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Community Corner

My Afib Testimony

In 2007, I had undergone a triple bypass and had a mitrovalve prolapse corrected, but had experienced no other problems until this past March, 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. 

That’s when 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. I first tried medications to correct the Afib, 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 the catheter ablations at Venice Regional in a new $1.5 million lab the hospital established for that purpose. 

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So I underwent this surgical option on May 30 and was released from the hospital the next day and was feeling back to normal within 10 days. Now, less than one month later, I'm back to myself at work and recently cleared to go back to exercising at the gym.

I would definitely recommend this type of surgery to someone else suffering from Afib. It made a huge difference in my quality of life and the way I feel.

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For a great resource and to learn more, visit - www.myfastheartbeatsuncoast.com

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