r/wolffparkinsonwhite

I (25m) had my ablation on April 3rd and I’ve had painful/uncomfortable palpitations since that day after getting home. They’re sporadic but consistent, with them popping up here and there every day. They happen without fail when I go from sitting to laying and they’re definitely more uncomfortable then. They feel very similar to the palpitation that would start off my SVT episodes, and I find myself stopping what I’m doing and coughing pretty hard, which is exactly what happened pre-ablation when it happened.

Does this resonate with anyone else’s experiences? When did they stop for you?

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I was born with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome (Obviously), which essentially means my heart came with some "bonus" wiring I never asked for. My first SVT episode hit at 15—an hour of my heart redlining while I was too shy and terrified in class to say a word. For the next 30 years, I managed it. I learned the "vagal maneuvers," cut out the nicotine and caffeine, and lived a "clean" life to keep the beast at bay.

The Breakdown

Six months ago, the strategy failed. An episode hit that wouldn't revert. At the hospital, the SVT caused a false positive for a heart attack, leading to an angiogram that proved my "pipes" were perfectly clean, but my electrical system was haywire. Two more hospital trips in two months—including one where they chemically reverted me on my own couch—and it was time. I went on Flecainide and got on the six-month public waiting list for an ablation.

Victorian Heart Hospital (Melbourne Australia)

Yesterday was the day. I genuinely believe the Victorian Heart Hospital is one of the best on the planet. I arrived at 10 AM with my partner, fasted and anxious. When they prep you, tell them to shave the areas where the ECG pads and tape go. You’ll thank me later when you aren't getting a free waxing session during removal.

After signing a 19-page waiver I didn't read and getting the cannula in (never fun), I was wheeled into a theater that looked like a NASA control room—15 people in the room and a gallery of techs behind glass. The vibe was surprisingly chill. I grilled the anesthesiologist on my biggest fear: *"How do you know I’m not just paralyzed and conscious?"* He talked me through the brain-wave monitoring and breathing patterns until I felt settled.

Then, the Cardiologist came out. We fist-bumped, talked some shit, and decided to skip the "twilight" sedation for a full General Anesthetic.

The anesthesiologist told me he was giving me "something nice."

"Ah, the cocktail," I said. The room laughed.

One second later, it hit. It was a euphoric rush that felt like the world’s cleanest combo of coke and MDMA. I managed a final, *"Oh fuck, that's good,"* and I was out.

The Recovery

GA really is a time machine. I had a split-second dream and woke up in recovery at 3:30 PM. The procedure took about 2 hours and 45 minutes. By 4:50 PM, I was out the door and heading home.

**The Aftermath**

The surgeons called it a complete success—they mapped the heart, triggered the SVT, and "cauterized" every last excess pathway.

Pain.

The worst part isn't the heart or the groin (where they went in)—it’s the sore throat from the breathing tube. The groin is a 3/10; I haven't even touched a Panadol.

Sleep

Last night was rough. I think the GA nuked my internal clock, so I was wide awake

ecg

My delta seems mostly gone, but the "short circuits" are toast.

retro

I spent six months in a state of high anxiety for a procedure that turned out to be a breeze. I’m 48 now; if I’d waited another 15 years, this would have been a much heavier lift.

cost for operation

Total cost for procedure $29 for the onsite parking

p.s. About 100 people are gonna see your junk but they will be discreet

I’ll try to make this as short as possible but long story short I’m 25F I don’t drink I don’t smoke or do drugs I am an athlete who was working out twice a day and play beach volleyball. I ended up getting Covid in February for two weeks and tried to go back to volleyball even though I still felt sick. In the middle of playing I fainted and had an SVT episode mind you I was 110% healthy before this never had any heart issues or medical issues in general. I woke up in the ambulance and they had to use adenosine to restart my heart because my heart rate was stuck at 220bpm. Eventually went to cardiologist and electrophysiologist and I was told I have to get an ablation. I got the ablation April 8th. It was a successful and I had AVNRT they said they were able to abate it. I just got cleared finally to workout and play sports. So I’m about 4 weeks post OP and I’m feeling tired and dizzy and when I play I’m getting palpitations which I’ve never had before that episode of SVT. Is this normal ? Is this expected ? My heart rate is also super high when I’m moving around which is jumping like 30-40 beats. I’m really nervous I won’t be able to play volleyball again or workout like I used to. It’s my entire life and all I really ever look forward to. And I can’t emphasize enough that I literally had no issues before covid.

