VT/ Ablation

@packh1
I am in similar place. Was hospitalized for 5 days in April for 2 shocks on my ICD at home and one in hospital cardiac care unit.

My electrophysiologist (EP) said the plan was to do an ablation but could not do it until June 4th. Why? It is considered as complex procedure and may involve more than one ablation so cannot schedule another procedure prior to or after the ablation.

The EP I wanted to use I have been seeing for over 20 years. He is the Director of Electrophysiology and Pace Clinic and Mayo Jacksonville. I feel safe with him. Can't tell you what to do but passing on what I decided to do and why.

@jc76 Thanks for your response.Good luck with your procedure!

@packh1 I had a different issue but was scheduled in January for a June ablation after I resumed afib within a day or so after a cardioversion. When I persisted w symptoms that made daily life impossible I sent the EP and cardiologist Kardia readings and had zoom visits when I could barely talk I was so short of breath. They moved the ablation up to early March. Keep communication open. Good luck.

Metoprolol is sometimes prescribed for 'incipient' hypertension, but it's main use in our cases is for 'rate control'. It's a beta-blocker, meaning it blocks the beta-adrenergic channel uptake in those channels. It is meant to keep a lid on the rapid ventricular rate when a person is in a tachyarrhythmia. It has varying degrees of success from patient-to-patient, and when getting too much of it there is a consistent complaint of shortness of breath, syncope, and very low heart rates.

Nobody can answer your direct question except you, and then only if you can get some kind of sympathetic response from a specialist willing to accommodate you. How it makes you feel, how much it degrades your quality of life, or in how much actual danger your heart function places you when you are in arrhythmia, those factors determine how quickly you can expect relief from surgical intervention. If it's urgent, you'll get urgent treatment after appropriate triage.

Many of us feel truly awful, and not the least anxious, when we know our hearts are malfunctioning. Some have no idea and feel perfectly fine right up until their annual physical when their GP looks up and says, 'You're fibrillating,' or 'Your heart rate is very high.' Much of the current electrophysiology field is palliative care. The heart is already disordered, but it may respond well to some kind of intervention, whether improved diet, improved hydration, reduction of triggers, medications, or surgery....or a pacemaker. All of those are meant to stall the deterioration which is sure to follow if the condition is left unmanaged. Palliative.

The conventional wisdom is that, sure, or yeah, or hell yeah, get a second opinion. If nothing else, it can confirm your suspicions, whichever way they lean, or they'll confirm your first expert's advice, in which case you proceed responsibly.

And it if helps the least little bit, I am probably very much like you. Competitive runner, healthy, thin, very strong and fit, very self-actualizing, and yet I developed AF near the end of a 10 km maintenance run when I was 65. After numerous diagnostics, including Doppler ultrasound of the carotid arteries, angiogram, MRI, and nuclear stress test on a treadmill, the last diagnostic was a polysomnography in a sleep lab one night. Result: severe sleep apnea. Apnea makes your body respond with the fight-or-flight response because you 'drown' several times each hour, all night long. Your heart pounds trying to keep your organs and brain alive, but you're in a deep sleep....not breathing past an obstruction.

So....................something is amiss with your system. It must be sought out and dealt with. After that, you may bet lucky and have no more arrhythmia, or you can get an ablation when things get bad enough that you can't live like that any more.

@gloaming Wow! Thank you for your response. It is so helpful. The explanation of Metoprolol made sense to me. Being connected with others experiencing (or have experienced similar situations sure puts my mind at ease.

I am grateful that my overall health is good thanks to being vigilant about it for decades. I am confident that once the ablation is done I will return to good health.

Again, thanks for taking the time to respond.

@babheart Thank you for responding. Glad to hear where I live is not the only area where procedures are 3 months out or more. The drugs I am on are helping with the shortness of breath and chest pains so am grateful for that. Hope your March ablation was successful.

@babheart
That is good they could move it up for you. In my case they put me on a cancellation notice so I could it done earlier but explained to me my procedure was classified as "complex" and they could not schedule a procedure before or after as they most likely will do more than one ablation as PVCs coming from at least 3 different areas.

I wish I had your luck but now mine is weeks away versus months. Good luck to you also.

@jc76 Weeks away sure is better than months away.It will be here soon for you!