I am grateful to all of you who write on here. I have PAF and SVT, and it causes me anxiety, so I look on here for help. When I get AF, it is very symptomatic and I have to go to A&E. There is some good advice on here. I was worried about going on anti- coagulants, a few months ago, but your good advice, helped me decide to go on it.I have had no problems with it.
I now have to think about ablation. This scares me and I’ve downloaded the leaflets from here. What I want to know, is how does it feel having it done.? Is it painful? .I’ve read on here, that it takes weeks to get over it. Do you have to lie flat for hours, as I hate lying flat. Can you tell me how it was for you and help me to pluck up the courage to agree to one?
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Sixtychick
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Recovery is variable but for sure takes much longer on average than any doctor will tell you hence we produced the fact sheet heartrhythmalliance.org/res....
As far as the procedure is concerned, if you have GA you will know nothing till you wake up again. With sedation you will be aware of things but pain relief is given and because of the fairy juice time flies by.
After the procedure you will have to lay flat for a couple of hours to make sure the groin wound (where the go in) has healed after which it is fine though you MUST take it easy and avoid lifting . Make sure when you get a date that you have somebody to take and bring you back as they really don't like you going alone and preferably not public transport. There is also a "preparing for ablation " fact sheet , same details but no 467 yopu may find useful.
This will sound quite mad, but when I went to have my first ablation I was quite unconcerned about it (almost cocky). On arrival to the ward, late one afternoon, I was given a new beautiful single room with it's own en-suite - how lucky was I.
I had made friends with someone on this forum who worked for the NHS and she said she would visit me in the hospital on the night before my procedure. She came and we hit it off right away and chatted for hours. I know she still pops on here, but only on rare occasions now. It was so lovely to have someone visit me who understood PAF. After she went a nurse came and asked if I'd move into a general AF ward as they had someone who was very ill after a major heart procedure, really couldn't refuse could I. Anyway the main ward was new too and everywhere was spotless. Next day my ablation took 3 hrs, I'd been told it would be about an hour and a half. Not sure if I know anyone who's was as short as that though.
Honestly, there is nothing to it. I had sedation and knew little about what went on in the cath lab - that's the room where it all happens. It's not an operation as such, usually called a procedure. My goodness that room was cold, I was asked if I wanted a blanket, said yes and they brought me one of those cotton things they have in hospitals that are nothing like a blanket and have no warmth! Yes, you have to lie down for a few hours afterwards, but as you're still groggy from being sedated, or anaesthetised it goes quickly. I was kept in overnight as is usual, got up and showered in the morning and felt quite well. After a day or so I realised that I felt really tired and lacked energy, this lasted for a couple of weeks and then it was back to work and life as usual - though sometimes I was still hit with a tired day.
The important thing is to get plenty of rest for the first week and build up slowly the second one - never push yourself and certainly don't attempt any long or strenuous walks.
You will realise after your ablation that there was really nothing to be scared of with regards to the procedure.
Thank you for telling me this. The way you’ve put it, it doesn’t seem so bad. It’s the fear of the unknown, isn’t it. I would be going to the Glenfield heart unit, in Leicester, which I believe is quite good. Just hope it goes as well as yours appeared to. I am seeing the consultant next month, so will see what he has to say this time. I had a 5 day monitor on in December and the appointment is to do with that, I think, as I was looking at my Drs records and it said the holter monitor readings were abnormal, so that has got me worried. You’d have thought if it was something to worry about, they’d have seen me sooner, so maybe I’m worrying over nothing. Where did you go for your procedure.?
Thank you jeanjeanie. My brother - in - law lives down there. I was in the A&E unit in that hospital with an AFib episode, when we were visiting him, in 2017. They looked after me well, I get really symptomatic episodes and I’ve been told to go in if I get it.
The thing with an AF attack is we all get different symptoms, from mild to really bad. I put myself in the bad (not the really bad) group as I was hospitalised many times and my symptoms would at times literally floor me! I do know there are those who have it worse though, a friend goes in and out of consciousness with hers and I've only had similar to that once. Those who have mild attacks wonder why others make so much fuss and go to A&E, sit it out at home they cry! ( I must admit I'm sometimes a bit guilty of that these days - but who am I to judge how others feel). Well, when I used to sit it out for 6 hours at 160bpm and feel unable to move, I had no hesitation in taking myself off for professional help. Though I must admit I did mostly stay at home hoping it would revert to normal rhythm and I could miss that boring long wait in A&E.
These days Jean they are much more switched on about cold and every time recently I have been anywhere like that you lay on what feels like a heated water blanket which is lovely.
Thanks Jeanjeannie, you’ve made me feel so much better about things. AF is a horrible thing and it’s always in the back of my mind and you wonder when the next episode will be.! I do get anxious at times, but I hope if I have an ablation, it’ll help. It’s nice to be able to”talk” to people on here.
