Posted by Carl Plaskett on October 26, 2002 at 17:51:56:
Jim & Bob: I have just returned to Florida from Vancouver, BC & Seattle, where I engaged in activities
I thought were lost to me forever when afib/drugs were my constant companions. In my afib days, a flight
of that length would have put me in afib for sure!I have to join the chorus of supporters of the Cox Maze III AND the newest ablations performed at the
Cleveland Clinic (see Linden LaViano's post below). Remarkable strides are being made towards less
invasive cures for afib, mostly at the CC.If you have an aversion to the open heart procedure, contact the CC and talk with them. After evaluating
your records, they will be able to tell you if you are a candidate for a less invasive procedure. If you just
can't wait the several months needed to get on their calendar, the maze is just not that big of a deal,
(although the thought of it IS scarey), and you can probably get on that calendar in a couple of months.Having had the opportunity to briefly meet some more maze/PVA vets for lunch in Seattle last week, (we
all went to the CC), I must say it is impossible not to be enthusiastic about what life changes occur
following these procedures. We (Angie Strand, Claude Hepworth, MD, Harley Gilmore, and myself) were
a pretty happy group, talking about our former lives, CC experiences, etc. I'm sure other patrons of the
restaurant who might have overheard our conversations might have wondered how we could be so happy!We are just 4 of many, many posters who, have resumed active lives, including extreme aerobic exercise
for a good number of us. Most of us have had the Cox Maze III procedure, and there are a number of fine
surgeons/centers doing this procedure. There are NOT nearly as many successful afib ablations being
performed as at the CC, and some of the techniques have, IN MY OPINION, a much higher risk potential
than an open heart maze.Do your homework, ask questions of doctors/surgeons, post questions or write to other "vets". The
choice is ultimately yours: continue with the status quo, which will probably worsen, or go for a high
percentage potential cure.