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January 25, 2008 |
This has been quite a day. Today I had a type of cardiac procedure to treat a heart rhythm issue known as atrial fibrillation. Basically, it involved threading a series of catheters through my femoral arteries (in my groin) into my heart and using an electrical charge to burn the short circuits that caused my heart to go out of rhythm without doing significant damage to the heart. It took eight hours, and my doctor was able to identify a number of these short circuits and destroy them. I didn't even need any stitches! I'm a bit sore, but I'm up and about and hope to get back to business soon.
Atrial fibrillation affects roughly 2.2 million Americans and while not necessarily life threatening, it has serious consequences on quality of life. It causes one's heart to work less efficiently, leading to a feeling of overall crappiness (which I can state from experience!). If left untreated, it can lead to stroke. I was diagnosed in 1990, and have been taking antiarrythmic medications to control my symptoms. However, the meds have side effects and the condition often worsens with age, so I wanted to have it treated while I am still relatively young. I have a 10-month old daughter, and I need all of my energy to keep after her!
If you happen to stumble across this blog and you are considering catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation, please feel free to . I would be happy to discuss my experience and would highly recommend the electrophysiology group at the University of Pennsylvania. I have been researching this stuff for years, and have come to the conclusion that it's best to find a world-class hospital when having these kinds of complicated procedures. While I certainly expected the docs at UPenn to be highly skilled, I was completely blown away by how attentive and caring everyone has been. It really made a huge difference! (Apparently not all Ivy-Leaguers are detatched and snobby!!! ;) |
