I had successful mitral valve repair 4 years ago and never had a fib. In May last year, after having COVID in March, I started having periods of atrial fibrillation, ...Read more
I had successful mitral valve repair 4 years ago and never had a fib. In May last year, after having COVID in March, I started having periods of atrial fibrillation, with symptoms of heart racing and fluttering. I was put on a monitor for a few weeks, and started on Metoprolol and Xarelto. In September I had persistent a fib for several weeks (on a monitor again) then went out of it on my own. I was scheduled to have an ablation, but the earliest appointment was this May. Since October, I have had no more a fib, and just a few episodes of tachycardia. Should I go ahead and have an ablation? The electrophysiologist recommends it, but my cardiologist says it is up to me.
Marie Myers If you have a successful ablation, then you can get off the xarelto. That seems like a plus to me. Di ... Read more
Marie Myers If you have a successful ablation, then you can get off the xarelto. That seems like a plus to me. Did the docs give you an idea of what the success rate for their ablations are?
Yumiko Ishida For what it’s worth, the two people I know who had ablation say it’s the only thing that helped t ... Read more
Yumiko Ishida For what it’s worth, the two people I know who had ablation say it’s the only thing that helped them with their afib. They do not have a valve issue, though. I was in persistent afib for 11 months before I consulted an electrophysiologist, and he said I needed to get a new mitral valve, have the maze procedure done, and close off the left atrial appendage. I was out of afib after a cardioversion by the time he made that recommendation, but every doctor I spoke to said it was a matter of when, not if, I would be back in it. Since your repair was successful, nobody is suggesting another surgery, but I assume “when not if” scenario applies to you, too. A phrase I’ve heard used is “afib begets afib,” unless you make some structural changes, like an ablation.
Rose Madura My husband has had a very successful ablation for his Afib and hoping to get off the Eliquis at his n ... Read more
Rose Madura My husband has had a very successful ablation for his Afib and hoping to get off the Eliquis at his next cardiologist visit. The research he did was that if you get an ablation soon into the process, the odds of success are greater. If you try to treat it with medications for a while and then get the ablation, the odds were less. Hope this helps but keep in mind everyone is different.
Klara Čičić Dear Margaret, success of an ablation is dependent on many factors, and it is almost never 100%, so A ... Read more
Klara Čičić Dear Margaret, success of an ablation is dependent on many factors, and it is almost never 100%, so Afib may come back and that can be frustrating. But if they recommend it, I believe it is certainly worth trying. You will gain so much if your ablation will be a successful one...
I am a kindergarten teacher. I am having mitral valve repair in a few months. Does anyone have suggestions about how to explain it to my class? (And my grandchildren) ...Read more
I am a kindergarten teacher. I am having mitral valve repair in a few months. Does anyone have suggestions about how to explain it to my class? (And my grandchildren) I don't want to scare or worry them, but I want them to know why I'm gone for a few months. Thanks!
Rose Madura Some of us in the past have joked around about getting a tune up. Maybe you could present it in that ... Read more
Rose Madura Some of us in the past have joked around about getting a tune up. Maybe you could present it in that way. Just a thought.
Lorraine Mobley Even kids in kindergarten see people,know people or they themselves have broken bones that have to ha ... Read more
Lorraine Mobley Even kids in kindergarten see people,know people or they themselves have broken bones that have to have a cast...maybe explain that the heart cannot have a cast when it has a broken part but a doctor fixes it and then it has to heal for a long time, like a broken bone. You don't see a cast but you see a scar on the chest,etc....
Susan Lynn Sometimes children (and adults, on occasion) just need the 10,000 foot view as Rose suggested. After ... Read more
Susan Lynn Sometimes children (and adults, on occasion) just need the 10,000 foot view as Rose suggested. After all, many of these kids probably have tonsillectomies in their near futures, so I would keep the details to a minimum.