My consultant suggested I join this site and stop googling . . .
Quick Summary = Saw consultant only twice and immediately booked in for a PVI Cryo ablation and a CTI ablation with a view to also targeting any additional foci or atrial ectopy. Good job I was sat down at the time. I am 40 years old and the prospect of being on drugs the rest of my life is not filling me with joy.
Its my first general anaesthetic as well (increasing my anxiety) so I just wanted to know from those who have actually experienced it what to expect. I am very worried about Saturday and some people tell me ill be up and about within 12 hours and some telling me it will take six weeks to fully recover from the GA. Any thoughts?
Many thanks in advance.
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fabjabfab
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Please follow these links and read our fact sheets on preparing for and recovering from ablation then if you still have questions come back and ask. these have been prepared by patients for patients so are real not fiction.
Yes thank you. Sorry I should of responded to Bob earlier but my husband made me eat something. The information is very good, exactly what I needed. To be honest I was freaked out initially but after reading a couple of times and allowing time to sink in my brain clicked to life. Its always best to know what to expect, and as wonderful as my Consultant is he never explained half of that information. I am incredibly grateful, thank you so much.
Six weeks seems unusually long but we are all different and consequently can react differently when recovering from a GA. I felt a bit nauseous overnight but that began to wear off by the time I got home. We also say that whilst EP’s are a very talented bunch of folk, they do not have the experience of being on the receiving end of the ablation and normally when they next see their patient, 3 or maybe 6 months have elapsed (unless it’s done privately) by which time most have forgotten any issues they may have had in the early days. What we tend to hear from younger and fitter patients is that they actually feel OK within a couple of weeks and therefore there is a temptation to do too much to quick. Your groin is likely to be quite bruised for a while after the procedure and we often say if your groin is bruised, just think what the inside of your heart must look like. Helps to focus the mind 😉...Hope all goes well, please let us know how you get on.....
I think that a GA can take 6 weeks to leave your body completely but that doesn't mean that you are having bad side effects or any side effects for all of this time - though of course some people might - we are all different. I have avoided GA's where possible and have had both a hip replacement and total knee replacement (TKR) with an epidural and sedation. I have to say you don't get that foggy feeling which you get with a GA for a few days after but other than that have been OK for the rest of the time and the recovery process from the operation/procedure started in the same way as it would have whether a GA or local anaesthetic and sedation given. Years ago a Valium based sedation and/or pre-med was used which I don't believe is used much now but my wife had a bad reaction to that so now goes with just local but she has not had a major op and think she may change her mind if she had a hip replacement or knee replacement! I did ask the anaesthetist if I could do without the sedation for my hip and he advised me not to. Took his advice and everything was fine. The operation is no different though and all the feelings, pain and recovery time - brutal physio (in the case of the TKR) that go with that remain the same unfortunately.
What I have always found and I will probably find with the ablation is that worrying beforehand is generally worse than the operation or procedure itself. I have my ablation booked for Tuesday week, 20th October - just had the call earlier and not feeling that good myself now and still wondering whether to go ahead in these weird covid times. Not helped by the fact that the city where the hospital is is in local lockdown. Though actually the hospital is outside just about a mile off the motorway but people working there will generally be from that city. Ah well. will make the best of it and try not to worry too much use my yoga breathing when things get silly. This is not helped by the fact that I am still in NSR from my Cardioversion back in February so feel so good and it seems silly to go through this when I am OK.
I agree - The Covid issue is a worry. I am having my procedure in Nottingham and never venture out of my sleepy village unless I have to. I think the hospitals are in control though judging by all the hoops I have ad to complete prior to acceptance. Glad your aversion was a success, I have been given a wealth of info on other treatments to read through while i was wearing my heart tape but they bounced me straight to ablation. I am sure they would not tell you to have it if its not necessary.
Ill let you know how mine goes and send over some positive energy
On a completely different subject, as I have been put on a no carb diet to lose weight and since talking to you on this platform - all I can think about now is flap jacks. Serious cravings.
Yes its hard isn't it with food related things. Ever noticed how you get hungry when they have food programmes on TV at about 8 just when you have finished your last meal of the day? We often sneak a ryvita and marmite then - trying to be as good as we can be! I have put on a little weight during the lockdown and after as my wife has started baking again. We used to treat ourselves to half a crunchie on Fridays. and half a brownie from Lidl on Saturday and Sunday evenings and that was it. However when you bake breads, cakes, sponges, brownies etc you tend to eat more and quicker - well it would go off if you didn't LOL. Put on 5lbs so hopefully still OK and a lot lighter than I was pre prostate cancer treatment in 2016/17 - lost a lot of muscle mass thanks to hormone therapy and then the double whammy of AF a few months afterwards - just as I was starting to get on well with resistance training again when I couldn't do much at all to help get some muscle tone back. Ah well at my age I am not doing so badly and its all better than the altenative
Lots of us have had the ablation, trust me the worst bit is all the fretting beforehand.......once you get in that hospital a wave of calm will come over you as you will be swept away on the wave of professionals that know what they are doung, it gives you confidence.
You will wake up, and must lay still. The groin can feel uncomfortable with the padding they put there, but it’s not long....you will be home next day and generally feel fine. Thing is though you must remember the poor ol heart has had a battering and just cos you haven’t go a big wound in the outside it’s still is having to heal inside.
First two weeks do nothing, read, watch tv....etc.....then life slowly gets back to normal. It takes us all different times to feel full of energy again.
I think you must listen to your body......if your body says it’s got no energy go with it, don’t push it. The consultants don’t seem to tell us that at all.....but if they haven’t had it done how could they know what it feels like to have your body say woah you’re going too fast,,,..
But be positive, generally life will be pretty normal and you will maybe actually forget this word a fib which dominated you pre op.
I dont think about it at all now....I get the odd ectopics which instantly make me think about it....but that’s the way it is for me.
So chin up, once you walk into the hospital let them take over, before you know it you’re home!
My goodness I am so grateful for everyone's kind words - your responses are amazing thank you.
Sue I needed to hear those words especially, thank you.
I now know what to expect (thanks bob), what to watch out for (thanks FlapJack and Desanthony) and to go with the flow and listen to my body (thanks Sue).
I really do think that the 'Consultant' forgets that this is a complete game changer for the patient because its so routine to them. Almost become numb to it. I do really like my Consultant he is lovely but apart from telling me there is a risk I will need a pace maker and damage to my artery could cause complications, he never told me any of this information.
I have my hospital bag packed, inc lip balm and sports bottles for water. Not looking forward to the paper pants but it is what it is. Ill speak to you all on the other side.
I am very blessed it seems, reading some of the comments on here it can take months waiting for various appointments. So my consultant does appear to be fab!!! 5 weeks from first going to see my GP and its procedure day. (positive way of looking at it, rather than they quickly sped me in because it cant wait).
Good luck fabjabfab - I'm sure it will be fine. There are some good people on this forum. I'm on it because my husband as AF but from what I've read, the earlier an ablation is done once AF is diagnosed the better chance of long term success. You are so young. Wishing you all the very best.
Ah Iam so pleased for you I’ve just been catching up with your story and reply’s .. I was taken in for Ablation years ago , wasn’t put out just something to calm me , god did I need calming , watched it all going on but they couldn’t bring on the ectopic beats . Still having bad nights every now again with them after 30 odd years but they have never afford me another go , just said there not dangerous , it’s stress with me also 🙄 anyhow now you’ve had the ablation you should be fine .. this site has been a great comfort to me .. everyone seems to be in same boat or worse poor things ... it’s good to talk ..
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