Reading the posts on this site about taking it easy after an ablation I totally agree I have seen many an athlete push their recovery and end up in a far worse state than before their treatment however, just to complement your rest.............. plan and think about your diet and food intake over the months following the procedure even if your AF is not vagal initiated heavy meals and the wrong types of food will put pressure on your vagal nerve (love the way they is called this nerve the super highway of the body) and ultimately on your heart possibly leading to a longer recovery period or the procedure not working at all.
There is a lot of advice on food and diet already on this site when we have an athlete recovering from injury diet always makes a huge part of their planned comeback.
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sportscoach
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Thank you for your post. It is so refreshing to read. If you can give us any more information on diet and activity that you recommend I should be most grateful. I am one of the "athletes" you mention. I love cycling and thought because ablation was a "procedure" and so straightforward that afterwards I could pick up where I left off. Some of us need a good talking to about this before and after an ablation! Thank you again. Anne
There is a lot to take on board and its not a simple science or a one size fits all, the human body is a wonderful machine we are all so different and therefore each person will recover differently.
From "keep fit athletes to elite athletes" it is very common for a person after illness or injury once a person starts feeling better to believe they can start training as they did prior to their illness/injury unfortunately, the mind may think this but the body has other ideas and it can take weeks and even months to get back to 100% I have seen athletes start back too soon after the common cold only later, for them to develop glandular fever.
Exercise releases some powerful chemicals in the brain it can be as addictive as alcohol, drugs or gambling it is not widely known but more and more people have had to seek medical help because they have become obsessed with training and exercise. Many elite athletes suffer with depression and anxiety when they finish or retire from their sport because they no longer have the buzz of training and competing so its not surprising you see people pushing theirselves far to soon after injury/illness.
An ablation, whatever way you wish to look at it (injury or illness) is a shock to the body and needs to be carefully and gently treated until, in this case the heart has recovered fully, we know that the blanking period is from 3 to 6 months after an ablation and maybe beyond so this certainly has to be taken into account when planning any return to training.
My advice to you or anyone involved with sport or just general keep fit is to seek out an experienced personnel fitness instructor, an experienced coach in the sport you take part or the GP or cardio referral Team they will be able to sit down with you and help you plan the road back to full fitness with a programme that includes a proper planned warm up, strength, flexibility, stamina and warm down activity ....all in a controlled environment with feedback and adaption.
As far as diet is concerned again, this would be something to discuss with your coach or adviser but generally cut down on carbs, sugar, foods that contain a lot of yeast, maybe change to gluten free products and lactose free products, eat little and often do not have large meals, eat foods that are known to reduce inflammation in the body, keep well hydrated.
Look to take a good pre and pro biotic supplement, minerals and vitamins, although its quite expensive Manuka Honey has some great healing properties....obviously check with your GP/Chemist or consultant there is no clash with any medication you take.
Most important keep a diary and record everyday what you eat and drink along with the exercise you take you will need to look back and see what works, what doesn't, how can you change it etc having it all written down you can look back and make adjustments.
Don't make it a chore or go over the top as we say as coaches we use the abbreviation..."KISS" = KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID
I do apologise that this is a little short and only scratches the surface but this is such a vast subject I could write pages....hope I have helped a little.
I think we need to be very careful to distinguish between recovery from different types of injuries or procedures. Clearly recovery from an athletic injury such as torn muscles or ligament requires time and care, with the potential to do further damage if an early comeback is attempted.
On the other hand many orthopaedic surgeries, such as hip replacement are best followed by hard rehabilitation work. My partner and I (4 hip replacements over 20 years) have on each occasion put in loads of work and had very quick recoveries. Some poor outcomes are seen in patients who do not put the work in.
Ablation is very different from either of the above. Overall cardiac health is crucial for AF sufferers, who have much higher risk of heart disease, such as ischaemic heart disease, sudden cardiac death and heart failure. Exercise and normal weight are therefore hugely important for the cardiac (and mental) health of AF sufferers. EPs seem to be very aware of this, which is why they usually advise fairly early return to normal exercise post ablation.
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