Ticker Talk

Getting older is no fun, generally.

My Atrial Fibrillation has been more problematic of late. After my second episode in as many months, I wore an event monitor for a couple weeks in September. Naturally my heart behaved the entire time.

Three weeks later I had the longest AFib episode I’ve ever experienced. My heart rate was never elevated, so there was no need to go to the hospital.1 It happened on a Saturday. First thing Monday I left my cardiologist a message. He agreed it was time to take stronger preventative measures.

Thus, I am scheduled for a cardiac ablation this coming Monday. To prepare I had a quick cardiac CT scan yesterday. Seriously, it took longer to check in than put an IV in and perform the scan. It will give my cardiologist a map of my heart to guide him next week.

The ablation procedure itself is fascinating. They will place a catheter into my femoral artery through which they will access my heart. Once inside, the doc will find the abnormal areas that cause my arrhythmias and zap them. This creates scar tissue that is meant to interrupt the electrical impulses that force my heart out of rhythm.

Good news is this surgery is considered very safe, although I admit I have been freaking out slightly about the idea of something being inside my heart and burning parts of it. I’ll be under general anesthesia for several hours, perhaps as long as eight depending how much work needs to be done. I will spend at least six hours in recovery. If the surgery goes well I should be able to come home that evening, although there is a chance I will have to overnight at the hospital.

More good news: this surgery is generally effective. It is used for a handful of heart issues, and until recently AFib had the worst odds for success of the bunch, working only 50-60% of the time. But my cardiologist said that has changed in recent years, as both the technique has been refined and it is used earlier on otherwise healthy people like me. A decade ago I would have likely been put on medication to manage the issue. Studies have shown that an ablation is more effective and has fewer side effects than remaining on those drugs for years.

However, there is a chance that I will require a second ablation at some point. And, in the short term while my heart is healing, my AFib episodes may become more common. I’m hopeful since I don’t have them that often to begin with I won’t see a huge increase while recovering. I’ve heard about several people, though, who have had ablations and not experienced AFib again after. Fingers crossed!

I guess the biggest bummer is I won’t be able to work out for at least a week. Not even “vigorous” walking. My fitness efforts have been stellar this fall, and I’ve knocked off several extra pounds in the process. I’m hoping that sitting on my ass for a week won’t put those lbs. right back on.

Another allowance for my AFib is that I’ve been taking blood thinners for a month. AFib brings an increased risk of clots from blood pooling in the heart when out of rhythm. We are pretty sure that’s what killed my dad. He had AFib, did not take care of himself, and likely had a blood clot that caused the sepsis that precipitated his death. I’m not interested in that, so will happily take the blood thinners. Side effects have been minimal. I will have to stay on them through at least the end of the year, perhaps longer pending my post-op check-up in early January.

As I try to acknowledge and restate each time I provide a health update, I am extremely lucky that I’ve been very healthy my entire life. These blood thinners are the first meds I’ve been required to take for more than a week or two. I have no allergies. When I am checking in for a medical appointment, I check No for everything on the list of concerns that isn’t related to AFib. I often get a response of “You’re easy!” from the person reviewing my history. Other than normal aches and pains, I have few complaints. A lot of people my age are dealing with far bigger health issues.

Still this is a sobering reminder that our bodies will inevitably break down and our genetics will have their say.

  1. This is called Controlled AFib. ↩︎