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Posted 11/30/2006 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
I had my first big attack back in October and I'm having my catheter ablation tomorrow. I decided I couldn't put up with this for years, especially when they told me that caffeine, alcohol and chocolate can trigger attacks. I'm only 24 and very active and I refuse to live life in fear of these attacks. The medication has controlled my attacks very well, but I'm happy to be getting the catheter ablation and hopefully rid of this forever.

This really is a great forum though. It's nice to know there are other people out there who understand what this all feels like!
Posted 11/30/2006 3:59 PM (GMT 0)
I mentioned earlier that I received an email from a woman who had a catheter ablation done at the same place I am and that hers went very well. She gave me permission to post what she sent me. This is a detailed account of what the day of her procedure was like for her:

"I went to this office first. They told me to be there by 11:00am Then I followed a nurse to a recovery room with other patients in it that had major major heart surgery that sort of freaked me out. They had me get in a gown with no underwear on and asked if I needed to be shaved down there lol. So I suggest you shave there before unless you want someone else doing it! hahah I read about that before too so I knew what to do before hand. Then they will hook you up to a blood pressure machine and pulse thing. The Dr. will come in explain what could possibly happen during the surgery. They will say a lot of crappy stuff to you like you can die of stroke and heart attack and stuff. Do not let it bother you though cause they have to say that stuff in case of a law suit. Then you sign saying that you agree to the surgery. At this point your parents can go back with you or whoever is with you at that time so it is not so scary. Then they take you into the room where they are doing the procedure. You cannot have your family back there then. They will move you to another bed type thing and start prepping you for the procedure. I will warn you though I did not know about this but they will strap down your arms and legs to the table. The reason being is cause you will be sooo heavily drugged and I guess some people are so messed up on the drugs that they wanna move but I didn't wanna move I kept going to sleep. So that is why they strap them down. I was a bit uncomfy after I woke up after it was over because your arms and legs are staying in the same place for so long. After they do that they will start in the drugs!! Then they will put in a catheter so you dont go to the bathroom durring it lol. Then they put in more drugs. I thought a pig was talking to me. There was this big round thing above me too and I thought it was an old lady talking to me hahaha. You do feel some poking around your legs cause they numb the areas where they put in the heart catheters. I totally assure you though you are sooooo drugged up that you don't even care. I think they could have cut off my head and I would have not noticed. I fell asleep and was in and out of it. They did say that I talked through the whole thing saying whacky stuff but I do not remember at all! I will tell you though at one point I woke up in the middle of the surgery and my heart was going really fast. That was the point when they had injected the medicine to make your heart go faster so they can find the spot to burn out. So when my heart was going fast I sort of started coughing a bit cause I was like what the heck is going on. They told me everything was fine and to go back to sleep. Which I did. My surgery took 4 and a half hours they had a hard time finding mine. The next thing I knew after I woke up that time from my heart beating fast the surgery was over!! It felt like I had just went into surgery. But just to let you know you are awake during it technically but you do not even realize what is going on I slept through it anyways cause you are so drugged. Then they take you back to your room you will have a holter monitor on so they can monitor how fast your heart is going cause you still have some meds in you to make your heart go fast from earlier. Then you just spend the night there and you are out of there. The next morning I was sleeping very well and the Dr. came in at 8:00 am and told me I could go home! I was like wow hahaa. Your legs will be a lil sore when you walk and your arms will be too from where they were tied down but I am telling you it was so worth it to get it done. You will be so happy and you feel so much better!"

Just thought I'd share a happy, successful story with you all. I'll be sure and share my story after I have my procedure tomorrow. Wishing all the rest of you the best of luck as well!
Posted 11/30/2006 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
I emailed this girl back and asked if she had any pain at all before or during the procedure and here is what she said:

There was nothing that was painful to me at all. The only thing that bothered me was my heart speeding up during the procedure from the meds that they put in you to find the spot to burn out. I do not like that feeling. They had my heart rate up to 260 beats a minute. On the other hand I was so drugged I was like whatever and then I went back to sleep. Even though they say you are awake you really are so drugged that you are in and out of sleeping. It is an amnesia type drug so you will basically not remember anything after. I only remember that one part during the ablation and that was it and I felt no pain after what so ever just sore from my arms and legs being tied down. Your chest may feel a little sore but it is nothing bad at all. I was on beta blockers and all that junk too they made me tired for some reason I think its cause it was slowing down my heart rate. I was not myself. Now that I am not on medicine I feel great. Yours sounds very similar to what mine is. Just a lil different. I will assure you though I had no pain during the surgery. You will feel them down by your legs though and some poking from time to time but you will be drugged first and you will not care at all!
Posted 12/1/2006 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
This is an interesting account, thanks legallyblonde. I personally have never been restrained or catheterized, but then I never had the drugs either. Just shows how different people's experiences are and how you need to check things with the doctor beforehand. Good to have a success story!

