Posted by Sarah on January 06, 2004 at 23:33:48:
In Reply to: Re: afib & PVC's posted by Jeanne on January 06, 2004 at 18:56:34:
Jeanne,
MY EP was willing to do EP studys (which are as envasive as an ablation)heart catherization, etc, and the one thing HE was qualified to do, and that's right sided ablation. Even then, i'll never understand why he didn't ablate the atrial flutter, which lives in the bottom right side atrium while he was in there. (It might be because I went into V-tach)I went for about three years with my EP at home, making me feel I was a "baby", giving me drugs, and wearing a monitor of one sort or another almost all the time!!
I had to get ugly! Luckily, my insurance didn't require a referral, so I took it into my hands to find out about Maze and PVIsolation....who was doing them, and whose statistics were the best. I had met a woman, younger than myself in the hospital who was also being treated by this EP for nearly constant AF, and while we shared all our research, had several apointments the same day/time, so that we went into each others exam rooms to talk to him together. SHE insisted on a Maze, which he told her had only 50/50 chances of a cure! We asked him where he got those stats, and he said through the EP's association journals. Anyway, she got her Maze right away, Dr. McCarthy, in CC and we've not heard from her much since. Guess she's too busy being in NSR and working for a law office, to think about Afib anymore. Sounds good, doesn't it?
SO....she took the Maze, I took the PVI. We both feel cured and without meds. For now, and if the future, we need help, we won't be so overwhelmed by the disease, and will just call up our docs, and tell them we need a "tune up"!!!
It really is as simple as that. I know SHE had some post Maze pleural effusion problems, which caused the, yet unhealed, heart to jump into AF, but once time had healed Dr. McCarthy's work, she just "flew away" like the bluebird of happiness!
I guess "I" got hooked on the guys and (few) gals in here, and want to help others, like yourself. The EP's and Cardiologists weren't much help to me either...isn't THAT crappy? If it weren't that i've heard the same thing from so many others, with a few exceptions, i'd feel like there was something wrong with ME. I have friends who think I'm too pushy....don't listen to my doctors....want to boss them around instead...think "I know better",etc. Thank GOD this forum has "validated" me.
LOOK....I had a sister-in-law who was having a full fledged heart attack, while we were together. HER husband wouldn't let her open the car window because when she said "I can't breathe!!" He said..."You're breathing, or you wouldn't be able to talk...don't open that window!!"
I had to get pushy!! She did code, once in the ER before going into emergency surgery and once later. She ended up at CC this summer with CHF, repair/replacement to three valves, four bypasses and a "redo" of the one she had at home. They said she only had 20% ejection fraction.
The last visit to her Cardiologist here, he said that she has NO CHF, the valves are working like swiss clockwork, ejection fraction as good as mine, and she takes no more Coumadin. She's lost 70lbs too.
I don't think we are being unreasonable people Jeanne. I think it's just hard earned experience with the medical community, that has made us AF savvy (street smart). Educate yourself, listen to your own gut, then act!
Sarah
- Re: afib & PVC's Jeanne 09:02:55 1/07/2004 (0)