Symptoms Return Shortly after AF Procedure

[Dixiegurl]

Hi everyone, I'm new here. I had the AF ablation procedure 4 days ago and have had palpitations by the second day. It's 3:30 in the morning and I have been having something that feels like afib but with a much lower heart rate. My heart rate is not fast but the irregular skipping beats is so scary. I recently read that some people take drugs for rhythm control after afib ablation. Should I go to ER to see if it is AF or something else?

[jeanjeannie50]

Some periods of AF are normal after an ablation. For a few weeks after my ablation last year I found I could bear down and make these episodes stop immediately i.e. tense the chest and bear down through your body as though having a bowel movement.

If the episode you are having is making you feel unwell then yes you should certainly go to ER. No one can really advise you with what to do as we each experience AF in different ways. I think if it were me (I've had AF for a long time), and I'm not advising you to do this, I would try to sleep now and see how I was in the morning. If you lie in bed worrying you will be unwittingly keeping your AF going, getting stressed does that. Take some deep breaths, breathing in to the count of three and expanding the area at the base of your rib cage and out to the count of five. Try this for five minutes if the bearing down procedure doesn't help.

Feel free to come back here and ask any more questions, or if you just need a bit of support

Best wishes for a return to normal sinus rhythm.

Jean

[Hidden]

I agree with Jean. Hearts can often be a bit grumpy after the procedure and a few wobbles are very common.

It's best to go to ER if things are clearly far from right, if you go pale, feel really unwell, very dizzy or faint or if your heart gets much much too fast.

[BobD Volunteer]

What you describe is perfectly normal. Your heart has had a lot of poking about and will take quite some time to recover. It takes three to six months for full recovery and the scar tissue which blocks the rogue impulses to form so you will have events along the way.

Here in UK the general advice re what you call ER is if you have any fainting or dizzy spells or chest pain and breathing difficulties then go. Otherwise there is little point as all they will do is observe you and send you home after a while.

What I would do is phone the hospital where you had the procedure in the morning and speak to the specialist nurse if you are concerned so that he/she can re-assure you.

[Hidden]

The others have said it all so I wont bother, other than to say, try and stay relaxed, stress and worry is not good!!!

[Kiwi2]

I had my first ablation just short of 3 years ago and I went into AF the following evening which like you was much slower but still erratic. I took my PIP and it settled it. It is normal to still get episodes in the early days. If you are unsure if it is AF try and get an ECG.

Bella