Third Ablation

[GolfGirl51]

I had my third ablation two days ago. My EP was very pleased with the procedure and I was in normal sinus right after but about eight hours later I went back into AFib. I was so disappointed. However, he assured me the ablation was a success but it will take a little while for the heart to recover. I will have cardio version in a couple of weeks. Right now my heart rate is high (100+) despite increasing metoprolol from 50mg to 75 mg per day. I’m miserable. Can’t do much without getting breathless and tired. I take Propafenone 225 x 2 and Xarelto. I have a lot of abdominal discomfort that I don’t recall having from the last time. I will see my EP again in two weeks.

[CDreamer]

Very sorry about your disappointment.

Rest for recuperation is now the order of the day, I do hope you have read the ‘Recovering from Ablation’ leaflet? Hopefully the CV will convert you to NSR and then hopefully it will stick, if you don’t self convert.

[GolfGirl51 in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you for the good wishes.

[jeanjeannie50]

After my 3rd ablation I felt wonderful and that evening my daughter came in and said I was back to the old cheery mum. My heart started racing the day afterwards before I'd even left hospital and I was put back on tablets and kept in. Next day my pulse went to normal again and I was sent home. About 6 weeks later my heart kicked off again and I eventually had a cardioversion. It was still my most successful ablation and my heart had never raced too high since.

Jean

[GolfGirl51 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you, Jean. That's good to hear and I'm hopeful. If not there are other options I'm sure.

[Lilypocket]

Hi

I had an ablation on July 7 this year. Straight after I had abdominal trouble that lasted for 6 weeks - sore stomach, bloating and no appetite. I lost quite a few kilos. But one day it just disappeared . I think it is something to do with the Vagus nerve being irritated. So it will pass - and could take longer than 6 weeks from some of the posts I have seen on here. Obviously if you are worried see your Dr. or speak to your EP.

I hope your next ablation brings success! I think I need another one but that's another post.

Take care

[GolfGirl51 in reply to Lilypocket]

Thank you for the information, That's exactly how I feel - bloated and very uncomfortable. I'm not a very patient patient!

[Redactrice]

I have a question for you when you're feeling up to it. How long were the gaps between your three ablations? How well did they work, once they settled down after the procedure? Is there a limit on how many ablations you can have (before you run out of un-cauterised heart), and then what -- is a pacemaker the last resort?

I have had lone paroxysmal AF for about 10 years -- I'm 58 now and otherwise in good health (no hypertension, diabetes, etc). I have avoided taking daily medication because the meds bring their own problems. BBs slow my naturally slow heart rate and I end up with such low BP that I can barely get out of bed. At my first referral to a cardiologist (which took several years because everyone kept dismissing my AF as 'anxiety' until it was finally caught on an ECG), he told me I was the perfect candidate for an ablation. I baulked because I was then under 55 with no other health problems; most of the time AF is not a problem; and we agreed I did not need daily medication. A second cardiologist pointed out that 'just because you are the perfect candidate for THEM does not mean it is the right decision for YOU'. My feeling was that it was premature + overkill for an occasional problem, and I would look at it again when I was older or when my AF got worse.

From reading on here, I also gather that I should ask to see an 'EP' (electrophysiologist?), in addition to or instead of a cardiologist? I have never seen an EP and I have not had a cardiac check-up since December 2019 (two cancelled due to pandemic, and fortunately I have not had any emergencies), so I think I will ask for an EP this time.

Thank you and I hope you're feeling better.

[GolfGirl51 in reply to Redactrice]

My two previous ablations lasted three years each (2016 & 2019). They were both immediately successful which perhaps is why I am so disappointed this time I also bounced back pretty quickly. I have heard of people having five (or more) ablations. I don't think my EP would be willing to ablate me again. He has mentioned 'other options'. I do agree that you should see an EP as that's the specialist for this type of condition. I started off seeing a cardiologist who then referred me to this EP. I am also reluctant to take so many medications but they are currently mounting up. My EP added another one yesterday (after I called regarding my HR not slowing down) Digoxin and he also upped my Metoprolol to 100 x 1 day. However, I am feeling much better today so, hopefully, each day will bring improvement.

