ablation problem

[ablationproblem]

Had ablation done in early March.Been dealing with A-Fib for 12 years. Its now 5months with no a-fib,however, been feeling lousy since. Bad cough for a month, constant shortness of breath, Dizzy, headache and no energy.Any exertion at all causes severe shortness of breath. have to sit down and put on oxygen. have had just about every test imaginable and they all come back negative. anyone out there with the same experience?

[Hidden]

Clearly disappointing ablationproblem and not the normal outcome of an ablation, particularly as you have remained in rhythm for some time. Are you still taking medication such as betablockers or calcium channel blockers because these can cause some of the symptoms you mention. If you are due for a review soon with your EP, obviously you will discuss these problems and if appropriate, he might review your medication. If no review is imminent, then I would be inclined to seek one. Is there an Arrhythmia Nurse available that you could contact as she should be able to help arrange an appointment.

Very often we hear that patients continue to improve after an ablation and that it can take a year before it all settles, but I don't think you should still be coughing from your ablation. There may be other reasons causing it so if I were you, I would see the GP as soon as possible. please let us know how you get on....

[Bshersey]

Mine hasn't been quite so serious as you describe, but it definitely hasn't been as easy as promised. I still get chest pain. Not sharp. More aches and pains. But it's definitely there. I took myself back to the ER four times since the ablation on Feb. 28. They finally gave me a nuclear stress and a cardiac cath-angiogram. I passed both of them with no issues at all. But here I am, still having aches and pains in my chest nearly five months later. I am not short of breath, thankfully. I am still on sotalol so my HR and BP are fine. And I have not had any afib since the ablation.

The doctors can't really tell me anything, except that my heart appears to be in good shape. But when I ask if having this pain is normal, they say definitely not. I even had upper and lower endoscopies. Both came back fine.

So you are not alone in your frustrations with this.

[rosyG]

Agree with Flapjack re getting checked out- you may have had some damage to the phrenic nerve , which can happen with ablation and which can take a long time to recover- but you need to know what to expect. I hope you feel better soon

[secondtry]

Keep persevering with the questions to medics and tests and I hope things slowly improve. Thank you for posting this, ablation in my mind remains a serious procedure not to be taken lightly and of course it is not just whether to have one or not but where, as some medics are better than others.

[wilsond in reply to secondtry]

Thats my worry.I have had several operations and procedures over the years,and each time I did not have them done by the consultant I was seeing but someone else I only met on the day.Out of 5 interventions,4 had complications,one serious!

I fret about it....

[Carig]

Hi. I had ablation February and phrenic nerve was damaged. It’s fine now. I don’t have a fib but I am dizzy tired and do get chest pain. Electrophysiologist has me off all meds. I can relate to how you feel. It’s a strange one

[SophieBella]

I had an ablation on 4 April. It has taken me nearly 3 months to get any energy, was also breathless too. Was still not l00% but better after they stopped the betablocker I had been on. I have then since had 2 further recurrences and 2 cardioversions.

[Mugster]

I had an ablation beginning of May and have had a cough ever since. I also felt very tired. So after 4 weeks I started reducing my Bisoprolol dose and now feel much better with normal energy levels. Still have the occasional cough though...

[Tessybear]

Hi I’m sorry to hear your’e feeling so rotten. I had an ablation nearly three years ago. Immediately afterwards I had severe shortness of breath I hadn’t had before. I also had a cough. I was told this can happen for a while and to rest. After two months with no change I went back to my cardiologist and asked to be referred to a respiratory Consultant,I as felt something was wrong. He agreed to this a the respiratory consultant arranged a chest X-ray. He also tracked down an X-ray I had had before the ablation and found that my diaphragm was now raised compared to the older X-ray, meaning that during the ablation process my phrenic nerve had been damaged, causing some paralysis of my diaphragm, hence the breathlessness.I was told it may repair itself over a year or two, and thankfully it has, and I am well.Knowing what the problem was helped me enormously.

Now it may be that the breathlessness you have will settle down and all will be well, but my advice is ask to get it checked out by someone who knows, to be sure. Don’t just suffer in silence.I wish you well.