Been a while since I’ve been on here but I’ve finally got my date for cryo ablation and I’m s******g myself I’ve got to be honest. All the questions going through my head. Mainly am I doing the right thing, Is this the right option for me? 😬 worried that it may do more harm than good. I know it’s probably all for the best but I’m sure these are all the normal questions people get.
Just after any advice people can give. Words of reassurance, advice on what to expect, success stories hopefully 🙏 and what I can expect from recovery. How long usually before I’ll be back on my feet and able to work again? How long before exercise becomes a possibility in general? Too many questions to list so any advice VERY welcome.
Thanks guys.
Look forward to hearing from you 👍
Edit : If you wouldn’t mind stating your age would be much appreciated. Just trying to correlate age in regards to recovery.
Thanks again
Written by
Elli86
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
88 Replies
•
These factsheets will cover most of what you need to know.
The way you are feeling right now with all those feelings of whether it's the right thing to have an ablation or not, are all perfectly normal. Most of us felt that way and were plagued by thoughts of "What if". So we torture ourselves right up to the time we are anaesthetised, or sedated, and there's no stopping those thoughts really.
What I will tell you is common though, is after it's all over and we're back in the ward, we wonder why we were so worried and feel a little foolish for having had those doubtful thoughts.
From my experience, there is nothing at all to worry about. Look forward to feeling normal again.
Thanks for advice Jean. Dreading being awake with someone messing about in my heart 😫 worst nightmare but needs to be done I suppose. Dates set for 16th august 😬 gives me chills just mentioning it 🤣
I was sedated for RF ablation and am in my 10th week of recovery. I'd do it again if needed. Get yourself a relaxation track on your mb phone and ask them if you can listen to it on headphones during the procedure. I did this and it really helped. You'll want to be in aeroplane mode though 😉. Give yourself WEEKS of quality recovery time - don't be tempted to do things too early. just wondering too if it might help you to have a hypnotherapy session to combat your anxiety about the procedure. Might be helpful?
Hi singwell. Thanks for advice. What are you able to do now? You say 10th week of recovery so I’m assuming you don’t feel like your back to “normal” yet? Do you still have to take meds? What meds do they put you on after op?
Sorry I missed this and I've responded about the meds in a different reply on the thread. Actually after 9 weeks I do feel really good - I've felt for a while that the procedure has been successful even though they earned me it might not be, due to my having moved in pain response (see my other reply). I'm guessing there's more if you than me (I weigh 54 kilos) so I doubt you'll have that problem. It's one of the reasons why I chose to be extra cautious with my recover period. If you check my profile you'll see I gave a semi regular report of progress from about day 2 onwards. Remember the journey is personal to me - others have had different experiences - but if I had to do it again I most certainly would because I could feel that when my AF kicked off my heart was dealing with it differently. Hope that helps.
I've had sedation, you won't know much about what's going on. A nurse sat watching me and every time I started to come too a little he would indicate and the dose would be increased.
After your ablation you may get days of feeling well and then for no reason others of feeling totally drained. Just listen to your body and remember if you walk anywhere you also have to walk back. That was one of my mistakes and that having to walk back was sometimes a struggle because the exhaustion can feel overwhelming.
Thanks Jean that’s put my mind at ease a little. Being basically asleep through it all sounds lovely to me 🤣 dose me up and wake me up when it’s done 👍 I’m used to the days of feeling exhausted for no reason to be honest. Been dealing with that for years and it’s very frustrating. If I can get rid of that I’ll be extremely happy
Hi rof. I’ve literally just read it 🤣 and yes very helpful. Hopefully I’m not out for 8 weeks though 🤞🤞🤞🤞 I’m self employed and can’t afford to be off work for that long right now. I’ve already had best part of 6 months off work since covid started without pay. Can’t take much more
Those first 8 weeks of healing are most important - far better you take a longer recovery time and a graduated return to work after 4-8 weeks than be incapacitated for far longer.
If you are going to the trouble of having a very expensive and involved and invasive procedure why wouldn’t you give yourself the best possible chance to recover and heal?
