3rd Ablation done didnt correct Afib

[Flo2pen]

Hello how long after having 2 ablations done 6/18/18 should i stay home from work?? I have been out of work for 2 weeks post ablation and i still feel tired n droopy... m wondering if this Afib is a lifetime illness and i will not be able to go back 2 work...

[CDreamer]

Hi Flo - I think it depends entirely on the type of work you do and for how long and your circumstances. I went back to work 10 days after my 2nd ablation but I worked part-time in a sedentary job where I could pick and choose my hours. At the time I had a lot of brain fog and that was the biggest factor for me. If I had to work full time in a physical job there is no way I would have attempted it.

AF is individual as are our circumstances. I didn’t feel tired and droopy but I did tire easily so learned to pace myself.

Only you can decide what is best for you but loisten to your body - usually a more appropriate decision maker than your mind.

Best wishes.

[Flo2pen in reply to CDreamer]

Thank u so much cdreamer. I am off flecanaid it was impairing my vision now am on propafenone and i feel athritis symptons only in my knees.. this Afib thing is no joke i see.. 😊 but ur advice helps put things into prospective... thank u

[Polski]

See the Pinned Post on this page - 'Recovering from an ablation'.

AF is a long term condition, and it is all about managing it, so that it impinges on your life as little as possible. It certainly doesn't mean 'stop working', but it can take a while to recover from an ablation sufficiently to be able to return to work. The longer you can leave it the better in one sense, in that that gives the ablation maximum chance of being effective.

[Flo2pen in reply to Polski]

Thank u polski...

[KMRobbo]

I had an af ablation 29 January and went back to work after a week no problem. Then 2 days after that I developed atrial flutter and I had high 140 bpm HR for over 3 weeks before a flutter ablation on 26 Feb. (The flutter was possibly promoted by the flecainide i was on). After that I was exhausted not I think by the ablation , but by the 3 weeks at high hr with lots of breathlessness. I had 3 weeks off work after this and only went back on 3 Day weeks for two months.

You have to suss out what is best for you.

[Flo2pen in reply to KMRobbo]

Hello KMRobbo thx for ur response. I was just taken off flecanaid. It was impairing my vision. I am now on propafenone and i feel throbbing pain in my knees .. are u still on flecanaid?? These meds are no joke...been off for 3 weeks since ablations.. hope ur feeling well...

[KMRobbo]

Two and a half months after the ablation and 3 weeks prior to my EP appointment I was told to stop the flecainide which I happily did! No problems. After the EP appointment I was told to ditch the diltiazem rate control and the pradaxa A/C which I was even more happy about. It would appear that the flecainide did not cause me many symptoms as when I stopped nothing much happened. We thought it was the 200mg diltiazem causing my brain fog, tiredness and exercise intolerance but when I stopped that nothing improved either. However a month later the brain fog had gone and I am so much sharper. So much sharper i will have to have real major problems before i could be persuaded to take that again! (However this diltiazem less bad effects on me than bisoprolol or atenolol when i tried them) . I am less tired since i stopped the diltiazem but still do not feel completely "right" ("right " being like I think i used to feel , but you do lose track of what is normal with AF and the drugs). But i am a lot better. I am still not as fit as I was but I think getting fitness back is a long job, I think the unfitness was caused by spending best part of a month mainly in bed waiting for the flutter ablation as I was so breathless when I moved I could not do much else. The diltiazem is supposed to be completly out of your system in 3 days after stopping (and ineffective after 24 hours) but it would appear that the unplanned side effects last longer. I do not like taking drugs either but the flecainide did keep me in NSR whilst I waited for the ablation. I never had any problems with the pradaxa A/C either for the 4.5 months I was taking it. I have had few issues since the flutter ablation i do have the odd missed beat but that never worried me and was not even a daily occurrence and I probably don't even notice now. I have had a few occurrences where there seems to be several missed beats on the run and then my heart races for more than a few seconds, but this has happened no more than 4 or 5 times since February and the last time this happened less than a week ago I think I realised it is me reacting to the multiple missed beats with a bit of panic (oh no is af back ? ) and as soon as I thought that my heart slowed down again. So next time I will try not to get exited!

To be honest I am on the verge now of thinking I am cured . I know i can develop AF again in the future but I can develop a lot of other things that may be worse as well, so no point worrying about AF particularly!

Sorry I have no experience with propfenone.

Are you expecting to come off the meds if your ablations are deemed a success?

Cheers