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I had one cardioversion and you aren't out that long; the meds they use now are extremely safe and fast. My friend had a cardioversion without anesthesia but she didn't say if it was awful. I just had an A-fib ablation and the procedure requires general anesthesia and it was not at all a problem except for a dry mouth and a slight rawness of the throat for about 12 hours. As for the cardioversion, my cardiologist required 4 weeks of Eliquis before he would schedule it to be certain blood clots would not be an issue. I begged, but no exceptions. I feel he was looking out for my best interests. Don't be afraid. Give yourself some relief! I hated every minute in A-fib and hope that I am as "cured" as you can get right now!
Replies to "I had one cardioversion and you aren't out that long; the meds they use now are..."
Just something to consider if you are over 70:
If they use the lighter, fast-acting anesthesia for cardioversion, like what they use for colonoscopies, it might not be a problem.
But if it's for ablation, they must use general anesthesia (GA), and that tends to cause cognitive problems for older people. As one doctor told me: "After general anesthesia, the heart kinda resets. But with old people, it never resets to the same level."
I had GA twice in less than a month a year ago. The cognitive decline afterward was quite noticeable and very disturbing -- particularly given that my defining characteristic is insatiable curiosity, and I'm a voracious reader. Or was. I haven't been able to focus enough to read a whole book since, I constantly misplaced things and had no clue where they were, and I've just felt DULL since.
Recently, a year later, my memory and thinking ability are much better, and I'm reading again, but only a little at a time. Audiobooks are helpful, and maybe the Brain HQ and Luminosity "brain games" I've been doing -- or trying to do -- have helped, too.
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@sjm46 thank you very much, you have brought me some peace and comfort