Absolutely agree with Bob re recovery time and I'd say it depends on one's age. I didn't do anything much for a month and worked about half time for the remaining 2. No heave exercise or lifting for 3 months. Re feeling it - yes, you can feel it and yes, it might hurt. That's something they didn't tell me till the day! But you can have a general anaesthetic by choice and then of course you won't feel it.
Afterwards you can sit up and walk about a bit when you go home. You don't need to lie flat. Prop yourself on a load of pillows if needed when resting. I used a triangular pillow to prop myself up.
Mine wasn't completely successful but I'm still glad I did it, would do it again. Like you I get very anxious and hated ny very symptomatic AF episodes. They've calmed down enough for me now to feel more confident and enjoy my life again.
I had a Cryo ablation last September. I was awake and aware all the way through the procedure . Took 2 hours and I was fine throughout. I was discharged 4 hours after the procedure. Gentle recovery a few weeks after the ablation but by no means incapacitated.
Personally, I will go for an ablation when my QOL is so poor I am banging at the Theatre doors. Until then I take drugs (closely monitoring for side effects) to stop it and Lifestyle changes to make sure as far as I can that it does not come back even if the efficacy of the drugs wear off. But the decision is very individual to your circumstances & subjective.
My afib episodes are starting to come more frequently - last night the beast struck only 5 weeks after the last one . I am not very symptomatic even though my heart rate starts off about 140-150bpm but they usually last about 12 hours and I feel very lethargic the next day. I am ambivalent about going for an ablation as my husband who is 8 years older than me is starting to slow down a bit ( he will be 78 in June ) and I don't want to burden him with having to do everything for a few weeks. After my first hip op he found cooking difficult and he's not much good at housework! I find remarks here about not doing anything more than wielding the tv remote after ablation alarming. But as he pointed out when we discussed it better to go for it sooner rather than later. If this acceleration in the time between events gets worse I will go back to my cardiologist and see what he says.
Just had cryoablation with sedation on Friday.I went into the cath lab at 9.40am and was home by 4pm.
I was nervous going down because I'm human! In the lab the team were chatty and business-like, which put me more at ease, although of course I was still on edge. The sedation went in and I relaxed a bit. I felt a bit of pushing at the groin; uncomfortable but not very painful. Then what felt like hiccups in my chest. It seemed to take a very short time before the consultant said "all done!"
At the end there was some chest discomfort, (as you would expect!) but they gave me a couple of biscuits and a brufen tablet which sorted that.
Sixtychick, I'd have it done again without hesitation. Like most of these things, it's nowhere near as bad as your imagination makes you expect, and it's over quickly.
As Bob D has often remarked, going to the dentist can be far worse! I'd put it on a par with having a filling.
As for the lying flat, I don't like that either, but the lingering sedation makes you feel comfortable enough doing so and you do have a pillow.
I’ve had 3 ablations (one cryoballoon and two rf) and scheduled for a fourth in six weeks. Breathe deeply, relax, find your happy place. You’ll do fine.
I think everyone at first is afraid of an ablation. Those who have very symptomatic AF are less so because they hope for relief from what they're experiencing. I had two ablations, cryo first and RF second, and each experience was positive. Regarding laying on your back for hours, I was still coming out of anesthesia, so I hardly noticed the passage of time. I was home less than 2 days later and recovered well. I was in no pain, but felt pressure under the rib cage going to the back, on both occasions; it was no worse than an overly strenuous day of gardening. I felt pressure going up and down stairs so took it slowly. I was gardening again after a week, but feel I overdid it, had some a-fib episodes, so stopped that nonsense for a while. A-fib episodes continued on and off less frequently for a couple months -- i.e. the "blanking period" while the heart is still enflamed from the procedure -- then stopped. I hope this helps ease your fears.
Hi,My father in law had arrithymas following a heart attack. He had an ablation about 15 years ago and I remember us picking him up from St Thomas’ hosp in London and driving back to Dover, say 2 hours. I do remember him being in excruciating pain and really struggling with the car journey. My wife is an experienced nurse which really helped the situation, nevertheless it left an lasting impression upon me.
Strange thing is I’ve now got AF out of the blue, no heart probs and I’m going to have an ablation- in St Thomas’s! I’ll give the journey home some thought!
Fear of the unknown is normal, I'd say. I've had the procedure and like you was very scared beforehand, but it's not as bad as you think and almost six months on I'm glad I had it done. The fact sheet does give you a good heads up and you'll find - hopefully - that the cardio nurses will respond to any worries you may have afterwards. Best of luck.
No. I have had my appointment with consultant put back to end of month and it’s only a phone call appointment, as well now. It was discussed quite a whil3 ago now and I said no then, but might change my mind, still undecided and don’t know what they’ll say at the appointment. I absolutely hate these phone appointments.!!!!
Hi Mugsy, I had a telephone appointment with the Cardiologist on Friday and have been put on the ablation list. It’s about a years wait. I’m going to try not to worry, till it gets nearer, but I have the option to cancel, if I want. They’re increasing my Sotalol as well, so we’ll see how I get on with that. I have downloaded the info on ablations from hear. It’s a very helpful site. Take care.
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