Shortness of breath post ablation

[jag111155]

I had a cyro ablation in Oct and since have had shortness of breath. I've had all sorts of testing since without any definite answers. I know that there is a chance that they might have frozen my phrenic nerve that controls the diaphragm. I feel that's whats going on. Has this happened to others and how long did it last? Was there anything I can do to make it better? Thanks!

[Polski]

Do research on here (box at top-right of screen) as there have been previous posts on this subject. My memory is that they talk about recovery taking around six months, but there is more information available than that.

[tcpace]

Have you had an X-Ray? If the phrenic nerve has been damaged, the problem will show up clear as day on an X-Ray of your lungs.

My wife, first time around, had a cryoablation and suffered a phrenic nerve injury which eventually resolved after about 10 months (a bit longer than average I believe). She thought it had resolved when she started having a strong sensation of pins and needles running under her ribcage. The X-Ray she had 2 months after getting that sensation confirmed she was right.

If it turns out you do have phrenic nerve damage, don't worry - my understanding is that it resolves in virtually all cases, some just take longer than others.

Hope this helps.

[Rhspw]

My husband has a cryiablation in July which resulted in phrenic nerve injury. His is still not working well 5 months out. They say it may take a year for it to regenerate. He first had a chest X-ray which showed it paralyzed, done by a GP. He then had a sniff test (which is a video X-ray of you breathing) at the hospital that his EP scheduled. This confirmed it. The first 3 months were the worst with difficult breathing and a dry cough. The last two months have been a bit better but he can’t exercise like he use to and can’t have another ablation until the nerve has healed. Really frustrating!! Slow progress!! Good luck with it all and so sorry you have it. The good news is most of time, the nerve completely regenerates itself. The drs say it can happen anytime between 3-18 months.