Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

Hi Nancy, An ablation is a definite possible fix. I had several heart rhythm problems- Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), atrial fib (AF), atrial flutter. My heart would clock in at around 230 BPM and was also irregular. Due to the complicated nature of my diagnosis I had 5 ablations. The first 4 weren't completed for a variety of reasons and the 5th, which was a PVA (Pulmonary Vein Ablation) was successful. Please keep in mind, that most people have one rhythm problem so it is much less complicated. I have been heart drug free for 5 years now and feel well. I am surprised that "death" was listed as a deterrent. I have not heard of any deaths related to this procedure and if there are , I am sure that the statistic is very low. Anyway. I had a very positive outcome and most people i know who have undergone the procedure have had the same experience. Good luck

I was first diagnosed with PVC's when I was 23. I am now 63 and they seem to be a lot more frequent. I have PVC's periodically throughout the day, almost every day. If I'm lucky I might skip a day or so. Not sure why. Heart rate is fine (70-80) Blood pressure is fine 128/66. Not light headed or get out of breath. I still do my exercise without any probems, but I'm worried that these episodes will damage or weaken my heart. I've had NO heart issues in the past, but do have a family history of heart disease. Very unnerving. It's turning me in to a hypochondriac! 🙁

@shortshot80 Oh Nancy,

I'm so glad to hear that! I'm looking forward to hearing from you in a few days.

Teresa

MONDAY A[RO; 2 (shortshot80) I am home from my pacemaker battery change! The doc's told me that the reason I was so tired,, Lack of energy, Lack of appetite "pacemaker syndrome". After the surgery this morning, I already feel better. I even ate after surgery and
ate more than I did for Easter dinner. So just wanted to put the good news out. Will come back in the next few days with more. Nancy

Hi, Nancy here and I'm glad I found this group. I am new to afib since October and it is a strange and scary place to find myself.I am currently on sotalol and it does a pretty good job at keeping my heart peacful, but about once every couple months the afib will kick up a little. my cardiologist recommended me to get an ablation, but after talking to the surgeon, I was not going to do it. Especially since it can cause death and the odds weren't good enough for me. plus it wasn't going to be a forever fix. Has anyone in this group had an ablation and what were your experiences with it?

Hello @gr82balive

You have provided a balanced perspective for @chica as she considers this type of treatment. I appreciate the time you took to post about your own experience! That is the great thing about Connect - as we share our experiences, we learn from each other, and that helps to reduce or anxieties and worries.

Teresa

@chica It's understandable to be nervous and reasons vary for individuals as to why they might be encouraged to get one. I had a heart attack in 2012 followed by a couple different strokes. My cardiologist team recommended an ICD for me mostly as a precautionary step. While I was in ICU following the placement of one stent and a couple balloon procedures to increase blood flow, the nurses rushed into my room with a surprised look on their faces when I began talking with them. They asked how I was feeling and if I felt anything strange. I said I hadn't noticed anything peculiar (since I already had weird sensations being hooked up with some type of internal pump in my artery to attempt to help the heart recover. The nurses said their monitors showed that I was in v-tach (Ventricular tachycardia) and somehow my heart managed to get out of v-tach on its own. This might have been the second time I had v-tach, but not sure. Anyhow, with having that happen and low ejection fraction, the team recommended it as a precautionary approach. Luckily, I have not had any heart rhythm problems since having it implanted to need it to shock me. I was scared, and still a little bit, about what that first shock might feel like if it ever happens; however, I outweigh that fear with the risk of needing to have my heart shocked and what could happen if I didn't have it. I have the Merlin wireless unit that automatically downloads all the information the ICD monitors and the cardiology department reads to determine if events are happening and if I need to be seen. I am seen in person every 6 months where they test the unit by placing a device over my ICD (works through my clothing even) and control the ICD and run a couple tests, such as pacing my heart, as the ICD can be used as a pacemaker in times of need. There is no shock or any pain at all when they do this test, just feel my heart beat faster for a few seconds. Hopefully I'll never have to have it shock my heart, but it provides security of mind knowing it's there if my heart needs it. I've had it in over 5 years and my last check showed it still had another 4-5 years before needing to have the battery replaced. The incision was sore for a couple days, but it's manageable. The other thing I worried about was will it interfere with sleeping (I have a low heart rate) and while working out in the gym. So far I haven't noticed my heart being affected while sleeping or exercising by the device trying to pace my heart differently than what it is doing on its own. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I feel it's worth having in place just in case. I wish you the best!

Until I found them I hadn't known that the number one killer of us women in this country is heart disease. The breast cancer people seem to put out huge amounts of information about their problem, but we need more to spread the news so we can help other women to deal with the actual number one enemy.

Heart disease in women has only really recently entered into the public's mind and has begun to be more researched by the medical community. Most research was done on men in the past. Since we are not exact copies of them our disease does not exactly mimic theirs. Mostly men get CAD(coronary artery disease) and we get PAD(peripheral artery disease). Even if we are the same weight and physical dimensions as men our hearts are smaller.

Hope this has enlightened somewhat.

@eileena

I appreciate the information about Women Heart. I found their website and found it to be very interesting. Here is the link, http://www.womenheart.org/.

Teresa

Hello @chica and welcome to Mayo Connect,

I am so sorry to hear that you are dealing with this new heart diagnosis. I can certainly understand your fear and uncertainty. I have been dealing with heart issues since I was age 11, brought on by Rheumatic Fever. While my heart problems are not the same as yours I can certainly understand some of the fears and uncertainties that you are experiencing.

If you are comfortable sharing more information, can you talk a little more about this "thick heart"? What type of tests have you had and what type of symptoms do you have? Did your doctor give this disorder any other name such as cardiomyopathy?

I found a Mayo Clinic website that has information about cardiomyopathy (which is described as a "thick heart.") Here is the link, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cardiomyopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20370709.

Mayo Connect is here to support and encourage you. I look forward to hearing from you again.

Teresa