I'm writing the follow up on a post I did about a month ago regarding an upcoming ablation procedure. If you recall, my concern was about traveling from Orlando to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore … I wanted to get feedback concerning how long I should stay before returning on a flight home and about my ability to handle carry on luggage, and travel in general.
Well, I had a cryoablation which took about four hours. At the end of the procedure the EP indicated that based on my Physiology and health he estimated my success rate was in the 80 percentile. Not sure how accurate that is but I'll take it. I did not have an overnight stay at the hospital & readily walked out to my wife's car who took me to the hotel. The advice I received from you folks about the catheter insertion sites paralleled that which I received from the EP. In terms of my heart, the only thing I felt was a slight achy sensation when I took a deep breath; that lasted for three or four days and I felt normal after that. I flew home after 4 days at the hotel. More importantly, after arriving home I felt this odd sensation of wellbeing (not sure if it was in my head or somehow connected to the ablation). The other thing that struck me as unusual is that my heart rate increased from about 55 BPM to an average of approximately 65 BPM and has remained steady except for three instances where it shot up to a little over 100 but immediately dropped back. However, I was only able to discern the spikes when I reviewed my heart tracking software associated with my Apple watch. Before the ablation I ALWAYS knew whenever I had a spike, and the pre ablation spikes lasted much longer than a few seconds. When I returned home I continued my 2.5 mile brisk walks and have not noticed any discernible negative effects (my heart rate has stayed in the appropriate range during those walks). If my situation continues the way it currently is I'll be elated.
Sorry for being so verbose, I just wanted to respond to those who asked me to Post a follow up after the ablation. The one thing I did learn from my interaction with all of you and from what I had seen posted, is that “one size definitely does not fit all” when it comes to a fib and an individual’s response to treatment. My thanks to those of you who responded to my original post and provided advice.
Best Regards, Marty Z
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MJZaw
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Great to hear Marty, thanks for letting us know how you got on. Recovery tends to be different for different folk, I’m sure you’ve read posts where some have struggled for the first few months so it’s always best to err on the side of caution.
Apart from everything else, you sound like a real gent!
Glad it all went well Marty. As we explain in our fact sheet on recovery, raised heart rate post ablation is very common , typically around 20 bpm and can take many months to return to pre ablation levels so you sound on track. Thanks for the positive feed back. Most successes don't bother to come and tell us.
~Hi MJZaw - thank you for sharing this positive outcome - as a newbie + booked for my cryo-ablation 8th Feb I found your feedback comforting and reassuring ~ My this continue to be so long term......
That’s great news, well done! Just wanted to say my resting heart rate also increased post ablation (in 2016) from 55 to 65, and is still usually around 65. In my case, and not sure if it applies to everyone, I had always felt my AF episodes start when I was resting and my heart rate was thus at its lowest. Tho I have had a few breakthrough episodes in the last year, I wonder if generally having a slightly higher ‘normal’ resting heart rate may have been beneficial?
Perhaps reverting to the more normal heart rate, even though higher, is beneficial. It’s good to hear that I’m not alone with this observation. I’m scheduled to see my cardiologist on Monday and well mention it to him. I’ll let you know what I find out. I appreciate your response.
Hi , just had my 2nd ablation and it’s interesting you mention a feeling of wellness after, I had that exact same feeling this time than last ablation. My heart rate has also gone from 56 to 74 . Glad your doing well.
I appreciate your sharing your post-ablation observations, especially the extent to which they are relevant to my own experience. It's comforting to know that this is not an anomaly isolated to one person. Perhaps we have stumbled upon something that's more than interesting. 😊
I'm glad things are turning out so well for you. I also had that elated feeling you experienced after your procedure. My heart rate too went up into the 60s for a couple months after the ablation, then finally went back to normal -- I read, and my doctor told me, this would happen. Best wishes for your continued recovery.
I'm fine now; thanks. My doctor just took me off one of my medications a couple days ago. I think the feeling of wellness after your ablation is definitely a good sign. It isn't just that you're happy you had the procedure and things are going well, but more because you feel good because you heart is beating correctly and pumping lots of oxygen through your body like it should.
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