Week 4 after ablation

[Lorlaw70]

Hi everyone, I hope this beautiful Sunday finds you all well.

Just a wee update on my progress. I developed pneumonia after my ablation and was on antibiotics for two weeks. Through all of that I managed to stay at home and slept knitted slept watched TV lol. I started going out for a daily walk a week ago some days I can manage it others days I feel like I am walking through treacle. I came off of amiodarone yesterday Yahoo as per the ep instructions. I have been feeling pains in my chest not to bad though and I am struggling to breath on any exertion and am wheezing don't know if this is the pneumonia or my heart healing. Some days I feel absolutely great others I feel like a space cadet and all life drained out of my.

I was wondering if the amiodarone was making my chest worse and now that I am off it how long till I see a difference.

Thank you all so much for all your support.

Laura

[Shcldavies]

Glad to hear your recovering though the pneumonia would have set you back, funny a few on here have contracted pneumonia following their ablation. It must be difficult doing nothing for so long, I am in my 5th day post ablation and getting really frustrated (all TV'd out) but please its over, though Dr Lang told me that I had not been cured and would have to continue with the meds but at least he did some work and now knows just what the condition is (MAT). Really thought I could be doing more by now but looks like BobD was right (again). We just have to take it easy.

[Lorlaw70 in reply to Shcldavies]

It's awful sitting doing nothing productive! That's why I took up knitting lol. It was Dr Lang that did my ablation he told me 75-80% chance it worked. What a bummer about your ablation, are you ok on the meds, they didnt work for me. What is MAT?

Take care and are bobd states rest and rest Some more he really is a great source of guidance to us all.

Laura x

[Shcldavies in reply to Lorlaw70]

Sorry about the abbreviation MAT is Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia, where there are too many areas in the right atria of the heart that start the Tachycardia to ablate all of them, he did do at least 3 (that I was awake for) and these should help. My meds are ok Bisoprolol and since December Digoxin as well. They worked good up until the ablation but heart rate now too low (in low 40s) so Meds will need some adjustment - perhaps a sign the the ablation is already helping. What I am confident about is the quality of our Doctors, they have the knowledge to know what is best for us. If Dr Lang told you 75-80% then I am sure your condition is now well on the way to recovery, overdoing it now may jeopardise your recovery so keep listening to BobD and do very little for now. Please keep posting on your recovery as I can use it as a benchmark.

[GrannyE in reply to Shcldavies]

Puzzles keep one sitting. Many years ago I took up making icing sugar flowers etc for just that reason. Taught myself. Made my daughter’s 3 tier wedding cake and many more celebration cakes for friends and family. Sewing also good. Keeping up with distant friends via email etc brilliant.

[Shcldavies in reply to GrannyE]

Thats good you have found productive activities you enjoy, best I can manage is very light duties around the house and surfing the web, have been obsessed with taking pulse and BP but just over that now. So board yesterday watched parliamentary questions, our MPs are very good at asking the same questions different ways but they appear to be a bit backward at not accepting the same answer time again. Perhaps I am a bit grumpy and they are doing their best.

[Lorlaw70 in reply to Shcldavies]

I am just living a very sedatory lifestyle at the moment!! It's all you can you. You must be bored watching Mps lol

[GrannyE in reply to Shcldavies]

Don't you have any DVDs that make you laugh? Or even Netflix or Amazon? I am afraid that the antics of our MPs does not do my bp any good at the moment so I do sudokus and crosswords which you can pick up and put down. You can only watch so much TV. Surfing the net is good because there is always something new to learn isn't there?

[Becksagogo]

Laura please don't rush things. If you can't do it, don't do it. If you want to sleep then please sleep. Your body is what you need to be listening to!

Hope you feel better soon.

[Lorlaw70 in reply to Becksagogo]

Hi Becksagogo- thank you for your advice. I am just resting and resting some more, but it is hard going when your used to being active lol.

[Becksagogo in reply to Lorlaw70]

Oh I know. I am on a phased return to work at the moment. I am supposed to do 9 to 5.30 Monday to Friday but I am struggling to get passed three "long days" and two with shorter hours. Fortunately my employer is very understanding.

[Hidden in reply to Becksagogo]

Bob is right. I used to hear surgeons tell patients. 50% of a good recovery is patients taking good care of themselves post op.

I hope you feel better soon. I felt tired a long time after my ablation (2016). But now all is fine. No meds, no symptoms. Am in permanent a-fib. But was already permanent before the ablation. Also have a pacemaker-working well too.

