Cardio Ablation last Novemberand I'm still weak?!im in NSR?! It's not in my head, I never had this weakness till after ablation?anyone else?

I have never been given an ablation and now in chronic afib and cannot get one so not the right person to answer but just want to extend my wishes and hopes that you get your strength back soon. I wonder if it could be connected to any drugs you might be on or possibly coming off of... i went through a complete loss of strength last year for several months after stopping digoxin and starting diltizon and pradaxa. i am ok now and got my strength back but I never knew what it was and wondered if the drugs had something to do with it. Take good care.......you will get your strength back.....

Good morning, back to work yes, that is good medication in itself but would certainly leave running out of the equation for the time being.

Hi, I've had three ablations and have never felt quite back to full health. I think part of it is my mind. Vigorous exercise has put me into AF before so I am very wary. I read up on CBT which helped. My technique has been to build up exercise very slowly, do a little more each time. I found an exercise bike good as I can do it at home and am sat down.

In contrast, I had my last ablation on Friday and although it didn't work I seemed to have 'recovered' my energy quickly. I went on a family holiday the next day assuming I would spend most of the time at the house relaxing - yesterday I happily walked 7 miles.

Yes, it is like reading my own story.

After ablation No2 I did not recover, my fatigue increased instead of decreased and I couldn't understand it because I was in NSR, BP was good as was heart rate. I was sleeping most of the day as well as night and had no energy. When I started to do anything my muscles felt very heavy and my brain 'fogged'.

It wasn't until I began experiencing other symptoms - my eyesight had been 'blurry' sometimes for about 3-4 years and I occasionally had double vision when I was tired. Then I had sudden onset of ptosis - inability to open eyelids, and double vision when I could open them.

I was finally diagnosed with a fairly rare autoimmune disease some 9 months after ablation. I probably had had the disease for a very long time but it is thought that the drugs for AF & ablations exacerbated the condition so I developed symptoms. I had a very high antibody count which was conclusive for diagnosis.

There may well be something else wrong with you, which may be difficult to diagnose until symptoms develop. May I suggest you start to keep a detailed symptom diary - symptom, time, what you had been doing, what you had eaten and meds taken.

I know it is a worry but think something will surface. I could give you several links but I don't want to scare anyone so suggest if you resonate with any of above, you PM me if you want to talk further.

Best wishes CD.

I do identify with what you are saying. I had my ablation at the end of March and although I do feel loads better I still don't feel like my old self. I tend to put it down to a combination of anxiety and side effects from apixaban (which is the only drug I'm on now). Although as far as the apixaban is concerned I don't have much basis for this. Also since AF I don't sleep very well and of course that can't help either.

I know there seems to be a 3-6 month recovery period mentioned often but of course, we are all different and it may just be taking you longer?

Obviously if you are having a monitor you have been seeing your EP but have you had a general check up with your GP just to make sure there's nothing else going on? Us AFers tend to blame it for everything don't we and as CD says there could be some other cause - though hopefully not as serious!

Also if you DO feel anxious ( perhaps you don't so forgive me) I would thoroughly recommend some CBT and/or mindfulness - I have found they do help. A lot of people think mindfulness is hippy Mumbo Jumbo but it does work ! Your GP should be able to help arrange some talking therapy if you need it.

I'm seeing my GP next week and I'm intending to ask him for a bit of an MOT just to put my mind at rest - perhaps we can compare notes!

Let us know how you get on

Ruth

Sorry to hear about the weakness. Did you have sedation or anaesthetic Steve, and if the latter, could it be something to do with that?

I haven't got the level of fitness I had before my ablation eight months ago. I mentioned this to my EP and he said he didn't think that the ablation would be responsible and suggested I could try doing a little more day by day.

I was sedated but I had this done last November, think it must be my meds, I have to keep sitting down when doing washing up and silly things where my body feels weak, I was never like this before

what were your blood tests and SpO2 results? Sounds like you've got low oxygen levels.

Not sure, think they was ok last time they was checked

Are you on any medication? I know that I feel awful on bisoprolol and have zero energy when I'm taking that.

Rivoroxiban also saps me of energy , makes me feel very unwell and depressed as well as "brain fog"

Yes been taking bisoprolol and riveroxaban for couple of years now, then they changed it to sotolol and riveroxaban

It could well be the medication that is causing your issues. Can you contact your EP and ask their advice?

I have tried, they said I could go on this other beta blocker wish I new the name of it,but they said they very rarely give it to young people and would have probably even worse side effects than the one I'm on, so they really put me off! I was taking bisoprolol before the one I'm on now and I was terrible with that, I'm currently taking sotolol and riveroxaban

i am only nearing the three month period after my ablation, so am not in exactly the same position, but have lost a lot of body confidence as a result of the long build up to diagnosis and treatment. I am currently mostly afib free but still very tired....especially in the heat.

A previously fit person, i was most definitely ' de-conditioned' by the time I had my ablation and am even more de=conditioned now - two years after the afib started. In some ways I think I am, currently, psychologically avoiding doing anything that might 'bring on' the symptoms.

I envisage a long slow journey to peak fitness starting with a gentle exercise regime and building on that over time. It reminds me of when I had post-viral syndrome in my late 20s..... it took a year to fully recover and a bit longer to get up to speed on the tennis court again! Good luck.... I am sure with all advice on here you will find a way to eventually recover your mojo!

Hi Litzy

That is so well put... Thank you ( and I'm not even the original poster). You've summed up exactly how I feel too!

There is a lot more to this than the actual procedure - the psychological aspects of AF and its aftermath seem to me to be just as great for some of us. Like you I think that basically I'm afraid of my heart going bananas and I know I am avoiding exercise because of it so its a vicious circle.

I'm seeing my EP for my follow up appointment on Monday but I know he won't be interested - all he will care about is whether I'm in NSR or not!

Ruth

If you are in NSR why the beta blocker?

They said sotolol is also a heart rhythm controlling drug, so they said it will give my heart more of a chance staying in NSR after I was ablated

i feel awful on any betablocker, takes away my "get up and go". Plus I found out it does not prevent any of the attacks with me, it just makes me need more betablocker during an acute attack of PAF. So with me they work during attack, get my pulse rate down, but no NSR, that happens spontaneously.

Tried Sotalol and Bisoprolol and Metoprolol. Same thing. Plus I gain weight.

Then I read that the do not work for prevention if your PAF has vagus causes instead of adrenal causes betablockers do not help, they make things worse. Took me ten years to figue that out. Vagus causes would me you get PAF mostly when resting, adrenal if you got it during sport or anger.

This just goes for me. So I take biso as pill in pocket.

Hi Steve, don't worry too much....I also thought I'd get my life back straight away, but you've been through a big trauma, not to mention the months/years of AF beforehand. It can take up to a year to fully recover. I went back to work after 3 weeks and it was too soon- ended up off sick for 10 weeks with depression/ lethargy. Give yourself time...I also thought I'd lose weight and get fit- but gained a stone and felt almost as bad as before, but in nsr thankfully. Gradually found the strength to start healthy eating/ swimming and now 14 months on have lost 2 stone (2 more to go,) Hope this helps. Also I have to remember I'm 8 years older than when it all started so can't expect to feel super energetic yet, I'm 63! Take it easy- gentle exercise, eat healthy and you'll get there- keep us posted