I'm Todd (aka Toot) and found this group while searching for some more information on AF and corrective treatment.
I had my first bout of AF around 6 years ago which resulted in an almost week long stay in hospital, have had numerous episodes since along with two cardioversions and previously been prescribed Sotalol 120mg twice daily which I weened off due to severe chronic fatigue like symptoms along with weight gain. The last episode eventually self resolved however the treating doctor in the ED said I was a likely candidate for an ablation.
After hearing of a couple success stories regarding the benefits of the surgery, I'm keen to touch base with people who have had the procedure (whilst being fully aware that it's case by case) and find out what I can expect around positive impacts, pain and discomfort, recovery times etc. In the beginning I wasn't too excited about the idea of getting an operation but if there's a chance to fix this I'll take it. I'm sure there's many of you who can relate when I say that constantly feeling low on energy, sleeping poorly and nauseas, anxious etc is highly over-rated.
Cheers all.
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DasToot
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I had 2 ablations 2013 & 2014. The first made things worse but I do think that I did far too much, far too soon and didn’t give myself time to heal.
The second seemed to work and I was AF free for nearly 3 years but the meds I had taken along with sedations for the ablations aggrevated an underlying condition so I didn’t exactly reap the benefit.
The procedure (no open wounds so not an operation) is a piece of cake for the patient and nothing to worry about. Normally a day procedure or overnight stay. You Need to stay prone and still for about 8 hours after the procedure and do very little for the first few weeks, don’t believe any doctor who tells you otherwise!
Success rates mean different things to different people and will depend on many variables - your overall fitness, your expectations of fitness both before and after the procedure, length of time AF has existed for, your age, the skill of the EP performing the procedure and his/her experience, other pre-existing conditions etc etc,
For me it was the choice of lifetime of ever more toxic drugs and ever increasing debilitating symptoms or just ever increasing debilitating symptoms. Would I make the same choice in the same given circumstances - without hesitation!
Now although I still get AF and it can be debilitating at times, not as frequent, not as symptomatic.
Is it a cure? Probably not and one has to consider the individual risk:benefits.
You will find varying experiences and outcomes on this forum but do remember that the vast majority of people who have successful ablations tend not to hang around the forum.
PS - if you are sleeping poorly has a sleep test been suggested?
There is a proven link between sleep apnea and AF & I was advised to use CPAP after SA was diagnosed and I think that improved my QOl more than anything! But that was after the 2nd ablation.
Thanks for getting back to me. I had a sleep apnea test late last year and the results showed 25 instances per hour from memory which is relatively low risk. The doc felt that a CPAP wouldn’t be necessary.
Welcome! I, too, had a sleep apnea test and I was diagnosed as mild. Not sure how many instances but I was told cpap was optional. I tried it and hated it - I felt claustrophobic. I own a machine but never use it but I do use a Fitbit and generally, it shows I am awake about one hour each night. Do you or anyone know when it is advised to use the cpap and how much time is it okay to be awake in the night? I know my question is vague but just wondering?
Hi MB. I believe the definition of mild is 5-15 apnea (no breathing for >10 seconds) and hypopnea (<50% volume, ie shallow, breathing for >10 seconds) events combined per hour. This is the apnea-hypopnea index. Moderate is an AHI of 15-30/ hr. Severe is an AHI>30/hr. Mine was 11, but during REM sleep it was 42!
Even with mild SA, CPAP treatment is the gold standard, though mouth devices and other treatments help some. Non-treatment is known to exacerbate AF, and make ablation success much lower.
Claustrophobia can be overcome with persistence and a variety of masks. I settled on a nasal cushion and low- or no humidity as it caused congestion.
I do not know of a lower limit that’s ok for amount of apnea. CPAP treatment changed my life for the better. I discovered my apnea after being diagnosed with AF in the emergency room. I wish I’d been checked for it years ago!
Firstly ablation is not an operation or surgery , it is a procedure. The only puncture wound is where they access the vein in your groin and that usually heals in a matter of days although bruises in the area can be quite colourful.
Atrial Fibrillation Association has a wealth of information and in fact we are producing two new fact sheet covering Preparing For and Recovering From Ablation although at this time I can't give you a publication date.
The important thing to know is that any treatment for AF is only ever about improving quality of life and you may need more than one procedure to end you symptoms. I needed three although some people only need one. Rest following the procedure is important and we recommend taking at least two weeks off work regardless of what any doctor may tell you. The heart suffers some serious trauma and will need time to recover. It takes three to six month for full recovery and you may well still have some AF events or other arrhythmias during that initial period.
If you have GA there should be little pain apart from a dull ache for a day or two afterwards but many EPs use sedation only and in that case it is important to keep the team informed if you feel discomfort. Ask anything specific and we will try to help.
I have had one ablation two years ago, wasn't keen either but I'm delighted I was persuaded after 15 years of PAF and 8 years of medication. I've had a couple of blips but I'm not on medication except anticoagulant and I have coped ok with the few episodes. If I went back to my cardiologist he would probably want to refer me for a top-up ablation but I'm happy as I am for now. I can't add much to comments above re the procedure except to say I was hosting the family Christmas two weeks afterwards and I coped OK 😊 You don't mention your age but I'm 73 and lead a quiet life, I might find things more difficult if I was more stressed!
The first thing I did after I found out I needed an ablation was to research the hospitals in my state to see who had the best success rate. I made an appointment there and had to wait 6 mo. to get in. It got me 8 years of being ablation free. In 2017 the monster came back. I had afib again and svt. What was supposed to be a two hour procedure turned into 5 hours.I, however, was blissfully asleep. This month is my sixth month since the procedure. I am feeling well, but with less energy which I think is due to medications.. I would recommend looking into it. I know of no other method to improve your quality of life. If I need another one I won't hesitate to have it, but that's probably all I'm willing to put my heart through.I am 71, Pam
In answer to some of your questions.
I had my ablation under GA, it took 4.5 hours as it ended up being for fib and flutter.
I had an overnight stay in hospital and home the next day.
No pain at all. I probably did too much too quickly as I didn't feel ill in any way, and we moved house the week after my ablation.
I would say that total recovery was a good 3 months, it took this long to feel like I could exercise as much and recover as quickly as before the procedure.
I'm so glad I had it done, I have my life back for now. I'm sure it will come back at some point but if it does, hopefully I'll still be a candidate for another ablation. I'd grab the opportunity with both hands.
The condition has also changed my outlook on life and my lifestyle for the better
Thanks for sharing Mike. It was encouraging to read. I’ve got an appointment with my cardiologist on Thursday, pretty eager to hear what she thinks is the best course of action.
I had by Ablation in July 17 under GA I was 52 yrs old. I spent a night in hospital and home the next day. I felt like I had been hit by a bus for 2 weeks and went back to work full time after 3 weeks. Occasional flutters and 1 bad episode of chest pain which caused some anxiety. Without hesitation I would have this procedure, I can only describe it as getting my life back, anxiety free without constantly worrying I was going to die; although I know that AF is not a usual cause of death I am genetically at very high risk of a HA so the peace of mind the ablation has given me is invaluable.
I have now been discharged from hospital.... I consider myself cured but know that I could have a 1/20 chance of reoccurrence in 5-10 years...according to my EP. I would have the procedure again if I needed to.
Research who is right for you to do this, I was lucky to have been given a name by an A and E consultant and then the same name by a different dr some time later, I researched him prior to making any decisions. I will be forever grateful to Dr Pepper - leeds.
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