Just because you won’t have a zip up your chest that you can’t see doesn’t mean that you haven’t had serious procedure.
Recovery time will depend upon age, fitness, skill of the EP. I was back to work in 10 days but I paid for it later and I had a sedentary occupation. If your work is physical you will need to be much more careful. Best advice - listen to your body and when it starts to say ‘had enough’ really listen and stop.
Best wishes for a successful outcome, the procedure itself will be over before you know it because you won’t know or remember much - the recovery is up to you.
Thanks cdreamer. Yeah I agree that recovery is massively important, allowing your body to heal. At the same time though so is having money to pay your bills 🤣 it’s a definite catch 22. I will take as much time to heal as I possibly can but am hoping can be back at work in a couple of weeks. Maybe wishful thinking but hoping it’s a possibility 🙏🙏🙏
I too am self employed. With my husband I run a business. We scheduled for me to take up to 12 weeks off if needed. I definitely needed the first 8 pretty much fully off. If you respond to stress be aware that that in itself can literally stress the metabolism and affect your heart rhythm. Be good to yourself at this time.
I really hope it’s not 12 weeks as I cannot afford that right now. As i said in original post I had to have 6 months off over covid period with zero help from government so that’s thoroughly eaten away at savings. Another 3 months off would put me under SEVERE stress just from money worry’s. Hopefully I can be back long before then 🙏🙏
How old are you singwell if you don’t mind me asking? I’m only 35 so I’m hoping my age will speed recovery 🙏🙏
You are younger than me by 30 years and I was going to say that. Listen to your body and don't push yourself is probably the best advice. After decades of running our own biz, having some financial struggles (now resolved due to the pandemic - we did better) and doing a PhD I honestly think my body was weary. I needed that time. I'm.almost ready to rock and roll again.
It’s a very difficult equation to balance - Health or wealth? Get as much support in place as you can, both economical and practical. It’s been really tough for self-employed in this Pandemic and of course you want to get back on track but balance is the keyword.
Age will mean you have an advantage and should heal a lot quicker but it’s SO individual so keep your expectations realistic. Do very little for the 1st week, 2nd week a little more. 3rd week listen to your body so as soon as you start to feel tired - stop and rest - graduated return to working full time from week 4 and no heavy weight lifting or hard physical activity.
Each hospital will have it’s own discharge advice but many people on here found them laughable with an NHS site saying that ‘you can return to normal activities the following day’.
Hi Elli86I had an ablation on 5th November 2019 following almost 3 years of symptomatic af. I have never looked back since. The procedure was a complete success and I now have been af free for over one and a half years. I had one days rest after the procedure and then I was pushing someone around in a wheelchair. I am not suggesting you should be doing that but my recovery was surprisingly quick.
I would have it done again in a flash. The alternative of af is very much worse as far as I am concerned. Yes it's true it may not be a success but I think it is worth the risk. Sadly the surgeon who did the procedure died about 6 months after he did my ablation. I would have loved to shake his hand.
Good luck and remember, worry does nothing on make af worse.
Hi flyer. Great story mate and glad it went well for you! How old are you? Were you in good physical condition outside of the AF before you had ablation? Do you still take meds or did you have to take them for a period after?
Thanks again. Definitely given me some positivity 💪
Shout out to your EP also. Shame he died shortly after and you didn’t get to thank him
Hello again Elli86I am 72 but started suddenly in af when I was 68 being perfectly fit. It hit me hard and I was hospitalized on a few occasions. I am now only on riveroxaban anticoagulant which is a precautionary drug. I have no side effects from that. My wife started with af only two months after me. She now has a pacemaker and has angina. She takes a lot of tablets for her condition. She doesn't let it get her down though and it doesn't spoil her life.
Incidentally af is hereditary. My Dad had it and my younger brother has it.
He has had a pacemaker fitted recently and is waiting for an ablation.
Hold in there mate, there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Ok that took me by surprise 🤣 the way your recovery has gone I was expecting you to say you were in your 30s or 40s 😂 your clearly just a machine! Keep it up mate. Glad to hear your doing well. Hopefully my recovery will be quick like yourself 🤞🤞
Just a quick rider on the last post. I had to slowly come off the meds. ( Flechanide and bisoprolol) after the ablation. It took about 3 months before I was only on to riveroxaban.
