r/wolffparkinsonwhite

Hi everyone, I (27 F) just scheduled my first ablation for September but I am incredibly nervous. I got diagnosed with WPW about a decade ago. I have an episode of tachycardia maybe every other month or every three months. They used to last about a minute but over the past year they are lasting about 10-15 minutes. I’ve never had to go to the ER or take meds to get my heart to slow back down.

I recently went to see an electrophysiologist for the first time last week. I started taking a glp1 and my resting heart rate was elevated so I wanted to get his opinion on if it was okay to continue taking the meds or not. He was totally unconcerned about the glp1, but after he looked over my file (which included a stress test and echo from a few years prior), he immediately recommended an ablation and got me scheduled for a few months out. This isn’t what I was expecting out of the appointment, and I’m incredibly nervous with all of the horror stories I’ve heard.

Any advice you can offer would be appreciated. What made you decide to go through with it? Or why did you decide against one? My boyfriend is also super nervous about me getting the procedure since I am very healthy outside of the WPW, so any advice for handling loved ones? Thank you!

Hi, I’m a 20-year-old male who was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome at the age of 10 during a school screening. I underwent an ablation in 2017, but it was unsuccessful.

I didn’t have any further procedures after that because I had no symptoms until last July, when I experienced an episode of tachycardia after a basketball game. That made my family and me concerned.

Yesterday, I underwent another ablation, but unfortunately it was unsuccessful as well. According to my doctor, the reason both procedures failed is that my accessory pathway is located on the epicardial (outer) surface of my heart. Since both procedures were performed by accessing the heart through the femoral vein, they could only reach the inner surface of the heart, not the outer surface where the pathway is located.

Today, my doctor told me that they may consider another approach in the future. In the meantime, she prescribed aspirin and an antiarrhythmic medication and advised me not to go to the gym or do any strenuous exercise.

I was shocked because I’ve been playing basketball for about 10 years and have been going to the gym regularly for the past year. Other than the episode last July, I have never had any symptoms or episodes of tachycardia.

My question is this: although I understand that the significance and risks of WPW vary greatly from person to person, is avoiding strenuous exercise really that important in my situation? By “strenuous exercise,” I mean a typical push-pull-legs weight training routine, not competitive sports.

I’m asking because I’m concerned about the risks of the next procedure, but at the same time I’d really like to maintain an active and athletic lifestyle.

Hi, I was recently diagnosed with this condition, but the doctor wasn't clear with me—he just said it wasn't anything to worry about. What does this condition actually entail? Should I be worried in the future? What are the implications?

I am 38 year old man and I was diagnosed with AVNRT (a common type of SVT) after two episodes that were terminated with adenosine in the emergency room. I had this issue for long time, but used to get reverted automatically hence not diagnosed. I underwent an EP study and catheter ablation at the Prestigious COSTLY Private Hospital in Trivandrum(If you Know you Know),Kerala,India performed by an experienced electrophysiologist.

I am sharing this not to scare anyone, but because I wish someone had told me these things before I made my decision.

## What happened

The ablation procedure itself went smoothly in the operation theatre and I was shifted to room in 4 hours. However, 12 hours after the procedure I developed a post-ablation AV

conduction disturbance — meaning the electrical pathway between my upper and lower heart chambers was damaged during the ablation. My Holter monitor showed intermittent third degree (complete) heart block episodes, Wenckebach patterns, and a ventricular rate that needed medication support (Deriphyllin/theophylline) to stay adequate. After seeing the holter report doctor was suggesting possibilities of pacemaker implant.!

I am now two weeks post-procedure. I have stopped the medication two days ago and my heart rate is holding at 70-80 bpm on its own — which is encouraging. But the situation is still uncertain and I am under monitoring. I have not been cleared to return to normal.