Post Edited (Juliette1) : 12/3/2006 10:00:05 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/1/2006 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Aaron and welcome. I hope you will find this site helpful, sorry to hear that you are having problems. These things are alarming for sure. The big episodes that have to be corrected are a real nuisance and worry aren't they? I'm glad that you will be seeing your doctor. Lots of people, including me, have found that medication helps and I expect you will talk to your doctor about this. I wonder if s/he will be able to tell you why it suddenly happened? It's not always possible to say. Let us know how you get on, best wishes, Juliette
Posted 12/1/2006 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Queen, how are you doing?
Posted 12/2/2006 7:57 PM (GMT 0)
Just wanted to come back and share the story of my catheter ablation for AVNRT that I had yesterday. It went just as well as the account I posted above from the other woman who had it done here.

They took me back and went through all the warnings and such and had me change into the gown. They started an IV, which is only a small prick. They took me back to the path lab and got me started on the drugs (the conscious sedation drug and a pain drug). Then they proceeded to hook me up to the monitors and put patches on my back that allow the computer to create 3d images. This all took about 10 minutes and then I could tell the drugs were starting to kick in. I watched the ceiling tiles swim and it was just like being drunk at first. Next thing I knew the ceiling tiles were racing faster and this woman was talking to me about putting in the urinary catheter. From there I don't remember a thing until I woke up in the recovery room. I only remember a couple of seconds of waking up twice in the recovery room and seeing my family. I didn't wake up at all during the procedure. I only woke up for a few minutes at a time for the 2-3 hours following the procedure and don't remember hardly anything, including the conversations my family said I had with them. The worst part about the whole thing was that I was extremely nauseous for the 2-3 hours after the procedure was over. Turns out that's because they had to give me 3x the drugs they normally give. My extra pathway from my AVNRT was really really close to my AV node, so they had to burn just a little at a time to be very careful not to knock out the AV node and have to give me a pacemaker. They took their time and only did a little at a time. They said they'd do a little and then try and trigger my SVT again and then when my heart started racing again they'd do a little more. They did that until they finally spent 30 minutes the last time trying to trigger the SVT and it never triggered again. However, because they did it little by little, it took almost 4 hours (they said an easy case only takes 1-2 hours). They gave me a ton of drugs to keep me knocked out that long and also to be sure I kept perfectly still so they didn't take out my AV node since they were working so close to it.

So really, the only bad part was waking up after the procedure and being nauseous, but it was only a few hours. They gave me a couple of shots for that and I finally took a little nap and woke up last night feeling much better. I was able to get my catheter out and walk around by about 6 hours after the procedure, although I could have done it a little sooner had I not been so nauseous. I was stiff and dizzy at first, but it got better the longer I was up and about. I ate some dinner around 7 hours after the procedure and slept well last night. I was released at 10 this morning after being examined by my EP to make sure that my incisions weren't infected. I've been a little stiff when I've been up and walking today, but it gets better the longer I'm up. I'm a little weak, but I'm actually feeling much better than I expected. I haven't had any missed beats or palps yet, but was warned that I could get missed beats for up to a month. I'm Toprol for another 6 weeks until my follow-up appointment, but only half the dose I took before the procedure. I'll be very happy to get off it for good in 6 weeks. I was also told I could return to caffeine, chocolate and alcohol, so that was good news.

My EP told me this morning that if for some reason they didn't get the whole pathway (since it was so close to the AV node), I would know within a year. He said once a year had passed, I could be sure that it was gone for good. They were very confident that they got it all this time though. So far I've had several Coca-Colas and lots of chocolate and no episodes. I'm very happy with the whole thing. The procedure was a breeze and so far the recovery isn't too bad. I would definitely recommend it to anyone out there with AVNRT (or any of the other conditions that the procedure can help)! I think you just have to really research and find a good EP and ask lots of questions beforehand.

