Next comes "And the winner is...". That is usually followed by some kind of speech where the winner thanks the spouse, the parents, the academy, and who knows who else.
I've been feeling the same kind of anticipation waiting for the results of the Coronary CT Angiogram (CCTA) that I had June 20th. The purpose of the CT scan was to check my pulmonary veins for any signs of stenosis (narrowing due to scars from the ablation burns). Dr. Natale requested the scan as follow-up and to rule out any future complications (pneumonia, etc). My cardiologist questioned the need for the CT scan since I was not having any symptoms indicating PV stenosis. I decided to go ahead with it since I could get a calcium score at the same time to find out my risk for future coronary artery disease (CAD).
The nurse finally called today with the results. She started out by asking if I had had an ablation. I said yes and that the CT scan was for follow-up. She said the cardiologist that read the scan said she could not even tell that I had an ablation and that whoever did it must have done a great job. The nurse then read the text of the pulmonary vein findings and everything sounded great. I should be getting a printed copy in a few days so I can fax it to Dr. Natale's office.
This was great news. My heart continues to do well. The skipped beats have calmed down considerably in the last couple months. My resting heart rate continues to be in the 80's so I am still hoping it will slow down some in the next 6 months. All in all we are extremely happy we decided to pursue an ablation with Dr. Natale.
So now the obligatory speech: I'd like to first thank Jesus Christ for saving my soul. Next I'd like to thank my wife Melinda for taking care of me through all this. An extra special thank you to Dr. Natale, Salwa, and all the staff at Marin General Hospital that were involved with my care. Last, but certainly not least, is a thank you to all our family and friends that have prayed for us and supported us.
Now I'll leave with my trophy made up of bottles of old, unnecessary heart meds with a wave and a final "Thank you everyone".
Until next time,
Dave
The Two of Us
This picture with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background was taken 2 days after my ablation with Dr. Natale
19 comments:
Woo Hoo!
God is good!
Dave,
I am a fellow past a-fibber and I just wanted to let you know what an encouragement your blog has been to me. I just had cryo ablation on August 18th, 2008 the day before my 37th birthday. My afib has been paroxsysmal and not nearly as bad as yours, however I was thrilled to find out that there is a cure! The doctor who performed my ablation is a wonderful genius named Wilbur Su. He is located in Phoenix, AZ where I happen to live and has done thousands of ablations. Thank you again for the time you have taken to write this blog.
In Christ,
Jason Sutton
Jason,
It is so very good to hear from you. I hope and pray everything is going well with your recovery.
What is it about having ablations close to our birthdays? Mine was 3 days after my 43rd. More than once hospital staff told me that my birthday present was going to be getting rid of AF. They were right and I couldn't have asked for a better gift. I'm guessing you heard similar comments.
I'm curious how the cryo ablation procedure differs from the RF ablation I had. Is it the same type of catheter delivery via groin access? Similar procedure times?
I will pray that your procedure is completely successful and that you can look forward to being AF and med free.
May God bless you,
Dave
Hello, I'm not sure if you check your site very often. I hope you do, I am 28 just had a pvi ablation on Oct. 10th. So far it seems to have worked well.
The only thing that upsets me about it is that my resting heart rate use to be in the 50's and 60's now it sits in the 80's.
I notice that you had to the same thing going on, do you know if this is permanent for us? I'm a runner, and I'm use to having a slower heart rate.
Hi Colter. I'm still waiting for my heart rate to get back down to "normal". My resting heart rate is still in the low 80's. I e-mailed Dr. Natale's staff with the results of my last 48-hour holter and asked about what seems to be the elevated heart rate. I was told this was normal for up to 12 months after an ablation. I don't have any symptoms so I'm just waiting to see what happens in the next few months (it will be 1 year on December 21).
With exercise my heart rate will hardly climb out of the 90's. That seems strange as well but again no symptoms so I just enjoy the NSR.
As a side note, my last holter test did show the number of PVC's had dropped dramatically from the test I had 4 months post procedure. Not sure if you are experiencing any PVC's but if you are, they do seem to get better with time. It is about time for a new posting and I plan on detailing the holter results then.
Best wishes,
Dave
Oh yeah, I do have pvcs
Usually when I get them they come in bigeminy form, basically beat,pause,beat,pause,beat,pause, for about 6 beats. It feels awful.
Luckily this seems to only happen a few times a day.
Have you experienced anything like that?
Sounds familiar Colter. No bigeminal beats showed by the time I had my first holter 4-months post-ablation (besides the isolated PVC's, I only had one couplet show up).
I do remember having something similar the first couple of months but was always reassured that the PVC's were all part of the healing process. Hopefully the PVC's will settle down for you as well.
