Anxious and Overwhelmed

[MeganMN]

Ugh. Just posting because after my last failed ablation I am having a terrible time. They failed to induce the rhythm, did the entire three hour procedure without sedation (4 catheters plus isoproteronol, and hours of pacing), it was terribly painful at times, then wicked post procedure pericarditis. I am now finding myself with really bad anxiety and maybe depression related to the procedure. I feel so antsy and anxious. I just can't shake it. I feel like the entire thing was so traumatizing.

[CDreamer]

I am so sorry, that sounds like you had a very difficult time.

I wondered why no sedation? How long ago was the ablation? I just checked your previous posts and can see that it is still early days - 3-4 weeks post procedure. You do seem to have received contradictory advice also, not surprised you feel down and overwhelmed. It takes a long time to recover from such an ordeal and it is essential that you have some help and support. Has any psychological after care and counselling been offered? Essentially your body is on constant alert and it is important to break that feedback loop and healing can only happen when you feel safe and supported. Feeling down, disappointed and depressed after such an even I believe is a withdrawal response so that is maybe what you need right now. Anxiety and depression go hand in hand and after your experience I am not surprised you feel overwhelmed and antsy.

I hope you can find some help and support, that will help. Best wishes

[MeganMN in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks for the comment. They didn't want to do sedation because it apparently makes it more difficult to induce the atrial tachycardia. They wanted to maximize the chances of fixing it. My husband and I decided to do a 3 day fast to get control of our cravings and holiday sugar intake. While my body feels terrible,.I actually already feel less anxious (48 hours in). I also started seeing a practitioner that is doing Osteopathic manipulation and that has also helped my overall anxiety and feeling unwell. I will keep taking it easy on myself and searching to find answers. Sometimes I feel like we have to be our own study subjects to figure things out.

[bassets]

Sorry you are feeling so awful. I remember watching as they fiddled about inside my heart on the monitor and asking if that was me. After that they gave me more sedation, but I remember that pain. My ablation didn't totally work either. However it has meant the AF burden is much lighter now. Can you get help for your anxiety> It sounds as though you may need it. Try to stay as calm as you can. Best of luck.

[MeganMN in reply to bassets]

Thank you! It was very surreal to watch them and feel everything. Every day is a little better.