Back on the merry-go-round, or just caffeine?

[Protimenow]

Thanks. That's a lot better than a pointed middle finger. I'll take crossed fingers over the other any day.

 

[Eva]

Best of luck, @Protimenow

 

[carolinemc]

I've been on magnesium supplements for years and can't say it's made a difference in arrhythmic occurrences. But maybe I would have had more problems if I wasn't on it. One of life's great unknowns, I suppose.

Best of luck with the ablation! Make sure you get your frequent customer card punched so the next one is free

(I'm likely up for my second ablation if my EP has his way, trying to put it off)

It depends on the individual.

 

[Protimenow]

My EP had his way. I got the ablation. He told me that my heart would work better if I didn't have the node interfering with the pacemaker's signal (or something like that).

The minimum rate was moved down from 85 to 80 - and I DO seem to be doing a bit better. Although not strictly a cardiac issue, I seem to be able to take deeper breaths. I'm not entirely sure of the reason for this, but I'll just enjoy it.

Sometimes your EP will actually know what he or she is doing.

 

[Protimenow]

Thanks for the good wishes from everyone.

I had the ablation yesterday. I'm really impressed by the way the hospital handled everything - from check in to discharge.

My only snag was that I wanted to take Uber home after the ablation. My doctor said that I could - last Thursday they told me that - the hospital insisted that I couldn't take Uber, and tried to keep me overnight to be sure that the medications I received during the procedure were completely out of my system.

Instead of knocking me out, the procedure was done with mild sedation - Lidocaine (or novocaine?) was injected into my Femoral artery, with an extra shot so I didn't feel pain when the real work was being done. I think I was awake during the entire procedure - which only took a few minutes.

The EC suite where it was done was amazing - they must have had 30 or so monitors showing different results from each patch. I must have had patches all over the place. I got the obligatory two large patches on my back in case I needed to be defibrillated.

Because I was sedated, and not put out, the doctor was able to convince them to release me after about five hours in 'holding.' Somehow, during the procedure, my pacemaker was left at 122 - an Abbott technician reset it.

Although the whole thing was hell on my wife, I went into it with no fear or apprehension, and the entire process was smooth and easy (except for the two hour wait for something to eat after my LONG fast, and the pushy nurse insisting that I can't take Uber home).

I'm glad that the last node I have working isn't accessible, so I've had my last ablation.

That's another thing out of the way...

 

[Joseph]

That's another thing out of the way...

Great to hear things went so well! Hopefully this alleviates (or at least reduces) future issues and you can get back to life without arrhythmias.

 

[Protimenow]

Thanks Joseph.

My watch is still showing some arrhythmias - maybe from the one spot that can't be ablated, but overall, the next day, I'm feeling a bit stronger and a bit better. I'll know more in the next few days (although I don't expect any real differences going forward).

I'm hoping that the combination of reduced heart rate on the pacemaker, better cardiac performance (because the interference from that node that was ablated has stopped), and Inpefa (supposed to be good for people with low ejection fractions) will make a positive difference.

I'm not sure when I'll be having another echocardiogram. It'll be great of the Inpefa helped to reverse this.

(Inpefa is really expensive but, thankfully, I don't pay for it.)

 

[dornole]

Glad to hear everything went smoothly, Protime, and following it all with interest as I only recently started having arrhythmia - three times in the past week (5 straight hours last Tuesday then cardioversion, back on Friday for 4 hours before resolving on its own, 10 hours on Monday before resolving - of course, I have the Holter monitor on today and nothing, at least not the very obvious, continuous and disconcerting irregular fast and pounding heartbeat. Not that I want it back but I also want my observations to be believed.

I hope you get relief and feel stronger.

 

[Protimenow]

Dornole -- if you needed cardioversion, I don't think you should worry much about them believing you. These things don't always appear on schedule - your holter monitor may pick up a few runs of tachycardia that you might not even feel. There's also a monitor that can record your heart rhythm for two weeks. If you have adequate insurance, this may be an option. And, FWIW, I hope that your rhythm issues have disappeared and don't return.

Yes, I got some relief. My heart's rhythm is mostly controlled by my pacemaker - but I've still got one node that may be adding a bit of interference to the electrical signals. And, for some reason, I've had a headache for a few hours - I don't know if it's at all related.

 

[Amy]

Hey @Protimenow -
I just found your thread here after having double heartbeats for the last hour and trying to quickly research what they are, what they mean, what I can do. I’ve been jumping around, eating magnesium, drinking water and hoping they go away. How have you been?? Gosh, you had a rough time!! I’m so sorry that all happened, and hope things are better for you now.

 

[pellicle]

bloody hell mate, that's all difficult

And, for some reason, I've had a headache for a few hours - I don't know if it's at all related.

I suspect they are (with the beats being causal to the headache)

I hope this gets under control soon.

Best Wishes

 

[Protimenow]

Things seem to be under control. The headaches stopped. My cardiologist liked what he saw and dropped my heart rate to 75. This seems to be working out fine. My rhythm, with the ablated area and the pacemaker taking on most of the load in controlling my heart rhythm seems to be keeping my heart rate more steady.

The current issue is my reduced ejection fraction - I find that if I bend down for too long (my head below my heart), the blood seems to rush to my head and STAY THERE until I've stood up for a while. So - I avoid bending down for too long.

Amy - by now, I'm sure your issue has resolved. The 'double heartbeats' issue should probably be discussed with your doctor. I used to get tachycardia - I found that this may have been vaso-vagal. I did the vaso vagal maneuver and it usually stopped the problem -- I would grab my knees, close my mouth and push - like I was trying to go to the bathroom - I also tried it sitting up - after a few seconds, it worked for me. But you should run it through your cardiologist - there may be a medication adjustment that helps.