Mini maze heart ablation surgery

[P1956]

Please can you kindly advise me my 40 yr old son as had mini maze heart ablation surgery 5 weeks ago for the last 4 days his heart is all over he had a ecg yesterday at the Dr he said it was out of sink but not in afib his blood pressure was higher so they have upped his meds but he is a little breathless and very anxious 💔 he sees his surgeon in 10 days his this normal he just shouts at me

[BobD Volunteer]

Although the mini maze procedure is different from catheter ablation , the heart will still be highly irritable for some time so maybe read our fact sheet on recovery which I link to here.

healthunlocked.com/redirect...

[Ppiman]

The medication, which I imagine to be a beta-blocker such as bisoprolol, might make your son feel the need to breathe more deeply and perhaps with some chest discomfort, but the "all over" feeling, if not afib, will be caused by runs of what are called "ectopic beats". These are harmless but easily bring on anxiety. This then multiplies any fears and forms a general background that makes a person feel ill - and sometimes (as you've found) irritable and bad-mooded. Bad luck that you are having to put up with this. It must be hard. Do you have some way to get relief - pop round a friend's, get away and read a good book, watch an absorbing film, or similar?

Steve

[Paulbounce]

Hi P1956. I'm sorry to hear about your son's heart issues. Although the procedure is considered safe it's not uncommon for some patients to experience a period of readjustment and instability after surgery.

If your son is feeling anxious, it's important that he attends the scheduled appointment in 10 days' time with his surgeon.

In the meantime, I think he should practice stress-relieving techniques to help manage his anxiety. A quick Google will uncover ways to do this. This will be a difficult and stressful time for you and your son, but it's important to remember that it's common for there to be some adjustment after a mini maze and that most patients recover well with proper care and follow-up.

I also feel that a daily gentle walk would benefit him. Just slowly and not too far - even if it's just around the block.

I think that in 2 or 3 months his anxiety will pass and he will be on the road to much better health again. It will work out well in the end after this stressful time for both of you. That's a Paul's Promise.

Paul