Ablation

[Stingray123]

Hi All,

I had a cardiac ablation about 3weeks ago,all seems ok now from operation...But I have had problems breathing,finding it hard to get a air,feels like I’m suffocating has anyone else had this problem?

Regards Sting

[CDreamer]

I think it would be sensible to see your doctor as soon as possible and explain the problem and ask for an X-ray.

If you put Phrenic Nerve damage into the search engine you will see several posts of people with this rare complications of ablation.

Purely from memory, the damage repairs itself in time but this is one for medical exam and expertise.

[Stingray123 in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you 🙏 for your reply

[CDreamer in reply to Stingray123]

healthunlocked.com/afassoci....

[jerseygirl49 in reply to CDreamer]

Something else now for me to worry about for my husband's ablation next week - hadn't seen or heard of this one before but knowledge is all. Thank you.

[CDreamer in reply to jerseygirl49]

It’s quite rare & in all the years I’ve been contributing to this forum I’ve only ever seen a few posts about it - worrying about maybes doesn’t help anyone, least of all you. Take one day at a time.

[jerseygirl49 in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you - I'm a born worrier anyway which doesn't help.

[pottypete1 in reply to jerseygirl49]

Quite understandable for you to worry but take it from me complications are rare.

Pete

[jerseygirl49 in reply to pottypete1]

Thank you. I am very positive about the procedure really and John sailed through his first so I just hope this one next week will be the same but the result last a lot longer. I know there are no guarantees.

[Sfhmgusa in reply to jerseygirl49]

Hi I had my ablation less than 2 weeks ago and went through worrying about every complication under the sun beforehand. Knowing the risks is useful but has its limits. It is helpful to focus on the benefits and the very strong likelihood of success in the procedure . Good luck to your husband and you the procedure is complex but these folk really do know what they are doing

[jerseygirl49 in reply to Sfhmgusa]

Thank you. I'm very happy that your ablation has gone well and in fact printed out your post last week for John to read. Its good to see on this forum that so many ablations are now planned and going ahead - we thought John was going to have to wait until early next year even when we were in the midst of the Covid-19 peak.

My biggest challenge will be getting him to rest and rest some more once he returns home.

[pip_pip]

Hi Sting. Have you not got a hotline for nurse after ablation in case of problems ? You might consider contacting the ep secretary by phone. Gp would be second on the list.

Phil

[Mouchkin]

Hello . I had this too and you will see I wrote about it. My phrenic nerve had been damaged and one lung didn’t work properly. I was told about it afterwards. It was a real nuisance but I was told it would probably gradually heal . I had a special X-ray which confirmed it a couple of months after the ablation.

It is 18months since my ablation and I am fine now ...feeling really well. It took me awhile to get back on my feet but there has been a steady recovery.

It is horrible at first. I used to sleep with extra pillows and had to move slower than usual especially on the stairs.

Just to be sure I think you need to get in touch with the medics as you might need an X-ray to see if you have phrenic nerve damage.

Hope you soon feel better.

[Fastbeat]

I also had phrenic nerve damage,all good now.I did write some posts at the timeso you should still be able to read them.Best wishes for quick recovery whatever your problem turns out to be.

[Jajarunner]

I was a bit breathless and they said it was normal for first three months. But I'd call your EP or arrythmia nurses to double check if I were you

[Morzine]

No I wasn’t like that....you Should ring your doctor

Sue

[Buffafly]

I had that feeling straight after ablation, was a bit woozy and thought I was drowning! A while later I had a chest CT scan for something else and they said I had a small pneumothorax which I suspect was left over from the ablation. Definitely get a checkup

[Mondoug]

An excellent book, about “Breathing”, for all of us to read is: “The Oxygen Challenge” by Patrick McKeown!

It presents exciting information, research and practice details of nose and mouth breathing!!!

[thumpthump]

Hi, my phrenic nerve was irritated during my operation and I was a little breathless for a while but not to the scale you are talking about.

Worth getting it checked out to be sure. Best of luck with your recovery.