I have just written a huge long report and deleted it by accident!!
Here goes.....
I can't speak highly enough about Dr. O Callaghan team. Professional, friendly and nothing was too much trouble.
The Cardiologist who did the T.O.E. put my mind at rest , sprayed my throat with local gave me some sedative and it was over in 10 mins. Certainly nothing to be concerned about and if I had to have it again I wouldn't worry.
The Cath lab was very high tech as others have said with lots of people all getting on with their jobs but they all had a little chat and put me at ease. Would you believe that one of them had lived in the same village as me in lancashire. Small world.
I was told what would happen and to ask for pain relief and sedation whenever I needed it. As I am a coward where pain is concerned I made sure I asked sooner rather than later
I was given a local for the catheters to be put in so I had no pain but could feel pressure which was an odd feeling but totally bearable.
The procedure took 5 hours but I drifted in and out of consciousness and it felt like much less time. At one point I heard them say they were starting the burning so I told them I didn't want to feel anything and I didn't so I must have had a large dose of something!
Whoever it was that advised taking Vaseline in and leaving it on the trolley by the bed for afterward , thank you for that advice. My mouth was really really dry so it was great to put the Vaseline on. Also the sports bottle of water was such a good idea.
All is quiet on the heart front at the moment but I am prepared for some blips.I am very very tired so don't thing I will have a problem resting even though I thought I would struggle doing very little.
All in all nothing to worry about but do be prepared for being very tired afterwards.
Any questions just ask.
Thanks so much for all your good wishes.
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dedeottie
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Thanks for that. Sounds like it has gone really well and you remember far more than I can recall from mine. Five hours? They must have been thorough! All the best!
I'm so glad that all went well for you. You now need to learn how to pace yourself. Your heart has suffered major trauma and needs time to heal
It was I who recommended the Vaseline. I have wondered since if the dry lips were connected with my GA. I had this awful problem with very rapid drying and ended up with a wet paper hanky over my mouth. It was unlike anything that I had experienced before and most unpleasant. The sports bottle was an idea gleaned from this site and was invaluable.
I saw your post last night and marvelled that you were able to report back at that stage. My hands were so shakey that I had difficulty texting. My sons both got the same one word text - " OK."
Very best wishes for an event- free recovery from another Lancashire lass.
Thanks Jenny. My mouth was sticking together it was so dry! Must be the effects of the drugs used in both sedation and G.A. Where about in lancashire are you from. I know you have told me but my memory has gone to mush!
Brought up in Broadgreen, Liverpool, moved to Wirral, then Southport, Preston, Berkshire, Spain and now Devon.
But I am a Scouser at heart!
My step- mothers family were farmers in area N of Liverpool. All gone now under development of the 80's and the beautiful manor farmhouse now under a motorway, as is the home I grew up in, sad.
I'm a Scouser too and we lived in Formby and Crosby. We moved to Cheshire when I was 3 and lived in a lovely Georgian house in Over which was subsequently demolished and a housing estate with a very dubious reputation sprung up on the site. I moved to Cumbria in 1977.
There must have been something in the Liverpool water that causes A.F. is all I can say! I'm definitely still a Liverpool girl at heart there is nothing quite like the sense of humour there. X
There is also something about how caring Scousers are. I attended a school called Northway Primary School and got in contact through Friends Reuntited with old school mates, every one of them was I a 'caring' profession
This was brought home to me when at 18 I was catching the last train home when a gang of lads, Spanish, surrounded me on the carriage and started mawling me, I was terrified! At the next station another gang of lads, wearing Hells Angels biking gear were standing on the platform messing about, one noticed what was happening and they all jumped onto my carriage, there was no-one else on the train. I thought I was done for but they just cleared those lads away and sat protectively around me and travelled all the way home with me even though they knew they wouldn't be able to get another train back! Scousers of course! It also taught me to never judge anyone by what they wear!
Am I right in thinking that's in same health board as me in Bridgend.....I was told if I saw a EP from Cardiff pprivately I could then not see him on bus as it's not my health board
I think it is the same. My G.P. referred me for a cardiology appointment but after 8 months I still hadn't heard anything so I paid to have a private consultation with an E.P. At the spire hospital in Cardiff. After trying an antiarhythmic drug unsuccessfully, he recommended ablation and said he would transfer me to his N.H.S. list at the Heath. I then waited 6 months for an ablation. Hope this is helpful.
Hi Dedeottie, I'm on Dr O'Callaghan's waiting list in Cardiff at the moment and should be about to get to the top. My husband and I are talking about what sort of support I'll need from him and for how long following the ablation (assuming I still need it) so that he can get an idea of how much holiday he'll need to take from work.
Can you give me an idea of what the recovery pattern for the first couple of weeks after the ablation was like please? i.e. are you up and about and pretty much doing everything for yourself from Day 1, or are you largely sleeping and not moving much and if so, for how long?
From what you've said, it sounds as if Dr O'Callaghan goes for the sedation route rather than general anaesthetic, so I guess I'll be going the same way.
Hi Caroline. If you are sedated recovery time is shorter I believe. I had sedation and had almost no side effects to recover from as far as anaesthesia was concerned. I was very tired and a bit breathless for the first week but nothing disabling. I could potter round the house and garden, make myself easy meals with no problem but I was glad to have my husband around for reassurance. If this wasn't possible I am sure I could have managed but may have had to ring my arrhythmia nurse more often! By the second week I was feeling much more normal although still tired but I was able to take the dogs on easy walks.
The only thing that was a problem for me was the bruising on my thigh. I did get more pain from this than I was expecting but it was better when walking round and by the third week it was fine. Obviously everyone is different but I would think your husband should be around for the first few days and then reassess the situation.
I was very impressed by Dr OCallaghans team. Very professional and caring. The whole experience was much better than I expected. My ablation took 5 and a half hours but I was so well sedated it passed really quickly. When they were passing the cathetar through and up to the heart area I felt a little twinge so I said ouch that hurts ( although it hadn't hurt much! )and they gave me more sedation/painkiller and that was the last thing I really remember until the end when I was coming.g to. Half an hour later I was drinking tea and eating a sandwich (sleepily)Hope this helps. Let us know how you get on.x
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