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Dave Summerour
A-Fib Patient Story #65
Medications Cause Bad Side Effects, Ablation by Dr. Dilip Mathew
By Dave Summerour, South Florida, November 2013
I am from the Tampa area and want to share my testimony with other A-Fib sufferers especially those in the South Florida region.
TRIPLE BYPASS IN 2007, LATER DEVELOPS A-FIB
In 2007, I had undergone a triple bypass and had a mitral valve prolapse corrected, but had experienced no other problems until this past March. That’s when I started feeling too weak and tired to exercise at the gym, take care of the yard or even get through the work day. I went to see my cardiologist and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a rapid and disorganized heartbeat that occurs in the upper chambers of the heart.
MEDICATIONS DON’T WORK, THEN ABLATION BY DR. DILIP MATHEW
I first tried medications to correct the A-Fib, but they left me too weak, tired and nauseous to enjoy life. My regular cardiologist suggested an alternative treatment called catheter ablation. He referred me to Dr. Dilip Mathew, a cardiac electrophysiologist who has performed a majority of the catheter ablations in southwest Florida through work in Tampa and Sarasota hospitals. He recently began performing catheter ablations at Venice Regional in a new $1.5 million lab the hospital established for that purpose. So I underwent this procedure on May 30, 2013 and was released from the hospital the next day. I was feeling back to normal within 10 days. Now, less than one month later, I’m back to myself at work and was recently cleared to go back to exercising at the gym.
MY ADVICE
I would definitely recommend catheter ablation to someone else suffering from A-Fib. It made a huge difference in my quality of life and the way I feel. For a great resource and to learn more, visit – http://www.myfastheartbeat.com/ (website sponsored by Biosense Webster, Inc)
Please email me with any other questions.
Dave Summerour
david.c.summerour(at)gmail.com
Editor’s Comments:
Dave’s experience is not unusual. Most people feel frustrated with the drugs they have to take for A-Fib. They often don’t work. Or if they do, all too often their effects are so bad they compromise our quality of life, as in Dave’s case. Even if they work, they often lose their effectiveness over time. In spite of all the ads you see on TV, in general you can’t expect to live the rest of your life on today’s A-Fib meds. The magic drug that will keep you forever free of A-Fib and with a good quality of life probably doesn’t exist.
What’s the answer? Get yourself cured and A-Fib free by a catheter ablation, as Dave did. Most people, after a successful catheter ablation, never have to take any A-Fib drugs and lead a normal, good quality of life. Catheter ablation is a low risk procedure with a good success rate that gets better as more new facilities and strategies come on line.
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