Thanks again. I tried flec and it ruined me but been on bisop for quite a while. I will be over the moon if I can be med free fairly quickly. That’s the dream. Can’t stand meds and they don’t agree with me but to be fair they’ve kept me going for this long and I’m pretty functional so can’t hate on them too much. Just be brilliant to get off them and (hopefully 🙏) get some energy back. Feels like a lifetime ago that I was able to do anything really strenuous. My works fairly physical and I’m on price work so need to be getting jobs done quickly and am on my feet literally all day. When I get home I am pretty shattered though but still been managing a 5/6 mile walk 4 times a week after work. It would literally be a dream come true if I could jog again and get back to some form of training. If that happens then I’ll be one happy man 🤞🤞
I'm 10 weeks post ablation. May I ask how you cut down on your meds? I'm on lowest dose of Flecainide and slow release Diltiazem. I've chosen to cut my Flecainide pills in half and after the initial 5 days of feeling horrible, I seem to be doing OK. My goal is to get off both Flecainide and Diltiazem. The anticoagulants I can live with. Just turned 65 btw.
Hi SingwellI was on 100mg of flechanide twice a day and 1.25mg of bisoprolol.
I stopped taking one tablet per month. So after 3 months was off all tablets except riveroxaban (anticoagulant) which I will be on always now in the future.
Thanks, so you cut down to 50mg Flecainide for a month, then none, then the bisoprolol? If so, I'll keep cutting my Flecainide in half for another 3 weeks. That month marker is very useful to hear.
Had an ablation for atrial flutter 11 days ago. I too was sedated. Most of the time I was asleep. I did 'wake' on a couple of occasions, but was only just awake, and found it fascinating. Wasn't awake for long as the nurse topped up my sedation. Didn't feel any discomfort on the table at all. I too was really stressed and anxious before my op but now I've done it I would happily do it again if it stops that awful feeling of my heart racing/shaking. I was back at work on Thursday, not a physical job (teacher), but one where I am on my feet a lot of the time. I know we are all different so recover at different paces. 11 days on, things are great. I know it's early days as to whether it has been successful - I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Good luck.
Thanks for advice and glad yours seems to have gone well. Hopefully I can have an outcome similar to yours 🤞 what I do t understand is if your asleep a lot of the time due to sedation anyway why don’t they just knock you out with GA? What’s the difference?
I’m not medical so can’t say for certain but I think patients under GA take longer to recover from the anaesthetic and so would have to be kept in over night. I was in and out the same day (2.5 hours on the table). I’m sure there is more to it than that though…
Yeah I’ve been told 2/3 hours so I’m hoping it’s not longer. But I’m gonna ask that they sedate me too the gills 🤣 I don’t want to have to think about them messing about in my heart 🤢 makes me feel ill
You are so lucky. I had “conscious sedation” (aka conscious TORTURE) for my flutter ablation a year ago. Versed & Fentanyl we’re given via the femoral catheter but it was terrible 😣. I remember everything…thought with Versed you should have no memory. Several times the pain was dreadful; BP shot up to 180, pain rated “8”I definitely let them know how displeased I was with the lack of pain control. Shouldn’t I have had an IV to receive pain meds?
Thanks for input jmbrph. Not sure that’s exactly what I wanted to hear but honesty is the best policy I suppose 😂 your the first negative so far so I’ll take that 🤞 where did you have your procedure done? How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?
Sorry you had such a rough ride Jmbrph. I can see from your response below that you are from the States. My ablation was in the UK and I can only think that things are done differently elsewhere. I did wake on a couple of occasions but didn't feel anything and I was topped up with extra sedative when needed. I also remember having a little conversation with one of the nurses before going back to sleep - this was one thing I liked about having a sedative rather than GA.
