Catheter Ablation

[amanda26]

Hi, a week today im booked in for this procedure and was wondering if anyone has had it done before.

i had a similar one around 6 years ago when i was 20 and to be honest i cant remember a lot, i was awake throughout it, just that it went very quickly and i was allowed home that night.

This one iv been told i am being sedated and also il be spending some time in hospital after.

has anyone had this done lately? how long will i be in hospital for? and also whats a sensible time to take off work?

any info will be helpful thank you

[TheStand]

amanda26,

Welcome to the forum... You've come to the right place to ask that question, there are many of us here who have had an ablation.

I had my ablation done in Feb this year. There was nothing to it. For most it is about 4 to 6 hours laying on your back so the sedation really helps. One minute you are awake and the next it is 5 hours later and it's over. Normally you will be in the hospital over night. They have to ensure that there are no chances of bleeds from the insertion points and also that the point where they crossed from the right to left atria has sealed up.

You will be laying still on your back for about 6 to 10 hours after to let the insertion points properly seal. It really is not bad. They were giving me pain killers while I was there but I didn't really need them. I went home the next morning and stopped the pain killers that day. Other than a stiff back I really had almost no pain at all. I had some really ugly bruising on my groin but it looked worse than it felt. I could not take a bath for a week and when I showered I was not supposed to get the area too wet.

The most reported problem after the ablation is fatigue. Plan on taking it very easy for the first week (2 weeks for most) and planning 2 weeks off would be normal. I could still feel the effects 3 to 4 weeks after though. After 2 weeks I could feel my energy coming back slowly and was back to normal in about 3 to 4 weeks. Of course, being almost 60 may have contributed to that.

Maybe some others will jump in here... There are a few who have done this in the last month or so.

Again, Welcome to the forum.... Ask away if you have any other questions. All of us here have AF and many of us for a long time.

Tim

[BobD Volunteer]

Hi Amanda and welcome to the forum.

I've had three done over a period the last one in 2008. Mine were about 4 1/2 hours and under sedation/GA so no knowledge apart from the five hours I had to lay flat afterwards. Apart from the first one where I had a bad reaction I went home the next day so long as I had somebody to take me and no driving for 48 hours not that you would want to anyway. lol As Tim says take it easy for at least two weeks. It will take at least three months for everything to heal and the scar tissue which blocks the impulses to form so you may well get some odd arrhythmias in that time but don't worry it is quite normal. I used the bruising as a yardstick. When that had faded away I thought my heart may be feeling a bit better as well. We are here if you need to chat. Worn my T shirt out!

BobD

[mallet-head]

Hi Amanda, welcome to the club.

Had my ablation 3 days ago, and apart from feeling a bit fatigued, I am generally feeling pretty good. The punctures made in my groin for the ablation had sealed up within a couple of hours, so after frequent checks for "leaks" and blood pressure was ok, I was allowed home the same day! Overall about 12 hours at the hospital. I did get some chest pain ( which strong pain killers sorted ) for about 24 hours, but all ok now. No driving for a couple of days and give yourself at least a week. I'd allow 2 weeks, then if you feel better earlier it's a bonus!

Best of luck and keep posting questions if you have any. We have all benefited from the support given on this forum.

Take care, Mallet-head

[dedeottie]

This all sounds good. I need to hear positive thoughts on this topic as I suspect I'm about to go on the waiting list and will be very nervous! Good luck Amanda and keep us updated.x