Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

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?

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

@shortshot80 Oh Nancy,

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

Teresa

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! 🙁

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

Hi ppartrid, I just posted a response above to Nancy. In it, I didn't mention my 4th rhythm problem which are PVC's, mainly because they are benign and do not damage your heart. They are also pretty common. After my PVA for the Afib and SVT I had many of them. The holter caught them and it was explained to me that up to 10,000 a day are of no concern! However, it would make sense to go back to your electrophysiologist and get them diagnosed. It would be important to see if there are any changes. Many times a lifestyle change can help but there are other solutions if they really bother you. Good luck, Martishka

Hi Media. Appreciate your feedback. You have made me feel better.
Thanks for that! ☺

I'm not sure I qualify for this group. I'm dealing with frequent pvc's and it's quite unnerving. Everything else is okay. BP is under control...Pulse is normal range...no fatigue or chest pain. Feel just fine except for those PVC'S. Can they weekend or damage your heart? I've had them for years (23 yrs old) but never as often as I'm getting them now (63 yrs old). Scared it can effect my heart. I have no known heart problems that I'm aware of.

Hello @ppartrid, I can certainly understand your concern. While I'm not familiar with PVC problem I did find a Mayo website that gives some more information, if you click on this link you can see some of the symptoms as well as treatments available, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premature-ventricular-contractions/symptoms-causes/syc-20376757

What is the most bothersome symptom you have? What does your cardiologist say about your questions regarding PVCs weakening your heart? Do you currently take any meds for this problem?

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Teresa

Hi, Kanaaz,
I am 60 y/o & being treated for tachycardia and am Stage I/II CHF with Preserved Ejection Fraction (CHFpEF). 3 years ago after a night of SVT I just kept feeling exhausted, and a week later went to the ER. I thought maybe I had suffered a heart attack. That was ruled out, but they did find I was thyrotoxic. It turns out my doctor of 5 years had been over prescribing my Synthroid (I've been hypothyroid since age 16, with never a problem). This was apparently slowly damaging my heart.
I was feeling more & more exhausted, and thought I was just out of shape. The night of the SVT I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep - but I should have called 911 or gone to the hospital to get it stopped. That initiated the CHF. The beta blocker Carvedilol was finally prescribed to control the tachycardia that I was left with, even after my thyroid situation was corrected. Now I am both physically and psychologically broken-hearted. This was all so unnecessary...

I hope to find a support group like this to lean on both for answers to questions that come up about my conditions and fir some emotional support. I don't know if this group is the right one for my heart problems (tachycardia & CHF). If a different one would be better for me, please let me know.

Thank you for listening.

Betty