Ablation surgery 6 days ago

[dar2drm]

Hello Everyone:

Oh my, I wish I had found this group before I had the surgery. My doctor said it would be easy but it has been anything but easy. I have had difficulty eating, nothing seems to be passing through, my back hurts like I am having difficulty breathing but I'm not, I am really tired, my brain is sluggish, and I had just called the EMT's on the recommendation of my doc because I was experiencing blurred peripheral vision with a headache (I live on an island so we don't have urgent care clinics.) They said all seemed fine. It has been quite discouraging, not to mention the AF episodes. Please tell me all of this will get better.

Thanks to you all for sharing your experiences.

[dar2drm]

Just read a few more posts and realized my post was redundant. Many of you have already commented on similar circumstances. I look forward to reading more stories of recovery.

[jedimasterlincoln in reply to dar2drm]

Everyone is different but there are a lot of similarities. I've had 4 ablations and recovery has been similar in most cases with the odd different one.

[dar2drm in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

Thanks. I cannot imagine doing this again. I hope they get another way to help with this.

I hope you are doing well after your last ablations!

[djmnet in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

Four ablations? Did that take care of your afib?

[jedimasterlincoln in reply to djmnet]

Sadly not, my last ablation was Xmas 2017 and I've had 2 further intense episodes since then.

[Barb1]

Some thoughts from a non medic. The difficulty in eating could be the effect of the tube they put down your throat to check for clots. The backache because you were lying flat out for a long time and the blurred vision and headaches might be a migraine aura that is a common after effect for a while. Hang in there and just rest.

[dar2drm in reply to Barb1]

Thanks Barb. This group helped me to realize I had migraines. My eye doc confirmed it today! It was very helpful information.

[CDreamer]

Hi and welcome - unfortunately I think doctors underestimate the recovery time. You don’t mention how long ago your ablation was? These symptoms in the first few days/weeks are very common but they should have disappeared after a few weeks.

Try frequent sipping warm water for the swallowing and avoid all carbohydrates such as bread, biscuits and cereals until it heals - which can take several weeks. Smoothies and soups are easier to swallow and digest in the first few days.

If these symptoms persist beyond 4 weeks then I would ask to be referred for further investigations.

[Hidden in reply to CDreamer]

Oh yes they did.....the clue is in the title! 😉

So everything you said is spot on.....did you enjoy your stroll along the prom yesterday?

[CDreamer in reply to Hidden]

Oooops...missed that, thank you.

Yes it was lovely but got very crowded ablation it 11am.

Hope you had a good w/e and enjoyed the lovely weather.

[Hidden in reply to CDreamer]

Love your line two.....how’s that for a Freudian slip....anyone would think you had ablation on your mind, even when walking! Predictive spelling methinks......😃

[CDreamer in reply to Hidden]

😂 here for your enjoyment!

[Buffafly]

I think they don't warn you because it is like reading medication warning leaflets, you start looking for side effects/symptoms! Also if you assume a symptom is 'normal' you may be wrong, with serious consequences. The important thing is to listen to your body and report symptoms that don't improve, or red flags like fever with painful swallowing, extreme breathlessness or stroke signs. I hope you feel better soon and btw congratulations on searching for previous posts - people seldom do 😀

[dar2drm in reply to Buffafly]

Buffafly I totally hear what you are saying. I do think it would be okay to tell patients that some have more difficulties than others. I think part of my challenge is I didn't have any way to anticipate this and it created huge anxiety. It was only through the great information here that I realized I am not alone and that was very helpful.

[polopblue]

Hi,

I am three months on from my ablation. In the four weeks prior to the ablation I had two unsuccessful attempts at having a stent fitted to a blocked artery and numerous scans.

The ablation itself was not as bad as I thought it would be as I slept through all of it. The first three weeks post ablation I was very weak and lost my apetite completely and had headaches and muscle pains. However I slowly began to feel much better and now I have put on the missing kilos and have more energy.

I have episodes of skipped beats and short bursts of rapid beats but I do not get as anxious about these now and I think that helps.

I decided to take complete rest after the procedure and slowly return to normal day to day life. I am still on medication including warferin.

I see my consultant this week and will see where I go from there.

I was given good advise on this site, dont expect too much too soon and get plenty of rest.

I hope this is of some help and wish you a prompt recovery

[dar2drm in reply to polopblue]

Thank you polopblue. Such a great reminder to not expect too much too soon! I appreciate it!

[Swamps]

Please do not be disheartened. I felt awful after mine 3 years ago. I honestly thought they had broken me. I will try to post a trace from my heart monitor I wore it so that I could see what was happening to me and had a pulse whilst sleeping as low as 28 BPM That would explain the headaches, Blurred vision and breathlessness. The nurses explained that the surgeons perception of OK after a few days was a bit exaggerated and I should expect to see a real improvement when the scar is fully formed in 3 to 4 months

To shorten this. It did I was fixed I now run anything between 3 and 10 Miles 3 - 5 times a week and work shifts I’m 58 years old and if needed would go through it all again. Hope this helps. We are of course all different so speak to your consultant and his nurses. Try a pulse belt with a free Bluetooth app on your phone it helps understand why and I found when my pulse got stuck below 40 BPM a few sharp coughs put it back on track

[dar2drm in reply to Swamps]

Thank you so much Swamps. It is great to hear your story. I ventured out of the house today. It was a bit rocky but I survived. I can't wait to be able to work out again and feel the strength coming back as you did!

[Swamps in reply to dar2drm]

I’m sure you will. I started with very slow walks to the village shop about a quarter mile away Good luck