Quote:
Originally Posted by rnhood
I also had an ablation 13 years ago and, my afib comes and goes but doesn't require cardioversion. Whether you need a follow up ablation will depend on how bad or often the afib surfaces, how long the episodes last and whether or not they require cardioversion. My episodes don't last over 4 hours typically, and don't require cardioversion therefore it doesn't require any action. I wouldn't worry about a follow up ablation though, because approx. 60% of people who have had an ablation end up getting one more. It's just not uncommon. I speak mainly of paroxysmal afib, which doesn't have underlying heart defects.
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Thanks for your note, and yes paroxysmal afib for me. After seeing the results of my wearing a Holter monitor, my cardiologist told me to revisit the doctor at NYU-Langone (Chinitz) who did the surgery in 2010, the cardio saying for a “touch up” and noting how better tools today (not unexpected) but it still might be the same 7-8 hour job as before.
But if the heart rhythm doctor agrees, I’m ready for another surgery because afib interferes with my cycling in two big ways: I go slower, especially on uphills, because too often I start feeling tightness in my chest. And now, since the cardio told me to go on a blood thinner (Eliquis, better than the old rat poison) to decrease the odds of a stroke, I feel a need to be more cautious than usual on my bike, with bleeding more likely if an accident occurs.
Dave,
who couldn’t get an appointment with Chinitz until the end of March which maybe says something about the prevalence of heart rhythm problems like afib and the American medical “system”