I have a new arrhythmia :(

I went to the Cardiologist at St. Francis Heart Hospital yesterday, and didn't exactly get the news that I was hoping for. I was hoping that my current heart problem was going to be the same problem that I had 5 years ago, that they were able to fix with a cardiac ablation. 

He told me that I have a different kind of arrhythmia now. It's not Supraventricular Tachycardia anymore (that's what they did the ablation for, back in 2001). I now have Ectopic Tachycardia, which is a worse and rare form.     

I basically had two types of bad news.

1) It's a difficult arrhythmia to treat. There is a 50% chance that they will be able to trigger the arrhythmia when they go in with the catheter, and then IF they find it, it will be another 50% chance that they will be able to get rid of it. So, my chances aren't that great.

2) I cannot be sedated ... at all. The last time I had this done, I was given something to sedate me a little, and it still hurt like hell. It felt like my heart was on fire while they were burning the heart tissue away. This time, he said he cannot give me anything AT ALL because it will make it difficult for him to find the area that needs to be ablated. He also said that the pain will be worse.      Why don't they just cut my chest open while they're there, without giving me any pain meds? Geez.      

I'm going in for the ablation on October 16th. I have to be at the hospital at 6am, and if my doctor is able to ablate it, I will stay in the hospital so they can watch for bleeding and stuff. If he's not able to find the problem and ablate it, then I'm basically stuck and will have to deal with being extremely uncomfortable with these really fast and weird/skippy heartbeats that come out of nowhere, and make me short of breath. There is medicine that can help it a bit, but it makes you really tired and depressed, and that's the last thing that I need right now. I'm already exhausted from having Thalassemia Major.   

Ugh, so that's my story. Cross your fingers or say some prayers for me, please? I just hope they can fix this and that the pain won't be too excruciating this time.     

For those of you who don't know what a cardiac ablation is, this will explain:
http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/treatments/cardiac_ablation.asp

 

Sorry for the long rant.    I just cannot believe I have another serious issue to deal with now.   

Hi Danielle,
sorry to hear that,im sure you will be fine & im praying for you.Be strong!

Danielle

Sorry to hear what you have to go through. I really hope all goes well on the 16th. Be strong. Our prayers are with you.

Warm regards
Bharat and Amita

Danielle,

Be strong ..... I know you will be fine. Our prayers are with you.

Take care,

Bostonian

Hi Danielle.
Thanks for sharing your pain and discomfort with us ,its always good to share your worries with someone .I hope they can fix what is wrong on the 16/11.
This shall pass too and soon you will be better.Meanwhile be strong and stay as comfortable as you possibly can ,as hard as it maybe.
we all love you and this time praying for speedy recovery.
I for one is very proud of you.good luck girl .love Kathy

Hi Danielle,

I don't know why you've been chosen to endure your own personal "trials of Job" but it never seems to end. Hopefully, the ablation will solve the problem once and for all. You know we'll all be praying for you and will be there in spirit to hold your hand.

I've been reading about this condition and anyone who wants to read a complete medical article on  ectopic tachycardia, go to http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2534.htm

RF ablation has been very successful in curing AET, with success rates ranging from 75-100%. The complication rates are similar to other RF ablation procedures, with a higher risk of recurrence. The encircling technique uses 2 catheters capable of delivering RF energy as mapping catheters, alternating the reference and roving catheters until no site provides an earlier signal than the reference. This early reference catheter is then used to deliver ablation.

One point I would suggest asking your doctor about is that the ablation is done only after the reference point is found. I understand why no anesthetic would be used up to this point, because with anesthetic it may be hard to observe any arrhythmia, but once the point is found where the ablation is to be done, would it be possible to administer an anesthetic at that time before the actual ablation is completed? I know all of the procedure is painful but it seems the worst would be when the tissue is actually burned out. If anesthetic could be done just prior to this might it alleviate the most painful part of the procedure?

Hi Danielle,

You poor thing!

Reading your post even hurt me thinking of what you have to go through.

We all are praying for you Don't worry everything will be just fine. Cheer Up!


Take care, Peace!

Thank you so much, everyone.  I appreciate your kind words, and your thoughts and prayers.  You are all so wonderful.  :hug

Andy, my Cardiologist said that either way, I cannot have any sedation.  He is going to do the electrophysiology study to find the reference point first.  Then if and when he finds it (which he said would be a 50% chance), he is going to attempt to ablate it (which he said is another 50% chance).  He said that if he is able to ablate it, he will still not be able to give me any anesthetic, because it will hinder his job and complicate things even more.  It all has to do with this particular type of arrhythmia.  When he did the ablation on me the first time, he was able to sedate me a little, because it wasn't a hard arrhythmia to detect.  This one is a bit harder to map out.  He told me that if he is able to attempt the ablation, and he sees that I'm in agony, he will do whatever he can to ease the pain, even if it means to give me something.  However, it will just make things harder.   

I remember the pain of the first one, and it was horrible.  The sad part is that it still hurt that much with the sedation.  And my Cardiologist said that this is going to hurt more because of the area where the tissue needs to be ablated, and especially since I won't be getting any anesthetic.

Please pray for me on the 16th.  I am usually very strong when it comes to these things, but I'm actually very scared this time.   

Thank you all.  I love you guys.   

Danielle:

I am disappointed to hear that you have to go through ANOTHER ordeal.As if your plate was'nt full enough? :wtf
 
The 16th is a big day for me as well. Lauryn will be getting her first tx.


Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I will be thinking of you and hoping for a speedy,PAINLESS recovery!

 :hug
Christine

Thank you, Christine.  That means a lot, especially since you will be going through your own ordeal that day.  I will keep you guys in my thoughts and prayers also. Hopefully Lauryn's tx will be as painless as possible and everything goes smoothly.  :hug 

God help you i feel sad for you i'll keep you in my pray and be strong ....
                               
                          khalifa
                      state of kuwait
   

Danielle - I can't believe what you have to go through, and what you've already been through. You are a strong and brave woman. I will be sending you energy and love on the 16th. I hope the procedure is successful and goes as quickly as possible. Good luck to you, Jean 

Hi Danielle,
so sorry to hear this
  isn't it heartbreaking the fact that thalassaemics cannot be spared from having to face another painless ordeals, huh?!
just why can't we thalassaemics have thal ONLY??!? Thal is really more than enough without any other ordeal!  :'(

 :'( it's very sad, i guess this can happen to anyone of us.. you'll be in our prayer be strong..

 get well soon, :hug yen

Hi Danielle,

I emphathise with you fully. I know how it feels like salt in the already existing wounds. I am sure things will be fine for you  :hug don't worry. You are being so brave. Hats off!

Take care. Hoping for good news from you that all went well.

Regards,
Namitha

Danielle,

Thinking of you and praying for you today. May all go well with the ablation today.