Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

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

Hi Ted, I'm Dana and now live in Arizona where due to VT had an Heart Transplant and am very familiar with Ablations, I am also a Rhode Islander where I graduated from High School so some find memories of the Bristol and Warren area plus a bit of time in Cranston and Warwick. So Glad you joined our group and if I can be of any assistance in the Ablation department let me know.
Blessing

Hi, My name is Ted and I have been sampling the forum occasionally and have commented a time or two. I am a patient at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and live in Palm Coast FL and in Rhode Island for four months in the summer. I have had AFIB since a hip replacement surgery in 2015 and presently just take Xarelto and Propranolol to keep my heart rate down. I have been monitored a number of times. Most recently the test showed much more frequent episodes of AFIB along with some other rhythm irregularities. I am now considering an ablation, but learned I also now have Parkinson's, so I am just sort of letting it all sink in. I have always been very active and healthy, work out regularly, and play a lot of golf. I'm 75 and retired from a long business career.

Thanks @becky1024. You gave us more insights on problems lurking behind asymptomatic arrhythmia -- something more to ask our medical team about when we visit them. Having just lost a brother-in-law to cancer after years with a pacemaker, I can delve into the issues confidentially with his family -- which was not a promising option in the past. You give us a large measure of confidence that doctors can be found to help us manage the most mysterious illnesses, and I am glad your life has been saved by them. Martin

Hi, My name is Ted and I have been sampling the forum occasionally and have commented a time or two. I am a patient at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and live in Palm Coast FL and in Rhode Island for four months in the summer. I have had AFIB since a hip replacement surgery in 2015 and presently just take Xarelto and Propranolol to keep my heart rate down. I have been monitored a number of times. Most recently the test showed much more frequent episodes of AFIB along with some other rhythm irregularities. I am now considering an ablation, but learned I also now have Parkinson's, so I am just sort of letting it all sink in. I have always been very active and healthy, work out regularly, and play a lot of golf. I'm 75 and retired from a long business career.

Martin, you might want to go thru my posts and look for my reply about my rare heart birth defect and my experience with WPW, Wolff, Parkinson, White Syndrome. I’ve experienced many issues with my heart since I’m 10yo and I’m 78 now. I was experiencing Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia, Bradycardia, A-Fib and Spontaneous Blackouts and had 3 heart attacks. My regular cardiologist had no clue what was wrong and my warning to any poster with a heart rhythm problem to get an appointment with an Electrophysiologist, a specialist in the heart electrical system.

Because my heart defect is so rare, a 1 in a million occurrence, the doctor was so intrigued by my symptoms he implanted a $25,000 heart loop recorder under my left breast. It monitors each beat of my heart for any abnormalities. It records 24/7 by the loop recorder and relayed over the internet to technicians in Oregon and sent to my doctor here in Pennsylvania every day. Regular cardiologist can be clueless like 3 of my doctors so if A-fib is a problem or any other rhythm problem, contact an Electrophysiologist immediately, it may save your life.

@lenmayo, let me share the experiences I have had with AFIB. Diagnosis only by EKG in my regular annual physical exam. No perceptible heart-rate symptoms then or now, seven years later. However, two years after the diagnosis I suffered a "small stroke" which affected movement of my legs, feet, arms, and hands somewhat as well as my hearing, taste, and smell. Put on Warfarin anticoagulant and still taking it daily with monthly lab tests to confirm it's working. As in the past, AFIB is detectable only by EKG and not by any variations in heart rhythm. I also have been on a beta blocker (Coreg) since my stroke. The beast is in the closet, and I intend to keep it there by continuing my AFIB therapy. Martin

@lenmayo, let me share the experiences I have had with AFIB. Diagnosis only by EKG in my regular annual physical exam. No perceptible heart-rate symptoms then or now, seven years later. However, two years after the diagnosis I suffered a "small stroke" which affected movement of my legs, feet, arms, and hands somewhat as well as my hearing, taste, and smell. Put on Warfarin anticoagulant and still taking it daily with monthly lab tests to confirm it's working. As in the past, AFIB is detectable only by EKG and not by any variations in heart rhythm. I also have been on a beta blocker (Coreg) since my stroke. The beast is in the closet, and I intend to keep it there by continuing my AFIB therapy. Martin

@lenmayo, let me share the experiences I have had with AFIB. Diagnosis only by EKG in my regular annual physical exam. No perceptible heart-rate symptoms then or now, seven years later. However, two years after the diagnosis I suffered a "small stroke" which affected movement of my legs, feet, arms, and hands somewhat as well as my hearing, taste, and smell. Put on Warfarin anticoagulant and still taking it daily with monthly lab tests to confirm it's working. As in the past, AFIB is detectable only by EKG and not by any variations in heart rhythm. I also have been on a beta blocker (Coreg) since my stroke. The beast is in the closet, and I intend to keep it there by continuing my AFIB therapy. Martin