I started PAFs 5 years ago at 54 ( first 3 times a year, then 7, then 19..). Am scheduled for an ablation (probably cryo) in June and now I am somewhat freaked out by my decision.
I understand that one has to weigh the burden of the disease against the potentially positive outcomes of an ablation, and also that postponing is likely not going to change/improve things (except if my EP introduces pulsed field ablation into his repertoire – but that might be a while.)
Most severe risks of the operation seem to singly fall in 0.1-0.6% range, but the consent form I now received states 6%, which is another number entirely- I guess that is cumulative but it’s not helping my stress levels lol. I know ablation will be part of my path, just uncertain if it should be in a few weeks. My concern is that 2 weeks after the ablation I will be in an area where hospital care (in case) is an hour away, whereas if I do it in the fall, I live near a hospital.
So my ambivalence is part nerves and part reason (is it though?). The EP is does not seem fussed as to where I will be two weeks post ablation. Any input appreciated.
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agnostic1
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On the day I was almost ready to get off the operating table and walk out.
So glad I did'nt though. 6 years AF free has been wonderful.
The risks have to be stated now, so the EP is covered, but there is some debate as to how these figures are measured and how old they are.
You should read the advise guides on this forum for an idea of what to expect on the day and the weeks following.
The advice of do nothing more strenuous than lifting the TV remote for the first week and not much more for the second is good advice IMO. You will have gone through the worry and have had £1000's invested in you, so the least you can do is not ruin it on week one.
My personal recovery took months before I was able to walk and exercise to pre ablation levels. I think the one thing that EPs get wrong is how long the recovery takes.
As for being 2 hours from a hospital, that is your decision by the sound of it. If you plan to sit somewhere relaxing and read books then that sounds great. If you plan on cycling the alps or walking the peak district I'd take a rain check.
Would I do it agian? Definately I can still remember how horrible AF felt and how dibilitating it was for me.
Just read your response, thank you for being so honest about your experience. I'm due to have a cyro ablation any day now. I was actually thinking recovery will be around 2-4 weeks. I think I should mentally prepare myself for it being a bit longer.
OP - as suggested please read up on benefits of having the procedure vs not. It is absolutely a personal choice but if your quality of life is anything like mine at the min with horrendous symptoms - I'm literally housebound with them - then I would give it serious consideration.
Hope you come to a decision that is right for you.
No problem, I hope you and others can benefit from my experience.When I say recovery took months, that was to reach fitness levels that I had before the ablation.
I was getting breathless walking a few hundred yards but exercising daily built up the distance before breathlessness over time.
We actually moved house the week after my ablation which wasn't great planning as it was pretty stressful.
I was back at work 3 weeks after ablation. I don't really remember any pain, I did have the migraine aura thing for a couple of days and a lovely bruise on my thigh. But it was a good reminder of what my heart must look like .
Yes thankyou I plan to do that just sometimes with kids you forget you've have a major procedure.I would love to just not be breathless walking up a flight of stairs and the swelling to go away - that is my fitness level goal range 😂
Gosh moving houses is stressful at best of times. Well done for just surviving that after ablation. Hope your doing much better now 😊
Your afib is gradually getting more troublesome. I have been exactly where you are and wondering if I was doing the right thing. I had my first ablation two years ago coincidentally it was June 😁. I had cryo and although it didn’t get rid of af events it paved the way for my second top up ablation which was done through Radio frequency, that one only took an hour and the recovery time much shorter about a week, the first one was about 5-6 weeks. I feel lots better now, no sustained af for about 5 months. If I had not had the ablation I dread to think what my heart would be doing now. Think of the positives don’t dilly dally and just think it will be all over by July. POSITIVITY 👍
Ablations are game changers I needed 3 but none were difficult to recover from and its really worth it and hopefully you'll be able to get away with one
I had a cryoablation 5 years 3 months ago and no afib since. No hassle, no worries about going away with work and on holidays about what will happen if I get AFib when away, no drug stress when there is no flecainide available at the chemist, and I have only 2 days supply, no dealing with the side effects of the various drugs I took, ( not taken anything other than a paracetomol in 5 years).If you are fit and healthy other that AFib ( no comorbidities) , and your EP thinks you are a good candidate for a successful ablation , then I suspect that your risk is much less that whatever average statistics you are quoted.