Take care,
Dave
Hoo boy, I'm getting a pretty erratic rhythm now occasionally when I breath deep, or bend over. Its not every time, but almost. Feels very unnerving.
It is a struggle for me to not go to the ER, but I keep telling myself that the doctor said it would be rough at first.
Dave,
I don't know if you are still reading your forum, but if you are I would like to tell you about my experience with A-fib. My first episode was in my mid twenties and I have been battling it ever since. I'm 43 now and just had my ablation a month ago. I'm a very healthy 43 year old and I lift weights and run on the treadmill every week. About six weeks ago I was running on the treadmill, and the drug Rythmol I was taking made me go into Ventricular tachycardia and I almost died. Anyway I had the ablation and I am doing great even though I have had a few episodes of a-fib since, but it doesn't last too long. Hopefully A-fib will go away completely. I have been taking it easy in the gym, but am ready to get back to normal. Anyway thanks for your blog. Your sharing with me your story about A-Fib has really helped me with anxiety. Thanks again,
Tony
Hi Tony. I'm still here and following my blog but I am way overdue for another post. Most likely it will be titled "No News Is Good News" because there is not much new to report.
It has been almost 14 months since my ablation and it has gone very well. I just had a 6-month follow-up with my cardiologist today and he said he didn't want to see me again for a year.
I can't imagine how you dealt with AF for so many years. I was sick of it after a year and a half and two cardioversions and I never had an episode like the V-tach you described. Thank God you survived that.
I remember from one of Hans Larsen's surveys that break-through AF in the first month post-ablation is common. I didn't have any break-throughs but they kept me on Flecainide for several months after my ablation. If you're like me, I'm sure you can't wait to be rid of the heart meds and Coumadin.
Hang in there and don't push your heart too hard too soon. It has been through a fair amount of trauma even though you may not feel it. I hope and pray that your recovery continues to go smoothly. I'll be here if you have any questions that I can help with.
My very best wishes,
Dave
Thanks Dave! Well I had the ablation performed by Dr. Craig McCotter at Richland Heart Hospital in Columbia, SC and he did an awesome job. The only thing I have had post ablation is a couple of flutters that lasted for just a couple of seconds. It has been two months since the ablation and I am doing great! Running on the treadmill and lifting weights! I plan on running a 5k with the girlfriend in May. Recovery from the ablation wasn't too bad, just felt like I had a really bad chest cold for about a week. I think I have had a total of three flutters post ablation so hopefully I will be off the meds in a month or so. Looking forward to a normal life. Thanks for your blog and hopefully it will continue to inspire others like it did me.
Tony
Dave,
I am planning to see Dr. Natale within the next few months. Have you remained AFib free all this time? Can you post an update for 2011?
Did your heart rate return and stay at a lower resting rate?
Thanks so much.
Anonymous, yes I've been completely AFib free since my ablation with Dr. Natale. My resting heart rate has come down some, not all the way down into the low 60's like before AFib invaded my life but somewhere in the low 70's.
I still have occasional PVC's but I'm not convinced they have anything to do with my AFib or ablation. Regardless I'd still trade a handful of PVC's a day for my ever worsening AFib that seemed to be on its way to becoming chronic/permanent.
And in case you haven't read my opinion elsewhere in my blog, you will be in the best possible hands with Dr. Natale. Just curious, will you be seeing him in Texas or California?
I am really really happy for you. I am afraid of having the ablation procedure but more afraid of continuing and increasingly frequent AFib episodes. Your story gives me courage to go ahead with the ablation. I definitely have vagally triggered AFib and was interested to read that you had the same. Thanks so very much for sharing your story. I plan to see Dr. Natale in California.
Dave
I hope you are still checking your blog. I did have the ablation with Dr. Natale.
Please pray for me since I have had 4 flutter episodes since, far more frequently than my original problem...which had only been once per month. I sure hope I did the right thing!
Kelly,
I will certainly keep you in prayer. It was my understanding that episodes of flutter or even a-fib can occur during the first 60 days after an ablation while the heart heals. They kept me on Flecainide I believe for 3 months or so after my ablation to keep any episodes under control.
Dr. Natale or his staff were always quick to answer e-mails or phone calls when I had any concerns. Make sure to bring any worries to their attention and they should be able to ease your mind.
Hang in there and don't be discouraged. Every day is one more day of healing.
Best wishes and prayers,
Dave
Thank you for your prayers Dave. I will take all the prayers I can get..so please feel free to ask your church to keep me in their prayers as well.
I really appreciate it very much and am keeping hopeful... keeping the faith!
I was never on anti arrhythmics at all so just started some.. and feel quite lousy with the side effects.. but know it is just for the short term.
Hello,
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