Back in AF 3 days after ablation!!!

Take a nice deep breath. Sometimes it happens. I went into AF about 48 hours after my ablation due to a potassium imbalance and it took 2 cardioversions over 10 days to get my heart settled and meds on board. Your heart has just been burned or frozen and is not happy. It has a lot of healing to do and AF often happens during the first 3-6 month in the blanking period as it heals. Let your EP know, and don't let yourself think disastrous thoughts. Be kind and gentle with yourself as you recover.

Hi Steve. I had my ablation 2 weeks ago. I had Af episode day after then 6 days free of it but since then I have had it every single day! (it has reverted to sinus on it's own inbetween) This never happened before, it used to be only every couple of months. I know exactly how you feel. I want to cry too and am wishing I hadn't had it done. However, I have been in touch with EP and he's not in the least concerned. Said it will take at least 2/3 months to settle down and for the scars to form. I had known this already but didn't expect to have AF every day. Let's hope we both have better days to come.

Judie.

I have tried to call but they only work 8 till 4 monday to friday, i need to speak to someone to put my mind at rest, im all brused down bellow and cant walk properly and chest hurts and now im getting flutters and pulpitations ill keep trying alivecor ecg and moniter it and just hope it goes back to nsr on its own but i doubt it knowing my luck, sorry to go on but i was feeling so happy before and then this happens, ill have to wait till monday as theres nobody to call now its late and weekend here

It is far too early to start worrying about failure. I am sure that they will have told you that it takes at least three months for the heart to heal and settle down. Try to stop obsessing about it and checking constantly as this really will not help.

If you are worried do ring the arrhythmia nurse where you had the ablation done but she will tell you the same I am sure.

I was like you when I had my first ablation in 2006 and fondly thought I would be tripping the light fantastic and fully cured the next day. Didn't happen and had a few bad days but then that was before we had the support of AF Association and all the information currently available. Understanding the process helps stop the panic so do try to be positive.

You talk about not wanting to go through "all this " again. What all this? I had three ablations before mine was sorted. Once you have had one the rest are a breeze but it really is far too early to be thinking about that just yet.

Rest and let yourself heal properly.

Bob

Panic will be making things worse. The heart loves a good old dose of adrenalin to give us even more palpitations, flutters, thumps and bumps! Steve my AF episode yesterday lasted 18 hours and still went back into sinus on its own! So don't despair of yours doing so.

I hope you can speak to someone soon. Meantime if you get really concerned there's always NHS 24 to phone for advice or A and E if desperate. Hope you feel better soon.

Judie.

Hope that you feel better in the morning. X

I'm two weeks after my second ablation and I understand your fear and your upset and frustration totally!!

I was told I could have symptoms the same or worse than before up to six weeks after ablation so try and keep your spirits up.

It's a very long Lonley road I know and it's long long days constantly fearing it's not worked but try and relax keep your doc informed of any concerns call nhs24 if you have to to put your mind at ease.

keep a diary (I am doing this now I didn't for first) it helps when you go to docs. I'm recording heart rate and if it's irregular and blood pressure and what I've been doing just before reading ie moving or sitting, no war and peace and how I felt, also what time I'm taking meds. I'm not doing it at set times as I don't want to be OCD about it but want to see myself too how things are going and if I can see if it's settling or if it's just side effects from drugs etc etc. It helps to get it out my head.

It takes a long time for the heart to heal they say so try and take each day as it comes, rest lots and lots, don't push yourself or your heart too much.

I'm still sore tired and having runs and ectopics and I'm still very dizzy but looking at my diary I see I have a lot of spells where I am regular pulse and that makes me feel weird too, bear that in mind. I have taken my pulse cause I'm dizzy and feel ill thinking my hearts racing but in fact my heart rate is normal and regular!!

We're all here to help each other so know you're not going through this alone!

yes i know, its good to know im not alone, i wish you well devine

Steve.

Sorry to hear that but believe me it is not doom and gloom!! For one thing you have age on your side and at 36 you will heal better than those of us who have hit their 60s (and I know you are very unlucky to have AF so young). I was (still am) in persistent AF just like you. Our journeys have some similarities.

Look at your AF journey like an ordinary journey - if you don't walk out of the front door at home and then start the car you can never get anywhere!!! As we all know AF begets AF so in time you will have got worse if you had done nothing.

When in persistent AF the success rate first time is only around 30% to 40%. That means that two out of three go back into AF!! It is not uncommon at all for people to have two or three ablations. As you know Bob had three.

Some of my own journey (you may have seen some of it but apologies) will hopefully help you.

I had my ablation on a Monday and was back in NSR around 18:00. On the Thursday afternoon around 16:30 bang I was back in AF. Unfortunately it was the Easter Bank Holiday weekend so couldn't get hold of anyone for 4 days apart from speaking to the ward - they had given me the number for "out of hours" (it was a heart only ward).

When I saw my EP after my DCCV (cardioversion - only lasted 24 hours in NSR) he said that the only realistic option was an ablation. I asked him what he thought the chances of success would be in MY case (I said that I wanted an honest and open answer) and he said zero percent first time. IN any event when he said he would see me 6 weeks after the ablation rather than the normal 3 months I would have guessed that anyway. By seeing me at 6 weeks he said he was hoping that I might still be in NSR so that they could do an echo in NSR. It wasn't to be!!! When I emailed him my AliveCor reading after going back into AF he brought that appointment forward (not that it really made any difference) but before seeing me did a referral straight away to a heart valve specialist (my tricuspid valve has moderate to severe leakage). Waiting for my second ablation!!!

Hope this helps.

I had an ablation 5 years ago. Afterwards I was fine for 2 days then I had the worst AF/tachy I've ever had. That cleared up after a day but I still had other attacks which gradually decreased over 3 months. Then nothing (i.e. NSR rather than no heart beat!) and it's been the same since, touch wood!

It's pretty standard to get bad AF after an ablation as it takes a while for the heart to recover from a right battering.

Its very early days. I was in AF for 6 days after my ablation. Your heart has suffered a trauma and will take some to recover/heal. Your EP should be able to reassure you about the healing process and what to expect. I was told around 3 months before I could expect to know if the ablation ( I had a PVI ) had been successful. So don't lose heart, as if everything goes well, your periods of AF/erratic beats etc will gradually subside and you will look back and wonder what all your worry was about as your life will have returned to normal.