Posted by Roger Meyer on December 09, 2002 at 13:02:52:
In Reply to: Catheter Ablation After the MAZE posted by Ozzi Nassar on December 09, 2002 at 06:37:34:
Ozzi
Fear not, you are not alone. I had a regular appointment with my cardiologist one week ago today. My only complaint to him was the repeated recurring palpitations I have been having and had come to regard them as normal for me. Otherwise I have been feeling great, playing racquetball etc.
My heart sank when the EKG showed atrial fib. That was very bad news for me to receive 16 months post maze. My cardiologist described the a-fib as "fine" as opposed to "course" a-fib, terms I had not heard before.
I never did get into NSR after the Maze, but had been in junctional rhythm consistently, and after erratic rhythm developed in June (10 months post-Maze) I had to have a pacer implanted. And now this. I now realize how I totally underestimated the potential outcomes for me with the Maze. I totally I expected to be among the happy Mazers because I was in very good health, but it seems to be just one thing after another.
My docs have increased my rhythmol from 150mg every 8 hours to 225mg every 8 hours to see if that stabilizes me back into junctional. The only med I take other than that is a blood pressure med I have taken for some time now. Like you, I don't want to treat with heart meds long term. I had been on Lanoxin for many many years pre-Maze and then was off meds after the Maze until I got the pacer and was put on Rhythmol.
You said your rate at rest was in the upper 90's. Do you feel that when it happens? My pacer download last week indicated that over the recording period (76 days) I had over 800 episodes of rhythm in excess of 180bpm (the threshold my pacer is set at to record). In the cardiologist's office I was in the 120's. I am one that does not sense or feel the high rates.
I will continue to watch your progress and wish you the very best! I will likely press for a mapping procedure and an ablation too depending on how things turn out for me on meds now. I thought sure that at 16 months I would simply resign myself to junctional rhythm as my norm. And to be honest, I don't know anyone that is in junctional rhythm long term. I have said here before I would like to hear from anyone who has been in junctional long-term. NOW that rhythm sounds a heck of a lot better than afib.
Good luck to you Ozzi.
Roger
- Re: RF Ablation After the MAZE, Roger M Sarah 15:57:46 12/17/2002 (1)
- Re: RF Ablation After the MAZE, Roger M Roger Meyer 22:46:09 12/18/2002 (0)
- Re: Sorry, the last post was for Roger M. Sarah 15:49:21 12/17/2002 (0)