I have found so much interesting & helpful information regarding PAF on this site. But, would be interested to know whether after ablation (ga or sedation) you have to lie completely flat and for how long approx.? (I know it is to stop the bleeding from the groin)
I have not got ablation planned as cardiologist wants to see how I get on with Diltiazapan first. I ask because everytime after surgery and a ga I have felt and been quite sick despite warning them before surgery - so wondered if any of you have experienced sickness and how are you managed if you have to lie flat - and do they lie you flat without a pillow?
As others have mentioned some of us with AF tend to prop ourselves up with a few pillows at night so I can't imagine how it feels to lie flat and still for ?? Quite a few hours after
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Gowers
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It is normal for one to lay quite flat for at least three to four hours after the procedure to allow the groin wound to heal. It is for this reason that in our fact sheet on recovering from ablation we advise taking a sports drinking bottle so that you can sip water more easily.
You could always ask for anti sickness meds? I was offered them although I didn’t need them & my memory was I wasn’t completely flat but I had a dragon of a nurse standing over me - literally - to make sure I didn’t move or try to change position.
I am always sick after anaesthetic but when I had my ablation the anaesthetist questioned me closely and seemed to be determined to prevent that - she gave me so much medication I had a mouth full of cotton wool for the whole night! So don't forget the water bottle - I did 🙄 I was so doped up I had no desire to move - the worst part was using a bedpan 😫 busting but the message to go didn't go! Hope that isn't tmi? Other people seem to have had different experiences but I have to say I spent a lot of time away with the fairies so didn't notice the lying flat. I was most concerned about my back because I have a spinal problem and was afraid I'd be in pain when I got up but didn't have any trouble.
Thank you - the water bottle is a good idea, not so sure about the bedpan!! No ablation planned at the moment but the lying still bit has bothered me. I guess they have to sedate you pretty heavily as part of the recovery and keeping still.
To be honest if you do get to the point where you need/want an ablation then you would walk through fire to get there and your concerns will be as nothing! There is an old saying "when the pupil is ready the teacher will come."
The first ablation I was to lie flat for 4-6 hours. Which was fine until I needed a pee. I then knocked the scab off my entry site and bled quite a lot out of my groin to the point I had two rather nice blonde nurses pressing on my crotch for a bit.
Whilst not completely unpleasant, this resulted in staying pretty much flat for another 12 hours, being scared to go for a wee (I don't think I did until the morning) and a horrendous bruise (there's a photo of it on here somewhere).
2nd ablation onwards they've been keen to avoid a repeat. This was to the point of a very frustrating overnight stay where I was done on the morning list but not allowed to stand up and pee or get changed into my own PJs all night for fear of flooding the bed with blood again.
In each instance after the first, they've put a "fem stop" on which initially sounded like some sort of female sanitary product but is infact a ball in a belt they tighten around your groin and release slowly so as to make sure you've clotted. Had significantly less bleeding and only after the 5th where I said "it's only been an hour, are you sure..." have they taken it off and there's been a bleed problem.
For my lying flat generally makes my restless legs/knee pain/stiffness a lot worse and contributes to a more uncomfortable recovery than if my right leg was "normal".
That sounds horrendous and must have been quite frightening
Like you I have restless leg + painful knees.
I had the fem stop on my wrist after angiogram and it soon stopped the bleeding. Person next to me in recovery decided to take his off as it felt too tight! - the nurses were soon there re-applying pressure, thank you for sharing your experience
I don't remember lying completely flat. I am sure that I had 2 pillows. There was no getting up for 4 hrs. The bed pan looked like a 2" deep tin tray which I was rolled on to.
I had no bruising - Liverpool have pioneered vein location using ultrasound .
Not heard of ultrasound being used in vein location before - that's interesting - was that to find veins in heart? It is never easy using bedpan and must be more difficult when you have to keep as still as possible.
Um, sorry to point this out but for those few hours there will be things making you feel much worse than the sickness you describe as a result of the procedure.... but as the nurse said to my wife "he will get over it, it's not man flu"
I actually didn’t feel too bad at all with the exception of laying flat no pain just a little uncomfortable but I slept ....once that was over and I could move and use the restroom I felt great
The main thing is to apply some gentle pressure to the incision sites to help promote healing soon after the procedure. I did this for about 4 or 5 hours and had no issues after. I have heard of others bleeding/getting infected.
They won't sit there for 5-6 hours and apply pressure to the site..they did initially, then I did for several hours. Yes, I was laying down, and you have to stay as still as possible. I'd recommend having someone in the room with you after the procedure, as I didn't even lean up to get a glass of water.
I thought as others have mentioned that you leave the cath lab with pressure dressing on after the procedure which the nursing staff check & tighten every so often - (that's what happened after my angiogram)
I didn’t have that. Once the catheters were removed, I applied old-fashioned hand pressure to the gauze that was remaining there, and everything was fine.
After my last ablation (3rd one ) I felt quite sick on and off which the nurse said was from all the sedation and pain relief I had (I did ask for shed loads this time as on my previous 2 I had felt quite a bit of pain during the procedures)So this time I slept a lot throughout the ablation and it was a much better experience.The EP also put a stitch in my groin this time which was removed after 4hrs .When I was finally allowed to get up some 6hrs afterwards I still felt sick and maybe it was the movement that triggered it but I was extremely sick. Luckily I had managed to walk the short distance to the toilet accompanied by the nurse who was stood outside and kept asking if I was okay which wasnt easy answering in-between each vomit !!
