Diagnosed with afib in october 2013. prescribed tikosyn and eliquis. sympton free until may 2015, cardioverted. another similar episode in august 2015. recommended ablation. i have lost 25 pounds and walking 4 miles a day. i prefer to not have ablat?

Ok: Based on your description you have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Also, you have also lost a significant amount of weight. A recent published paper suggest that this could be "good enough" treatment for you right now. However, if you have more episodes or if the frequency increases you could consider an afib ablation as you are already taking a powerful anti arrhythmic.

Depends on symptoms: Decision regarding ablation is really dependent on how symptomatic a patient is and how many episodes of atrial fibrillation are occurring (both symptomatic and asymptomatic). Having had two symptomatic episodes this year may suggest a progression but waiting for a few more months may be reasonable. If recurrent episodes do occur then an ablation should be considered.

Balance of factors: Treatment options and likelihood of success with ablation depends on the cause. If you have normal mitral valve on ultrasound, and your left atrium is not enlarged, it's usually possible to control the A. fib with medications (and if you avoid all alcohol). You are weighing the chance of needing additional cardioversion (and the risk of stroke with sustained a fib) vs having ablation.