Why do you choose not to do Ablation or people that got the ablation what made you choose to do it?

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I am scheduled to go in for a ablation on May 8th. I have only had one episode that took me to the ER but the constant worrying and changing my lifestyle has me more motivated to do the procedure. I postponed my last scheduled date. I just want to get a perspective on why the people here that have not done the ablation but are still suffering made the choice not to do it even though it could cure you. My biggest fear is that you are mostly awake and the doctor giving Meds and playing with the heart seems very anxiety provoking and I have to come off Metoprolol which will also be uncomfortable. I am leaning toward just doing it and hope it fixes it. What is your story on why you don't want to do it or why you did it?

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    Hello, here's my take on your situation hope it helps! 

    Apparently I've had ectopic beats since I was a kid. I remember telling my mom that my heart would just race for a few seconds then go back to normal. Lived with those sensations for years! But it never bothered me and I pressed on in life. Joined the military, became a cop (starred on A&E's LivePD lol), got married, became a dad, got on SWAT team etc. Then....... it happened. I was on the shooting range of all places with some friends of mine from a few different government ABC agencies. I just finished running a course of fire (static shooting, meaning I was just standing there shooting at steel plates, nothing strenuous) it was a competition so I'm sure I was a little amped up and I won the competition! Lol. Anyway, during the course of fire, I had reloaded my weapon. Well after the course of fire was over I bent down to pick up the empty magazine I had dropped (apparently Vaso Vagled myself by bending over) well that weird funny fast ectopic beat hit me. At first I just took a deep breath and figured it would pass. Well, it didn't and it only got faster. So here I am surrounded by some of the most bada** dudes that America has to offer and I didn't want to be that guy that starts being whiny but I knew something wasn't right. So I reached in my pocket grabbed my man card and threw it on the ground! Lol. I grabbed a buddy told him what was going and that I needed to sit down. Well after about 10 mins not gonna lie, I was in full blown panic mode. I thought for sure I was going to die! Luckily the range that I was on that day shares a compound with the fire department recruitment depot so there were multiple medics to me within minutes. I was right around 200bpm. They pulled out the AED and I was like great, I'm dying somebody please call my wife. So, the ambulance shows up hook me up to an EKG and began transport to the ER. By the time I reached the ER (15 minute drive) it had broke and I felt fine aside from being the most anxious and anxiety feeling I've ever had in my life. The ER said oh you had a panic attack, heres some Xanax, now go home. I was LIVID!!! My wife brings me home, and she just so happens to be a Critical Care Surgical/Trauma RN and conveniently, regularly works with an EP cardiologist!! So, I make my appointment and he tells me that he reviewed my paperwork and SVT is the answer. He explained the different pathways of SVT and apparently I had an easy one that's easy to fix. So I said let's do it (ablation) because I never want to feel like that again!!!! So bam, get the ablation..... during my ablation, doc couldn't find the pathway so he induces it with adrenaline pretty much. I was knocked out for the ablation and that adrenaline woke me up. I remember waking up feeling like I couldn't pick my head up and not a care in the world pretty much If I had to imagine being really high. And I went back to sleep. Then, I woke up again only this time I was looking around still not a care in the world and my nurse said hey buddy we will pick you back out just close your eyes and off into la la land I went. When it was all said and done doc told me that when he induced the SVT it got me over 300bpm and put me into Afib that I was cardioverted out of (had some pretty gnarly burn marks on my chest lol) but was assured the procedure went great and was sent home after recovery time of about 3 hours to insure no bleeding at application site in my groin. Honestly the surgery was a piece of cake even all that happened cause I was all juiced up on the feel good mess. after that for about a solid 3-5 months, my life was turned upside down. Absolute misery. Fortunately, I never had SVT thus far but the PVC's were off the chain!!! So then my anxiety starts, and panic attacks too! I've never had an anxiety issue or panic attacks but let me tell you, that was gut check. I feel terrible for people who suffer from that because it sucked!! So doc puts me on Metoporol XL Succinate Extended Release 25mg one pill every 24 hours to take the edge off the PVC's issue. Without a doubt, I believe that I had PVC's before which triggered my SVT attack but now I get them way more often. Doc keeps assuring me that I've always had them I just paid them no mind until now cause I'm so dialed in on what my heart does. I'm convinced the ablation caused them to happen more frequently. I was an avid gym goer super high intensity cardio workouts usually with a weighted vest and outdoor. I could push myself so hard and easily get my heart rate in the 180's and feel fantastic. But now, I haven't stepped foot in a gym because of the fear of PVC's. Fast forward to now, the PVC's have slacked off tremendously and idk if it's the meds for the past 7 months or I've just gotten over my anxiety hump. I've ventured back into working out and training jiu jitsu but nothing like I was doing, yet. So, my advice to you is kinda what everyone else has said, if you feel that you can live with it do it to it but if it's regularly occurring, get the ablation because I haven't had any SVT so it did what it was supposed to do. The PVC's suck but they will subside.  I'm still a full time cop and that doesn't help I'm sure because think of it this way. One minute I'm talking to my partner and my resting heart rate is around 57-60bpm then all of a sudden within seconds, I'm close 100 because an alert tone went off of an armed robbery in progress it's literally 0-100 up and down all day long. Stay on the forum they helped me a lot! Good luck! And God Bless!! 

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