If anyone ever wants to know more, you're welcome to email me: [email protected]
Posted 12/2/2006 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Queen 1978:  Sounds like you had my ablation!  sad My arrythmias are very easily induced and cannot be controlled well during caths & ablation.  They had to back off.  It shounds like your main arrythmia may be in the same location as mine ... the Bundle of hiss.  Extremely hard to get to and excellent chance the SA & AV nodes will be knocked out & you're given a pacemaker.  What's bad is that the pacemaker will not be the backup for your heart, but rather is the only thing that keeps the heart beating (according to my cardiologist).  I can live w/arrythmias a lot better now knowing what the alternative would be ... the thought of having a carwreck & having the bag explode & hit my chest would kill me.  Have you tried Betapace?  This is an excellent med for controlling several arrythmias.  I went in for a cath on 11-16-06, but they had to back off because of the arrythmias.  HR & BP back under control, seeing cardiologist on 12-6-06 and will be attempting another cath for angioplasty & stent soon after.  I'm 5'4", 130 lbs, active (until recent months), and looking at me you would think I was the picture of health.  I eat healthy & exercise, had excellent cholesterol control until recently.  Family history hit hard!  I am now also diagnosed w/coronary artery disease.  The plaque blkg is only 60%, but due to arrythmias, causing a lot of chest pressure & pain between shoulder blades.  Again, I will be wide awake during the procedure.  I'm terrified, but more terrified of having the plaque become worse & have heart attack or stroke.  I know the arrythmias are going to go flying, just hope to get angioplasty & stent done before they go out of control.  yeah   Too bad we can't have someone we trust to hold our hand during the procedure. tongue    Hope you are doing better!
Posted 12/3/2006 4:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi legallyblonde, glad to hear that everything went well. Enjoy your chocolate!
Juliette
Posted 12/3/2006 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
I've had several Cokes and lots of chocolate and still no episodes. I'm feeling very confident that they got it all. I'm very happy I chose to have the ablation and not live with this any longer than I already had. My legs are still a little sore today, but I'm getting around much better. The only real issue now is that I still can't do more than a few stairs at a time (this is an issue because I live in a third floor apartment). I'm not getting as stiff sitting around though and I'm getting more energy back. If things keep going like this (god willing) then I think I'll be all healed up and back to normal by the weeks end.
Posted 12/3/2006 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
Queen1978: Your experience sounds a lot like mine. Maybe your major arrythmia problem is located in the Bundle of hiss. This is where mine is located and it's impossible to erradicate w/o knocking out the S/A & A/V nodes & a pacemaker placed. I've heard so many good experiences about ablation, I think it depends on where the major problem area is located. Hope you feel better soon.
Posted 1/21/2007 9:31 PM (GMT 0)

I just wanted to post an update.  I know when I first came to this board I was scared by all the negative experiences and wanted to see a good story or two just to get some hope.  Well, I was lucky enough to have a successful experience and wanted to share what I hope is the end of my story...

I went in for my 6-week post-ablation checkup a little over a week ago.  My EKG looked perfect, my resting heartrate was down to 75 and I was taken off Toprol completely (hopefully for good).  Since then, I've resumed drinking caffeine and alcohol and eating chocolate (although all in more moderation than I was before).  I've also begun to return to my exercise routine.  Before my first AVNRT attack, I was taking cardio kickboxing and hip hop dance classes 2-3 times a week and playing softball regularly.  My episodes scared me into stopping all exercise until after my ablation.  Aside from being scared of what might happen, the Toprol made me lazy and unmotivated.  Now I've been off Toprol for 10 days and just finished a 45-minute kickboxing class.  I feel great!

I hope this gives some hope to others out there considering having an ablation done.  It was definitely the right decision for me!

Best of luck to you all and thank you for all your support!!!

Posted 1/22/2007 3:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hey legllyblnde,  Thank you for posting your positive experiance tongue !  It is nice to see one here.  I am glad that your feeling better and have been able to return to your normal activities.  Please do keep us updated on how your doing and feel free to post anytime...Take care
Posted 1/26/2007 11:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, sorry ive not been around for a while.  Ive got a really bad cold and chest infection at the moment.  My next appointment at the hospital is in february, so will let you know how i get on there.  Hope your all doing ok.  Take care x
Posted 1/26/2007 2:36 PM (GMT 0)
can someone please tell me what an svt is.
Posted 1/26/2007 3:30 PM (GMT 0)
Yes A SVT (supra Ventricular Tachycarida) i think thats how its spelt LOL

It is when the heart races too fast.

Posted 1/26/2007 8:13 PM (GMT 0)
I had a question about SVT also. I had a sudden "attack" this morning, I have been tested within the last year, no heart issues, but this attack included dizziness (while driving, EEEK) and a very rapid pulse. But I don't think it was super super fast.. I was havign a problem counting it, mostly due to being dizzy, but I could feel each beat. I've had panic attacks before, but this was totally different. I can't seem to separate which came first, rapid heart rate or the dizziness.

