Post ablation update.

[Stephanie6637]

I am now 7 days post second ablation and am not too well. Ablation was quite difficult as consultant had problems getting through from right to left side of heart due to a quite enlarged right atrium it was not anywhere near as enlarged in December he said. I had spoken to the nurse in charge of the sedation and pain control prior to procedure starting and he promised that i would be better sedated this time. I did not feel my consultant making groin incision or putting the cannulas in but i did feel the first burn i remember groaning and the nurse saying dont worry relief is on the way i didnt feel another burn after that and he had to do a lot as he said one part of left atrium was really bad and again said it wasnt like that in December. I was really unwell post op and was otdered next day to stay in bed all day i ended up staying an extra night. Nurse looking after me said i have been given huge amounts of sedation and fentanyl and needed to stay in bed and sleep it off she even put a do not disturb sign on my room door. It took around 4 days to get the drugs fully out of my system. Consultant is confident he has got all the rogue areas this time and so far i have had no Afib or irregular rythms heart is still a bit slow but hopefully it will improve. I have a couple of things i want to discuss with my Gp that are on my discharge letter mostly that it says i have hypertensive heart disease wich i have never been told before and also about the enlarged right atrium. I would like to know what the health implications are. He has taken me off my evening dose of Bisoprolol but left me on all my other meds and wants to see me in 2 months rather than the usual 3. So in summary after a difficult ablation its so far so good. Any thoughts on thr hypertensive heart disease and enlarged right atrium would be appreciated before i speak to my Gp next week.

[BobD Volunteer]

I can't comment on medical matters but glad that you are recovering well. Please continue to take it VERY easy.

Bob

[Stephanie6637 in reply to BobD]

Thank you for replying Bob. I am taking it very easy remote control and cups of tea are the only things i am lifting. I have quite a bit of chest pain and am feeling very tired but hopefully both of these will improve over time. Its great to have had a week free of Afib. Am sure my excellent Gp will tell me if its anything i should be worried about hopefully it isnt.

Stephanie

[Dodie117]

Sounds traumatic but positive.

Good luck with recovery 🍀

[guitarman49]

Hi Stephanie A difficult time but on the positive side no AF or irregular beats. Take it easy and give your heart time to recover. As you know I'm now 6 months post ablation and just starting to feel the real benefits except for the 'one off' bout of AF.I did experience some cardiac pains during the first couple of months but I assumed it was not unusual and part of the healing process. Would be interested also to know what they mean by hypertensive heart disease and how it goes with your GP. Take care.

[Stephanie6637 in reply to guitarman49]

Hello Neil thankyou for replying. I am going to see my Gp next week as she is on leave at the moment. I was told that the enlarged right atrium can cause chest pain and shortness of breath so be interestiing to see what she says. I understand that high blood pressure can cause the atria to enlarge but mine has been very well controlled now since before the first ablation so i am concerned as to how it has got bigger since then. I am going to ask her if perhaps i should be seeing a cardioligist as well. I will let you know what she says.