---

## What I wish I had known

**1. Medicine first. Ablation only if medicine fails.**

AVNRT can often be controlled with beta blockers . I was steered toward ablation relatively quickly. In hindsight, I should have tried medication more seriously and for longer before agreeing to a procedure. If you are tolerating your episodes and medication is controlling them reasonably — take your time before choosing ablation.

**2. Large private hospitals have financial incentives to perform procedures.**

I say this directly: Private hospitals are revenue-driven institution. Ablation is an expensive procedure. I felt the recommendation to proceed came faster than it should have. Please get at least 2–3 independent opinions — ideally from doctors who have no financial stake in whether you undergo the procedure or not. A government institution or an independent senior cardiologist will give you a more unbiased assessment.

**3. "Low risk" does not mean "your risk is low."**

Every consent form and every doctor will tell you the complication rate is 1–2%. That sounds small. But if you are the one in fifty or one in hundred — that risk is 100% for you. I am that person. Please understand this concretely before signing consent.

**4. The ablation is done without a camera inside your heart.**

This is something most patients do not realise. The procedure is guided by electrical mapping and assumed anatomical landmarks — not direct visualisation. Every human heart has slight anatomical variations. When the ablation catheter is working millimetres away from your AV node — the critical pathway that connects your upper and lower heart — a small miscalculation or anatomical variation can cause permanent conduction damage.

**5. Get your second opinion from SCTIMST(If you are in Kerala or Tamilnadu)or a similar institution, not another private hospital.**

If you are in Kerala, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Trivandrum is a premier government cardiac centre with no profit motive. Their opinion will be based purely on your clinical situation.

---

## My three key messages

- **Wait. Think carefully. Get multiple opinions.**

- **Try medication seriously before agreeing to ablation.**

- **Understand that rare complications, when they happen to you, are not rare at all.**

---

I am happy to answer questions from anyone facing a similar decision. I have gone through this experience in detail — the EP study, the procedure, the post-ablation monitoring, the ECG interpretation, the Holter analysis — and I can share what I have learned.

Wishing everyone here a smooth recovery and good health.

---

*This post represents my personal experience and opinion. It is not medical advice. Please consult qualified cardiologists before making any treatment decisions.*

25 m, Long and short of it all was diagnosed a few months back and was able to get the surgery on Tuesday and its Thrisday morning now. Never been though surgery before or ever had stitches removed and it hurt so bad for me. Im still pretty sore and during my over night recover they did say that parts of the rhythm were coming back.

So here ina 6 weeks ill be getting an ekg to determine if I need the surgery again. Its crazy how much I can feel how different my heart is after the surgery and I definitely feel better.

For people that have had the surgery is there anything you can recommend to help with recovery and just getting around in my day to day?

Hello everybody! I (F20) have my wisdom teeth coming in. I am unfortunately absolutely terrified and the last thing I want in the world is to be awake for the procedure. I have very stable WPW syndrome, and I've been diagnosed since I was 15. I rarely have palpitations and I have not had an episode in a very long time. That being said, there is a risk to being on anesthesia bc of my heart. I wanted to hear from the people of reddit. Has anybody here been knocked out for a wisdom teeth removal? Thank you party people

Hey guys,

Ive had wpw my whole life and normally episodes are like once every other month and dont last longer than like 15 minutes if I lay down and breathe deep.

Today I was at a work conference and had an episode, I laid down and felt the familiar THUNK as my heart went into a normal beating pattern.

Its normal for me to feel a little light minutes after, but after this incident it took me until the next day (it happened at noon) to feel better.

The entire day I was so scared I would trigger another episode and it kind of felt like i was close to it with every breathe, long conversation or stretch. I was also super aware of my heartbeat the entire day. Most concerning to me and my anxiety, I feel like my left pec/chest area is a little tight (but not severe im just noticing it)

Did I have a panic attack or something? Should I be concernd about my chest feeling a little tight? Going to the cardiologist next month.

Any comfort would be appreciated, as well as tips to avoid episodes.