I hope this is an appropriate post for this sub. I'm hoping to get some perspective from people who had multiple ablations or a more difficult time managing WPW. I don't have the condition, but my partner does. I've been right there with him through everything from diagnosis to him waking up from ablation.

We're feeling a bit discouraged after his second ablation about 6 weeks ago. We spent a night in the ED after he had another sustained episode around the 250bpm range. The medical support that he has had has been wonderful, it just seems as though it keeps repairing itself after ablation.

I'm not really looking for advice or anything, just for any similar stories or a bit of hope. All of the stories I've seen have been successful after the first ablation, and now we're facing the possibility of him needing a third and I guess I'm just looking to hear from people with similar experiences

I smoke weed fairly often but after experiencing my firstfirst major symptoms of wpw (heart rate at around 200bpm and passing out twice) I noticed that when I smoke my heart rate jumps through the roof. Never happened before experiencing symptoms but now it happens whenever I smoke (4 times) I obviously stopped smoking because of it but was curious if anyone else has experienced this as well

Hiya I’m 22F and from the UK and was diagnosed with WPW in early March, I am supposed to have my Echo in June and my 24hr tap/holter in July and my cardiology appointment in October.
Wpw has affected my life so much more than I thought it was going to like very slight changes in posture can trigger palpitations etc and I have the feeling before collapse a few times a week.
Now to get to my question - my mum lives in America and said she can get me really good insurance (something like PPO United health care IMG or something?), she has said that if I visit from the 20th-30th May and go to Tampa General Hospital ER and then call the EP people there then I can get an ablation within the ten days I’d be staying there so I just wanted to ask if this is feasible?
Currently I live alone and can’t really walk to the shops without feeling like I’m going to collapse so sustaining myself has been quite hard and my local hospital can’t really do much for me so I’m just generally asking for advice, is this feasible? October is a long time away and that isn’t even an ablation :(
(For context I’ve been collapsing for the last 6 years)
I’ve also not been offered an ablation yet so I’m scared they aren’t going to but living alone with no one around me is so scary atm idk :(

I was curious if anyone else dealt with a constant almost fluttering feeling in the heart and stomach for weeks on end. Also if anyone has or understands will an ablation help solve this problem my doctor believes it’s the route I should go but I’m nervous.

Hey guys, to start I do not have a pacemaker. This is more a question for those who had WPW and ended up with a pacemaker. How do you find exercising is for you? Are you able to do high exertion things or are there limitations? Is it better or worse than before you got treated for WPW? Thank you for taking the time to read :)

I had an ablation many years ago when I was a pre-teen and have had no recurrences luckily.

I have however gotten another diagnosis of autism in young adulthood, and have had other random physical abnormalities and am still relatively young. I was curious if anyone knows of other comorbidities with WPW or if there's a pattern with autism and WPW? I know people are making links with ASD to POTS, EDS, dysautonomia, GI diseases, etc. but am curious if there's a similar theme with those that have had WPW? A lot of this stuff is anecdotal but I think there's still a major gap with medicine and some of those comorbidities.

Was diagnosed with WPW about two months ago - have seen and spoken to a cardiologist who said he’ll get me scheduled in for an ablation but can’t give an exact time frame due to public system wait times… What has been your experience with the public health system in Aus? How long did it take to get a date for the procedure and how much out of pocket am I expecting to pay?

Has anyone else with WPW noticed that their symptoms get way worse when they’re in a calorie deficit or actively trying to lose weight?

For years I was only diagnosed with SVT, and honestly I felt like a lot of doctors just brushed it off as “anxiety” or generic tachycardia without really looking deeper. I’d have episodes where my heart would suddenly race, feel pounding/skipping, get dizzy, shaky, weak, etc. Sometimes vagal maneuvers worked, sometimes they didn’t.

Recently I ended up in the ER again and one doctor actually took the time to carefully look at my ECG instead of just treating the episode and moving on. They noticed the delta wave pattern and finally diagnosed me with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

One thing I’ve noticed is that whenever I’m in a calorie deficit or losing weight, my heart symptoms seem WAY more activated. It almost feels like my body gets more sensitive to triggers when I’m not eating enough or my blood sugar is lower. I’ll get more palpitations, adrenaline feelings, weird chest sensations, and episodes seem easier to trigger.

I’m curious if anyone else with WPW experiences this? Or if there’s any explanation for why calorie deficits/stress on the body seem to aggravate it?