I'm just wondering if this is anything close to an SVT episode. If not, I'll go happily on my way thinking I need to eat more!!
Posted 1/27/2007 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hi again, for someone who has SVT, how fast could the heart rate go? What is the typical rate to be considered SVT. Once mine was at 140 and alot of times its not unusual for mine to be 114 or 120. I know its supposed to be 60-100 so mine is too fast. But does this mean its SVT
Posted 1/27/2007 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sarah, I think you can most certianly tell the differance between an SVT attack and an panic attack.  You feel it was differant and I would follow up on that...It could be an SVT attack, I am surprised that your doctors havent found anything...Here is a good link on SVT's

http://www.webmd.com/hw/heart_disease/ps1687.asp

Neurogurl - the heart rate for an SVT can be anywhere from 140-250 or more.  However, just because your heart rate gets up that high does not mean that your having SVT's.  These abnormal rhythms come from the top chambers of the heart, the atria.  Most people who have abnormal heart rhythms that are high that is called Tachycardia which originates in a differant chamber of the heart.  I know these terms are all very confusing...

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5698

 

Posted 1/28/2007 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks, els. Informative as always :) After reading that, I highly doubt that was what occured. My heart rate was not near that high. Yes, I was dizzy and close to passing out.. but never did.

It was ahem.. pointed out to me that prior to this episode I had been in an enclosed area, using polyeurathen(sp?) to varnish a workbench without proper ventilation. Then went up and down the stairs quickly a couple of times, then out into fresh air and car.. and WHAM. I was told that it was probably a reaction to breathing in too many of the chemicals I was working with. (Can we say mask and ventilation???)

Thanks for the info tho.
Sarah
Posted 3/20/2007 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone,
I've got a couple questions for the veterans. I had my ablation done 2 weeks ago for my SVT, and i'm still having palpitations, and high heart beats (190 when jogging) and i'm sort of worried that there may be more sections to ablate.. has anyone had the experience of going in and then needing to go back? I can exercise better than I used to, but still not as good as before this started popping up.
My arrhythmia was hard to induce, so i guess they could have missed a couple spots? anyway, when I go in for follow up i'll ask the EP. Just curious if anyone had any suggestions on what it felt like to suddenly be "normal." Its hard to know the difference between still beating too fast, or just beating hard because my heart has to work harder...

My procedure went great, aside from having a couple tries getting the IV in, was well sedated, cared well for, the nurses were kind and very attentive and the doctor was thorough as he felt he could be, taking time to check on me and talk to me about what he did and how it went afterwards.. Sorry to hear about Queen's experience :( I had several people with me when we interviewed my EP, and made sure to get all our questions answered and references checked with him before I went in -- it helped a lot.

Thanks
Posted 3/20/2007 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi tobel17, Welcome to healing well forum, we are happy to have you join us here.  I am glad that your procedure went so well.  It is good to hear of some positive experiances :-) .  I am sure you will get some responses to your post soon...I havent had this done and dont have SVT's so I cant relate there, I just wanted to pop in and welcome you.  I hope you find the forums informative and supportive for you.  Take care
Posted 3/24/2007 7:18 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Tobel17. I remember my ep told me to expect more svts and pvcs after the ablation especially for upto 3 months because the heart becomes very irritated.He told me that it may even become worse for a short while.  I am due to have an ablation in a few months time and just wanted to know what the procedure was like. I  am afraid that the ep will not be able to trigger the svt. If you don't mind me asking how often were you getting svt attacks before the ablation? When you say that you are still getting palpitations do you mean pvcs/pacs? Do you suffer from them too?

Posted 5/1/2007 8:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, I had another ablation yesterday, and they managed to ablate this time. Turns out I had something called AV Node SVT.... think thats what he said it was. Aparantly instead of there been extra parts of the heart which need to be burned away, It is the actual heart. Feeling quite confused at the moment lol.

Anyway my surgeon said he thinks its a 95% success rate, that I am cured :D:D. I really hpe so as I dont want to go through that again. Although it wasnt as bad as the first time I went for the procedure, But I did feel them burning my heart, rather uncomfortable and painful at times but it was only 30 secs each burn, so im quite happy so far. And I didnt even have a sedative, WOW I was so brave :D.... The sedative really put me off so i decided i wouldnt have it. and im glad i didnt.

My leg is rather sore and I feel quite groggy and tired but I have no pain in my chest what so ever. And so far I havent had a palpitation :D.

I will keep you all informed and if u have any questions please feel free to reply or email me.

Take care everyone xxx
Posted 10/4/2008 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
I had SVT with an ablation last friday!! Do it it was so worth it! I also was scared and didnt want to do it, but I am so glad that I did it. I cant feel my heart at all. And I have had SVT since I was 12. Do it you wont regret it!!! Hope this helped!!!

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