gloaming. He is very knowledgeable and gives good advice. I always read his responses even if I have different problems.

Thank you for your response. Getting older is not for sissies as we have found. My biggest concern is that it is so difficult to get to a really knowledgeable diagnostician these days. Most specialists do not want to hear about any complaints that are not in their realm of specialty. My intuition says that is not the way our bodies work. A prescription for one part may not be good for another part. I have a feeling we will all be shuffled off to AI docs soon as no human can keep up with everything. I just want to be able to be here with my family as long as I can do so without being a burden. So I am trying to educate myself enough to be able to get answers from some of these specialists by asking lucid questions. In doing so, I find that there are questions they should have been asking me, again our bodies organs are "connected". A what came first the chicken or the egg discussion comes up in most of my research. My blood work and liver markers do not show a reason for having the CT scan show cirrhosis but my liver is scarred and cystic. And I do not drink. If or how that is connected to my AFib or what causes it, is still a mystery to me. The only connection I can fathom is the chemo/radiation I had nearly 25 years ago for NHLymphoma. And no one could tell me why I had that. So pumping more "drugs" for heart issues and gastric issues is not an ideal plan in my mind. This chat site has been very informative and at least it let's me know I am not the only one with these issues. And you are so right, I read responses and even those with different problems face similar symptoms. I appreciate the learning experiences.

Also, I go for a second cardio version next week. They say I am always in AFib. Then they will discuss an ablation and they did bring that up before but again, not my first choice without more information. Now I wonder why they rushed to do the pacemaker and now I still have AFib. My symptoms have not changed except for the gastric issues. I have had the palpitations, etc. all my life and in my childhood. The fatigue is what sent me to the cardiologist in the first place. But maybe the fatigue was due to something else, as after chemo and radiation, a lot changed. Maybe it was my liver complaining but no real obvious issues in bloodwork. That is why I am being cautious, because I do not like going under anesthesia or being in the hospital for anything. I always seem to "lose a part" in those places. Don't have any left to lose that I don't need.