UPDATE: atrial fibrillation

[dave holl]

For a third time cardioversion returned my heart to normal rhythm....good news. However, with a heart cath, a leaky, calcified mitral valve was found which weakens the heart over time.
So, when December rolls around I will get a new cow valve replacement! This requires open heart procedures on a bypass machine. While they're in there, they'll perform a "MAZE" procedure to stop the afib from returning.

The surgeon gave me pages of info to read describing the process, rehab, do's and don't's, but I'd like to hear from the mouths of my friends here who have undergone similar operations as to what it's REALLY like. Since I don't have any blockages and am basically healthy, he said I should pull through fine.

Thanks for your time and consideration. My prayers are sent daily for others whose threads I've read describing a particular ailment asking for Divine intervention. "Knee mail" is a good thing.
Dave

 

[dave holl]

I guess it's a good thing that no one has replied to my update. That means probably the subset of people who have undergone open heart valve replacement is small.

I'd ask that you would keep me in your thoughts when December rolls around.

Dave

 

[DeathGrip]

Added to my prayer list.

 

[chaparrito]

Just saw your post. I have a close friend who just went thru this exact surgery. He'd had AF for several years. He's NOT healthy to start with. Artery disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, an ex alkie, the whole nine yards. He was in hospital about a week. He's been home now about 3 months and told me about a week ago he'd mowed the yard ( a two acre yard) for the first time. Walking every day and feeling great. Good luck!

 

[woodsltc]

Prayers sent for a successful surgery and quick recovery.

I had (open heart) by-pass surgery about a year and half ago....best advise I can give you is about the re-hab following the surgery and that is to get up and start moving ASAP, don't let the early discomfort get you down, it's short term discomfort, and the more you move about the faster you will recover fully. Good luck and God Bless.


Don

 

[Skeet 028]

A friend just had the valve replacement a couple months ago. He's back at it again.doing pretty much what he did before. But has let the boys take over the farming part and he just does the books now. As for the ablation part of the op I'm scheduled for that on Nov 12th. As stated previously do the rehab as they want you to and you'll be fine. Be thinking about you and wishing you a speedy recovery

 

[Double-O-Dave]

Hi Dave H:

I was involved in a car crash in 2007 that resulted in a closed head injury. One of the side effects was insomnia - I could go several days without sleeping - and then, of course, I would collapse from exhaustion and sleep for several days to "catch-up" on my sleep. One of my doctors sent me to a lab for sleep studies, and they found I was throwing weird heartbeats during sleep. If not for the sleep studies, I could have died in my sleep and no one would have ever known the cause as I've never had any history of heart problems.

I had to get a cardiac ablation done in the cardiac cath lab. I was so impressed with the staff at the cath lab! I swear all of the staff, including the janitor, were so kind and super intelligent. It really makes you feel comfortable when you are wheeled into a clean, modern facility with floor-to-ceiling computers, and nice, smart people.

I am sure you will do well, and have an uneventful recovery.

Take care, and best of luck to you.

Regards,

Dave C

 

[SW_shooter]

Hey dave holl,

I too have just been diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. I did my first go round with the cardioversion and drugs a couple days ago. I appreciate what you are going through and am afraid I am headed for ablation next.

Good luck dave.

David A.

 

[dave holl]

Hey dave holl,

I too have just been diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. I did my first go round with the cardioversion and drugs a couple days ago. I appreciate what you are going through and am afraid I am headed for ablation next.

Good luck dave.

David A.

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully it's NOT the name DAVID that is the common denominator.

I chose to get a second opinion from another surgeon who supposedly has done many mitral valve procedures. I've had 3 bouts of afib in 9 years all fixed with cardioversion. The last echo and heart cath showed a weaker heart than before and a still leaking mitral valve. So, they want to replace the valve with a cow valve and do ablation (MAZE) to insure afib doesn't return.

The second opinion will be Nov 2. I'll let you know how it goes.

Best of luck for you too.

Dave

 

[Rustyt1953]

Dave, I am in Afib, have been for years. I've had 3 heart surgeries, a hiss bundle ablation and am pacemaker dependant now for 3 years. My heart has actually improved after all that and I feel great.

A new Interstate battery now and then and I'm good to go.

PS, every time I scratch myself, I open the neighbor's garage door. Drives him crazy.

Prayers sent.

 

[snubbyfan]

Hoping all goes well, keep us informed.

