contro; afib with pace maker or oblation?

@jc76
Thanks for sharing your personal experience.
I am actually mentally getting ready for pacemaker but my cardiologist did recommend to wait to see if HR eventually possible is going to recover so main reason I created the post was to see if anyone had positive experience with this matter.
Information about pacemakers is also super helpful just to get ready for it.

@jc76
My understanding is that my ICD is set at 40 and 140 for the low and high heart rate I assume it would shock me if the rate goes below or above those numbers. In that sense, it does pace my heart.

Your ICD does not pace your heart like a pacemaker. It does not continue to pace your heart at a fixed rate. A pacemaker recipient is either non dependent or dependent on pacemaker. With dependent pacing is all the time. With non dependent it can be set to pace at certain pacing if HR drops.

An ICD is a shocking and pulsing device. What you are talking about is the device can be set for a certain pulse rate and ICD will try to pulse you out of it. IF that pulsing does not work the ICD will shock you back to normal rhythm. The device can monitor and temporary make pulsing to correct heart rhythm but is not a device to continuous pace the heart like a pacemaker.

A shock is not a pacing. The ICD will charge and sent an electrical shock to your heart. It can be programmed to try to pace you out but that is temporary and if does not work will shock you.

Talk your your doctors, especially if you have a EP and they can explain more clearly the role of each. Many people only have ICD when they have tachycardia and or rhythm problem. Some only have pacemakers to keep being paced at certain levels two ways, one all the time at a certain rate, or kick in when HR gets below a certain rate. A pacemaker will never shock like an ICD.

So you can see the differences. My device is a dual device. It paces my heart at 70 beats a minute because my resting pulse rate would be in low 40s. My ICD is set to act if tachycardia at a certain rate occurs. It will try to pace me out first and if fails will shock me. It will not continually pace me if pacing does not bring me out of tachycardia, it will shock me.

Just had a lot of experience with these devices and on my 3rd one with another coming 1 year from now. I am monitored at Mayo Pace Clinic and my device records are sent to Mayo every 3 months or anytime an episodes
happens. I go into pace clinic once a year to check wires, and programming.

@gpspanea I changed from metropotol to multaq
it didnt improve afib but I feel like a new person not tired can walk uphill no side effects it's been 3 months.

Had to stop Multac long QR. Like I sai said everyone is built different and I'm wierd.

I have had three cardiac ablations and had a watchman device inserted so I could get off the blood thinners that I could not tollerate, after all that I still get Afib episodes. I was told by the electrophysiologist that the next step is a pacemaker. I have always been active and very health conscious, it just doesn't seem fair.

@velvetsummerrain I would suggest you consider yet another ablation before the 'last resort' of a pacemaker. Not that I am qualified to give anyone medical advice, and I don't know your history, but there are fantastic, world-class, electrophysiologists out there who are almost certain to be able to help you..................if you are interested and have both the time and the means to travel. Two I know of are Dr. Andrea Natale at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute in Austin (he has privileges at many hospitals around the country and does travel), and Dr. Pasquale Santangeli at Cleveland Clinic. Both are at the top of the heap.

@gloaming

Thank you so much, I was told that three ablations were the limit, that the next step was a pacemaker, I will definitely look into it. Thank you.

@velvetsummerrain
Don't blame yourself. When I was told 25 years ago I got a LBBB and the cause was a virus I too said why me. The determined the cause was a virus as I had NO cardiovascular disease (heart catherization). It is just life.

I have been an exerciser all my life. Up until recently did Sprint Triathlons. Was in hospital twice in 2026 so my training and participation in that sport is severely reduced. But I am back to doing 5 days of water aerobics a week, riding my bike 15 miles twice a week, and swimming an hour twice a week. Took me some time to build back up to that.

How long was your last ablation? I just had one on June 4th. It was on my LV not atrial. I was told it would take up to 4-5 weeks for the heart to calm down and to expect tachycardia, and PVCs until heart calms down.

I have AFIB but not sustained. One pacemaker done showed on incident of AFIB for 4 hours. I was put on Eliquis because of that. The main problem with AFIB is stroke. AFIB can cause blood clots. I know many people who never even know they have AFIB.

I have an ICD/Pacemaker for 21 years. The pacemaker gives me a stead pulse and has greatly improve and reduced my PVCs over time. I have a dual device ICD/Pacemaker. If I did not have the dual device I would not be typing this. Thus I see my ICD/Pacemaker as a life saver and something I should be glad I have. It takes time but those devices are there to help and can do wonderous things for AFIB, tachycardia, PVCs, PACs. And the ICD is like having your own EMS team to shock you back to rhythm when needed.

Asked your doctors about medications for AFIB. I was told by my EP that every cell in the heart is capable of sending an electrical impulse to heart. So you can see the problem with fixing one that more can be out there. I hope you find some help with yours but try to see the pacemaker is a out patient surgery, millions done, and you won't even know it is there once it encapsulates and your mind and body get used to it being there.