Cardioversion: An Experience
These past few weeks, my travel plans back to Germany and even around Colorado got derailed by not only a diagnosis of AFib (atrial fibrillation), but the fact that I had been in it for 4+ months for the second time in my life. This means my heart was going full throttle to the point it was unable to effectively even function, and sections didn’t pump so much as vibrate. It is a distinctly unpleasant sensation, and oftentimes, if you’re in it, you might know you feel crummy but lack the cognition to piece the cause and impact together due to this blood flow impairment. Sometimes AFib is asymptomatic, but nevertheless, it needs treatment.
This can be treated with medicine, cardioversion, and ablation. I have had an ablation before, but not a cardioversion, because while it was previously prescribed, last time, I was able to temporarily pull myself out by sheer dumb luck before I needed a cardioversion treatment, which avoided the experience literally while I was being prepped for the procedure.
Now, in order to understand this, according to Penn Medicine’s article, “cardioversion is a medical procedure that corrects irregular heart rhythms, a condition known as arrhythmia. Using low-energy shocks or medications, cardioversion aims to restore the heart to its normal rhythm” (Pennmedicine.org, 2025). Given how common AFib and arrhythmias are, cardioversions are also common and often routine procedures. They are far less invasive than ablation, far less time-consuming, and require far less ongoing management than medication. As someone who has taken warfarin since the age of seven, I know the frustration of having one’s existence tied to a single medication and would very much rather not add another to the list. So, in this situation, a cardioversion is the best, quickest choice — essentially a simple, sharp shock to the chest to get the heart back into shape.
So, this was what I was facing at 5:30 in the morning in an attempt to cure my AFib.
I groggily arrived at the hospital and was taken to the room where three of the walls were curtains. Then they did the ECG and bloodwork, as is standard protocol before any such procedure, and continued running tests to ensure everything was in order. While I have been through so many cardiac operations before, I still crossed my fingers that the AFib would be scared away again. But sadly, my luck finally ran out. So this time I actually had to go through with it.
In my opinion, this was about as simple a procedure as one can imagine. One simply lies on the table, gets hooked up to all sorts of multicolored cords and wires attached to stickers, has an oxygen mask put over one's face, and waits to fall asleep. Before you even feel your eyes droop, you wake up feeling in sync and wonderful… until the pain medicine wears off. This was my experience anyway. I had no burns since it only took one shock, and there were no extra complications. However, after such procedures, there’s always the sticky stuff from the stickers that are a pain to get rid of and can last for weeks. Personally, I wear them as badges of honor, but if you want to get rid of them quickly, there are adhesive removers available.
So, in my experience, it wasn't overly traumatic, and I am and will continue to be sore for the next few days, but it is worth it while I wait for the eventual ablation as the final solution to this problem down the road.
Now, this procedure is one of the minor ones I’ve had to go through, for the cure. No stitches, no new devices, no hospital stays, no weeks-long recoveries… but a procedure is still a procedure, and no matter how big or how small, one needs to take the time to recover from it because not everyone’s experience of it is the same.
In terms of experience, I’ve had four open heart surgeries, complete with 2 mechanical heart valve replacements, my third pacemaker, and more procedures than I can count. This does not mean I enjoy these situations. I simply accept that there is nothing I can do to avoid it.
It is important to understand that in my condition, going through so many procedures, cardioversion included, is the price I pay for my perpetual existence and, ultimately, my freedom.
I will discuss how I handle so many such operations and procedures in my next article, but for now, I need to rest and recuperate so I can get back in the saddle and keep writing and traveling as soon as possible.
If you need cardioversion, just know it can be frightening even for old cardiac veterans like me. But if you keep your doctors informed about your condition and prepare for it, it can be a comparatively simple procedure. There is nothing more to fear than fear itself.
Did you find this advice helpful? Has anyone else had a cardioversion, or is planning on having one?
Comment below.
Tune in next Monday and Friday for more! I will be writing more now that I’m finally feeling better, so I’m getting a new, more frequent schedule.
Keep ticking, everybody!
P.S. Are there any aspects of CVD health or pacemakers you’d like to know more about?
Feel free to email me at:
blairmueller28@gmail.com
Reference List
Pennmedicine.org. (2025). Cardioversion. [online] Available at: https://www.pennmedicine.org/treatments/cardioversion.
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