Carpal Tunnel Release

[cladoo]

I just had Carpal Tunnel Release surgery on Dec 19 and it is great already! My hand has not fallen asleep since. I am going to physiotherapy three times a week now and he says it looks great. The scare is almost healed up, they didn't even use any stitches, super glue I think. I want to get the other hand done but I will have to wait as I am going in for my heart procedure on Feb 8. I'm going in for an ablation to try and cure my atrial fibrillation. The doc has me on warfarin (Blood thinners) so that there is no chance of clots going free and causing problems. I am going to have to stay on the warfarin for 3 months after the operation so my riding is going to have to wait awhile. I've been waiting for this for almost 2 years, hopefully it will work.

[Skidad]

There was a big write up on KTM Talk with a guy who had the carpal tunnel release surgery also with outstanding results. His symtoms were similar to yours to the point of not even feeling the bars/grips. He's also going to get the other side done.

Good luck with you heart procedure. Hope everything works out for you. I was on blood thinners for awhile after I got a clot in my shoulder area from a huge crash I took. I was a bad boy though and did a little riding.


Skidad in MA

[cladoo]

Yea it was getting to the point that I didn't know if I was grabbing my front brake or not my hands were so numb.

[cdn280]

Hey Claude,
I'd be interested to hear (either in the post or a PM) what the heart procedure involves. I broke my foot in the fall and they didn't operate for a couple days because they discovered I had AF and wanted to monitor me first. Didn't know I had a problem except that I have been losing energy rather quickly in the last couple years, but I was just thinking it was aging taking its toll. I'm finally getting to see a specialist in a couple weeks now that I can jog enough to do some stress testing.

[cladoo]

The procedure is called Radiofrequency ablation, or RFA, it's a medical procedure in which a small portion of heart tissue (muscle) containing an electrical pathway is destroyed using heat. This pathway is responsible for conducting very fast (or irregular) heartbeats that cause unpleasant symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness or fainting
RF ablation is a treatment used for the management of certain cardiac tachyarrhythmias. A specially trained doctor, called an electrophysiologist (a specialist in abnormalities of the heart rhythm), inserts a catheter or special tube into blood vessels, usually in the groin or neck, and threads it under x-ray guidance into the heart. One catheter is then moved to the area of the heart to be ablated. A mild electrical current produced by high-frequency waves (radiofrequency waves) is passed from the tip of the catheter through to the target site. The energy from this catheter causes about a 30 °C increase in temperature. It is usually applied for 30-60 seconds to an area about one quarter the size of a pencil eraser.
This heat is enough to destroy the small but critical amount of heart tissue, and causes little or no discomfort. It often takes more than one application to successfully ablate the pathway. The procedure is done under local anaesthetic with mild intravenous sedation and can take anywhere from two to six hours. These catheters are removed immediately after the procedure. You will not be able to eat or drink for four hours before the procedure. You will be asked to lie flat for 3-4 hours after the procedure to prevent bleeding from the puncture sites. You will be able to return to normal activities within a few days.
It is important to know that this procedure is permanent and non-reversible.
Success rates vary depending on the location of the electrical pathway in your heart; the overall success has been about 90-99%.My doctor says the success rate is 50-60% after the first procedure, in 3 months I will know if it worked. If not another will be scheduled and the success rate after the second one is 90%.
Patients who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter with a rapid ventricular response, AV node tachycardia, true atrial tachycardia, RVOT tachycardia and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome are all possible candidates for this procedure.

Often, patients have been treated with oral medications for these same conditions.
For some, the medication(s) may not have been effective in controlling the
tachycardia, or they have not been tolerant of the drug(s) and its side-effects.
Radiofrequency ablation can then become an option.

RVOT Tachycardia (What the doctors think I have)
A few people have an arrhythmia that originates from certain regions in the right ventricle; most often the Right Ventricular Outflow Tract (see area surrounding tip of catheter in diagram) and thus called RVOT Tachycardia. The exact site of origin can be found by an ECG and an Electrophysiology Study. RVOT tachycardia is usually brought on by physical or emotional exertion and can often be well controlled with medications.
In instances where the tachycardia remains drug-resistant or drugs are not well tolerated RF ablation may be recommended.
RF ablation for ventricular arrhythmias is not restricted to RVOT tachycardia. Arrhythmias originating from other areas in the ventricles, such as Bundle Branch Reentry Tachycardia and Left Ventricular Septal Tachycardia, can also be effectively ablated. They are going to ablate the muscle where my pulmonary arteries(from my lungs) enter my heart.

[Skidad]

Now that was a mouthfull So many words that I can't even pronounce LOL and now my head hurts and I feel kind of dumb. I hope you were quoting some of that stuff because if you did it off the top of your head your in the wrong business. Very interesting procedure for sure.

Again, good luck


Skidad in MA

[cladoo]

A combination of both. I have been waiting for this for so long (2 years +) that I know pretty much what is going to happen.

[Wicitup]

Claude

Good luck with your surgery. Do you know what date and time of the operation? I will be praying for you if you like. My wife just did a report on CTS and wow they can fix that very easy now. Out patient ??
Lee,

[cladoo]

I'm going in on Feb 8th in the morning and I will be home that evening. My CTS is doing just great now, going to physio is helping alot. Thanks for the prayers.

[cladoo]

Well it looks like I'll have to wait a little longer for my surgery. Yesterday I went in for a preop procedure called a Transesophageal Echocardiogram. This is where they knock me out and put a ultrasound down my throat to look at my heart and make sure there are no clotting issues. After I woke up Wham! I got the shakes and aches, I came down with the flu and a head cold, so the doc postponed the surgery for today as he doesn't think I would make it through the 9 hour procedure. So I guess I have to wait a little longer now. Bad timing!