Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

The SA Node is the heart’s natural pacemaker which is part of my Electophysiologist Doctor’s training. Any Heart Rhythm issues are their specialty. Because my heart birth defect is so rare, 1 in a million, there are only roughly 350 people in the United States that are born with this type of defect each year. I and my PCP had to do a lot of research into my life to even get an appointment with the top person in that field in my area. So if you have any doubts, get a second opinion from a doctor who specializes in this field not a regular cardiologist. Hope all goes well. @becky1024

A-fib is more common as we get older, I’m almost 79. Sorry to hear of your diagnosis of Parkinson’s. The very same doctor was on the team who discovered the link to certain heart abnormalities like mine. That’s why it’s named WPW for Wolff, Parkinson, White Syndrome. As for the ablation, that’s the usual course of treatment but is nearly impossible in my case because if my birth defect. Hope things work out for you. @becky1024.

Hi Dana, the only thing they could do to save me from my heart failing is a transplant. Unfortunately for me, my precancerous blood condition would stop the application for one. That’s because my blood is progressing into Waldenstrom Macroglobulemia a rare form of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

But since you’re interested in ablations, I have one that is very rare to do and most doctors in the United States problem never hear of it being done, yet actually getting a chance to perform it. You see my birth defect involves rogue heart cells that formed a short circuit between the SA node and the AV Node in the right Atrial Chamber. What happens is a pulse beat jumps into the short circuit and starts going around and around causing the right ventricle to contact and pump. The beat just keeps going faster and faster. Now here’s the kicker, the regular pathway is also sending a signal to the right ventricle to contact and pump. Now it’s receiving two commands to pump. That’e the problem, my highest heart rate while pumping was 197bpm. It’s called Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia because you can’t feel a regular heart beat since it’s pumping so fast.

Now here’s the only abolition possible to stop the short circuit from working. I will be unconscious, strapped to the operating table because I can’t move at all since the procedure is so delicate it could kill me. You remember those Rogue cells I told you about that make up the short circuit, each one will have to be destroyed one heart cell at a time in a procedure that could take over 10 hours to complete. I have a $25,000 special loop recorder under my left breast that has to map out each Rogue cell involved in order to destroy the short circuit. Each cell must be destroyed or the other cells might join in and rebuild another short circuit. The mapping heart monitor has a battery good for 5 years with 1 year gone already. How many doctors get to work on such a rare problem, not many I would thing. Well, have you ever heard of this ablation procedure Dana? only thing they could do to save me from my heart failing is a transplant. Unfortunately for me, my precancerous blood condition would stop the application for one. That’s because my blood is progressing into Waldenstrom Macroglobulemia a rare form of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

But since you’re interested in ablations, I have one that is very rare to do and most doctors in the United States problem never hear of it being done, yet actually getting a chance to perform it. You see my birth defect involves rogue heart cells that formed a short circuit between the SA node and the AV Node in the right Atrial Chamber. What happens is a pulse beat jumps into the short circuit and starts going around and around causing the right ventricle to contact and pump. The beat just keeps going faster and faster. Now here’s the kicker, the regular pathway is also sending a signal to the right ventricle to contact and pump. Now it’s receiving command to pump. That’e the problem, my highest heart rate while pumping was 197bpm. It’s called Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia because you can’t feel a regular heart beat because it’s pumping so fast.

Now here’s the only abolition possible to stop the short circuit from working. I will be unconscious, strapped to the operating table because I can’t move at all since the procedure is so delicate it could kill me. You remember those Rogue cells I told you about that make up the short circuit, each one will have to be destroyed one heart cell at a time in a procedure that could take over 10 hours to complete. I have a $25,000 special loop recorder under my left breast that has to map out each Rogue cell involved in order to destroy the short circuit. Each cell must be destroyed or the other cells might join in and rebuild another short circuit. The mapping heart monitor has a battery good for 5 years with 1 year gone already. How many doctors get to work on such a rare problem, not many I would thing. Well, have you ever heard of this ablation procedure Dana? @becky1024

Dana, for some reason it spliced my post and reattached it at the end of my original post asking you if you had ever heard of this ablation, Sorry.

Yes, Please speak to your Doctor and follow his advice. Don't ignore.

It wasn't Me asking about ablation n it was Ted, but since you asked I've had somewhere between 8-10 ablation of both interior and external. I have had 2 pacemakers/recorder/ defibulator since my arrhythmia could kill me in a few minutes if the pacemaker could not get my heart rate down from the 200s in a short period it would shock me which it did on many occasions. But that's a long 10 year story. My longest ablation over 5 hours with 4 seperate leads in my heart and my shortest was about 2 hours.
Blessings

Sorry Dana, I hate it when the stack replies to a post and it looks like you’re answering one but it’s attached to another. Sounds like you’ve been thru a a lot. Your ablations, may I ask a question, were they the normal kind or the Rogue Cell short circuit like in my heart birth defect? I’ve never met a person with the same defect because it’s a 1 in a million chance. I know my Electrophysiologist and his tram is waiting to go. Thanks for telling me of the misguided message.

Hi, I have Non Sustatined Ventrical Tachycardia with shortness of breath (new symptom) when exercising. I've been told this condition in non life threatening, until it isn't. It seems my episodes are getting worse. I am female, 68 yr old in otherwise good health. I take a low dose aspirin, a beta blocker and a calcium channel blocker along with atorvastatin. Since the additon of these drugs the shortness of breath has started. Anyone with a similar condition? And any treatments that have worked? Thanks, Deb

I can't comment on your drugs, but your statement, "non life threatening, until it isn't" caught my attention.

Has your doctor considered an automatic implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD)? Perhaps, that could be a "safety net" to prevent you from reaching the "until it isn't" scenario.

Hello. I'm an 88 year old male who is still cutting his own firewood and swimming in a neighbors pond about 200 yards. Lately I'm really shot after each activity and have taken my heart rate, three consecutive times, immediately after. Runs from a systolic high of 119 down to 104 -- and a diastolic low of from 54 down to 44. The systolic high goes down a bit for each take and the low on the diastolic rises at the end of the 3rd take. Is this safely normal for my age ( I have and have had asthma all my life). eejj