Hi everyone, I had my ablation a month ago & the actual procedure went well. I was only sedated not put to sleep & only minor discomfort. The procedure took 2/5 hours. An hour after the procedure I had a pericardial effusion which led to an emergency chest drain being inserted. I was kept on the CCU for 24 hours with repeated ultrasounds being carried out. I came home with ibuprofen & lansoprazole , told to stop my bisoprolol but to continue to take the amiodarone alongside the apixaban for a further 6 weeks. Nothing on my discharge summary did it indicate to continue with the ibuprofen. After 2 weeks I felt well enough to play a little golf & walk my dogs, so I stopped taking the ibuprofen . Last week, I became very unwell & had to call an ambulance. My temp had risen to 38.6 and I was shivering & extremely cold, vomiting & unable to breathe in.
I was eventually transferred to a cardio ward where they said my heart was enlarged (pericarditis) and I shouldn’t have stopped ibuprofen. Upon discharge, I have been told to take 600mg of ibuprofen-3 times a day alongside colchicine 500mg twice a day. For the first 3 days of taking the colchicine, I felt fine, however , on the 4 day I felt v unwell with severe tummy cramps & persistent diarrhoea. So this morning, I felt well enough to stop the Colchicine as I just felt awful taking it. I am due to see my cardiologist tomorrow who performed the ablation, so I guess he will advise me what to do now in terms of taking medications. I was put back on bisoprolol on the cardio ward to relive the strain on my heart as my HR was sky high and in AF.
My cardiologist said to me after the ablation that I was the unlucky 1 in a 100 who has a bleed out, but also very lucky it was quickly sorted. I still have fluid but only small amount , so it will be interesting to see what tomorrow reveals!
I would never be frightened of having another ablation in the future & I was told it had been a success, despite the effusion.
Fingers crossed 🤞 the pericardial effusion gets better & the inflammation too.
😃
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BorderMLH
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Where was your ablation performed? Normally ibuprofen is contra indicated with AF as NSAIDs can promote it. Think you may also have started golf far too soon. Read our fact sheet on recovery which I will add shortly.
I was told I could resume my golf after 2 weeks, I have only been playing 9 holes. I had it done at Royal Stoke. The cardiologist told me on the ward last week, that he would have probably done the same as a patient, he would have stopped the ibuprofen if he felt well enough. I wouldn’t have resumed my golf had I not been advised I could do from the consultant who preformed the procedure. I have been aware though since then, to rest more. My mum passed away on the same ward a year ago & it was not nice being in there so I will do all I can not to go back in 🙏
The problem we always find is that EPs have seldom have ablations themselves. Our fact sheet was written by patients for patients so tells the real story not wishful thinking. When compilng the paper I had great difficulty finding out why people have the migraine aura for example of which few doctors were even aware.
Yes I agree. I did read the fact sheet a few weeks before I went in. I just felt absolutely fine , walking the dogs a mile after a week of rest & then playing a little golf from the 2nd week. Today, I feel so much better and I will question my cardiologist tomorrow. 🙏
I hope you are now on top of it and take it easy for recommended time plus some!
Your post in my mind emphasises the point there is risks with ablations and therefore they should usually only be undertaken when QOL demands it or is expected to demand it in the near future.
I had a similar experience. In recovery I had severe chest pain, I flagged a nurse and received a opium drug via injection. Drugged I felt fine and was rushed out of recovery. Credit to your team for keeping you in recovery.After a two hour drive home the opium wore off and I was in serious pain on every breath. All this return me to AF. So, a late night trip back to Boston to the ER. It was pericarditis due to water in the heart lining.
Colchicine
Like you, I had bowl issues after several days, it lasted for days. The EP staff suggested diet as a cause. Googling colchicine I found abdominal issues were very common (50%). I discontinued colchicine and was fine within hours. Note there are a number of medical papers suggesting continued colchicine use leads to few AF relapses. Apparently it helps with healing. It just isn't tolerated by everyone.
I was told NOT to take Ibuprofen or any other NSAID due to my blood thinner. I was given Tylenol.
After my 3 month check up I had a cardioversion and have been AF free for almost 2 years now.
It sounds like you are doing well and are passed most of the bumps in the road.
Thank you so much for your reply. I saw the cardiologist yesterday and he himself performed an echo, there was still a little blood around the sac, but the heart was beating nicely. I was told to continue to take lansoprazole & continue to take just 3 ibuprofen 3 times daily. So a reduction of 6! He said nothing I did was wrong,, I had rested for a week, walked a little on the 2nd week (after the ablation) and played a little golf on the 3rd week. He said pericarditis can come & go, but in my case, he is confident it will just settle down. He also said pericarditis after an ablation usually means it has been successful. So fingers crossed 🤞
I have to go back in a few days time for another scan, so I am being well looked after. My cardiologist has encouraged me to walk daily & hit a few balls at the driving range & then play a few holes. Just to listen to my body. I usually am fit & active and find is a chore just resting! However, I trust him completely & he is confident my symptoms will improve. I have been taken off the bisoprolol & the cholchicine completely, now I just have to take the Amiodarone for a further 2 weeks more. Then all I have to take is my Apixaban & cholesterol tablet!
Glad to hear you have been 2 years since your ablation! Hopefully I will be the same!
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A quick update for those that remember my recent posts about the Ablation complications!
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