Beverly G., a devoted grandmother of 32, had put up with her occasional bouts of fast heartbeat for years, but when they became increasingly difficult to manage, she decided to seek treatment, rather than continue to live in constant fear of her next episode.

Although Beverly had worked at an Orlando hospital for years, she had never heard about treatment options.

“When I first heard about ablation I didn’t know a catheter from a candy wrapper but it changed my life,” she says. “Starting in my late 20s, I would have occasional bouts with an irregular, extremely fast heartbeat.” Visits to her regular doctor didn’t help. “I was told not to worry, the attacks were not life threatening, a lot of people had them and I should just let them run their course,” she says. “So tachycardia became a way of life for me.”

By the summer of 2002 however, even her trick of putting her face in ice water to control attacks became ineffective as well as inconvenient.

“I began having much more severe attacks that could not be easily stopped. They were happening every other day. My heart would beat so fast I’d get dizzy. I’d feel completely disconnected from what was happening, like I was in a gray fog.” Her symptoms continued to worsen and became unmanageable. “I just couldn’t function. I ended up in the emergency room on several occasions, wore many different monitors, tried all kinds of medical interventions and saw three different cardiologists.”

This longtime resident of Florida, despite living near the beach, did not feel safe swimming in the ocean or even driving a car. “ I was almost afraid to go anyplace, not knowing if I would be able to drive home,” she remembers.

Beverly sought treatment from two different cardiologists and asked them both about ablation for her arrhythmia. Instead of educating her on her treatment options, they simply prescribed different medication. Thankfully, her persistence paid off when she visited a third cardiologist.

“I finally found a young, female cardiologist who really heard what I was saying. Her first statement was that I was probably a good candidate for ablation, and told me how successful and safe it was. She put me in touch with Dr. Scott Pollack, an electrophysiologist who truly was my knight in shining armor,” she says.

Dr. Pollack used Biosense Webster’s CARTO XP System to map out Beverly’s heart, identify the problem areas and treat her arrhythmia with ablation using one of the many catheters manufactured by Biosense Webster including THERMOCOOL. The treatment required only an overnight stay, was relatively pain-free and extremely successful. “Now, six years later, I have not had a single episode. I’ve realized that this whole chain of events happened because my cardiologist knew about ablation, and how safe and effective it is,” she proudly states. “I’m telling everyone I know [about ablation], on the chance that someone will be helped by this information.”

Beverly is elated at the new life ablation has given her. “ Now I can do anything I want to, even things I never could have done before. My granddaughter was recently showing me some property in the mountains. I was able to cover the whole ten acres up and down. Before, I never could have done that. I’m living proof of how Biosense Webster products make a difference.”

Remember, as with any medical treatment, individual results may vary. Only a cardiologist or electrophysiologist can determine whether ablation is an appropriate course of treatment. There are potential risks, and recovery takes time. These need to be discussed with your doctor.