Ablation Success

great feedback...(need to put kardia down...it occasionally says possible afib, or unclassified, even with normal heart rate....but doc reviewed them all and said normal sinus rhythm with pacs.. I guess the pacs can be coming from the heart healing process(hopefully)...what made you decide to go to mayo?.....while I (and doc) expected my case to be straight forward pvi, seems it may have been a little more complicated..he said the left side was more challenging and he burned more on that side than anticipated.(maybe why it is taking more time to heal)....and if I have to think about a second try at ablation, had the thought I really need to consider a top doc at a premier hospital...anyway, need some additional time as I am only 4 weeks out from the first try....good news, is that have gone another 10 days with no afib....interesting how the docs all say don.t let the pacs bother you...yeah , right....

As a 10-year old I had rheumatic fever which left me with two damaged heart valves. Then at the age of 49, I got a mechanical aortic valve. Shortly after the surgery my heart went into atrial fib. During the following years I had 7 cardioversions. The shortest lasted 3 days. The longest almost 2 years. After that I got an ablation which was unsuccessful. So for the last 20 years I have permanent atrial fib (24/7) which of course limits my physical activity, but I learned to accept that. I take Warfarin of course, in addition to meds to slow down the heartbeat. I'm also on medication to keep the blood pressure in check. I'm now 77 years of age, walk every day for about 30 minutes (albeit a bit slower and my husband needs to adjust to my 'speed'!) and keep a positive outlook on life. I appreciate what I can do and do not focus on my limitations.

@truus1106. Good for you. You have come a long way. Your positive attitude is very inspiring. Thank you so much.

In this difficult time, it's very easy to focus on the limitations, when I get that way, I have to remind myself that I have to be grateful for what I have....my wonderful children, my friends, my family, and I can still take care of myself. I may not navigate as fast as I used to but I'm putting one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. I saw a card that says the glass is half full... And there's still room for some volka!!

Hi @truus1106, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. So glad you were able to join the conversation. Happy to hear that you choose to focus on the positives of life and not the negative.
Have you or your physician considered another ablation at all? Also, can you share how you found this group?

Amanda, I had this ablation about 20 years ago and at that time I was told told that if it didn't work, that would be it (General Hospital in Kingston, ON, Canada). Because of the Atrial Fib as well the Mechanical Valve, I was in the hospital several days before the actual procedure because the warfarin had to be out of my system. Up until the procedure they kept the INR at the right level with Heparin.
About 15 years ago I broke my ankle in three places, and I believe the off and on the heparin for several days prior to the surgery caused a serious internal abdominal bleeding at that time (needed two blood transfusions), and because of that I spend 12 days in the hospital. So I feel a bit hesitant about any procedure that requires to eliminate temporarily the warfarin. However, I will definitely talk about a possible second ablation at my next check up with the cardiologist.
The Mayo clinic is a well respected source of information and I came across this discussion group by accident. And because there's always more to learn I browse through it once in a while. as there's always something more to learn! Thank you for this great opportunity to learn from other people's experience free of charge!
Truus

Our stories are similar. Heart surgery in 2001, the complications include 2 sudden death episodes, developed allergy to heparin HIT that caused a serious PE and being put on a respirator. A failed ablation attempt led to both atrial and ventricle arrhythmias. Taking CBD has returned my heart to a normal rhythm for the first time since the surgery.

dvdhoover, I would very much appreciate if you could you tell me a bit more about the CBD in terms of strength, how many times a day you take it and how many drops or capsules. As well how long it took you to begin to see a difference. Thank you!

I usually just take a 25 mg full spectrum softgel a day and sometimes use a half dropper from a 1000mg full spectrum oil under my tongue if I can’t sleep. I buy mine from a company called “Populum”. It’s a proven quality brand and I can’t say enough about making sure that you should check out the company you use because it’s estimated that about 80% of the companies selling it falls short of how much CBD is actually in their products and some don’t offer third party lab test results. I use Populum because they include the lab report with the product that you buy. They also give veterans a 45% discount.
Now some information about how to take it and how much. I would recommend that you start out with a full spectrum oil. They come in different concentrations. I would start out with their 250mg bottle and put a quarter or a third of the dropper under your tongue and leave it in your mouth for a few minutes so that it can be absorbed. Stay with that does for a week and see if it helps. I was in such distress both by sciatica pain and how it was effecting my heart that I used almost a full dropper under my tongue the very first time that I used it. The effects on my arrhythmias started soon after because I woke up 5 hours later with a normal rhythm for the first time in 20 years! That was back in 2017 when there wasn’t much information about the effects of CBD on arrhythmias, but the very first google search found an artificial from the NIH.gov dated July 2010 that talks about how given through an IV suppresses ischemia-induced cardiac arrhythmias and reduces the damage done to the heart tissue. That was enough for me to try it. My waking heart rate was always 150 bpm and more with lots of afib going on. It was absolutely driving me crazy and scared the heck out of me because I couldn’t tolerate what my Dr wanted to put me on. It was Amiodarone which is known to damage your organs the longer you have to take it. It had an immediate effect on both my kidneys and liver. I still have cyst on my kidneys thought to be caused by it. I never take it along with any other medications. I make sure that it’s been at least 4 hours. You should do a little google research about how and when to take it. You might find that it doesn’t take much but you shouldn’t exceed 25mg. I only started to take the capsules in the hopes that it would calm down my abdominal pain that began when my gallbladder was removed. One of the great things about using CBD for just about anything, missing a dose is no big deal like it is with most heart medications. I’m about to undergo an ERCP to address my biliary duct problems next Tuesday and my Dr at UTSW said to make sure that I keep taking my CBD except the morning of the procedure because they saw for themselves how my heart behaved when I agreed to stop taking it a week before the same procedure last year. They had to do an electro cardio conversion because of the atrial flutter that occurred. For me it’s been life changing not to hear my artificial valve clicking away and be able to leave the house without making sure that I’m close to a hospital or be afraid about leaving town and having to go to a hospital that hasn’t treated me before. If you order some CBD from Populum, mention that you spoke to me and that it’s your first order. Definitely tell them if you’re a veteran for the 45% discount. They might give you the discount for just being referred by me. It’s important that you take it under your tongue while you first get started. It avoids the liver and the absorption is quicker and more of it is actually absorbed. I hope that it helps you as much as it did me!



That’s a before and after record from my Fitbit. The after is the first one!

Thank you so much for your very detailed information. It's very encouraging and exciting that there could be a solution! And hearing from someone with a similar heart situation is amazing. I did go the Populum website and I just send them a message with the question if they ship to Canada. I'll let you!
Again, thank you!