Migraine with aura post ablation

[Jc24]

My last ablation was sept 25. No problems with afib but am still having migraine with aura. What do you take for these other than nsaids. Also, I’ve heard caffeine and cheese can bring these on. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks for any info!

[Hidden]

Not medically trained Jc but I would have thought that migraines brought on by your ablation should have well subsided by now. Maybe there are other non AF related reasons so I suggest you see your GP asap. If you have access to an Arrhythmia Nurse then speak to her too, but discuss with your GP. Generally we tend to use Paracetamol and if your bowels can take it, try the version with added codeine but please check with your pharmacist first.

[Jc24 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. I’ll look into that.

[jedimasterlincoln]

As an added option, have you considered an eye test?

[Jc24 in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

Had my eyes checked last week. My ep said it could be the barometric pressure. It happened as I came back in from taking my daily walk.

[BobD Volunteer]

NSAIDS verboten if you have AF.

[CDreamer]

It is a common occurrence and linked to the hole punched through the atria septum. It will depend how long that takes to heal as to how long you experience them. I have a PFO and funnily enough my ablations seemed to take away migraines. I would absolutely ditto Bob - do not take NSAIDs as they are known to cause AF. NSAIDs never touched my migraine pain and the only thing was to lie in dark room. Dark glasses and cap with visor also help in anywhere with overhead lights & a cold pack on the back of neck.

FYI - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/209...

NB - this is a old study 2010 - and the frequency of Ablations has increased so if you just put in migraine aura ablation - you will find many posts so I would imagine that the numbers are much higher than 1.1% in the Ablated population.

[F-M-C-MM]

Hi Jc24,

I have already posted on this issue but would like to help alleviate any concerns or stress caused by this migraine aura. I too developed it following ablation. An opthalmologist found nothing amiss which was a relief as I had previously experienced a small retinal tear which was repaired using laser treatment. Was informed it would disappear in a couple of weeks once the septum started to heal but to my dismay became more frequent and lasted over 6 months , occurring once or twice weekly . It then miraculously disappeared and I havent had it since. According to articles I have read the transseptal puncture can take a long time to heal in some cases. Did you have radiofrequency ablation or cryo? I also gave up Apixaban at 6 months and was suspicious it could have been the culprit, but have no evidence to support same, unless other members of our group have had a similar experience? If you are still worried do visit an eye specialist . How long do your episodes last?

[Sarah57]

Hi there

I somehow found out about the possibility of "aura" migraines after ablation so pestered my EP about what I would be allowed to take as he admitted to me when asked, that if one has suffered with visual migraines before an ablation there is a strong possibility it will happen afterwards. This was freaking me out more than "the procedure" in the end as hate having visual migraines ( only developed during menopause for me although always had headaches from time to time)

So, his lovely assistance nurse did research for me and came up with "Paramol"

As safe to take for AF or post ablation.

Sure enough by the time I got back to the room post ablation, the visuals kicked in and I had them for the next three weeks on and off.

I took the "drugs" and they knock you out a bit but really quickly clear the visuals that suited me. You can buy them over the counter. Thankfully only had one more in two and half years thank goodness.

My EP did say there was research out there that seemed to show that children and young teenagers who suffer with migraines often have a hole in the heart that may have gone undetected and said the heart and brain are interlinked so making a puncture into the left side causes a drop in pressure in the brain. Also I had a cryoablation and that leads to a "brain freeze" too apparently....Sometimes he said he can see a scar where a hole in the heart has grown over during a patients life quite naturally.

Hope this helps a bit but as someone said it is quite a while since your ablation so maybe check out with your EP, not GP , as personally I find mine pretty hopeless with ❤️ Related "stuff" tbh

Best wishes

Sarah

[Jc24]

Thanks. Heard the cheese and caffeine, too!