Oesophageal pain?

[Cclegg]

Bob...can you give me any more info on this please, now 6 days post ablation and chest pain not improving.....am seeing my GP in the morning and would like to be a little more informed?

Thank you

[BobD Volunteer]

To simplify , when the EP burns inside your heart it is possible for some of the heat to affect the oesophagus which is close by and cause it to be inflamed. This can be added to by reflux and produce a vicious circle resulting in ongoing pain. Some kind of acid reducing medicine often helps but do beware long term use of things that end in ozole or prazole as these could eventually make things worse. The stomach needs an acid content in order for the lower sphincter to open and pass food down to the gut and reducing the acid level could result in slowing down the digestive process leading to more reflux. If your doctor gives you such meds and they help for a while and then appear to stop then stop taking them and see if you get better. I found this out the hard way long before the mechanics were explained to me.

Bob

[Cclegg in reply to BobD]

Thank you Bob, been taking Lansoprolol long term I'm afraid!! Hope the GP can help! Beginning to think I'm being a bit of a wimp as when pain goes away I feel quite good!!

Looking forward to sitting out in some sunshine tomorrow a dose of vitamin D might help lol!! Will let you know what GP says!

Chris

[Cclegg]

Thanks Jo,

Already take 30mg of Lansoprolol daily. Getting pain on and off all day, codeine helps a wee bit! Found my first ablation a breeze not so this one!

Chris

[Bob56]

Chris. BobD has given you a very good explanation. I too suffered with this quite badly post ablation. Meal times were particularly painful for me and I found eating smaller portions more often helped. The good news is that after about 2/3 weeks it really did improve. It just felt like a long time to get better. I only wish someone had told me this can happen after an ablation and it might have eased my concerns a bit. Hope you fell better soon

[Cclegg in reply to Bob56]

Thank you Bob56

Feel a little brighter this morning and didn't wake with pain in the night! Seeing GP at 10.20 but thinking I am probably slightly better informed than he is!

Did you take anything for the pain and if so did it help?

Chris

[Bob56]

My GP prescribed ranitidine for the indigestion but nothing specifically for the pain, but my cardiologist suggested plain old gaviscon might help, and I think it did. I didn't do any specific pain killers, as for me at least it was more of a really uncomfortable feeling rather than outright pain. I did drink lots of liquid, and had soup quite a lot as my main meal, but of course we might not have identical side effects so your GP might have other ideas. Good luck!

[ceejayblue]

My friend refuses point blank to have an ablation although its been recommended because she was given information by her consultant about the 1 in 1000 possibility of oesophagus problems post ablation. Judging from these comments it is common but not as worrying as she has been lead to believe!

[PeterWh in reply to ceejayblue]

I know I would rather live for a few weeks with oesophageal problems than the AF for years!!

[ceejayblue in reply to PeterWh]

Part of my friend's problem is that she was told 1 in 1000 die from oesophageal problems, if people catch colds or viruses for instance. She did do some research which sometimes can be the worst thing to do but is managing things at the moment .

[Cclegg]

So GP phoned cardiology and they increased my Colchicine saying it will be inflamation! Still pretty uncomfortable but hoping it will reduce with extra meds!! Watch this space lol!!