Ablation 8 weeks on

[Sfhmgusa]

So I hope it is not too self centred/boring to give an 8 weeks on update on my ablation

Quick recap 10 July first ever ablation two weeks NSR and very gentle on myself,

then big disappointment as 2 solid weeks of fast afib resulted in needing cardio inversion and lots (8,75mg) of Bisoprolol daily.

Cardio inversion gave me a week plus of NSR but I felt utterly dreadful as the Bisoprolol made me weak tired and sometimes struggling to breath.

Cold turkey for 3-4 days as I moved from beta blocker to Diltiazem calcium channel blocker and 50mg Flecainide two times a day, but....

I then had a week with just a few ectopics (Usually signals oncoming Afib for me) but nothing more. was this light at the end of the tunnel?

No or just maybe no... Because afib started at 4.am on Thursday and I was running 150 bpm but feeling nothing like as bad as normal, and despite resigning myself to another long haul ... 24 hours later (Again at 4.00am unusually) I went back into NSR and I am still there.

Certainly my ablated heart is behaving differently, and I have not had a small 24 hour "Session" for a couple of years normally 4-14 days was norm. Also it feels like my heart is behaving differently than before more "Organised" even in Afib.

So I think progress has been made, I hold a 10% hope that over the next month or so it will continue to improve and may have "Worked" but 90% of me thins this is a work in progress with another ablation later this year

My definition of "Worked" is only anticoagulant meds daily no "Blocker" or regulators other than as PIP

Steve

[BobD Volunteer]

Still very early days Steve. As we say in the fact sheet three to six months for recovery and many peoeple are still improving at a year. Keep the faith.

[secondtry]

Thanks for your report Steve, can we have another in 8 weeks?

[Jajarunner]

Wishing you all the best x

[ETFCfan]

Hope you continue to improve. Good luck.

[Hidden]

Hi Steve. Stay positive! It took 4 months for me to see any improvement after my last ablation and I’m still recovering over a year later - and still thinking about coming off/reducing the drugs, but I feel so much better - hope it works out for you!

[Dodie117]

My heart too was very erratic and took 5 months before I suddenly realised a full week had passed without any af. That was 2013 and I am still free of AF - no meds, just anticoagulants. So stay positive, be good to yourself and good luck 🤞🍀🙏

[stoneyrosed]

Hope you continue to improve 👍 I personally like to read peoples recovery progress and stories of their ablations as i have just recently been put on the waiting list for hopefully my first and last ablation. I do hope covid doesnt scupper my chances. Go well 😁

[Morzine]

Don’t overdo things yet it’s early. And I don’t think u can make a decision if it’s worked for ages yet. I wasn’t myself energywise for a good six months. In fact even after .

Just go with the flow, and if u get ectopics don’t think anything of them.....try and forget your heart exists! Stay positive.

Sue

[Sparky143]

Interesting what you say about "more organised" after the Ablation.

[Sfhmgusa in reply to Sparky143]

Hi Sparky I now know that the "organization"/regularity was a form of atrial flutter. this got more incessant and I had a second ablation 3 months and 8 days after the first. That second procedure has put me (Blissfully) in NSR since the 18th of November. The EP said Flutter was easier to ablate but harder to medicate, and I can certainly vouch for that. Flecainide did nothing and i needed 8mg of Bisoprolol to get my rate to around 100 BPM Overall I strongly think Ablation should be "sold" as a two/three stage process with lucky ones getting a right first time.

Steve

[Sparky143 in reply to Sfhmgusa]

Sigh... 😕Thanks.