Better Ablate Than Never

Tony Stark recharges his transistor-powered Iron Man armor, with built-in pacemaker

My first post-afib appointment is coming up next week. I was fortunate to have the latest treatment, pulsed field ablation, performed at Mass General. This video starts with an explanation of my cardiologist’s analysis on the long-term safety of the procedure.

I’ve been asked several times, do I feel better since being taken out of afib? That’s a tough question to answer, because I was asymptomatic when diagnosed, not only with afib but also cancer.

At the start of 2024, my focus had been on my weak ankle, aggravated by my return to a regular, albeit modest, running schedule. Everything changed with the cancer surgery, then came the terrible treatments.

Six months after chemo and radiation, I had the delayed ablation. After recovering from the anesthesia, I felt the same before and after the procedure. A couple of weeks later, I woke up one morning and realized that hey, I do feel more like my old self, maybe even better than before the diagnosis.

Perhaps the feeling of wellness is only from a sense of relief, rather than a metabolic improvement, but physically I’m much younger than my years. Here’s hoping that’s confirmed at my upcoming appointment.

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