Tips on how to recover from an ablation

[manabouttown]

Just had a RF ablation for PAF yesterday at the Harefield Heart Hospital.

I'm glad to say the procedure went well.

I have two tips to help.

1) ask for your canula to be inserted in the back of your hand rather than just under the elbow.It'smuch more comfortable and easier to find a vein and to extract.

2) Given that your are asked to come in the morning usually 7.30 and have had to just sip water from 6am (150 ml per hour) until your procedure -mine was at 12.30 ,you will be pretty dehydrtaed when you wake up after the General Anaesthetic is stopped.

As you will have lie flat on your back for approx 3-4 hours to allow the wound in your groin to start healing,you cannot easily drink to rehydrate. One of the consequences of being dehydrated , your heart can start beating faster.

Therfore ask to be put on a saline rehydrating drip.

I unfortunately did not know about these tips but thought I'd post to help others when preparing for their ablations.

[BobD Volunteer]

In our Recovering from ablation and Preparing for ablation fact sheets we recommend taking a sports drinking bottle so that one can actually drink whilst laying flat. I will add links below shortly as there are plenty of other things you won't have been told.

healthunlocked.com/redirect...

api.heartrhythmalliance.org...

[manabouttown in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob ,yes a sports bottle with a bendy straw full of electrolytes is good.If you're groggy after the ablation then an intravenous saline drip works better.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to manabouttown]

Funnily enough I never had a problem after any of my four.

[Buffafly]

I was very dehydrated before my ablation as when I had it no sips of water were allowed and my ablation was delayed due to an emergency. But when I woke up I wasn’t and my only difficulty was having to use a bedpan - very efficient kidneys! I think the cannula goes where the best vein is available - I have had a doctor cursing quietly to herself while trying to fit a cannula to my foot as my few other suitable sites were occupied. I had my ablation at Harefield some time ago and the recovery ward was a prefab, wonder if anything has changed. Who is your EP?

Best wishes for your recovery.

[Jalia]

Have just had 5th ablation. Nurses brought water to me and fed with a straw so no problems. Then coffee similarly! I had 3 cannulas inserted in back of hand. Anaesthetist said as he was inserting that it was the preferable place anyhow.

[2learn]

Hi, just anecdote. I had ablation privately at Brompton 8am. I was dehydrated but also fancied a cup of tea as comfort I suppose, but nursing staff do not do catering not even a cup of tea and catering staff said I couldn't have anything until meal times at 12-1pm. Seemed odd when you are paying thousands privately but no one will get you a drink.

[manabouttown in reply to 2learn]

I'm really shocked that you got pretty shoddy service when going private.Only 20% of the cost was for your EP and Anaesthetist etc.80% is for the room.It's probably the most expensive hotel room you've ever stayed in.

[LaceyLady in reply to manabouttown]

When I looked at my costs the Prof was cheap, the other staff cheap, the massive costs were the hospital!!

[manabouttown in reply to LaceyLady]

Yes hospitals are very expensive hotel rooms

[LaceyLady in reply to manabouttown]

Ha ha, my ‘room’ was like a broom cupboard, certainly wouldn’t pay a hotel for that room.

[LaceyLady in reply to 2learn]

see my experience below

[manabouttown in reply to LaceyLady]

Glad your ablation has worked

[Jalia in reply to 2learn]

I had my 5th ablation NHS...under 3 weeks ago in Brighton as day case. It was endo/epicardial so GA. I was well looked after by nurses in spacious curtained off cubicle. I was given as much fluids as I wanted and helped to drink both water and coffee . Offered hot and cold food at any time although I had no appetite but had cheese and biscuits at their insistence!

Quite honestly I can't see how I could have been better looked after if I had paid umpteen thousands. ( I have had self funded surgery before ) EP came along and had unhurried talk with him before I left.

[LaceyLady]

interesting, I wasn’t told anything either. I’m T2 diabetic and need to eat. I had my op in private hospital by A Bart’s Prof. there was no suitable food as I’m low carb in spite of them being informed twice! Your throats SO sore could barely swallow pain killer without choking!! And they offered me a ruddy sandwich or salad 🤯 One of them had to go out to a local shop to buy me soup 🤯 God only knows how they heated it.

Oh yes, no kitchen facilities 🤬 and it was near lunch time!!

Yes complaints have been made and I can only hope others get it better