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, called 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 if 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 diagnoses, the cancer surgery, then 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 (that I’m not dead), rather than a metabolic improvement, but I can honestly say that, physically, I’m younger than my years. Here’s hoping that’s confirmed at my upcoming appointment.

One thought on “Better Ablate Than Never”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.