I hate hospitals and all things medical. But I guess if you live long enough you have to learn to put up with a few.
Old age sucks😡.)
Having developed a few Arrhythmias, (https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2026/01/reflections-on-biology.html?m=1) including AFib and SVT, the cardiologist thought it more prudent that I have an ablation rather than add more drugs to my growing list.
When I heard the procedure was no worse that filling teeth, I said run with it, despite the $134, 000 price tag. (Thanks President Obama, for without Obamacare, people like me would just have to watch the heart deteriorating as the drugs became ineffective. In Canada a similar procedure is around $21,000 and maximum $15, 000 in Mexico I hear!)
So here am I doing a report on the procedure while waiting on my daughter in law to pick me up.
She had to drive down from West Palm as my grandson was at work, so I took an Uber to Cleveland Clinic. For its their policy that while you can take Uber or whatever to get there, you must be picked up by a known and trusted person as you remain groggy afterwards.
When they prepped me at the hospital, I had an all Caribbean nursing team, one Jamaican, one Trini and one Haitian, all caring and pleasant professionals.
Another nurse who took me to the operation theatre was also Jamaican.
So I felt at home until I got into the theater (it was extra cold😶🌫️) where four or five nurses were inside waiting. But I never got the opportunity to delve into their ancestries as they immediately got to work strapping me down to the bed, even tying arms and legs and I was almost immediately out of it!
My cardiologist Dr. Parishit Sharma, is a specialist Electrophysiology from India. He is reputed to be one of the best in the fields of Atrial Fibrillation, PSVT, Arrhythmia and pacemaker implantation.
The fact that it all went smoothly and I feel on top of the world a few hours later, proves it.
In fact, my only discomfort was having to lay totally still on my back for 3 hours in recovery.
My biggest problem will be staying reasonably inactive for around 10 days while the holes in my groin heals.
All's well that ends well🙏.
Link: https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2026/01/reflections-on-biology.html?m=1.
Note
Heart ablation (catheter ablation) is a generally safe, minimally invasive procedure to fix heart rhythm disorders, considered effective but carries low risks of complications like bleeding, infection, blood clots, or minor heart/vessel damage, with severe issues experienced electrophysiology team significantly lowers these risks.
In Summary: It's a serious procedure with potential risks, but often a very effective treatment with a favorable safety profile compared to the risks of living with afib.