Wow! So you had to continue meds for quite a while after and still have to take anticoagulants? I’m assuming this will be due to your age though? I don’t have to take anti coags at all currently. I’m on 3/4s of a 2.5mg bisop currently and that’s it. I’ve been told I’ll need to go on anti coags 3 weeks prior to op though
I can’t wait to get off it! I was taking 2.5 but it drained me massively. Just dropping down a quarter makes a big difference. Tried to drop down to half and felt even better but palps returned after a couple weeks 😫
You'll probably find you can cut your dose in half several weeks after the procedure. Different EPs have different approaches so make sure you ask about this post procedure. In my case - since they weren't sure the ablation would hold (my BMI is low and being up to the limit on analgesic my body responded to the pain by wriggling!) - I was asked to stay on the meds initially. Once I'd stabilised the Arrythmia Nurse suggested I start cutting down. But if you ask BobD he'll tell you he was told to wait 6 months before cutting down and then took 3 to do it. On the other hand, some people are asked to stop meds immediately post procedure. Talk yo your EP when they come in to see you in the morning - tell them what you're hoping for. You don't have BP issues, I expect you'll fly through it.
Hi I had cryoballoon ablation done 3 years ago it changed my life it has more or less cured my paroxysmal af it did take up until now to be 90 percent effective but I have my life back I was heavily sedated and when it did get painful during procedure I was topped up the 7 hours went very quickly and was up and about very soon 🤞 good luck
7 hours? Blimey that’s a long procedure. I’ve been told 2/3 hours? How old was you when you had the procedure? I’m trying to get an idea of recovery time in relation to age. I’m only 35 so hoping it’ll have some baring on recovery time 🤞
I was 63 since then I’ve had a full knee replacement under general anaesthetic I’ve recently started playing tennis again after an 8 year break I walk my two puppies everyday and am feeling great I suffered for 10 years with paf it stopped me riding my horses and pretty much everything else so am eternally grateful for having it done would do it again if it was necessary hope this helps and you have a good outcome
Ps I don’t take bisoprolol anymore thank god it makes you feel awful unfortunately I have to take tablets to control high blood pressure not due to lifestyle as I’m fit for my age and am on warfarin but no effects from either thankfully had no structural problem with my heart nor diabetes etc indeed the af came out of the blue when I was riding my horse thought I was having a heart attack!
Yes bisop is definitely not great. Better for me than flecainaide but still makes you feel lethargic and rubbish. Crazy how much just cutting a quarter of the tablet away makes you feel better. Felt pretty good when taking half dose but just didn’t not enough for me to keep palps at bay unfortunately
Hi Eli, I wrote extensively about my recovery from first ablation on here last year especially in regard to resuming a sporty lifestyle. You might want to read those or you can message me with any further questions.I'm on Facebook Cardiac Athletes and the rule of thumb on there is six months to recover and another six to regain FULL fitness. Having said that there was some guy who was back to full Ironman training after FIVE weeks! Goodness knows how that is possible but maybe he didn't have much done?!?!?!
Thanks Jaja. I’ll give the post you made on here a look for sure. I don’t use Facebook unfortunately but thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. How old are you or was you at time of ablation if you don’t mind me asking?
I was 56. I'm a keen runner and cyclust, I bike do weights etc. I just lack talent.I posted every month or so for about six months but obviously it's just me and I'm a slow recoverer always xx
Hello. I had my ablation a little over 3 months ago. I was put under GA. (My EP does all of his under GA). Afterwards was told to take it easy and just do easy walking for 1 week. Then could slowly start building up my activity level. I am in the U.S. I have had AF for 14 years. I am feeling good now. No AF so far. Just some ectopics. At around 3 months post ablation my EP (who has done over 5000 ablations), took me off all meds including the anticoagulant (since I have no other comorbidities and as he said then that the risk of bleed was higher than the risk of stroke). Will reevaluate at 1 year post ablation. I can go to the gym daily now to work out with no exhaustion. I was anxious about having the procedure and put it off for 2 years. When I decided it was time because of an uptick of episodes, it was done 2 months later. Glad I did it. Everybody is different.
Thanks for info Joliet. Sounds like you’ve had a good recovery. Gym work daily after 3 months sounds pretty impressive to be honest. How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?