Take care. irina

[Lorlaw70 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Irina1975 - thank you so much for your kind words. For once in my life I am doing what I have been told to do lol I do not want to undo all the good work of Dr Lang however it has been an extremely stressful time over the past few weeks.

Good to hear you are doing well.

Laura

[Morzine]

Gosh well I had pneumonia a couple of years back and that itself was wearing and hard to bounce back, I reckoned n it was six weeks.......so you have had the ablation on top. With my pneumonia it was the fluctuation of energy as I got over it......so don’t worry it sounds normal....plus your hearts still healing too......and that may be upsetting the energy too as I’m four weeks after ablation and thought I was doing well but the last two days my walkies have felt quite draining......

Hope you will be brighter soon,

Sue

[Lorlaw70 in reply to Morzine]

Hi Morzine - thanks for your advice. It's comforting to know other people's experiences, my GP said it would take about six weeks for recovery. I am having funny pains in my chest nothing debilitating but just there. I thought I was feeling better this morning started to potter round house then bam feel very tired and legs very heavy. So I have taken myself off to sit for awhile and do some knitting lol. I stopped Amiodrarone on Saturday as per EP advice and I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

Thanks again for your reassurance.

All the best

Laura x

[Morzine in reply to Lorlaw70]

Oh Lorlaw, the pneumonia surprised me the same as you just how long it takes.....we’d go into morzine and I’d have been feeling fine and to do our normal walkies and I’d say to my husband I have leaded legs, we had to give up. Took ages, a good six weeks of thinking I was recovered then I wasn’t!..... Plus you’ve had the ablation....I’m four weeks post ablation now and have done well felt normal, but my energy has dipped the last few days walking.....which I’m told is normal so you’ve got double whammy with both things to get over.....I’m going to not do so much......best to be on sage side......The breathing I think is thenonemonia as I felt like that.....it’s as if you just haven’t the usual breath intake.....it will go.....nobody told me anything just got antibiotics and left to get in with it......as for the ablation I have started getting little stabbing pains in my heart , once in a while......I suppose that’s normal.......but we are soooooooooo sensitive to any twinge heart wise aren’t we........gosh I never gave my heart a second thought for 64 years.....till last May!!

Sue

[Lorlaw70 in reply to Morzine]

Hi Morzine - it's awful. I am only 48 and feel like a 80 year old in fact my dad who is 80 this year is moving about better than me lol. I am looking at it as a positive though if I didn't develop this I would of continued in the way I run my life full steam ahead working hard and playing hard, I was always the life and soul of a party and always the last to leave. My work I gave my heart and soul into sometimes working to midnight. I am now practicing mindfulness calming down and my main focus is my family and close friends. So it's a blessing all in all made me rethink my life.

Hope you continue to be well Sue.

Take care

Laura x

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[GrannyE]

Do you think that it started because during the ablation they put so much fluid into the body to cool the laser? Good luck. Pacing oneself is the most difficult of things to do but vital.

[Lorlaw70 in reply to GrannyE]

Hi GrannyE- I had a cyroablation. I don't know but the Dr told me that they froze a nerve going into my diaphragm. I am just sitting knitting lol

Take care

Laura

[lizardo]

I feel just the same. I have had a week of feeling really quite well and then last night it hit me again. I thought my heart was going to pounce out of my chest. My heart was racing and I was too frightened to go to sleep unless I didn't wake up. I have felt terrible all day today, no energy, pains in my legs so can only walk a few metres. I never thought that at the young age of 70 I would ever feel like this.

[Lorlaw70 in reply to lizardo]

Hi lizardo- it's awful isn't it you can just never predict it! Hope your feeling better. Laura x

[lizardo in reply to Lorlaw70]

Thanks for your concern Lorlaw.

[GrannyE in reply to lizardo]

Oh dear you poor thing. Good luck to you. Hope you feel better soon. It is horrible when your heart goes bonkers, Deep breathing helps a bit.

[lizardo in reply to GrannyE]

I couldn't describe it better GrannyE......my heart gone bonkers That phrase brought back memories. When I was nursing, many moons ago, if patients asked me what cancer was, I used to tell them it was your cells gone bonkers. Perhaps you were one of my expatients and pinched that phrase off me!!!!

[GrannyE in reply to lizardo]

I have been v lucky in that I have never had cancer. How are things today

[GrannyE in reply to lizardo]

Just had a thought. How is your iron? I have just had to get a complete blood count plus iron. I know that when my iron is low my heart has to work much too hard.

[Lorlaw70 in reply to GrannyE]

Never thought about lack of iron I will get it checked out thanks. X