5 Month Post Maze Report, 4th Posting

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Posted by Troy Clement on August 13, 2002 at 16:11:49:

Hello old friends and hello new!

Thanks to everyone who suggested I report my current condition to the board....the board and it's followers deserve it. I would quess there are many Maze recipients out there that were cured, moved on, and disappeared. Well, with encouragement from others and out of thankfullness and obligation to the board, I'm back to inform everyone of my continued success with the Maze, NSR and my support of the procedure.

For those of you who are reading my update for the first time, let it be known to you that I have pre-existing heart condition outside of the now presumed to be cured Atrial Fibrillation. My other inherited genetic condition I was born with is called Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy. This pre-existing condition may have also contributed to my Atrial Fibrillation. My cardiac history is extensive, including an experimental “alcohol ablation” procedure for a thickened heart muscle, and I have been electrically cardioverted out of A-Fib 58 times. I am one of only few people that have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and have had the maze. It is also believed I am the first and maybe still the only person that has the combination of the condition Cardiomyopathy, had the “Alcohol Ablation Procedure”, and had the Surgical Open Heart Maze III. Should anyone share any of these same conditions, I would greatly be interested in speaking with you. Please contact me via email.

The purpose of this post is to inform everyone of my continued success with the Maze, NSR and my support of the maze procedure. Should you wish for more info in regards to my pre-existing condition, my medical background, and my experience with the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. McCarthy and the surgery experience, see my previous postings. The last posting that may be of interest to you was posted on May 1, 2002 and is named: “5 Week Post Maze, 3rd Posting”.

Tomorrow will mark my 20th post maze week, which is almost 5 months since my minimal invasive Maze III with the Atri-Cure clamp by Dr. McCarthy at the Cleveland Clinic. I owe this site much credit in giving me the information I needed to make the decision that I had been contemplating for well over a year. I suffered from bouts of A-Fib for 7 years. I am delighted to report that I have had no A-Fib episodes at all since surgery, just two A-Flutter episodes that occurred right after surgery.

I am 34, athletic, and took my 3 X per week Cardiac Rehab serious between the weeks 7 thru 12. After week 12, I almost felt back to normal. After week 15, I was completely back to doing anything, including Offroad Motorcycle Riding. Just this past weekend I completed my first “back to racing” event since surgery. The Offroad Enduro Race I completed in consisted of over 60 ground miles on tough terrain. These endurance races can last for up to fours hours, and push your aerobic ability. The race I completed this past weekend was also in temperatures exceeding 95 degrees. This is an incredible statement on how the heart CAN recover after the Maze procedure. I never would have thought that I would be back to motorcycle racing so soon, and being competitive at that.

My only complaint now is that the Maze has increased my resting and overall heart rate. Because I have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, this higher rate is not desired. My heart rate will fall into the low 70’s at rest, which is well above the low 50’s that I was use to when I was in sinus pre-maze. My rate on an average day doing routine work is in the high 80’s, and sometimes in the 90’s. This is much higher than compared to my pre-maze rated of about 60 during daily activities. Some nights I feel as though there is a slight sensation of my heart being squeezed, or a feeling of slight pressure in the left ventricle, but this sensation was already present prior to the Maze and is a symptom of the Cardiomyopathy which I was born with. I don’t relate this as a problem from the maze.

I discontinued Norpace (antiarrythimic) almost four weeks ago at 16 weeks post-maze. I have no PAC’s, PVC’s, just NSR. I noticed an overall better feeling after discontinuing the Norpace medication, and I still take 100 mg of Toprol twice per day. I will likely continue taking this medication forever as it is also prescribed for my Cardiomyopathy. The Toprol (Beta blocker) makes my heart feel less stressed and more “relaxed”. I find this drug very beneficial for me. I am also on Coumadin, which I will discontinue soon. Besides the increase in heart rate, I don’t have any problems to report, and no regrets with surgery. Prior to surgery, my A-fib intervals were occurring once per week and the intervals were shortening. The only way I would convert to NSR was with electric cardioversion. Living in A-Fib was not an option for me as my A-Fib was highly symptomatic due to my Cardiomyopathy. Had I had not gone forward with the maze, I would now have had at least over 80 cardioversions or I would be permanently stuck in A-Fib, thus making me disabled. I was highly skeptical of this procedure, and followed many recipients of it. It appears I am cured. I am delighted, I am now back in control of my life. My gratitude goes out to everyone who posted their experience on this board, and to everyone who followed and prayed for me during my surgery and the rough times following it. Special thanks to Dr. McCarthy for his experience, and the Cleveland Clinic for thier incredible overall care. For those of you considering the Maze, this is for you.

Troy Clement
Systems Analyst / Motorcycle Racer
New Orleans

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