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Update on Ablation.

SJB1234 profile image
16 Replies

Good morning everyone. Just a update I went in St.Georges Tooting last Friday for my ablation. They put me under to do procedure, but abandon it because they found a clot, I was on apixaban but now have put me on high dosage of Warfarin and asprin.

Please can anyone let me know if they have had this happen to them if so could you tell me what was next for them and how long did it take to disperse the clot. I am out of mind with worry.

Many thanks.

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SJB1234 profile image
SJB1234
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16 Replies
Kellyjelly profile image
Kellyjelly

Oh, that all sounds very scary. I don’t have any experience of anything like this but just wanted to say hello and hope you feel better soon.

cali111 profile image
cali111

I had this happen to me and my clot did not resolve and is still there after two years.. This apparently can happen to a long standing clot and they are reluctant to disturb it. Due to my age ,74, I was offered pace and ablate which I took as I was too ill by then do do anything else as I am intolerant to all the appropriate drugs. This has been very successful but has left me with left sided heart failure due to high blood pressure over the years which thickened the muscle of the left side. When this happen then the heart retains fluid and also your ankles swell and so still short of breath. I went to see my EP last Friday and he is going to try to adjust it with Furosemide, I have to return if no better on the 22nd March for further assessment. Overall I feel a lot better but still a bit of work to do. I took pace and ablate due to understanding that AF is not curable if it has been persistent for two years and I wanted quality of life as opposed to keep trying what was not successful. I do not have time now to mess about. I would make the same decision again as it was obvious that the clot was not going to move and open heart surgery to remove it was very high risk.

Hope this helps to settle your mind on your clot.

Usually it takes about 6 weeks to resolve if it is a recent clot.

Sorry it is such a long post but I hope this settles your mind.

Sorry i can't help here but hope you get this resolved soon. Do please let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

Sandra

Kaz747 profile image
Kaz747

It was 6 weeks between when they found my clot via a TOE and when they eventually carried out the ablation. My doctor said it generally takes about 4 weeks for the body to dissolve it and that I shouldn’t do any vigorous exercise for those 4 weeks but gentle walking was fine. It is scary being woken up and told there’s a clot in your heart. They won’t insert catheters because of the risk of breaking some off which could of course a stroke and although it doesn’t happen a lot, my medical team weren’t overly concerned.

jeanjeannie50 profile image
jeanjeannie50 in reply to Kaz747

What anticoagulant were you on when your clot formed Kaz?

Kaz747 profile image
Kaz747 in reply to jeanjeannie50

I was on Rivaroxiban and stopped it 48 hours prior. When they found the clot I was switched to Apixiban but ended up back in hospital 3 days later with unstable BP, upper back pain, post menopausal bleeding and I couldn’t get warm. These were similar symptoms I had when I was put on Apixiban after my cardioversion last year but I also developed Shingles at the same time and we thought the symptoms were related to that (I had a CT scan for a pulmonary embolism then too to rule that out). So, I either had a reaction to the Apixiban or the general anaesthetic which I had on both occasions. Anyway I was moved to Pradaxa for a few weeks but had a lot of gastrointestinal issues and after my “successful” ablation ended up with pericarditis and inflammation of the esophagus so had to come of that too. I’m now back on Rivaroxiban with my fingers crossed. I’m going for a gastroscopy next Tuesday and have to come off it 48 hours prior 😳🤞🏻😳

jeanjeannie50 profile image
jeanjeannie50 in reply to Kaz747

I just seem to notice lately that there are lots of reports of blood clots forming on the newer anticoagulants. Perhaps they are forming with Warfarin too, but I haven't noticed it being said, who knows.

Best wishes for Tuesday.

Jean

Kaz747 profile image
Kaz747 in reply to jeanjeannie50

Thanks Jean x

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer

The only positive I can offer is that your medical team now know about it and can treat accordingly. Patience and controlling your worry is going to be your challenge as stress will not help.

May I ask how long you were kept in hospital?

SJB1234 profile image
SJB1234 in reply to

I came home the same day.

Well I would say that was very encouraging indeed. I’m quite sure they would not have let you go home the same day, if they had had any concern at all about you being at significant risk. Just take things quietly at home, and read about ways to ease your natural anxiety. Let your heart rest, while the warfarin does it’s work, which it will before too long.

SJB1234 profile image
SJB1234 in reply to

Thank you

Barb1 profile image
Barb1

I was put under for my 4th ablation which was stopped due to a clot. I was on Dabigatran which was stopped before ablation as EP wanted me on Warfarin before. I am convinced that the clot was formed whilst my INR was adjusting but EP said that there was no way of knowing. I was kept on Warfarin whilst clot dissolved but EP waited 5 months before he felt happy to do the postponed ablation. He then kept me on Warfarin until Edoxaban was approved by NICE (this was 2015/6) as he said that was best at preventing clots. I was told to make no changes in lifestyle at all and even continued with planned long haul flights. The EP was so matter of fact that I did not worry at all - was just frustrated!

SJB1234 profile image
SJB1234 in reply to Barb1

Yes I was on warfarin for 6years without any problems then last year they changed me to apixban, also like you I wonder if something happened as apixban was stopped on 21st December for 24hours as I was going to have the ablation then, but was cancelled, same last week apixban stopped, but when I had my first ablation in 2015 I was on warfarin and they did not stop it. So it could be the drugs.

Also when you had your clot did you carry on with every day life. I have got to go back in 6/8 weeks for another TOE then hopefully ablation 10/12 weeks later.

Did your ablation work?

Also have a holiday booked for Spain end of April so fingers crossed I will be able to go.

Hope you are keeping well now.

Thank you for your reply.

Barb1 profile image
Barb1 in reply to SJB1234

As I said I carried on completely as normal. There is no reason why you should not travel to Spain. My 4th ablation has so far lasted 4 years.

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