I just watched a video on YouTube presented by a physician who is an expert on A-fib and its treatment. The video is entitled "10 Things You Need to Ask Your Doctor Before an Ablation." I thought I was pretty savvy on what to expect but I had to admit that I did not know all the things I should have asked about the ablation I am going to have in the next 6 weeks. I'm a nurse but have no expertise in this area. I was surprised to learn that some electrophysiologists do mostly "standard" ablations which involve only the one wall with the pulmonary vein areas that are sort of the standard problem in early A-fib cases. I also learned that a patient should ask about the doc's success rate, whether he does more complex ablations, his level of experience with all types of ablation procedures. I want a pulse field ablation but this video suggests that this method is most successful with smaller areas of A-fib cells and that more chronic cases are not necessarily appropriate for this method. I think you should search on YouTube to see if you can find this information. I was told originally that I needed to be on an anti-arrhythmic before the actual ablation, but I found Flecainide very troublesome--with some side effects and then reading the Black Box warnings, I decided that since I was in NSR when I started that med, I wouldn't know if it was doing any good anyway! I told the APRN that I have been in NSR since June and I didn't want or need to be on that medication before getting the ablation (they want you in NSR for 3 months before the procedure apparently.) I don't have a problem with Cardizem but I am not ever taking Flecainide again. I, like you, want to be treated before the A-fib spreads any further. I hope you get your answers and that you look around for the best treatment source since there are many options out there. You don't have to take one opinion only; since I have been diagnosed, I have learned that there are experts out there with better results than some local options and I would be willing to travel to get the best options. Good luck to you! As the song goes: it pays to shop around!