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Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group
Welcome to the Heart Rhythm Conditions group on Mayo Clinic Connect.
Did you know that the average heart beats 100,000 times a day? Millions of people live with heart rhythm problems (heart arrhythmias) which occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate heartbeats don't work properly. Let's connect with each other; we can share stories and learn about coping with the challenges, and living well with abnormal heart rhythms. I invite you to follow the group. Simply click the +FOLLOW icon on the group landing page.
I'm Kanaaz (@kanaazpereira), and I'm the moderator of this group. When you post to this group, chances are you'll also be greeted by volunteer patient Mentors and fellow members. Learn more about Moderators and Mentors on Connect.
Let's chat. Why not start by introducing yourself?
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Well...yes.....for every one of us....even if we DON'T have AF. Seriously, and I'm not being cute here, every single living soul could die on the operating table. That's why we don't operate unless the cost-benefit says do it. For AF sufferers, especially those of us who'd like to keep our myocardium healthy and to avoid those nasty symptoms, yes, pleeeeze!!
On a more philosophical bent, you won't know if it happens....will ya. And those left behind, while disappointed and left to grieve, they will understand, especially if they also understand the risks involved....which are exceedingly few.
I have had three operations where a catheter was inserted....an angiogram (into the wrist and on up to the heart), and two ablations because the first failed. Ablations have a 25% failure rate for first, or 'index', ablations. Happened to me. The second has me in NSR (normal sinus rhythm) for just over 2 years now. Bliss!
The very worst part about an ablation? Having to lie still for three hours with a compression weight on the incision at your groin. It might seem interminable unless you're happy in your own head or manage to nod off....again! At least, that was what I found...the wait before I could go home seemed long.
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1 ReactionI am 78 years old and have had AFib since 2016. I am booked for a catheter ablation March 4 th - this is my first. Is there a chance my heart will stop and I might die?
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it.
There should be no problem with rising to void at night with a CPAP. My 94 year old dad has done it for 6 years now. I don't rise...at all (at 72)...I know, lucky me...but he has had to rise two or three times since he was in his early 60's. If uncoupling the hose bothers you, sit at your beside and empty your bladder into a suitable cistern. If you fall asleep again fairly quickly typically, I don't see that a CPAP machine should hinder that process. Not once you get used to the appliance.
It’s funny that you ask. I typically don’t sleep very well no matter what. If I sleep on my back, I don’t snore much, but my wife tells me that I do have apnea every now and then. I generally sleep on my side. A couple of different Doctors have suggested a sleep study. I’m pretty sure that they would suggest a CPAP machine but, because I get up two to three times during the night, I’m a bit reluctant to go that route. Thanks for your reply.
I can just give you an "I understand" your frustration. I am mid-process to addressing my symptoms -- similar to your own. I am now trying to adjust to CPAP machine since I have mild sleep apnea. I go in for a breathing test next week. I do not have an afib diagnosis...just heart palpitations, but have the same symptoms as you. Just wondering if you or your doctor have explored looking at apnea and breathing solutions before the more intrusive rememdies.
Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
Bradycardia is a heart rate of below 60 beats per minute. The lower it is from that number the more problems you will experience and this can be the reason for a pacemaker.
Thanks for your reply. I guess I need to find out if this new doctor actually thinks I have bradycardia. I don’t think I do and I don’t believe my BPM are slow. My blood pressure is generally ok, but there are times I could use more water. This whole thing confuses the hell out of me because I don’t have enough information and I know enough to ask all the right questions. There are times I am in rhythm and times my heart is erratic, hence afib. A PM will not help this situation. If the dizziness and fatigue would be helped by a PM, that would be a benefit. Again, thanks for your input.
I can't argue with the good doctor, not without knowing much more, including his rationale. Did he explain why he recommends putting off a third ablation in favour of the PM? I CAN see the logic, in a way. If you really are in bradycardia much of the time, a pacemaker makes more sense than an ablation because your arrhythmia might be a distant second in terms of its contribution to how you feel when you're lightheaded. IOW, it's the bradycardia that presents the greater danger of a fall and feeling dizzy and alarmed, not any arrhythmia that might/might not be going on at the time. In fact, the bradycardia might be so objectionable to your now-remodeled heart (post AF and two ablations, plus the aging since then) that the cardioversion was really mostly needed to fix your rate, and that if you can do that via a PM it will stave off any further arrhythmia...which you can always undergo another CA if it returns later on. Maybe?