I went home the next day and took things slowly. But Dr Gall reassured me this was normal due to the inflammation caused by the ablation. When I came round, I was still quite breathless, which worried me. I had the procedure in February under a general anaesthetic. I agreed straight away as I wanted my normal life back. Using a laser meant the procedure was more precise, reducing the chance of needing a second ablation, and faster - less than an hour compared to several hours. ![]() Last January I saw cardiologist Dr Scott Gall, who told me ablation could be done with radio-frequency, freezing, or a technique he was pioneering with lasers. My GP referred me to a cardiologist for catheter ablation, where they destroy the tissue that’s causing the abnormal electrical signals.īut the NHS waiting list was ten months long, so I went privately. I barely went out as I was left so tired, and I didn’t see friends in case I had an attack and was stuck somewhere.Įven walking up the stairs would be a struggle due to the breathlessness, and I had no energy. Gradually my AF became almost constant, leaving me breathless, dizzy, sweating and sick. ![]() I was prescribed blood-thinning drugs, and beta blockers to restore normal heart rhythm. My GP warned it could lead to blood pooling in my heart, increasing the risk of a clot - and a stroke. So in December 2019, when I still felt breathless at 9am - six hours after an episode began - I went to the GP surgery.Īn ECG confirmed atrial fibrillation (AF), where your heart beats rapidly and irregularly because of faulty electrical impulses. The GP suspected a heart rhythm problem but said the only way to confirm it was to do an ECG test during an episode, to monitor heart activity. It would occur three or four times a week and lasted longer, sometimes all day, leaving me exhausted. Sadly I was used to this, as it had happened many times over the previous 35 years - but doctors put it down to stress and couldn’t find a cause. The patientĮarly one December morning, I was awoken by my heart beating rapidly and erratically, which left me gasping for breath. ![]() More than one million Britons have a heart rhythm problem known as atrial fibrillation.ĭiana Jackson, 68, a grandmother-of-five and retired local authority team leader from Arnside, Cumbria, underwent a new laser procedure to treat it, as she tells ADRIAN MONTI. Diana Jackson, 68, underwent a new laser procedure to treat it More than one million Britons have a heart rhythm problem known as atrial fibrillation.
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