It's been 17 days since my ablation and I'm 99% back to normal. I have felt virtually no ill effects from the procedure apart from tiredness for a few days and a slightly sore throat. The first week was spent doing nothing, then back to working from home on the second week. I had a few ectopic or odd noticeable beats over a few hours which happened on a couple days last week, but those have gone away for now.
I'm walking every day and doing things around the house and garden without any problems. I make sure I'm not exerting myself too much and don't rush things, but that's me being cautious.
Thanks for input Griffin. Sounds like you’ve had a great recovery 👍 if mine goes as well as yours seems to then I’ll be well chuffed. How old are you? Male or female, not that that makes much difference.
Sounds like you had a fairly fast recovery also? How long before you were back on your feet and able to work? Also how old are you if you don’t mind me asking? Trying to get a feel for how age affects the healing process and the general age of the forum is skewed to the more mature shall we say 🤣 hopefully I’ve said that respectfully enough 🤞
I was 65 last thanksgiving, went back to work a week later. I'm a school principal and I'm up and down a lot but started walking again about 3 weeks. No lasting effects. I did purchase the Kardia mobile monitor and checked myself everyday for a month . Dr. said not to do that maybe once x week. . . .I have a couple of instances of afib but now 6 months out no issue!!!! Walking about 25 miles per week, something I couldn't do before. Procedure changed my life1
Sounds like a very positive outcome for you. Very pleased to hear it. Thanks again for input. Overall some great success stories so far are giving me a much better outlook
I had my cryo ablation in March 2020 on the day before the entire state locked down. I figured it was now or possibly never. Everything went fine and I went home the same day. I've felt fine since then and stopped using sotolol entirely. You'll be fine.
Hi Im female and had mine done when I was 59 never looked back, and have never had another hospitalised fast/high heart rate since ..almost 3 yrs ago ...hope thats helpful
Hey Elli... I’d heard that you Essex fellas are absolute WARRIORS and was very surprised that you are suffering from B.G.B.S. (big girls blouse syndrome). Seriously though, I too, am a total worry merchant and can appreciate your extreme anxiety. I’ve always found that situations that I’ve been totally consumed by, turn out to be a breeze. In an earlier post, you mention going on 5/6 mile walks, after work...PPPFFFUUUHHH What I would give to be able to do that‼️. So your body must be in pretty good shape matey. I think I’ve mentioned to you before, that I haven’t had any procedures related to the old ticker, so I can’t pass on any advice to you. All I can say is, I’ll be rooting for you Big Time and I know everything will turn out just fine and dandy. Best wishes are streaming to you from the North.
🤣🤣🤣 I wondered how long it’d be before you showed yourself! Disappointed it took this long tut tut. You northerners like showing up late to the party 😂 all jokes aside… good to hear from you and thanks for the good wishes. Wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s extreme anxiety I’m just not exactly looking forward to it and questioning whether it’s the best option for me. Think it is I’m just having a few doubts which I’m assuming are fairly normal! I don’t like it when I’ve got no control over something either especially when it’s someone messing about with my body 😫 dreading that side of it. Just hope they dose me up good and proper and wake me up when it’s done
This is blowing my mind reading how long many of you say to recover. I am having an ablation (under GA) next Wednesday and the doc said I should be back to work Monday. To add to that, we’re driving 4 days (from Alabama) to the Grand Canyon and flying back on July 2.
Hello John. Yeah I was told it would only take a few days before normal activities can be resumed as well but seems that’s a load of horses**t! One thing to bear in mind though is this forum skews heavily at the older end of the spectrum so maybe that has some baring? Highly unusual for someone in their 30s to have AF so I’m hoping recovery will be slightly quicker for someone my age. That’s what I’m hoping anyway
I can completely relate to that. I'm waiting for a date but dreading it dropping on the mat. I keep swinging from thinking its the right decision, back to, maybe just put up with this and accept that this is as good as it's going to get. Scary isnt it.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Recovery from ablation.
Recovery advice (Pulmonary Vein Ablation)
Ahh ablation date finally :)
First Ablation 
