After much worrying on my part, I had my ablation done at Barts on Friday and I'm not dead yet! Despite the long list of side effects which might have occurred according to the AF Ablation help sheet, all I had was a mild(ish) migraine on the Friday night. No problems with bleeding from the site or indeed much if any discolouration or a lump forming. No pains in the chest or increase in my pulse rate or feelings of indigestion etc. But no one told me that when they fire the gun, it's like somebody injecting scalding tea into your chest!! But, most importantly, I'm in NSR!!
I am however still taking Amiodarone and Bisoprolol and the former has kept me in NSR for 90% of the time, since it kicked in a couple of weeks ago. So maybe it's the effect of that which is doing the trick still?But I've not had any ectopics and palps or anything. Whereas before the op. despite the Amiodarone, I'd had a couple of episodes of light flutters. Felt a little jaded over the weekend, but nothing else. Did an unintentional 3 mile walk today and found it a bit hard going towards the end, as it was quite a steep and long hill. But soon as I was at the top, felt fine again.
I'd agreed to join a research program being conducted at Barts which is seeking to copy the American way of approaching ablation, where treatment is tailored to the specific needs of the patient, rather than the blunderbuss one size fits all approach generally adopted over here. I was amazed the UK wasn't doing that already, but apparently not according to the lead scientist, who actually carried out my procedure personally. Won't be off the Amiodarone for 3 months and, as it lingers around in the body for a further 51 days or thereabouts, I won't know till nearer Christmas whether it's been a success.
I'm also on a second research program involving the use of an Apple watch which has an ECG ap on it and have agreed to send 3 traces a day to the Barts team if it shows up as anything other than NSR. Had a phone call today from the EF team already telling me to reduce my bisoprolol as I've been in Bradycardia (but NSR) since the beginning of last week, averaging 46 bpm, but with no apparent side effects. Fingers crossed for me please everyone.
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After much worrying on my part, I had my ablation done at Barts on Friday and I'm not dead yet"
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"Not dead yet" is a good start But that "unintentional 3 mile walk uphill" on DAY 3 is a good way to ruin all the good work both you and your ep put into this ablation. I wouldn't even do that at week 3. Your heart needs time to heal.
So pleased to hear that you're feeling so well, but no more long walks for a few weeks please. Your heart needs to heal now and form scar tissue to block your rogue heart beats. Jean
sound promising, and good to be part of the research program, it means they will keep tabs on you. Take it easy with the walking for another few weeks. I’m still taking Amiodarone and Bisoprolol 10 weeks out from my hybrid procedure, so like you not sure if it’s been successful yet. Hoping they will stop both at my next check up in Aug after a 7 day holter.
well done, yes lots of worry before and then whoosh afterwards we think why did we worry so!??!
Be wary over doing it , it makes sense to let the heart recover as we can’t see what’s goung in inside. I did find when I pushed myself after three months my body said woah…..so it can take a while.
I still take bisoprolol after three years from ablation.
Good to read that all went well. Maybe the 3 mile walk was bit too adventurous. I’m on the wait list for Bart’s so always good to hear people’s experiences. Take good care
Looking good! I feel reasonably sure that my ablation at Leicester in 2019 didn't involve a blunderbuss at any point and that everything was tailored rather nicely to fit me, but I never did enquire about that!
Steve I think the one fits all approach that is referred to is that most EP's in the uk now do cryo ablating the pulmonary veins only to see if that does the trick - if not a touch up may be required ...
Got it. I hope there’s a rationale. I recall a conference on cardiology I went to years ago where there was some real opposition between American and British surgeons.
I guess it's a postcode lottery/down to which EP you get.My EP was Dr Sandilands at Glenfield. Could not have asked for a better ep. My treatment was definitely tailored to my needs, due to a rare type of arthritis it was decided general anaesthetic would be best for me.
Ablation was RF using the latest technology of the time. 5 hour op and discovered flutter when he was finishing up, so sorted that too.
I am waiting for an ablation at Glenfield , with Dr Sandilands. I was due a pre-assessment tomorrow, which has unfortunately been cancelled due to consultants strike. It has been rescheduled for 2nd August, but with more strikes on the horizon, I have no idea when the actual ablation will take place and I’ve been waiting over a year now. Good to hear that I have a good Doctor doing the procedure though.
Sorry to hear your assessment has been delayed.Dr Sandilands is one in a million.
My ablation was on the Friday before a bank holiday.
Because of the GA I had to stay in over night.
He cycled in to work on the Saturday morning , his day off. So that I wouldn't be in until the Tuesday because no one would be able to discharge me.
I needed an echo scan, but very few if anyone available to do it, so he went and found an ultrasound machine, wheeled it to my bedside and did it himself.
