Losing hope after ablation and afib episodes

[Irev83]

Hey guys,

here I am again worrying. My boyfriends ablation was almost 8 weeks ago and for the first two to three weeks there was no afib at all.

In the weeks after though, episodes of afib (though with a lower heart rate than before) occurred very regularly. And now we are almost back to what it was before the ablation. It is lower heart rate but it’s still very uncomfortable for him (chest pain).

I‘m a little hopeless tonight he’s not even 30 yet and I don’t really know what the outlooks for our life are gonna look like.. I’m just worried we will never get his afib under control.

He must be a very unique case, the hospital he had the ablation at even considered him for a study.

I guess I found my „one in a million“.

[Padayn01]

8 weeks is far to early to tell if the abalation did not work it took me 13 months to get some normality after my abalation

[Hidden]

If he is experiencing chest pain he needs to go to A&E now but as you have heard many times, your boyfriend is experiencing recovery issues which are common to very many people after an ablation. All I can suggest is that you try to except what you have already been told although everyone here will understand your concerns. The other alternative is to contact the hospital and see if you can have a conversation with an Arrhythmia Nurse or alternatively, see if you can bring forward your review date. Sadly, there are no magic wands, the recovery process is what it is and it takes time. Most of us have had similar experiences…….

[Sfhmgusa]

You are right you have someone very unique ! Afib is not too common in younger people, so it may be that the geometry of your boyfriends inner heart is a bit more complicated hence the issue. Ablations are not always a one procedure fix, ( I needed 2 and some need more) and they do take time to settle . So , hard as it may seem, he will need to be patient for a few more weeks, and hopefully things will improve and the afib will recede into the past. But if not a further procedure will probably be the best option and I hope like me will mail it!

Steve

[CDreamer]

I echo sfhmgusa’s post. I needed a second ablation after first and had it 12 weeks following the first and my anatomy was quite unique! Well actually everyone’s is but some just easier to ablate arrythmias than others.

It is a sometimes a troublesome condition but there are people such as Jedimaster who is young, had a lot of problems getting his AF under control and now is back at work and parenting a young family. AF takes time to adapt to and once symptoms are more controllable which is often about rate control, life goes on and you adapt accordingly.

Perhaps adjust your expectations rather than lose hope? Accept that things may never be as they were but look forward to a better future with an improved quality of life which may include further procedures.

Many people come here with expectations that ablation will cure everything and make AF go away sometimes forever, sometimes for a few years so sometime it is the cure we all imagined but often it’s only the start of an AF journey and like life in general, with many ups and downs.

Best wishes to you both.

[Ppiman]

About 1 in every 200 younger people have atrial fibrillation, I gather, so whilst it's uncommon, your boyfriend is far from one of a kind (in that respect)!

His now having a lower heart rate is good news, I would say, since tachycardia is so tiring. The fibrillation in his heart should settle well over the next year. If the doctors deemed him at risk of blood clots, he will be given anticoagulants, which work really well. The outlook will be very good, maybe needing another ablation at some point.

This might be of interest: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

I wouldn't worry about the future in this respect. Afib is more common in people who have an unhealthy lifestyle or certain health conditions, so if that applies, then those need fully and properly dealing with (e.g. BMI, activity, smoking, recreational drugs and drinking as well as diabetes and hypertension).

Steve

[TracyAdmin Partner]

Hi Irev83, 8 weeks is still early days following an ablation, and it is not unknown to experience some after effects - have you visited our online patient resources? 'Recovering from an Ablation' factsheet would be beneficial to you both to read? heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...