[Golfer60UK]

Hi GolfGirl51, Bit like yourself have had two ablations which lasted a very short time. My Consultant suggested a pacemaker with AV node ablation to control the AF conditions. I was suffering from shortage of breath and very tired, probably caused by the Bisoprolol.

Took the decision after passing out on the golf course, and now 12 months later feel more like my old self. Golf 3 x times per week without any problems, I take a blood thinner daily to help prevent against a stroke.

It was a difficult decision to take as I am now dependant on the pacemaker, but at 77 I still want the best quality of life I can achieve and AF was a big issue

Kind regards

Dave

[GolfGirl51 in reply to Golfer60UK]

Thank you, Dave. I'm hoping I will be able to get back to playing golf again soon. My first two ablations each gave me three years free of AFib. I hope this will give me more but if not there are other options to try which we haven't even discussed yet. Glad you are enjoying life again as I know all too well how restricting AF can be.

[AblatedCyclist]

sorry to hear that. I’ve had 3 ventricular ablations, developed AFib and had an atrial ablation 7 weeks ago. I developed atrial flutter a couple weeks ago and was cardioverted. I’d get back to your EP. When my heart started pacing steadily over 100 he cardioverted me right away and so far so good. I’m no doctor but I don’t think you should be left like this for weeks. Call him or her and see if they can see you early this week.

[GolfGirl51 in reply to AblatedCyclist]

Thank you and I hope you continue with your improvement. I see my EP in ten days and at that time he will arrange a cardio-version (if I haven't self corrected). He didn't want to do it right away as he felt it would just go back into AFib. He wants to give my heart a little chance to heal. I did call his yesterday and he added another drug (Digoxin) trying to bring my heart rate down under 100.

[ika47]

Hi, my metoprolol is combined with ramipril, Dr. says that's how it works and it is working for me; but I succesfully got it down from 25mg 2 times a day to 12mg a day and BP is good. Everybody is different and Dr. will try to see what works for you; give it some time.

[Cookie24]

I recently had a third ablation. Fist one lasted 14 months and second about 2 years,. For the third ablation I went to a top notch EP. He did a lot of work including left atrial appendage isolation. I was in sinus after the ablation but overnight in the hospital had episodes tachycardia. For about 8 days after the ablation, I had tachy episodes and some afib. Heart is calm now. I am two months post ablation and still taking Propafenone.

[GolfGirl51 in reply to Cookie24]

Best of luck to you. I hope you get longer from this latest ablation. It’s a lot to go through. 🙂

[Oldiemoldy]

metoprolol just tired me out. When I finally settled from ablation I was fine for 18 months but Afib came back - and I too get racing heart during an episode. Metroprolol didn’t help and doc finally persuaded me to try flecanide.

Luckily it worked for me - 50mg 2x per day.

[GolfGirl51 in reply to Oldiemoldy]

I do okay on the metoprolol and my EP said he prefers Propafenone which I assume is a similar drug. What are you considering as a treatment now?

[Oldiemoldy]

flecanide - an anti - arrhythmia medication

[bileyininjurytime]

I had my (first) Ablation in early August. I felt quite nauseous and bloated over the following days, and my consultant prescribed an anti sickness and indigestion. The bloating/inflammation went on for 1-2 weeks and I had to sleep upright for a lot of this time. It was pretty miserable. On subsequent review the consultant said this level of discomfort is unusual and it was likely that a gastro nerve (can't remember detail) had been irritated - which can happen. I stopped the gastro medication within a week, and after a couple of weeks the whole thing settled down.

Re the return of AF episodes immediately after your ablation, everything I've been told/read suggests that it can be a number of months for the 'blanking' to take effect, and to be cautious of concluding 'its not worked' until 3-6 months have passed. But I'm no Dr! Good luck with your recovery.