Post ablation symptoms

[Finnblu]

Hi, most of my symptoms are not heart-specific. They are nausea, headaches, fatigue, feeling weak and shaky in general, some dizziness. All of these symptoms come and go and trade-off with each other, making it difficult to know how I am going to feel one day to the next. I can only work from home right now, there is no way I could go to work and interact with people for 8 hours straight. I really think my nervous system took a HUGE hit and is now unable to regulate itself. Anyone else ever experience these symptoms still at 5 weeks in? I saw my cardio and spoke to the EP. I had an echo and blood work done and all came back fine. My heart seems fine - very minimal ectopics etc. They seem to think that my symptoms are not related to the ablation, but I can't imagine that they are not because I didn't feel like this prior to the ablation. I am 5 weeks post-ablation and still feel awful. I read the recovery sheet, but still wonder if I should be feeling this way......Can anyone relate?

[Beingthere]

Had an ablation done in August.Was prescribed Multaq for two months. The first month went reasonably well except for significant drop in blood-pressure, making it impossible to function well. Then suddenly three days ago I went back into Afib. First one lasted four hours, then the next one a day later. Cardiologists could not agree on the possibility of Multaq combined with my beta blocker plus blood thinner Eliquis may be responsible. One guy suggested dropping the Multaq, the one who had prescribed it insisted I’d take it for another month. I obliged, only to find myself in a prolonged Afib episode the next day resulting in an ER visit because my BP reader gave me error signs and heart rate monitor suggested that my heart rate was 35. At the hospital I was told that The rate indeed was 114 and that I was in Afib.

At this stage my doctor suggested I stop taking the Multaq. I converted over night and have not taken it today. So far so good.

Was also told that it takes at least three months for the heart to settle with the new

Scar, that blood pressure, heart rate changes as well as occasional Afib episodes are normal during that time period. It’s frustrating of course, but try rolling with it best you can. Don’t know if you are on a drug cocktail which may cause your symptoms. Mild exercise may also help some. Will keep the forum informed about my own progress and encourage everyone to continue asking questions and practicing patience.

[BobD Volunteer]

I think it far too early to say as it will be at least three to six months before your heart has healed. I had my ablation for atrial tachycardia on 15th August and still recovering. Hang in there.

[Ppiman]

Your experience and symptoms seem to be similar to my own. My ablation for persistent atrial flutter was in early June. A fortnight later I had a bad attack of fibrillation, eventually controlled by resuming bisoprolol.

I stopped the bisoprolol a few weeks ago and am now only taking rivaroxaban. Only recently have I begun to feel my old self a little more. I’m 66 and work part time from home teaching English, but until very recently at least, like you, I absolutely could not have resumed any kind of work-based employment owing to feeling so weak and weird.

What was the cause? Like you, my cardiologist couldn’t explain my symptoms. My ejection fraction had been reduced to 40-45% and the flutter had weakened my left ventricle and valve slightly but my heart is now back to normal again, shown by echo and stress MRI.

I have come to believe that anxiety likely played a large part in my symptomatology. I say this since it has only been following my MRI scan that I have begun to recover more fully. I suspect that once the fear of a hidden heart problem, or even of a heart attack, receded from the corners of my mind, I was able to begin to recover properly.

I still have plenty of ectopic beats and even times when I get worrying left-sided chest pains, mostly in the sternum and below the ribs, and also suffer a strange “puffy” breathlessness, especially after certain tasks or types of exertion. My cardiologist can’t explain this but insists it is not heart related. My GP - a wonderful doctor - puts it down to my hiatus hernia and acid reflux, and, indeed, puts everything, including the arrhythmias, down to this same cause. He believes the hernia is, at times, irritating the vagus nerve and diaphragm.

Steve

[Johnboy64]

Certainly had some cracking headaches post ablation. Not sure if that was the anaesthetic or something else. Went after a couple of months. General consensus seems to be 3-6 months to recover.

[Tapanac]

I have just replied to someone else, but 9 months after my ablation I had a bout of afib/tachycardia thanks to flu, I get lots of ectopic and palpitations, but now after 18 months I THINK I feel better. Takes time and everyone is different. All the best