Im in AF Again after ablation and 2 cardioversions! stressed out! Am i ever going to be af free!!!

[Steve2810]

Hi all feel like rubbish as typing this getting lots of eptopic beats and heart is all over place. The alivecor is detecting it too, feeling really awful, heart rates only 69 bpm and blood pressure is 146/84. So upset its come back!!! I thought i was sorted and was going to have a nice christmas, i cant even relax now heart is flipping here there and everywhere!

[PeterWh]

Steve. Very sorry to hear that and it is disheartening and frustrating. However at this stage it does not mean that this is a permanent outcome because as has been said many times on here the heart takes 3 to 6 months to settle down.

Try not worry because me being philosophical, what will be will be. I am sure that you will have a good Christmas but it won't be 100% of what you had hoped. I can't remember whether you had persistent AF or paroxysmal. If it was persistent then success rate is only 30% to 40% first time. If paroxysmal it is 60% to 70% (I think). Therefore you are not unusual or alone so try and take some comfort from that. Interesting that your HB has stayed so normal low. Just keep a regular check on BP.

Chin up!!!!

[Steve2810 in reply to PeterWh]

Yes my heart rate is ok, so thats one good thing, but i never used to get eptopic beats now im having loads and im getting a really big pause between beats then a few really close together. I was in persistant Af i could always feel it trying to fight it way through, and now surprise, its back. Thanks Peter.

[PeterWh in reply to Steve2810]

I bought my AliveCor late January or so. I was in persistent AF before my ablation. Once I had the AliveCor I was very interested and by nature I am very inquisitive and analytical. One aspect that interested me was the HB variations whilst taking a reading 2 minutes or more. If I had been sitting at my desk for say 10 or 15 mins doing nothing and then started the reading the HB polling could change from say 65 or 70 to 150 or so with the average coming out at a reasonable number towards a hundred. I also picked up that sometimes I could have say 3 or 4 secs with no HB. Then sometimes I could have 3 or 4 in a second. The interesting thing was that I could not always tell that I was miss g beats or that I had beats so close together. However after my ablation even though I went back into persistent AF so quickly I did not get the extremes of HB nor the length of gaps nor three or four in a second as often. However I did notice that when I did get these swings I did notice them more. However 8 months on notice them much less on the occasions that they do occurr which is less often anyway. Hope this makes sense.

[Rellim296]

So sorry to hear this, Steve, but surely as Peter says it will take time for things to settle down properly. It's not that long since your ablation and this may just be a very unwelcome wobble. We all know the disappointment you are feeling.

[Steve2810 in reply to Rellim296]

Thanks, its so annoying

[Rellim296 in reply to Steve2810]

Well said

[heatherblether]

My heart had some very strange rhythms after my ablation which didn't resolve till about 6-8 weeks after. Like you rate was good just odd runs of little couplets and threesomes especially after eating. All resolved now though and coming up to 3 years AF free ! Stick with it your heart is still healing.

[Steve2810 in reply to heatherblether]

I hope so its been fine for a while now and thought i was over the worse

[wendicarro]

Sorry to hear that but it could just be settling down as Peter says is normal, try to keep positive ,though I know its hard when you are in the throws of this horrible condition.

Take care

Wendi

[Steve2810 in reply to wendicarro]

Thanks wendy, i will try

[Steve2810]

I did try your techniques but it didnt work, ive just posted an ecg i took maybe u can read it?

[CDreamer]

Please know that you need to expect some irregularity in your HB for some months during the 'blanking' period whilst your heart tissue heals - my understanding that it is the scar tissue that forms which prevents the AF, my HB took about 2-3 months to settle and I had some irregular HBs during that time.

Please give your heart time to heal and please give yourself compassion and kindness not stress - every time you feel your heart go a little bonkers place your hand over your heart and think & focus with eyes closed - " heart, you have had a rough time but now is the time to calm and heal" repeat and repeat and imagine breathing slowly as if you were breathing through your heart.

Breath in for count of 5, hold for 2 and breath out for count of 7 slows your breathing - important for reducing biological feedback loop for sympathetic/parasympathetic autonomic nervous system - (fight flight response). If you cannot manage 5/7 breath reduce but ensure that breath out is longer than breath in. If you can manage that easily increase to 7/11 breathing i.e. Breath in for 7, hold, breath out for 11 - that is your target.

Stressing will certainly impact negatively on your HB so focused visualizations really work - athletes use them to very good affect - (my step-grandson is an elite athelete) the power of the mind has immense impact - use it to your advantage.

The more your practice the better you get.

[Steve2810 in reply to CDreamer]

Ok i will try, i let hospital know last night and sent em an ecg by email, it still feels slightly up n down but i can tollerate it, feel like im getting on there nerves keep calling them but i just panicked, its been beating so good for a while now it worried me too,