Personal Stories

Read about the experiences of people who have received catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. You’ll learn first-hand what life was like for these particular patients, both before and after their procedures.

Anton’s Story

As a real estate investor with a passion for sailing, Anton needed to be alert, healthy and ready to move whenever the wind changed direction, on the market or on the water. Long solo sailing trips on the open ocean were a regular part of his life, but troubling signs of a heart problem added an unwelcome element of danger in recent years. After several episodes of an irregular heartbeat, weakness and shortness of breath over a period of half a year, Anton was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (PAF).

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Dick’s Story

Dick has always led an active lifestyle including competitive tennis, golfing, and biking. He was not ready to let the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation to slow him down at age 70. Dick was prescribed AF medication to treat his AF, but he wanted a more permanent solution.

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Gordy’s Story

Gordy remembers when his heart palpitations started over 10 years ago. His heart would pound rapidly for a few beats or a few minutes, then stop by itself. “I could even feel the racing pulse in my finger tips,” described Gordy, age 74. “The episodes gradually became more frequent, lasted longer, and often woke me up at night.” Even though Gordy is a pathologist, a doctor specializing in diseases, it took a heart doctor friend to convince him to have some tests.

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Jay’s Story

As a physician himself, Jay is very aware of every abnormal heartbeat and was diagnosed with AF at age 55. “Medication reduced the number of AF episodes at first” but left Jay with no energy or interest in doing anything else. Jay and his heart specialist discussed a catheter ablation procedure as an alternative to medication for treating AF.

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Next: Anton's Story