Posted by Sarah on October 06, 2003 at 11:08:14:
In Reply to: Chronic/Maze posted by Frank on October 02, 2003 at 14:25:24:
Frank, I sympathize with your having to deal with the Canadian health system, which is wonderful, as long as you don't need something done quickly.
It's my understanding that the longer you're in AF, the harder it is to get rid of because the abnormal pathways become more "set". However, Anders, Carl and Ann are right, there are a lot of us that had to wait a long time...in AF chronic or not, before we were cured, and for the most part, are doing well.
Carl brings up the matter of being aware of any "different" arrhthmia's. If you have certain combinations of heart disease, an AF patient can be in danger of sudden death syndrome, from going into Ventricular Flutter.
Does it take a long time to get a doctors apointment too? Have you ever worn an event heart monitor? I always felt secure, knowing I could send in a EKG strip, and someone would look at it immediately.
Try to simplify your life during the wait, and do some relaxing techniques to keep the stress down. It's good to search and educate yourself, but remember that when you've done all you can do, to let it go, and not become chronically anxious. Best wishes, Sarah