I had the 7 day loop recorder fitted 31/12/14 which was 4 months post-ablation. I only received the results to-day due to our local hospital's inability to send them to the EP.
I had had several episodes in the middle of the night and I was confused as to what was happening. I could feel that my pulse was erratic but it was mild and I just felt odd and then went back to sleep. Fortunately it happened on day 4 whilst wearing the monitor.
I will detail what my EP has written as it may be of interest to others who are post-ablation.
" this confirms that she had an episode of atrial fibrillation lasting just over 2 hours. This is largely in keeping with the symptom burden that we had interpreted from Mrs C. Although she continues to have some AF the burden is significantly improved and she feels overall that the ablation was worthwhile.
We will continue to see her in clinic as planned and adopt a medical therapy plan in the first instance."
Just to recap, I had a seriously dilated left atrium and fibrosis and am now taking 2.5 Bisoprolol , Flecainide as a PIP, and Predaxa anticoagulant.
I feel that I can cope with occasional MILD atrial fibrillation. I certainly would not want to go back to having totally debilitating episodes.
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jennydog
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Hi Jennydog, It seems that you still have af, is that the point you are making? Funny enough I still have things going on I cannot recognise
and your description fits perfectly. Im waiting for my 2nd ablation but
wondering if I really need it. Its all very well if you are well versed in these things but Im not and cannot put a name to everything I am aware of that
I know is happening. I, like you are much better than before my 1st ablation and I intend to wait until Im called for my 2nd before I ring my
EP to discuss this with him. I should add my breathlessness is much
improved. Sorry to have gatecrashed your post as it were but it brought
my own case to mind.
Hope you get some outcome that you will find answers your questions
Hi Shirley, I wanted to show that the AF can be much less severe post-ablation, if not entirely absent. It is clear that pathways can reform so it will always be possible for arrhythmia to restart.
I feared that they might do the ablation and then wave good-bye so it is nice to know that they intend to keep tabs on me.
I hope that things turn out well for you, whatever you decide.
Hi jenny interesting post as I am waiting for an ablation,and it does make me feel that although sometimes symptoms don't completely go away , they can be improve. It sounds like you are doing really well and are well managed and you have a positive attitude I can learn from! x Basia x
Hi Basia. Thank you for your kind response. I hope that all goes well with your ablation. I suspect that we'll always be aware that the AF can return but if there are hardly any symptoms then we can live with it.
Dear Jennydog, glad that things have improved for you. I was interested in your comment about having a seriously enlarged left atrium as my MRI showed this too. I wondered if your were ever given any advice about diet or exercise associated with your AF and heart changes?
My consultant has said I may need an ablation and pacing at some time but as my symptoms are, at the moment mild, and if anything have actually improved, medics want to hold off for as long as possible as I have some additional complications.
Hi Bryonny, I wasn't given any advice at all. I know that I should lose some weight and have been eating carefully for some time. I do a lot of gardening but cannot walk too far as I have a problem with numb feet which is possibly due to medication. I have recently stopped taking statins to see if it makes any difference.
I had radiotherapy on my left shoulder 25 years ago and this may have cause cardiac fibrosis. My left atrium was described as seriously dilated and I was told that a 2nd ablation would not be an option. It would be pace and ablate for me.
Heart and feet apart, I have no health problems other than expected age-related wear such as an occasional bad back.
Thank you for getting back to me. I haven't been given any advice by the medical team, what I know is from what I've read and information on this web site in terms of adjusting lifestyle. My last MRI said there was no fibrosis or scar tissue in the left atruim but this was reported on the scan I had 18 months ago but was not available for comparison which is incredibly frustrating.
I think I will have to write to the consultant as I am unclear if there are any activities that could exacerbate changes within the left atrium? I stopped drinking alcohol nearly three weeks ago and I have been amazed at how little chest pain or palpitations I have experienced during this time that I can't believe it is just co-incidence. I have also been taking Magnesium and CQ10 for a few months - no idea what impact this has had although I have felt better.
Your comment about next option would not include another ablation for you because of dilation of the left atrium has made me wonder if this is another reason my consultant has said this would not work for me? Wish I had more answers than questions, but as someone once said to medicine is not an exact science! thank you for sharing your experience with me, it really helps me better accept and cope with my own health issues - hope that doesn't sound selfish!
Dear Jo, many thanks for sharing your experience. I really hope lifestyle changes can help reduce your episodes of AF. Hope you haven't overdone it catching up on jobs to be done.
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