Post ablation worries

[SarahMo]

Hi. I'm new to the forum. I had my second ablation 2 weeks ago for atrial tachy and AVNRT (1st one not 100%successfull. The first week of recovery was brilliant. No skipped beats and a lovely heart rate of 70bpm. However the last couple of days my heart is behaving really strangely. It beats normally at around 70 then jumps to about 100 for 4 or 5 beats then pauses and goes back to normal, then a few seconds later it does it again. It's driving me mad and making me very anxious. The only way I can make it go away is to lie on my right side, but as soon as I move it comes back. Did anyone else have this after an ablation? Could it be part of the healing process? Thanks

[BobD Volunteer]

Sarah I do get annoyed that you were not told about the recovery process. It can take up to three months for the scar tissue which blocks the rogue impulses to form and in that time all kinds of strange rhythms can occur. This is quite normal but I agree that it is quite off putting if you don't understand that. My first two ablations I wasn't told about this and had to keep ringing my arrhythmia nurse for comfort and support. Knowledge is power so once you understand about these things it is not so worrying. If you have access to an arrhythmia nurse then do call her and discuss but it does sound quite normal to me.

Welcome to the group by the way. WE all understand your problems.

BobD

[Hidden]

Hi Sarah

My EP said the same as Bob, i.e. allow 3 months for recovery and still might get arrhythmias during that period. Re anxiety, with me at least, it can make it a lot worse, so staying calm and trying to ignore it is a key, so easy to say and having said that, I can stay calm in my head, but my body sometimes ignores my head and produces anxiety without my permission. Maybe it's the fight or flight thing at play?

So to help, my GP gave me a few pills (Diazepam in my case) to help calm my body down if I have a bad spell. It works really well when (rarely) I need to pop one.

I get the right side, left side thing as well, and something in between when I lie flat, so always sleep on my right to start with. Not sure whether it alters anything or you just can't feel it? It happens every night without fail, and doesn't bother me any more. Also within minutes of eating anything it starts as well, also I just expect it now, not a problem.

Hope it clears up soon fingers crossed.

Koll

[SarahMo]

Dear Koll and BobD thank you so much for your fast replies. I take comfort in knowing there are others out there who understand. I think it worried me because I didn't have any issues after my first ablation... At least until a few months later when it became apparent that it hadn't worked. I have had the worst night because of it and now I seem obsessed with feeling my pulse! Any tips on training myself out of that gratefully received! I will make an appointment with the doctor on Monday and ask him about diazepam. I think even if I don't take it, knowing it's there will help me relax. The mind can be a tormenting thing and to be honest feels like it's behaving worse than my heart. I wish I could deal with it better