I had my third EP Study and Ablation done last Friday. I mentioned in another post (tachycardia) that I was having the procedure done using new equipment. They used a balloon that was inserted into my heart on one of the catheters. I watched the whole thing on the screens. They took from 8am until 1:00pm building a "model" of the inside of my left ventricle using this balloon and mapping out all the spots that needed to be ablated. Using this balloon that acts like a GPS system wen finding the spots to ablate they found 8!!! So they ablated all 8.
I was out of the EP lab by 2:30pm and laid on my back until 8:30pm. I stayed over night in the hospital. I had a few extra beats in the night. It's been almost a week. I have had a few short runs of VT since but they say that is normal in the healing stages. I havent felt any VT though in the past 48 hours! YAY!!! I am still on my Atenolol for 6 weeks and also a 325g aspirin a day for 6 weeks. The hardest part of all this is that I cant pick up my 16 month old son for 10 days! They said because of the amount of work they did in there plus my groin has to heal too he is too heavy for me right now.
Anyway, just thought I would let you all know that the new equipment that is out there using the "balloon" I think will prove to have much success! I hope because i dont want to go in for a fourth!!
Woohoo Jules, glad you got you ablation over with! Wow, the new procedure with the balloon sounds great! 8 spots ablated should fix you up perfect now! Oh yes, you will have some heart flip flops for awhile until your heart heals. I had them for about 4 months after my ablation. Scared the heck out of me the 1st time they happened...all I could think was that the ablation didn't work! But my doc and people on these message boards told me this was not unusual. And sure enough they went away for the most part. Just a rare flip flop once in a while that never lasts!
Oh, I know it will be hard not to be able to lift your son but the days will go fast and its important not to do the lifting. I forgot and carried in a heavy 24 pack of soda pop when I shouldn't have. I paid for it for a few days too. So you take good care of yourself and get well fast! Hugs, Pat
Hi Julie, what an epic! It certainly sounds like a very thorough job. And how fascinating to watch. I want to ask a silly question; seriously, how do you go that long without a pee? It always worries me and no-one ever mentions it!
Glad things look so positive for you now. Best of luck, Juliette
That is totally a serious question! LOL....no one ever mentions it you are so right!
I was told to not have anything to eat or drink after midnight. Usually I dont have anything after 10pm. Then they make sure you go pee when you get into pre op and right before they wheel you into the EP lab they make you go to the bathroom as well. During the procedure, it never crossed my mind that I had to pee! LOL!!
I was out by 2:30 and had to lay flat until about 8:30. By 8:30pm I REALLY had to pee badly and refused to use a bed pan before that.
That is a good question! I've had four EP studies (three with ablations). For each, I had a catheter inserted so I didn't have to worry about the bathroom. I HATE getting that thing put in and removed!!! Oh my goodness!
Lil
Afterwards, the universe will explode for your pleasure. - Douglas Adams
Catheter...I'd rather chew through my own leg!!! Bed pans are bad enough. I'm just not very good at going without food & fluids for long periods of time. Especially tea. But the trouble is I tend to get migraine if I get really hungry. Wouldn't that be awful, to waste valuble theatre time by chucking up etc. My doctor only seems to do the EP work in the afternoons so I'm pretty hungry by the time they're finished and I've been laid flat. Luckily, last time I came back from theatre my blood pressure was so low I was allowed to drink water, ha!
I feel great! Thanks for asking. I have had a few small short runs of VT that each lasted about 10 seconds...that's it. The docs said to expect that while healing. I have a lot of energy again. It's wonderful.
My leg looks a lot better. The bruise is almost gone and the catheter incisions are closed nicely. No more pain.
Ewww, I had the catheter too when I had my ablation! But I was very surprised that it didn't hurt like ones I had for surgeries years ago! I think I was blessed with a very good nurse that preped me! She even got the IV in the 1st try and even that didn't hurt! I've had it take as long as an hour and a half to fing a good vein and get an IV in! She was a Godsend!
So you take good care of yourself and get well fast! Hugs, Pat
Lil 
But I was very surprised that it didn't hurt like ones I had for surgeries years ago! I think I was blessed with a very good nurse that preped me! She even got the IV in the 1st try and even that didn't hurt! I've had it take as long as an hour and a half to fing a good vein and get an IV in! She was a Godsend!