I had my second ablation for AF last Wed 24th. Left 25th only to be readmitted later that night. I was monitored for the day and dis barged later that night. A few days later ended up in A& E feeling like I was having a heart attack. Having has a ecg and bloods taken all was good. Told to go home and try not to be anxious!
Since the ablation I’ve been feeling rubbish, partly due to a increase in my heart rate, find it hard to function when it’s going so fast. Also, quite breathless, headaches(they come and go) and absolutely no appetite! I have sent this am my Kardia readings to EP, he says they are fine. I’m due to have a 7 day heart monitor fitted tomorrow, along with a ecg, chest X-ray and echocardiogram. I just need some (lot) of reassurance. All through this journey, unbeknown to me I have been suffering anxiety and panic attacks. GP’s been pretty uninterested! I have never felt so stressed out in all my life. This afternoon I am going for CBT, my first session.
Is it me, does anyone out there relate to any of this?
A very anxious Canariesfan
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Canariesfan
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Anxierty and AF do go hand in hand I'm afraid and this is sometheing you need to get help with I feel. Our fact sheets on ablation can explain a lot of your symptoms and re-assure you that all is progressing well. Few EPs seem to recognise that it is not an instant fix and many patients feel let down in the early stages of recovery which will take from three to six months. Hang in there, work on your anxxiety and you will soon feel much better.By the way, raised heart rate post ablation is normal. It can take quite a while to settle down.
Thank you, Bob. As this is my second ablation I felt so much more anxious! My previous one was back in April. I felt absolutely wonderful after. Think that’s why Im totally shattered by this. Just want to feel well again.
And you will Canariesfan, but you need give your body a chance, especially if you had a general anaesthetic. Your heart has taken quite a lot of trauma and the initial reactions you refer to are not unusual. After my first, a cryoablation, I wondered what all the fuss was about and had to force myself to heed the instructions.....do nothing for the first week and not much for the second. The second, whilst not bad, was more challenging and I reacted badly to the GA. Faster heat rate is very common, but trying to relax is the name of the game. I’m sure you would prefer to avoid any form of tranquillisers so as Bob says, try and relax and give your body a chance to recover......
BobD my EP also recommended that I see a psychologist to deal with my anxiety which is what i am doing. Im onto my 3rd session however i feel like i have a long way to go. I'm anxious about having the ablation due to all the risks involved however i cannot continue living with the fear of the next attack coming on or taking the drugs for the rest of my life. Touch wood the Flec and Verapamil are keeping my AF in check but i worry about the long term side effects and that eventually the drugs may not work. Soooo to cut a long story short, I'm working on my anxiety the best that i can and hopefully he will agree to performing the procedure once i can prove to him that i am not so anxious about it. I quote my EP 'you need to work on your anxiety as i do not feel comfortable performing an invasive procedure if you continue being so anxious'.
That is an interesting reaction from your EP for sure. Maybe he is right.
I would say that most people find the fear of the procedure far worse than the actual event and as we have said many times most of the risks explained are only to prevent legal action against the doctors and hospital. Yes there are some theortical risks but there are in doing nothing as you so rightly mention. Everything in life carries risks . If you stayed in bed 24/7 you may not risk being run down by a bus but you would risk bed sores!
That's what I thought as well BobD. He isn't in any rush to perform the ablation and seems to really care about my mental wellbeing over this issue. I am very lucky to have found a compassionate and very patient EP. Please forgive me if in the coming months i reach out to you all for further reassurance. I think the support and advice given here will greatly help with my anxiety over the procedure.
It may be usefuil to try and analyse what you fear. I find that education helps as knowledge is power and power to dispel fear. AF Association have some booklets and fact sheets about ablation which explain all that happens and if you understand what it entails this may enable you to realize that it is not something to fear at all. After all it could be your best shot at a better quality of life.
Hi I had my ablation on the 2nd of May and every time I got an eptopic I would go into anxiety mode and panic a bit, I went to my GP who was very sympathetic and put me on Citralolpram which has certainly helped, also reading and listening to Dr Sanjay Gupta videos on post ablation symptoms has put my mind at rest.
I have started taking magnesium turate and the eptopics have almost stopped, so there is another avenue to explore they seem to work for a lot of people I use the ones recommend by Dr Gupta
Thank you for the introduction to Dr Gupta, I have just binged on all the videos I could find on AF. They're great. I'm still wondering about the recommendation to do exercise that raises your heart rate while in AF. I spend my whole time (like right now as I type this) trying to get my heart rate under 100 so I can calm down.
Oh gosh Canariesfan it seems that heart problems and anxiety go hand in hand.
Simce major heart surgery in June I have tried to talk to consultants/nurses/GPs and anyone else who might listen but to no avail.
I have finally been referred to a psychologist who can see me in January.
I have to talk to myself daily to get myself out of the house otherwise I would just sit indoors all day. I have taken myself off to the cinema twice this week (1100 am viewings ) and today I am going clothes shopping for the first time for 4 months!
On the Heart Foundation website there is a link to support groups for most areas. I am not technically savvy so don't know how to attach the link to this email but that was recommended to me. I have yet to make contact but I have written down all the details for when I am in the right frame of mind.
I hope you find the strength to improve your daily living and that you have a support network in your area.
Unless you have had what can be classed as mental health issues, you have no idea how frightening the world can be.
Had my rf ablation on 18 Oct discharged on 22nd to be readmitted on 25th feeling rubbish with pericarditis and oesophagitis. Discharged again on 30th with metaclopramide and colchicine and told hopefully it will all settle over next two weeks. On pureed diet, can't manage any quantity and feel rough all the time. On a positive note, fingers crossed, no AF since procedure.
I know we’re youre coming from. Amongst many other labels I suffer with Anxiety Dissorder. To be honest, it doesn’t matter how people tell you to cope. It is an individual “illness” . With the AF as well it’s horrible. I had so many attacks last year, I spent sometimes 10 days in Hospital every month.
I might add that this AF only started March 2017. But it became so bad, I had to be Cardioverted 5 times, had 3 Ablations and a Pacemaker, then AV Node Ablation. Still have AF but not so breathless as Pacemaker controls lower half of my heart.
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