cryoablation

[mlp3434]

Well I thought things were getting slightly better yesterday but no way! This is weird but when I'm sleeping I dream that my heart flips and I can actually feel it doing that and I wake up and have to take a metoprolol. This has happened before and I don,t sleep well. Today the flips are back...so disappointing. I know I,m in the early stages but I wonder if my doc got everthing right or if I made things worse by gettting this procedure done. I just want to feel better.

[BobD Volunteer]

Rome wasn't built in a day and you will not heal in 2 months either. Stop worrying and stay positive PLEASE!

[Elli86]

Hi mlp.

Know exactly how you feel as been there recently myself. Just got to listen to dr Bob and try to stay positive. I know it’s hard as like I say I’ve had all these questions myself recently BUT the worrying, doubting and second guessing is not going to change the facts. If it did go wrong which is EXTREMELY unlikely then you will not know for quite a while yet. So just try and relax and give your heart time to heal.

You WILL get there just try to stay positive and rest. Just know that most people go through what your going through, myself included but the worrying is pointless as it won’t actually change anything. If anything it’ll probably make it worse through stress.

Easier said than done but MORE than doable, just try to relax! Keep at it you will get there 💪💪💪💪

[mlp3434 in reply to Elli86]

Thank you Elli. It's always nice to hear from you. Trying to be calm now as we speak. It's 12:06 midnight here and the heart is giving me a little grief but took a 1/2 of a metoprolol and waiting for it to slow things down. Hope you are doing well too.

[Elli86 in reply to mlp3434]

I’m doing ok thanks. I’m still not back to normal myself but slowly getting there.

It is certainly hard to stay positive at times but just got to try and trust that the right thing has been done and will just take time 👍

[Zozzy]

My understanding is that the way cryoablation works is to "damage" (by freezing) the walls of arteries where they enter the heart. It's across those artery walls that the electrical signals that caused the extras beats were traveling.

What blocks those signals is not simply the "damage" caused by the cryoablation, but also the scar tissue that forms as your body repairs that damage.

The scar tissue takes weeks to form and stabilise. Until it does, it's possible for electrical signals to still pass.

It's also possible (although hopefully it won't happen, at least for some time) for them to have another/additional source and/or find a way past the scar, which may require further operation.

Hence why you should be patient and minimise anything that could interfere with the healing, just as you would while waiting for any skin scar to heal - you want the "wound" to heal as intended, which takes weeks, not days.

[mlp3434 in reply to Zozzy]

Thank You for your feedback Zozzy.

[regalone]

it took the entire 90 days healing period before my heart was out of afib.It's been several years and it worked well for at least 6yrs. Now, I am having afib again, but I think the 6 yrs. or relative calm was truly a god send.

[mlp3434 in reply to regalone]

Thank You. I had an earlier ablation many years ago for severe flips. It helped me for years. I think being on Losartan for my blood pressure for years brought on my Afib attacks. Of course doctors don,t agree but if you do research on those meds, some can cause arrhythmia's. I also have had 4 heart attacks and 4 stents so who knows what brought the Afib on. I just could not take another attack of it again. That's why I got the cryoablation. Hopefully my heart will heal and I never feel flips or afib again.

[BlueINR]

The first episode of afib I had was in the hospital, several days after aortic valve replacement surgery. And aid came to my room to have me walk around the hall a bit with me. When I got out of bed and stood up, it felt like my heart fell out of my body. I even looked down at the floor to see if it had. LOL. Of course it hadn't, but in less than a minute there were about 8 nurses and doctors who ran in my room and told me to get back into bed immediately because I was in afib. No walk that day,

They hung bag after bag of IV amiodarnoe, and it did nothing to get me in normal rhythm. By later afternoon, a cardioversion was done.

[BlueINR]

PS I've been told it usually takes about 3 months after ablation for afib to stop, so some funny feelings that you're having now are probably normal, but be sure to call your doc's office today and report them.

[mlp3434 in reply to BlueINR]

I just seen my doc and he said that nothing is guaranteed. What a answer! It's been 9 weeks past and every day I have flips. Drives me crazy. Especially after I eat. You would think that you get a little better every day but no you don't.. at least not for me.

[Elli86 in reply to mlp3434]

Hello again mlp.

When you say flips do you mean af or do you mean ectopics?

And just so you know my recovery has been anything but linear. I’m up and down and all over the bloody place. Seems to hopefully be levelling off now though.

[mlp3434 in reply to Elli86]

Hi Elli. I guess you would call them ectopics. Don't like it at all. I feel that I'm getting worse instead of better. Is it true that this can happen? Do you feel them every day too? Since this cryoablation I think I have had 2 days that I felt good but as soon as I do anything.. I pay for it later.

[Elli86 in reply to mlp3434]

I do get ectopics quite often. Definitely not daily though but some days I can get quite a few and others I get none at all. They’re not great when they come on but I do feel like I’m getting used to them. It’s only really the thought of it progressing to af that worries me at the time but like I say I’m kind of getting used to it now.

It’s definitely true that it can feel like your getting worse instead of better at times. As I said it’s not a linear process, for me at least it’s been up and down and all over the place. I’ve just tried to roll with it as best I can and hope that in the long run it’s on an upward trajectory 👍

[mlp3434 in reply to Elli86]

The thing is that I don't want to be use to it. I want it to go away. That's why I had the ablation done. This procedure is supposed to help us.. all of us. Years ago I had an RF ablation for these ectopic and it wiped them out. Yes I'm afraid that could progress into full Afib too. About 2 weeks ago it almost did. Very fast heart rate and heart felt like it was going to fall out of my chest with a loud thump. That episode wiped me out for weeks. My doc wants me to wear a monitor for awhile. What good is that going to be? Sorry Elli..I'm just venting. Take Care.