I had a few issues with medication during my recovery, I sent an email to his secretary and within a couple of hours he would call me and either sort something out over the phone or squeeze me in to his next clinic.
You've definitely got lucky!
If you are waiting for your op pre-assesment it sounds like you are pretty close to the top of the queue, they have to carry out the procedure within a certain time following your assessment.
Thank you for replying. Good to know. I’m obviously nervous. It’s the fear of the unknown, I suppose, but it’s helpful to hear this information. I am having sedation, which worries me, as I’ve never had that before. I did wonder how long it would be between the pre-assessment and the ablation. Sounds like it would only be a short time. Can’t make any plans for trips away in our caravan, until I know. I’ll make the most of our time away next week, when we’re going to Oxford for a few days and going on a visit to Highclere Castle, home of Downton Abbey, which I loved, when it was on TV.!!. The annoying thing is, we cancelled a week's holiday this week, at the seaside, for my appointment, that should have been tomorrow, as I was worried if I cancelled it, I’d have gone to the bottom of the list and then they went and cancelled it. We could have gone after all. Still it was too late then.
I asked why so many patients report on having to have a second and even third ablation to do the trick and why didn't they just ablate every likely area while they were there on the first visit? She said it was just standard practice in the UK, but that that was effectively what they would be doing for patients on this research program. They went in with an AF antagoniser and ablated all the areas which reacted to it, in addition to all the other known likely areas. They're trying, in her words, to up the success rate of the first ablation attempt to the same level of the USA.
That’s very interesting. I often wonder whether doctors don’t want to limit the area or amount of ablating, too, since it’s a permanently destructive procedure and replete with risks some unquantifiable (nearness of the pulmonary veins and the oesophagus come to mind). It must be a tough decision since a second ablation isn’t something most people would want.
Like I said it was unintentional. Meant to be just down to the shops and back which is about a mile round trip involving no hills. Unfortunately path and road was shut for works, so ended up doing what I did. I thought it might add another mile max but when I looked at my watch I realised it was 3!
Best wishes for continued nsr. Do not push your recovery. You're still on meds that are protecting you from AFib. Remember your heart has to heal burns without the benefit of air or burn cream. It's not a race back to normal, it's a gentle stroll. I couldn't walk 80ft on day 3 without being out of breath, was in nsr, but had no meds to support. 7 months on 21st and still in nsr.
Hi, my biso was always stopped after ablation or cardioversion as my bpm would go into 40s and I would collapse. So, interesting about your 46 bpm, I was not allowed to leave hospital until it had got over 55bpm after first ablation, later after heart repair I had to have pacemaker cos it was too low.
that’s amazing & thank you so much for this! I am due an ablation on the 1st August, I had my pre med today, I am dreading it!! I will be sedated but not out to sleep!
I got myself in a bit of a tizz the closer the date came. I honestly couldn't feel a thing other than the burning sensation during the brief bursts of ablating, which lasted no more than say 8 seconds a go. Good luck with that.
Hello! Thank you so much for posting. I found it particularly interesting because I’m on the waiting list for an ablation at St Barts- since 1st January!
I’ve opted for a general so will I still get the burning chest feeling?
I’m also surprised that the ablations aren’t bespoke here?
Mine’s going to be complicated because I also have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
I wish you well and can’t believe that you did that walk so soon! 😊
The burning sensation is only when they are doing the ablating of an area. It's subsides immediately, so a max of say 5 to 8 seconds per burst. Afterwards I felt nothing. If you're out for the count you wont feel anything during the process, although I do know some people on here have described their chest as being sore afterwards. I didn't luckily. I was told back in May that if I opted for a general then the wait list would be a lot longer. Hence why I went for sedation only and got it done last Friday. Obviously if yours is more complicated then it may need to be done under general.I was amazed myself that they weren't bespoke already when they phoned about going onto the research program. I think I actually said that and she said, I know, we move quite slowly in the NHS.
Thank you for sharing your ablation experience. I am amazed that you could walk 3 miles afterwards. I am having to take it slow. You must be young. I am 73. Thank you for sharing about you still taking amiodarone afterward and how it's helped keep you in NSR. That helped me. I was wondering and a bit worried about the side effects.
I'm 68 WM, but always kept fit. As bits of the wagon have dropped off as I got older, I've had to adapt my exercise regime. Won't bore you with the details, but as an example I now walk an awful lot having been prevented from running anymore. Gagging to go down the gym at present, but following the comments on my 3 mile walk, decided to leave it another couple of weeks more, then start easing back in real easy. 😂 I don't do big weights in any case. More like circuit stuff.
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But that "unintentional 3 mile walk uphill" on DAY 3 is a good way to ruin all the good work both you and your ep put into this ablation. I wouldn't even do that at week 3. Your heart needs time to heal. 
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