Three ablations down, one to go. While none of Sams ablations have resulted in the outcome weve wanted, they have not been failures - theyve all been part of the process. Clearly we have prayed that this process would not have taken so long, or been so precarious, but each ablation, Holter monitor, and ICD shock has given the doctors more data to study to help resolve his arrhythmia: what triggers it, what sustains it, what terminates it. I am not exaggerating when I say that he has some of the most knowledgable, skilled, and committed doctors in the world devoted to his case. It has been incredible to see the dedication and concern that he has been shown, and I can say without a doubt, they want to help Sam get rid of this problem as much as Sam wants to get rid of this problem. When they explain that most people respond to catheter ablations and after Sams three procedures, theres been no significant gain, of course it is discouraging. We were told after the third attempt Thursday that his heart was like a hornets nest - and theyve hardly made a dent in the arrhythmias. Slightly disheartened? Yes. But we are praying the solution will come Monday. Most ablations can be done successfully with catheters, but the doctors now think that because of the location of the area that needs to be ablated, and the depth of the tissue that needs to be reached, they simply cant complete the task with this technique. He will have open heart surgery Monday morning to expose the heart and cyrotherapy will be used to ablate the damaged tissue. On May 20, 2013, just a few days after Sams first SCA and as he was going back for his first EP study, I posted on Facebook to Please pray specifically that they find something that can be treated by ablation and that he isnt on long term drug therapy. Im asking for this prayer again. This is the outcome the doctors are anticipating. Recovery from surgery will be about 6 weeks, and Sam will likely be in the hospital for 4-6 days after the surgery.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 11:23:02 +0000
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