Like others have said they can give you anti sickness meds so don't worry about it .
Thank you for replying - interesting to read about having a stitch put in, not heard about that before. Yes, I would imagine combination of GA etc would make you quite sick + the getting up after lying still for a while
Hi, I am on day 10 post cryoablation under sedation and also had a stitch put in. I do remember swallowing and telling someone whilst 'on the table' that I thought I was going to be sick. I remember them coming back with a sick bowl but have no recollection of actually being sick. I think they may have topped up my sedation and given me some thing to stop the nausea. I don't remember anyone applying pressure and only knew I had a stitch when the nurse said she was going to take it out. I was lying flat with 1 flat pillows (I think) after the procedure for about 4 hours but had had so much sedation I slept for most of it so it really wasn't a problem 😴 I have a slightly prolapsed disc so was concerned about laying down for so long but have not had any problems.
I was really worried about this too before my ablation. When my arrhythmias kick off the first thing I do is get up and walk away, even though everyone tells me to sit down, it’s like I’m trying to get away from it. I just didn’t know how I would cope not being able to move during the ablation, that along with the lying flat afterwards. Lying completely flat makes me feel uncomfortable and has always affected my heart so being forced to lie still for hours on my back freaked me out.
I can honestly say that neither were a problem on the day. Lying flat and still during the ablation was easy, it was really warm and surprisingly comfy and so much was going on that I didn’t think about it at all.
When I went into the recovery bay a nurse applied pressure to my wound for an hour,I was so relieved that it was all over I felt relaxed for the first time in weeks. I was then transferred to the ward and stayed flat for another 3 hours, they raised the head of the bed a few inches every hour. I was lucky because they let my husband come in and he distracted me. Again my feeling of relief and general tiredness from everything that had happened stopped me feeling stressed, the time passed really quickly. I bled no more than a couple of dots on the plaster they applied on the ward and I didn’t get any bruising at all, not even a tiny one. I just had 3 little tiny tiny holes in my groin that felt a bit tender.
I woke up in recovery room in a normal bed. very comfortable, remain their until the nurse made sure I wasn't bleeding from the procedure a couple of hours. not uncomfortable at all. I had a meal while I waited and watched TV. Then they made me walk around to make sure I could. then they sent me home. Nothing to worry about.
I have three ablations and counting them in recovery I laid flat for six hours. I was lightly sedated but never heard or felt a thing. In my room I dozed or watched TV and was able to have pillows under my head. Luckily didn’t have to go to bathrooom. Did not have any groin bleeding- pressure was applied in recovery- too dopey to know how long but don’t think an hour.
6hours sounded like such a long time when I read about recovery but, reading your (and other folk experiences) seems it is not as bad as it sounds. Thank you for explaining your after-care
You don't have to be completely flat I had a pillow and you can move your other leg and arms obviously. It really isn't torture. The water bottle idea is good but if you forget you can use straw (hospitals have them😉)
I managed to hold on so avoided having to use a bed pan.
Take some headphones or a book. It definitely is not the reason to defer having an ablation.
Re sickness not sure when you last had a GA but the anti sickness meds are much better these days. As sometime else said make sure they know you are prone to post op sickness.
If you decide in an ablation I'm sure you'll find the bed rest far less of an issue than you think it will be.
My sister had a small cerebral bleed a few years ago and she was on bed rest for days that would be a challenge. 4 hours (some of which you'll be asleep) passes v quickly.
Thank you - I have found the experiences of those contributing on this forum very helpful - I have picked up a lot of advice & tips which will be a great help if I need ablation (cardiologist waiting to see if change of meds will help at the moment)
When I returned to the CCU after the three ablations I had under a general anaesthetic I had a catheter and was so doped out from the meds it was no drama laying flat. After my most recent one I was oxygen for about 5 hours too. My first ablation under sedation wasn’t great. During the 4 hour procedure I’d had a couple of litres of IV fluid, and no catheter, so an hour or so after I really needed a wee. The nurse bought in a bedpan but I wasn’t allowed to sit up. Weeing in a bedpan whilst laying flat is challenging but I managed it. The catheters in the subsequent ablations made life a lot easier.
I had my phone and headphones in my bag and had downloaded a number of podcasts which I listened to, in between drifting off to sleep.
Thank you so much for explaining how you got on - my cardiologist isn't keen on sedation as according to him he often ends up giving GA anyway. He likes his patient to be kept very still & relaxed.
Yes, I know using a bedpan is not easy at the best of times!
Maybe I was just lucky but it was four and a half hours GA from 13:00 and I was actually quite fine afterwards. Other than I had the driest mouth in the world that night and drank four litres of water overnight but I was getting myself up for the loo a couple of hours after I came to.
I was propped up reading as I didn't sleep that night. Not through being in any pain or discomfort but weirdly not at all tired. Stitches came out next day.
That's interesting - sounds like you made a great recovery & hope you still feeling the benefits? That would be me unable to sleep! But good to hear you were allowed to sit propped up
Hey Gowers! I was feeling really tired the next 10 days following my ablation, I wasn't allowed to move from my bed for a week if I remember (because of the groin recovery process).
My heartbeat were fast for 3 months after the procedure (my average before was 60-70 at rest, after it jump to 85-90 now it is 73-79).
I experienced headache sometimes (hopefully not often maybe once a week). Lately I was able to practice my workout with higher intensity (I'm 5 months post ablation)
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My recovery from my pulse field ablation April 15.
apixaban and hematuria 
shortness of breath
3% Afib burden and proposed medication
breathlessness 
