Hi all, during my few years so far reading here I’ve noted several of the more popular posters talking about the post-ablation blanking period being up to 6 months rather than the more typically referred to 3 months. Yet most recent (couple of years) research papers are recommending reducing the blanking period to 1 month from 3 - e.g. see:
As such, I’d love to hear from any folks here who had AF reoccurrence 3 to 6 months after their first PVI/ablation who then went on to have no AF reoccurrence thereafter.
Cheers, Mike.
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MikeyF
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Interesting read even if it did give me flashbacks of my university statistics class (I never fully understood regression analysis 🙃). Sounds like I’m stuffed - I’m 3 months post ablation and had AF/AT every day since day 2 and I’m on more AADs than ever 😃. I’m off to see my EP today so will see what that visit brings.
^ Kaz, I'm so sorry to read of the troubles you've endured since your ablation. Hopefully your EP can zero-in on what the issue is and gets things resolved.
I had many af episodes after my ablation and it took 5 months for everything to go quiet. That was 5 years ago and still af free. Also my resting heart beat too almost a year to go back to its pre ablation rate.
Interesting - was that ablation 5 years ago your first? Who did it and where? In brief what was your AF type and history? Really pleased to read how well this has all worked out for you!
Yes, it was my first carried out in St Thomas’ in London by Mark O’Neill.
I am not much for going to doctors and when I mentioned odd beats years previously, I was told probably just palpitations and no problem. As it progressed I was having episodes lasting a few hours every week. Some issues getting diagnosis. I got referred to StThomas’ in February 2013 and received diagnosis, bisoprolol and warfarin. Mr O’Neill gave me the choice - meds route or ablation route. He was also of the opinion that if I was thinking ablation route then the sooner the better as he had his best results from early intervention. I hated bisoprolol and decided to go for ablation. That was November 2013 and after the initial 5 months no more AF. BLISS!!
I am now much the same as my contemporaries- walking, gardening, dancing. I am 69.
Good luck in your decision making as this is the hardest part.
Cheers for the +al info. As it goes (I’m now 57) I’ve had PAF (vagal) for nearly 20 years (runs in family on mother’s side - mother was paroxysmal from mid 30s to 70). ‘Just’ 1 or maybe 2 several hour episodes per year until this year when I had 6 between Jan and June.
So at the end of August this year I took a trip to Bordeaux and had an ablation by Professor Jais. Had some rough ectopics and bigeminy (not pleasant) 3 weeks later.
Of more concern blanking period-wise (and hence my original post here), I had a 2 hour AF episode this last Sunday evening. Notably after a large binge of crisps that upon reading and researching the ingredients afterwards actually contained a lot of MSG but called other things such as ‘onion powder’.
In my case MSG-wise, consider this. In 2015/2016 I had 3 episodes of AF. In that same time period, I had 2 (and only 2) Chinese takeaways. Both times I had AF within a couple of hours. The 3rd episode in that 15/16 time period was after a couple of bags of American MSG-loaded (incl. MSG per se). So I’m 100% certain that I’m VERY sensitive to MSG. Hence my latest episode as above mentioned.
I’d really to think that at 3 1/2 months I’m still just about in the blanking period too but I do wonder if that’s a little towards wishful thinking! Anyway, we’ll see. If I need to I won’t hesitate to go back to Bordeaux to get any PV reconnections touched up!
I'm also VERY sensitive to MSG. My first ever AF episode.. 31 years ago, at age 31.. was brought on by consuming Chinese food containing large doses of MSG. Over the ensuing 15 years or so all my subsequent (albeit infrequent) AF episodes were always triggered by "accidental" MSG ingestion.
In my late 40s / early 50s my situation devolved into definite "vagal PAF" (digestive and positional), wherein my specific AF triggers became more numerous and the episodes more frequent. By age 60 I was having an AF episode almost every week.
Now, at age 62.. I'm 16 weeks post cryoablation, and thankfully have not experienced any AF at all since the procedure was carried out. Obviously love the result - I finally got my life back.
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