I understand your nerves - been there. For me, the bottom line is that you have the best chance of a successful ablation while your AF is in its early days. So living with it until you’re sick of the increasing meds and possible side effects is just not worth the gamble. Other consideration for me was side effects of meds which made me lethargic and tired.
Recovery time - I found that I was really tired for nearer 4 months and it was only after I came off Bisoprolol that I really started to feel back to normal.
I’ve had 4 ablations - 2 under general and 2 under sedation. Somebody else wrote about walking out of hospital but the recovery taking longer than docs advised and this true. But the recovery is nice and easy and it’s just about being kind to yourself. I’ve comforted somebody else by saying I’d rather have an ablation than go to the dentist 😂
I just have AFIB but it’s been described as aggressive . I used to be in permanent AF but now it’s paroxysmal (80% of the time up until last ablation). Post - ablation was suffering really badly so they put me on a drug called Amiodarone which has been amazing at keeping AF under control. Im due to come off it next week and then we will know for sure if the ablation worked 🤞🤞
With regard to ablations I am in the minority. I favour a big effort on lifestyle changes and close consultation with the medics on pill options first. If that looks bleak and QOL is poor then there is no decision to make as you will be up for the ablation without any nerves.
It's normal to have serious doubts. Many people are symptomless and live in permanent Afib with no problem. Afib in itself is not life threatening under the correct medication ( especially anti coags). If you can live with it maybe you could wait for a better ablation technique.
However my Paroxysmal Afib like yours progressed and I was getting episodes every two days. I decided to bite the bullet and have an RF ablation while my Afib was still Paroxysmal which would give it a better chance of working. I had a bumpy ride post ablation but have been off all meds since last October. Ultimately only you know if you can tolerate how you live now with Afib. But if you have an ablation at least you will have explored all options If you don't try you may never know. But the unknown is always stressful and I feel for you on the brink of this decision. Try to find out how many ablations your EP does a year and that will set your mind at rest. My EP does about 600 RF ablations a year. I felt much more confident after I found that out 😃
Hi I believe recent research says that risks from ablation are just as high up to 20-30 days after procedure. So my advice as others have said is take it easy and gradually for a month.
im waiting for my second ablation. All I can say is don’t do what I did after my first snd had a new carpet laid the day afterwards snd put furniture back and hoovered the bits!! It didn’t help recovery
The ablation itself, well put it this way, I am more nervous about how nerves or any hospital visit affect my rear end and embarrassingly going back and forth to the loo
I had doubts, but found the ablation procedure straightforward. Just wish that I had been diagnosed earlier and had one in good time - as they found too much fibrosis so now I’m kind of stuck in persistent AFib, (Up until October last year the episodes were lasting for days, but I would then have a month in sinus rhythm. It all got worse very suddenly.)
So, despite mine only lasting for two days, I would definitely say to go for it. I had thought it might be like a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Quite the reverse in my case! I’m doing ok in persistent AFib with rate control, and just getting on with it. It really is a ‘mongrel disease’ that affects us all so differently, and the progression can be very different too.
If an electrophysiologist is recommending it as a good option for you, it means that they’re pretty sure it will help. (At least in places like the UK NHS where they’re not looking for your money or encouraging procedures that aren’t needed.)
I can share my experience in that I have had 3 ablations within the last few years and each time was smoothly sailing. Yes there is some tenderness and soreness in the groin area but this cleared in a couple of days and one time the trachea tube knicked the back of my throat which gave me a raging sore throat for about a week. But apart from that was back to most of my regular routines within a couple of weeks (of course take it easy on the exercise and over exerting yourself in the months during the blanking period). The overall outcomes from the ablations have been less than spectactular, but the ablations themselves have been. I wish you the best in your decision making
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