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Atrial Fibrillation

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Greebo64
Greebo64

Warning !!

To anyone with AF who is thinking of having ablation surgery

I have some very important info' for this group. I am an AF sufferer since 2008.in 2010 i had my first catheter ablation the new "Arctic front Ablation" [cryo/freezing method] it worked for around 18months but then the AF returned., i put up with it for a couple of years, but I was then recommended another ablation called Point to Point catheter ablation which is the usual or common ablation technique, which burns the problem areas. This was supposed to be "very Low risk minimal invasion Day surgery" with few complications & i was told nothing to worry about we can deal with the complications should any arise. So i went in for the surgery a few ago. During the ablation the prosedure the surgeon peirced a hole in the wall of my heart & he could not stop the bleeding, i was rushed to another theatre [unconcious] where another team had to open my chest, Put me on a bypass machine to enable them to repair the hole & stop the bleeding, i was in theartre a total of around 7 hours, i had to have a transfusion, i was then hept in a comma & put on a life suppoprt machine for 24 hours, following that i was in intensive care for a further 48 hours. several weeks on I am still recovering from this Nightmare.. Also whilst i was in hospital i spoke to another AF ablation patient who had suffered the same heart puncture during the ablation, but he was a bit luckier than me, they managed to stop his bleed without openenig his chest. I have had several different operations over the years & i have never had an issue with bleeding before

My advice to anyone with AF thinking of having an ablation,THINK VERY CAREFULLY, IT IS A DANGEROUS PROCEDURE!!  I almost lost my life

Graham

2 likes, 73 replies

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  • Emis_Moderator
    Emis_Moderator Greebo64

    Posted

    Please do not name specific doctors as you have in this discussion - it is against the T&Cs. I have removed references to specific doctors.
    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 Emis_Moderator

      Posted

      Hi

      I have just replied to a post on the Forum from Member Linda, but it has not appeared, can you tell me why ?

      Graham

  • robear28
    robear28 Greebo64

    Posted

    I had an Afbi Cryo ablation on Oct 9, 2015, I was intubated. I woke up with a very bad cough and esophagus burning  pain from the surgery. I have had every test possible all negative except a small amount of reactive airway. I did not have a cough prior to surgery nor have i ever had asthma. they are saying i have asthma. Inhalers do not work. Advair, proair, spiriva, they make it worse and put me into AFIB now they want to put me on high doses of steroids but i said no. steroids is what caused me to have AFIB and  they don't have a diagnosis they are just guessing and using me as a guinea pig. I asked for a 6 day dose of medrol but they said no,  I am now only on Eliquis and off all meds I wanted to see if Metopol was causing the cough but im the same and i have been off flecinide and Metoprol for 7 days, what could have happened during the surgery that could cause me to still be coughing 8 weeks later and have chest tightening and restricted breathing. 
    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 robear28

      Posted

      It very much sounds like they have damaged  your esophagus, which is one of te complications when having an ablation, & now they are trying to cover their arses which is "Typical" of them

      you can Look this complication up on the interenet.

      I would raise a complaint as soon as possible

      Where are yiou in the UK

    • robear28
      robear28 Greebo64

      Posted

      Hi I'm in the US I have asked what happened on that table and they obviously say nothing.
    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 robear28

      Posted

      ropbear28

      the doctor who did the op' should have done a full report,

      but i guess it will that all went well with no complications.

      regarding trhe Eliquis [Apixaban] i was put on that several months ago, after a while i started to get occasional soreness i my lower abdomen but did not think it was anything to do with Eliquis, but just a few weeks ago i saw blood in my urine, my GP refered to see a urologist for a cystoscopy..the result was bleeding in the middle of my prostate, where the blood vessels are very thin & delicate, i was advised to stop taking the Eliquis, which i did , but then things got a bit worse

      i finished up with a serious urinary track infection only 3 days after the

      cystoscopy which put me back in hospital, the pain was torture relentless, when peeing it was excruciating, whilst in hospital i was on 4 kinds of pain killers, i am out now but  still on 500mg of

      antibiotics & 3 different pain killers, & i am told it may takes a few weeks before it clears up, & then still may not be out the woods , because the urologist told me that of the healing of the blood vessels is not going to complete then i would have a couple of choices, either taking a Drug [finasteride] to reduce the size of my prostate, which may sort things out but no garantee, or surgery to cauterise the blood vessels, both of which carry side effects, mainly impotence

      What a continuing Nightmare....Thanks to Eliquis 

    • robear28
      robear28 Greebo64

      Posted

      Wow- that's awful I'm so sorry you had to go

      Through This. So they were able to prove eliquis created the problem? They tell

      Me eliquis doesn't cause a cough and breathing issues but I'm not sure anyone knows 100 percent what meds can do to an individual other then the trials they do and get the average of what they do to most people. Everyone's body reacts different. I hope you start to get some relief. I'll keep you in my prayers

  • jemma33320
    jemma33320 Greebo64

    Posted

    What a scary experience. This is exactly why I sought some input from this website regarding cardia ablation. I just came home from my Cardiology appointment and have had episodes of a-fib for many years. I'm currently taking Multaq and it does control my a-fib but now the Cardiologist wants to add Zarelto to prevent stroke and I'm having second thoughts now about his suggestion to do cryoablation. He has been mentioning it for years and with the high cost of Multaq ($225 co-pay) and the possible high cost and side effects of Xarelto, I'm beginning to reconsider having cryoablation. He seems confident that cryoablation is more effective at treating a-fib than the older method of heat burning ablation. From what I have read, the heat method is more likely to burn a hole through the wall of the atrium.

