Discharged after only 1 post ablation follow up

[andy1875]

I had an ablation for AF in april 2017 then recently had follow up apointment.Have now received a copy of the letter that was sent to my GP.It says because i am doing so well that they are weaning me off beta blockers and then if all still ok then can come off warfarin.I have had no AF since the ablation,prior to the ablation i had AF virtually six days on-six days off,it had got progressively worse over about a 3 year period so there has been a dramatic change.No further hospital appointments are planned and they have referred me back to my GP.

This seems quite a different approach to what many on here have had,just wondered if anyone else had similar experiences

[RiderontheStorm]

And the bad news is? That's fabulous! I was over my Ablation and PE in about 90 days. No meds and back to normal(ish) life. Back to lower heartbeat in about 9 months. Be Happy!

[andy1875 in reply to RiderontheStorm]

None really i guess i was just thinking it all sounds too good to be true,thanks for the reply glad you are doing well also and good luck to all

[RiderontheStorm in reply to andy1875]

Some posts get lost in meaning without facial gestures and voice. It was sarcasm saying "And the Bad News is" = means there is no bad news! LOL

[Dixiegurl in reply to RiderontheStorm]

Why back to normal heartbeat in 9 months?

[RiderontheStorm in reply to Dixiegurl]

I should have said back to normal "resting" beats per minute in 9 months.

[BobD Volunteer]

Don't look for problems. All sounds good to me though I do have reservations about stopping warfarin. I guess it depends on age and what your CHADSVASC score was before the ablation. If zero than OK..

[andy1875 in reply to BobD]

Cheers for the reply CHADS is zero and age 53, so fingers crossed all continues well

[Hidden]

My AF got a lot worse and actually turned into 24/7, so had a successful ablation, that was in 2005. I think I only had one follow-up after that, and came off all drugs immediately (actually before the procedure) except, in my case, anticoagulants.

I had another, unsuccessful ablation 10 years later and after that I had a follow-up every six months for a few years, don't know why, they didn't do anything except check me out. Made sure my drugs were working I suppose. Same EP and the first time was private, so that's when you'd expect the follows-ups, but no, it was the other way round.

Anyway, you know where they are if you need them, that's what my EP said to me.

Koll

[RiderontheStorm in reply to Hidden]

Seems to be even Ablation for some is black magic at best. Hit and miss for many of us. Do you even wonder if we are all just numbers in the latest experiment to fix this?

[Dixiegurl in reply to RiderontheStorm]

Yrs I do wonder

[Hidden]

Hi Andy, as others have said, all sounds good. I can understand why you might be a bit apprehensive, so just a thought. If you have had access to an Arrythmia Nurse, it might be worth contacting the nurse and asking if it would be OK to contact her should you have any future concerns as this might at least give you a point of contact.....BUT OF COURSE THIS WILL NOT BE NECESSARY!!!! Best of luck and enjoy life, John

[andy1875 in reply to Hidden]

Cheers lets hope you're right

[Mike11]

I only had one follow up as well, and that was private so the consultant would have been paid to have a second one, which I think indicates they are not necessary unless you have complications from the procedure.

[CDreamer]

No I think it is quite usual. AF is either there or not and if not isn’t that Great? And if it comes back you can be re-referred. Even with PAF there are no regular checks other than individual GP surgery checks and blood tests if on anti-coagulants.

[Beta44]

It’s a good sign. I was off Flecainide on day of procedure, off Bisoprolol after three month follow up. Haven’t seen anybody since (2 1/2years). Presumably no need as no problems.

Peter

[Buffafly]

My drugs (except anticoagulant) were stopped before the ablation because they were having dangerous side effects. I was discharged after my first checkup with the proviso that if I should have regular 'blips' particularly pauses I should be referred back for a 72 HR monitor. I have had one short episode of AF when I had a nasty attack of diarrhoea, otherwise all good. Great to hear a good news story!

[KipperJohn]

We all respond differently to treatments to varying degrees. I had two ablations in 2015 and 2016 - I continued to have ocacsasional episodes of up to 48 hours until August 2016 - since then none, at least not that I’m aware of. Still on metoprolol and Apixaban etc and not discharged,. but effectively have kicked it into touch.

All worth it as I’ve just had radiotherapy for Prostate cancer and am on hormone therapy, so not having the worry of AF has been a huge help in leading a normal life.

Enjoy your AF free time - you’re still young!