Mark’s Ablation Dilemma - Mark, Hertfordshire I have always been fit and healthy, but in January 2015 when I was 49, I started feeling unwell and experiencing palpitations so went to the GP, who gave me bisoprolol and tests at the hospital. By February I was feeling so bad that even walking short distances left me breathless. I went to the hospital as I was in AF so often and I was told I had a virus that attacked my body, my right ventricle was enlarged, and my gallbladder and liver were inflamed, but worst of all my heart was beating at crazy speeds. After a week of antibiotics, I had a cardioversion, which put me in sinus rhythm. A week later I had another episode and stayed in hospital for 4 weeks with more antibiotics, I was taking Bisoprolol to slow the heart down, Amiodarone for rhythm control, Rivaroxaban to thin the blood and blood pressure tablets to ease the pressure on the heart. I could go home which I was pleased to do, but the quality of my life was terrible,
I couldn’t even go to the park with my kids without getting breathless let alone train. I experienced real lows during this time.
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In May 2015, the Cardiologist told me to stay on the same dose as I was in sinus rhythm, but in June I had another attack and the cardiologist discussed an ablation, so I was sent for a scan and was referred to a specialist who was the first doctor to really explain my options and he really helped me and gave me hope. He put me on the waiting list and slowly took me off all the drugs except the blood pressure ones. I started exercising again and in March 2016, I saw the specialist again, and he took me off the blood pressure tablets, so I applied or a place in the Prudential 100 and was successful, the training of this was riding in excess of 100 miles a week with no AF symptoms.
