Up date 6 days post Cryoablation

[KazDD]

Well here I am 6 days on from Cryoablation under sedation. I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all the lovely people here who helped calm my many anxieties and gave practical advice in the lead up to the procedure, I am forever grateful to you all! 😘😘

The actual ablation, as many of you said was not as bad as I imagined it would be. In the hope that it may help others I will add how it was for me below, so apologies for the length of my post!

Gowned up I arrived at the cath lab and was asked to lay on a narrow table to which arm rests and freezing cold jel cushions were added 'for my comfort' they said. Warm ones would have been oh so much more comfortable!! In fact the whole room was cold and I was shivering uncontrollably within about 5 mins. Very grateful that they allowed me to wear my fluffy socks and slipper boots throughout. They also laid my thick dressing gown over my lower legs and feet, so glad I had them.

So what did it feel like and what do I remember .....

Someone stickered up my chest, abdomen and down one leg and wired me up to an impressive looking bank of 6 screens, 3 above & 3 below, them disappeared and returned with a lovely hot blanket .... did I mention it was freezing in the room!

I was given some fairy dust via a cannula in my arm and an oxygen mask and remember someone said they were going to do the local anaesthetic in my right groin and from then onwards I have short but clear snap shot memories with no sense of time. I was briefly aware of what felt like a strong pressure on my groin, not pain but discomfort. I was aware of shivering and another hot blanket being added on top of me, apparently I ended up with about 4. I reckon they gave me more fairy dust to keep me still! 😉

I remember several very strong beating, wobbling sensation in the left side of my chest under my arm which felt really weird but not painful.

I remember looking at the bottom right monitor and seeing a trace that looked like someone had scribbled sharp peaks and valley across the monitor with red pen

I remember swallowing and feeling nauseous and turning to someone by my left shoulder and telling them I feel sick and repeating I'm going to be sick. They fetched a sick bowl but I have absolutely no recollection of using it or being sick.

I remember hearing someone telling me to take a deep breath.

I remember feeling them gathering up the sheet around me and sliding me over to what I am assuming was a bed/trolley.

And then I was back on the ward in bed with no memory of getting there. I slept most of the time waking periodically to hear the nurse say "hello just checking your groin, you sleep it off" I had prepared music on my phone, a book to read and a few snacks but all I did was sleep.

Apparently I was in the cath lab for about 3 hours and had had a whole load of fairy dust.

My blood pressure had dropped down to 58 / 32 at one point, interestingly this had also happened 3 weeks prior to my ablation when I had popped into fast AF and ended up in A&E.

Home by 4.30 pm, no sleepover for me 😀 and slept!

Day 2 - Woke at around 3 am and felt like I had been hit by a truck! My chest hurt when I breathed in and it hurt to bend forward. Groin had a black linear bruise but didn't really hurt, not that I poked to find out! Did nothing but rest all day and take paracetamol for the pain.

Day 3 - Much more comfortable. Still feel discomfort from breathing in & bending forward but not as badly as day 2. Feel as though I have trapped wind in my upper abdomen and want to burp (not very lady like!) Again a day of rest, rest and a bit more rest.

Day 4 - Again just a little more improvement and I am moving around indoors more but nothing strenuous. Stomach still feels bloated and a bit uncomfortable.

Day 5 - Deckchair out on the decking in the sun with a book with a bit more very gentle pottering in the house. Went for a very slow, very short walk with my daughter.

Day 6 - Much the same as day 5. Still have the bloated feeling, not much of an appetite and some achy sensations on the left side of my chest. Some aching on deep breathing but not so much on bending now. Over all I am improving.

My heart has for the most part behaved. I have had a few brief flutters and just one brief moment of strong thumping.

I hope my waffling is helpful to someone.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter with a calm & steady beat!

Kaz xx

[BobD Volunteer]

Well done and do keep resting for another week at least as we say in our fact sheet. You must have had a fair amount of fairy dust./juice! All my ablations have been under GA so as Manuel would say "I know nothing".

[rosyG]

well done! Take care of yourself now..,

[Enjoy]

Really interesting post. Thank you. Take it slowly.

[Hidden]

I’m glad that it all seems to be going well for you. I will very likely have to have this procedure carried out in the not too distant future and so am always interested to hear first-hand accounts like yours- they are so much more informative than “official” accounts of ablations from organisations.

I hope you don’t mind my asking a couple of questions. You describe “snap shot sensations with no sense of time” when you were given the sedative. Did this, basically , feel like you were asleep and being woken up from time to time -or would you say that it was a strange or unusual psychological sensation? Could you elaborate a bit? Second question: if you felt discomfort, were you able to communicate with the medical team and be aware of their response?

[KazDD in reply to Hidden]

Hi Samazeuilh,

I don't mind at all, ask away. I think all the reading and asking I did in the lead up to the ablation allowed me to be so much calmer on the day, even calmer than I had hoped to be!

The snap shot memories were very much like being briefly woken from sleep from time to time. By having no sense of time, I meant that I could not put the memories in chronological order or say where in the 3 hours that I was on the table for that they happened. I think if I had woken in pain I would have been able to make my feelings known. I know I was able to verbally tell them that I felt sick.

I do not remember saying anything hurt but I suspect that it was discomfort that woke me and because there seemed to always be someone watching me they recognised the signs and topped up my fairy dust and sent me back to the land of nod before I got a chance to moan. They probably also note muscle movement & tension too. I kind of remember tensing up my leg automatically when it felt like strong pressure had been applied to my groin. No idea what they were doing and the memory is very brief.

From what I remember of the experience I can say that at no time was I in either pain, or discomfort, for any length of time as far as I am aware, which is fine absolutely by me 😁

If I needed to go through it again I would be OK with that. Fear of the unknown and our imaginations can cause very powerful emotions & feelings!

Try to keep calm and not over think everything. I found focusing more on the practical planning side of things helped calm my nerves too.

All the best

Kaz x

[Hidden in reply to KazDD]

Thanks for the info which was very informative- often it’s not always clear what people mean exactly when they say they were “away with the fairies” or suchlike. My interpretation now is that it’s like being in heavy sleep and being woken from time to time in a rather groggy state, perhaps not fully awake. And whilst there is no great inclination to say anything you felt able to if you really needed to. Thanks once again.

[irene75359]

Thank you so much for the blow-by-blow (wrong description perhaps!) account of your ablation. I, too, found it really interesting. Just take it very easy now.

[Hidden]

Really good post, thanks for your story.

Luckily I was done under GA, so like Bob, know nothing.

I do remember the cold though, and the shivering. Although I put most of that down to fear!!

Take it easy

[Adiepie]

Congratulations! Welcome to the post ablation club. We survivors must stick together!!!! Seriously though, it’s the expectation that far exceeds the experience. I’ve had two, one cryo , very similar to yours, and a RF top up two weeks ago, which was a little more uncomfortable as I seemed to be fully awake this time. A few moments of significant discomfort, but not really pain. Have been for a (gentle) 22k bike ride a few days ago, plus just been walking the dogs on the beach. Had fairly bad indigestion after six days, but that’s cleared up now. Keep relaxing and getting better!

[KazDD in reply to Adiepie]

WOW .... 22k (13.6702 miles ... had to look that up) after procedure 2 weeks ago 😳 And there was me trying not to 'over do it' pottering about in the house and garden. I've been positively sloth like this past week. Washed and blow dried my hair yesterday and that wiped me out! I will wiggle a bit more in the next few days and see how I go.

Keep well!