My name is Michael Roeder. I was born in 1960; I’m 5’10" tall, weigh 130 pounds, and am in good physical health. I live and work in San Francisco. Professionally, I’m a software quality assurance engineer. In my spare time I make web sites, ride a motorcycle, play ice hockey, and sometimes think about writing science fiction.

I used to have a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. It would occasionally cause me tachycardia—rapid heartbeat, about 220 BPM. On Thursday, August 27, 1998 I went to Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California, for treatment by electrophysiological study and radio frequency catheter ablation for tachycardia. This web site describes life with my heart condition, preparation for surgery, and its outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s a collection of the most common questions people have asked me. Please read it and know that you’re not the only person who has gone through this experience. Other people have had the same fears and anxieties as you.

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Advocate Health Care Advocate Forums: Caregiver's Discussion Forum: WPW Syndrone

Is this surgery right for you?

Some people believe that this surgery is dangerous and overused. You must get the facts and make your own decision.

Diagnosis

My first tachycardia symptoms happened when I was a teenager. I was not very athletic. At one point I came close to dying because of my tachycardia, but I learned to control it and live a relatively healthy life.

Preparation

I learned of radio frequency catheter ablation for tachycardia, a new procedure that would cure my heart condition without drugs. I did some research and decided to undergo the procedure. I dealt with my anxieties and fears.

Surgery

Surgery itself was an interesting, if subdued, experience. I’d rate it as more comfortable than when I had my wisdom teeth removed.

Recovery

I stayed overnight in the hospital’s Cardiac Care Unit.

Home Again

My recovery was quick and mostly comfortable. I was fully active again within a week.

Pictures

Photographs of me in the hospital and of my catheterization wounds.

Followup

Eight months later, all is fine.

Handbok for Mortals : Talking with Your Doctor

This is an excellent guide on how to talk with your doctor, and it has other chapters that deal with similar subjects.

Cryocath

A Canadian company has come up with a similar technique that uses freezing cold rather than heat to treat heart arrhythmias. This is a brand-new technique, so not many hospitals are doing ityet. The web site claims it's safer than radio-frequency ablation.

Next: Symptoms and Diagnosis