    I think I'm going to do more research on the procedure and outcomes before I commit to cryoablation. For now, I'll keep scraping up the money to pay for the Multaq and I'll also do some research on the side effects of Xarelto, Eliquis, and Pradaxa.

    • robear28
      robear28 jemma33320

      Posted

      Hi I think the ablation went well so far however I will be 3 months post on Jan 9 I'm still coughing and the only meds

      I am on now is eliquis I am hoping to come off this Thursday that will be the test to see if that was the cause of the breathing and cough. I am having flutters way then now the. before. The ablation I had Cryo and radio wave. Send me a message Friday I'll let you know what the dr says Thursday -

    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 jemma33320

      Posted

      I have now stopped taking the Apixaban [Eliquis] & the Sinvastatin.

      I am now taking high doses of plant Sterols instead of the statins & also taking high doses of Vitamin E + high dose of Omesa 3 instead of the Apixaban, also 200 mg of Magnesium citrate,+ Quercetin with vitamin C..

      i have also stopped having greens which are high in Vitamin K  & eating more foods that help to kep the blood thin.

      In the past 3 months i have no Afib but i do get the occasional ectopic beats & flutter, mainly after an evening meal, but they only lasts for a few seconds at a time.

      Regarding ablation procedures, if you only have very short episodes of AF, i would not go for any form of ablation, but if your afib is regular & goes on for long periods then "ONLY consider the Cryoablation" the point to point ablation

      which is the burning technique is very very dangerous, it very nearly killed me, anyone thinking of having an ablation please consider my advice & personal experience on this.

    • robear28
      robear28 Greebo64

      Posted

      Hi which magnusum do you take? Also why would you not suggest an ablation what happen in your case. Did you have any side effects from eliquis? Why do you not eat green leafy vegetables I thought vit k was good for thinning your blood?
    • derek76
      derek76 robear28

      Posted

      Vitamin K is the antidote to warfarin to "thicken" the blood.
    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 robear28

      Posted

      Hi robear,

      please take a look at my original post in the link below regarding ablation. >

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/atrial-fibrillation-455839

      As derek has pointed Vitamin K thickens the blood to help clotting out,

       most Green Leaf veg' are high in Vitamin K.

      Regading the Eliquis [Apixaban] yes i did have side effects which affected & caused bleeding from my Prostate which led to a urinary track infection which put me back in hospital for 5 days.. i stopped taking it because if it can cause a bleed in prostate then it coul also cause a bleed in a more fatal area

      all prescibed medication has side effects, but some are obviously more dangerous than others

    • jemma33320
      jemma33320 Greebo64

      Posted

      There are four different anticoagulants that my cardiologist mentioned. He told me to contact my insurance carrier to see which of them they will pay for and how much it will cost me out of pocket. I'm already taking Multaq for a-fib and that drug is so expensive that I hit the donut hole around July and my co-pays go up to over $225 for a 30 day supply. I just can't afford another costly drug like Multaq and I am very reluctant to begin any drug like Eliquis or Pradaxa because of the lawsuits I'm hearing about regarding these drugs. Between the choices of Pradaxa, Eliquis, Jantoven or Xarelto, which of these are you familiar with and if you are, what besides bleeding would be a side effect?
    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 jemma33320

      Posted

      Hi Jemma,

      all the anticoagulants you have mentioned do the same job "thin the blood & stop it clotting.. Jantoven this warfarin with a different name,

      Eliquis is the one i was on,Xarelto is also called Riveroxiban which again is the same & all carry the same risks.

      i am in the UK so i can get most prescriptions free, but our GP's always try to supply the cheapest possible. My GP will not supply on the NHS the alternative meds i have metioned in my previous post  which i am now taking now taking & paying for.

      Multaq is an antiarythmia drug which is just like all the others, i tried simular drugs when i first started with AF but i did not get on well with any of them, 2 of them were Flecanide &, Verapamil, both did not suit me at all, so now i dont take any antiarythic drugs at all.  

      I would like to hear more about the Law suits you mention in the USA

    • marybo
      marybo robear28

      Posted

      I had the surgery 2 months ago and the cough I had is finally going away!! Dr put me on Eliquis and Sotalol...My pbm are in the 50's and when I sleep in the 40's and sometimes high 30's (I am thinking its the sotalol) I am hoping to be off all meds soon, i believe the surgery has helped...I have not been in afib. (i did have aflutter after surgery where i had to go to the ER and they shocked me and put me in the hospital to put me on Sotalol...since I been out all has been good!! 
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