i had my ablation 3 weeks ago now and still experiencing mild soreness/discomfort around the puncture site in my groin.
I was told by LGI I would be up to near normal activity after a few days and be back swimming and light gym work after a couple of weeks yet it took me over a week to be able to drive again because I couldn't tolerate the sitting position for long and was nearly two weeks before I could wear anything other than jog pants and not done any exercise apart from lunchtime walks since the ablation.
Apart from the odd afib episodes while the scarring settles down I've no other problems apart from how long the puncture site is taking to recover.
Appreciate we're all different but curious if anyone else has experienced similar slow recovery and how long it actually took to start feeling normal again.
Thanks in advance!
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Flutterby100
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Thank you we asked people what they wished they had been told and I then collated it. Took us a while to get it approved by the medical board but well worth the effort. Flapjack did one on preparing for ablation. I will link to that shortly.
Hi Bob & Flapjack thanks for the link.Got a few helpful hints particularly the sports bottle & snacks but one of the questions I had was re shaving .My admissions sheet states do not shave as may cause infection.
Different hospitals have different ideas. My last admission I was sent a bottle of hibiscrub and had to shower the morning of the procedure doing two washes with it but not shave. They only shaved a very small area. Years ago when having a cartilage op I had to be shaved from the waist down! Things change so go with your admission instructions.
Run it by whoever did the procedure. If discomfort gets worse or continues much longer, ask about getting an ultrasound. I just had redness and two small bumps that went away in a month or so, but we all heal different.
Thanks Jim. Bruising and scab have cleared now I just have a small bump under the skin still that feels fine for a few days but then just gives me these little reminders I'm not quite there yet
I cant give you an answer but I posted earlier today as I'm due to have an ablation at the LGI in the coming weeks and was wondering about the recovery time. I've been told similar as I was hoping to go skiing, although having posted on here and reading your post it looks like that won't be happening. Can I ask who was your Cardiologist and was everything straightforward on the day ?
Sure, I had Dr Tayjebee. Although I found the discharge advice given by the ward a little light and not reflective of my own recovery experience hence why I asked the question on here of others experiences, Tayjebee and the team were great on the day. You really have nothing to worry about.
Assuming you are taking blood thinners, you may need to continue with them for at least 3 months after the procedure and will probably be advised not to go skiing regardless of how quickly you recover from the ablation itself. Your cardiologist will come and see you before your discharge to discuss how the the procedure went and next steps so perfect opportunity to ask about skiing and other queations you may have.
Its frustrating I know, I started with AF after passing out playing football in October and have been taking rivaroxaban since and was strictly told definitely no football or activities where theres potential for knocks/bleeding but once my groin starts getting better I can hopefully start swimming and light gym work again soon.
Many thanks, I've been told Dr Tayjebee will be doing my ablation too. My skiing question was put forward to the arrhythmia nurses and the feedback I received was "it was down to how I felt afterwards" but having read your post and the replies to mine, I now realise it's very unlikley and not so straightforward. I'll definitely be asking the cardiologist directly as still hoping to go even if I dont ski. The ablation needs to take priority as like you I'm eager to get back exercising properly and my life back. Passing out must have been scary for you, I found out through my decline in my fitness levels and not being able to run, finally got diagnosed in July but bisoprolol and flecainide medication hasnt worked and I still spend days in AF. Just started anti-coagulants so the sooner I'm sorted the better.
Felt like I was tested and scanned to within an inch of my life at the start but very luckily no underlying conditions were found. I was unsuitable for antiarrhythmia meds because my normal resting heart rate is only 45-55 bpm.
Take comfort in that you're in safe hands with Taybejee and his team and hopefully you'll be back on the slopes soon!
it’s still early days yet. And They shouldn’t have told you that. You can’t go into someone’s heart and start burning tissue etc and be expected to recover straight away.!!!
Just take it easy and forget about anything strenuous and let things heal nice and steady. 👍
I agree with mjames. I had no issues with the groin after my ablation but if it is still annoying you in a week or so it may be a good idea to have it checked. Have a good recovery 🙂
Hi Flutterbee,Selfishly glad you posted but not that you had a reason to.I am due for ablation at LGi very soon & was originally down to be under Dr Tayjabee but for reason my referral got lost for 3 months & after chasing it got taken up by Dr Hogarth. Also a very experienced EP.
I do hope your groin settles down soon.
We do push ourselves don't we.
I will be taking it easy.
I am also reassured that you were tested thoroughly as it is now 21 months since my echocardiogram & 18 since my 24 hour monitor and do feel as if my heart has detiorated.
Sounds about right to me. Had 3 last year and definitely took time to recover. Just short walks first couple weeks. Idea of going back to gym felt a long way off for months tbh. BTW the advice is NOT to drive for at least a week. No lifting or straining. I was told lump is normal as long as no bigger than about the size of a broad bean. If growing, leaking, red, hot or getting more sore than get it checked out.
We all like to be up and about , had my ablation Wednesday and am bored already, groin is a bit sore but like the last three times I just have to get on with it . Every one is different off course and you do need rest.As Bob and others have mentioned on here the discharge routine is basically don't lift anything or drive and that's it you make it up as you go along. Don't get me wrong the treatment I've received over years of procedures is second to none. When you're on the wards in hospital you get to see many things good and bad but from the cleaners to the surgeons and consultants they deserve every penny they get . Off point I know but keep smiling you'll get there .
The post-ablation instructions for me were: For two weeks, avoid sitting continuously for longer than 2 1/2 hours. No driving during first four days unless the vehicle is standard transmission and both legs must be used, then no driving for at least one week. (the entry point was in my left-leg side only). No stair climbing for first week (though doctor allowed that I could climb stairs once a day, because our bedroom is upstairs, but only if I would use right leg only for climbing and keep left leg as straight as possible). For first week, no bending over or squatting (a nurse demonstrated for me what was meant by bending from the waist while standing and what was meant by squatting). For first week, no lifting of anything heavier than 10 lbs. It varies from one individual to the next, but for me the noticeable soreness was mostly gone in about a week.
I'm still limiting myself to mostly walking, though I have done some very limited running of between 20-40 paces a few times during a 2 or 3 mile walk. Giving heart a lot of time to recover after this, my second ablation, because it seems I didn't give it enough time after the first one and I took it into atrial flutter, which was the reason for the second ablation.
But you are exactly precisely right with your comment that "we're all different" and the precise answer is probably somewhere in that murky area.
A big thank you everyone for sharing your own experiences, invaluable!
I've tried to avoid cyberchondria/googling symptoms in the past but this forum just goes to show theres definitely a place for patient peer support groups like this.
Good luck everyone with your journeys, I'll definitely be dropping in to see what support I can share from my own journey!
Quick update... my post ablation grumbles turned out to be bowel problems. I was having a colitis episode and although it had settled down a lot last few weeks I had a failed colonoscopy on Thursday that has left me with the same aches and pains as the ablation did in my lower ab and groin
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