Ablation Success

well after 21 days since last episode , and taking Metropol and fecainide ,the afib kicked in again for almost a 20 hour run...being 7 wks out from the ablation, even doc is thinking there may well be a gap or re-connect...question I have before I go see him later in the week, does it make sense to get a second opinion...appears likely he will suggest we do another ablation....while he has the most insight into what he did during the initial procedure, is it common to have a different doc perform a second ablation?.....also, have any of you gotten second opinions before proceeding with a second ablation?...

Hello Kai,
I joined connect because2 friends have cardiac conditions, and not well enough to connect back and forth.
Julie had same problem as you.
She got a second opinion, in which the 2nd doctor kept changing her Rx and dosage until the episodes went sway.
Talking to her she said do not rush for a second abolation until you have tried different combinations of meds. Also different doctors have different skill levels. Make sure the doctor will work with you.
As for Julie,she will once in awhile get some fast beats, and will increase her Rx at that point.
The condition is very random, but she also eats small meals, and avoids caffeine.
Hope this helps you.

thank you...think that is probably good advice...hope was ablation was going to eliminate the needs for meds...seems less likely, although from what I have read second ablations seem to significantly improve outcomes.....

@kai Hi sorry about the latest run it can be frustrating. Usually unless its really considered urgent i was told that 3 months is the minimum between ablations but that was a few years ago. I could probably think they may try different meds first. The first time i had an ablation it was a year before my second and i did have episodes but nothing major but in my case i also had a pacemaker to help. But on a second opinion i would probably talk to whoever referred you to Him and get some insite on what your PCP thinks maybe. All the times except one i was referred by another doctor and the one i didn't when i ended up talking to my other doctors that knew me would not have recommended that particular ablation. The one i talking about now was my third and my other doctors including the one that did the first 2(he had moved cross country by then) would have not recommended the third one. If that sounds confusing let me know.
Dana

well we had a long talk, and based on the 18 and 24 afib hour episodes that occurred 20 days apart in the first six weeks ,and that also included pacs which I fortunately captured on my Kardia, we decided to do a "clean up" second ablation, after only 2 months...all the evidence points to gaps..even the fact the the meds I was taking did not seem to help....and we will use the opportunity to ablate the pacs also...... while disappointed, expectation of outcome is 95% positive. going with the same doc as he is quite familiar with my case and the actions from the first ablation. he says if all goes well will be a relatively short session, as he has to only seek out the gaps and ablate the pvc"s..crossing my fingers and toes this will work....wonder if anyone took this route...eg do second ablation after 60 days with same doc...

@kai Sounds like you had a great apointment and yes i have had a sooner one when my Doctor could not get to an area he wanted too. It was an unreachable area and he wanted to try an external one. Thats where they go to the outside of the heart and in my case it was not successful. But realize that is the exception not the rule and because of that i ended up getting evaluated and receiving a new Heart. Please know this that helped me anyway, to know for sure what my course of action was so now i see that as a positive. But either way that one was actually the next day so they were only about 30 hours apart. I only mentioned the 3 months as that is the normal i was told by them.
So it sounds like your discussion with the Doctor was successful and i like hearing that he is only going to address the current issues. So i think you can rest at ease.
By the fact you both came to this agreement tells me he sound like a great Doctor. I also had my first 2 ablations with the same doctor and the second was very successful since he already knew me and he also was not what i would call an aggressive doctor in that he is only doing what's necessary . Did you decide on a date yet? I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Have an awesome Blessed Day
Dana

doing it in two weeks(will be 2 months from first try)...he did say my heart is very sound...no mechanical issues, but he struggled with edema during the first one, and the swelling makes it more difficult to be sure all the lesion lines were complete...he said he did not want to ablate good tissue where he could not get a clear signal that a gap possibly remained...all seems to make sense..of course disappointing that the first procedure did not yield the result we wanted, but appears from what I read this is not unusual...fingers crossed...

just have one followup question for the group...doing the second ablation in three days...of course wondering whether it will work(feeling less confident than prior to first attempt)......the first attempt apparently has not had much if any positive affect...the doctor said he suspects gaps are present as he found a few areas difficult to ablate during the procedure (right pv and cavotricuspid isthmus.).... but am surprised that even if there are some gaps, that the first procedure should have yielded some improvement in symptoms, as most of the signals should be blocked by the lesions that were put in place. has anyone had this experience where the first try had virtually no benefit? would appreciate any additional questions I should be asking before the procedure to be sure the proper preparation is considered...hate to second guess the doc, but am disappointed so far with the outcome. of course hoping round two does the trick...which he accesses at 90%....

my af is paroxysmal and only became symtomatic 4 months ago...have an episode roughly every ten days...(lasting for around 18 hours).....was described as a pretty straight forward procedure for me...(apparently some complications during the positioning off the catheter....)

any thought would help rest my mind as I get ready for the procedure...thanks.....br.Kai

ps...just reread your note above...he did prescribe meds after the first episode following the ablation,,,they did not seen to have an incremental benefit.....other then the metropolol making me lightheaded at time...

another question for you...if this procedure does not work again....then I for sure need to move on to a more highly experienced doc. mayo was one of the first places I looked(choose instead one of the larger hospitals in central flavor with a reasonably accomplished heart group... ...geting an appointment at mayo seems tough...and if I have to do a round three I will want the best....is there some connection via our group that can facilitate getting a appointment with a highly experienced ectrophsyiologist to deal with what by then will be a complex case....(would likely be for a round three)...have heard lead times are quite lonG...can anyone help?