 

[chmpco]

Wow what a subject on a gun forum. Palosi would never understand.
This year I was diagnosed with Atrial Flutter. A cuz of Afib, that mostly kept me short of breath and docile. Not sure how long I had it. Cardioversion put me into full afib for a few days and it reverted back to flutter. Ultrasound showed a minor enlarged left upper ventricle/valve area. Two days before the nuclear tress test I converted to a normal heart beat. Stress test went well and the after test pictures looked ok. This is when they probably found your valve.
The flutter returned and I did the Ablation with the miniature tasers up the groin vessels. There were 5 catheters around the heart. One from the neck down on the left. One up from the left artery and three in the right artery. For those squirming now.. I'm fully conscious and aware of the Tasers burning the heart to cut off the excess signals from the sinus node on the left to the receptor on the right. The heart feels nothing but the chest bones feel the burn. This went on for 45 minutes. took a 20 minute break and did another 20-25 minutes of burning. I broke into a sweat but stayed still so's not to disturb the picture the doctor was looking at. Worst part. The catheter to my bladder. Best part. The two hot babes holding pressure on my groin vessels after the catheters/taser was removed, for 5 minutes inches from my...... bladder catheter. Darn. This team in this room was nothing short of amazing.
Since this operation I have gone off the Heart medicine and blood thinners. I have had three or four afib episodes. I am pretty sure they are triggered by Alcohol. Two beers is fine. Start drinking too early and go late the heart reacts. (Word of warning to the wise). Many many people who drink too much get afib for a time and don't know it.
Your valve problem is separate from the afib and the afib probably helped you find it. Cardio versions suck and don't permanently fix afib. Life style will do more IMO. No Alcohol and lots of water. Stay hydrated. Drink Ginsing tea, jasmine tea, whatever but drink lots of water. Afib unchecked causes strokes because the blood clots form in the heart. Take aspirin to help avoid this. I love my beer but it aint worth dying over.
Good luck on the operation. Stay calm and positive.

 

[rwsmith]

Good luck......

Glad it was discovered and hopefully they will fix you up.

 

[Arc Angel]

As I understand it the surest precaution against atrial fibrillation is to have a pacemaker/defibrillator installed and, thereafter, used in combination with daily doses of an anti-arrhythmic medication like Amiodarone.

I also believe that, in and of itself, a maze procedure doesn't guarantee that, 'AFib' won't return. The best success seems to come from surgery plus the ongoing daily ingestion of an anti-arrhythmic drug.

 

[Skeet 028]

Pacemakers don't work on A fib. Defib might...might work. Anti arrhythmics work but can be overridden by the excitation in the upper chamber. Ablation burns the odd areas that drive the fibrillation. A flutter is easier to ablate than A fib. My Fib is quite often flutter. The reason I have a pacemaker is I also have Sick sinus syndrome and my pulse rate is in the range of 40 so control by a ventricular node. The atrial fibrillation or flutter can allow clots to forn in the upper chamber leading to stroke. Usually A-fib continues to worsen leading to other heart problems over time. I actually know a gal who is in A fib almost constantly. she also has a pacemaker/defib. She is also debilitated by the fib to the point she really can't do an awful lot. Talking to her the other day she(being scared of surgery) is contemplating the ablation procedure. Docs and literature give ablation about 80-85% success rates. Got to add. The way to ensure A fib will go away is to cut the nerve pathways by ablation requiring a pacemaker to make your heart beat. Means you will need a pacemaker to live. Anyway...talking to the doc on all this on Thursday. All of it scares the hell out of me.

 

[redlevel]

So, when December rolls around I will get a new cow valve replacement!

Good luck with your surgery. Probably fairly routine stuff now, but that's easy for me to say since it ain't my ticker they are working on.

Hope it doesn't affect your appetite. Are you a beef lover? Back in the 80s when Lewis Grizzard had a pig valve replacement, he said that afterward, every time he ate pulled pork BBQ, he got tears in his eyes.

 

[GaryS]

Good information, except that ablation does not automatically require a pacemaker. Quite often, the ablation only cuts the accessory pathways, not the main pathways.

As you note AF often leads to other problems and there is substantial risk of throwing a clot that can cause a stroke.
Which is what makes cardioversion risky for patients with chronic AF. Without adequate anti coagulation drugs before hand, the risk of throwing a clot is much higher.

Pacemakers don't work on A fib. Defib might...might work. Anti arrhythmics work but can be overridden by the excitation in the upper chamber. Ablation burns the odd areas that drive the fibrillation. A flutter is easier to ablate than A fib. My Fib is quite often flutter. The reason I have a pacemaker is I also have Sick sinus syndrome and my pulse rate is in the range of 40 so control by a ventricular node. The atrial fibrillation or flutter can allow clots to forn in the upper chamber leading to stroke. Usually A-fib continues to worsen leading to other heart problems over time. I actually know a gal who is in A fib almost constantly. she also has a pacemaker/defib. She is also debilitated by the fib to the point she really can't do an awful lot. Talking to her the other day she(being scared of surgery) is contemplating the ablation procedure. Docs and literature give ablation about 80-85% success rates. Got to add. The way to ensure A fib will go away is to cut the nerve pathways by ablation requiring a pacemaker to make your heart beat. Means you will need a pacemaker to live. Anyway...talking to the doc on all this on Thursday. All of it scares the hell out of me.

 

[BigBill]

Prayers go out for a speedy recovery.

I'm on morphine it's not stopping the pain. No biggie I don't complain.