Is it normal

[bobify]

Hi just had my ablation a week ago going through a lot of things I didn't realise I would feel however today woke up feeling I am back in af 😞 is this a normal reaction or do I fear the worse really upset at the moment 😔

[BobD Volunteer]

Probably. Have you read our "Recovering from Ablation" fact sheet? I will add a link shortly.

healthunlocked.com/redirect...

[Jalia]

Do you feel that you are consistently back in AF or just every now and then?

I had my 5th ablation almost 3 weeks ago and I had alot of very troublesome AF and ectopics particularly in first 2 weeks. It was found that my Potassium levels were very low . Subsequent to this I was prescribed potassium supplement ...Sando K which has made a huge difference to my energy levels and arrhythmia burden. Maybe worth checking out with your GP if things don't improve.

[bobify in reply to Jalia]

Thx so much 👍

[Teresa156]

I had an ablation just over three weeks ago and it’s a very nerve racking time, you become very aware of every beat and how your heart feels, which is different to how it was before, including strange beats and ectopics.

If you read the fact sheet, it can be very comforting….I’ve read it about ten times 😊

Don’t be down….easy for me to say, as I’ve felt down too, but we are both still in the blanking period.

[bobify in reply to Teresa156]

Thx so much for your reply it is difficult you go through a lot to get to this and hope it works straight away even if you know it doesn't good luck staying safe

[lovetogarden]

Do read the document BobD linked to. It’s so very reassuring. And yes, most of us do experience intermittent wobbles after an ablation. Takes a while for our beaten up hearts to heal and calm down. Do call your doctor’s office or nurse if you can, they’ll also reassure you. Take it easy, and try not to worry (sooo much easier said than done!)

[bobify in reply to lovetogarden]

Hi thx for that 😊 yes it's hard not to you expect so much in hope 🙏 you take care

[Lilypocket]

Hello,

When you say "feeling you are back in Afib" did you confirm you are or do things just feel odd? Could be ectopics?

It is very early days so don't be down. My heart was all over the shop after my ablation two years ago but things settled down after a medical conversion and apart from 1 hour of Afib I have been in NSR for nearly two years now.

Take care.

[Fullofheart]

Hang on in there. I had 3 ablations in 2022 and all were thought to have failed as I was back in persistent AF after each each one, within 24 to 48 hours. Then 5 months after the last one I went into NSR.Still there! 😊

[30912]

Sorry to hear you are having a rough time. If it's any help, my experience was exactly the same. I was having all sorts of AF and tachycardia post ablation and can remember feeling very upset that I had to go through that procedure which seemed to have made it worse. But hang on in there, things started to get far better for me after about 3 months. In fact I had 10 years of good quality of life before it started to go downhill again. Best of luck with it.

[Buzby62]

It is upsetting, it happened to me at day 6 but reverted to NSR again overnight. I contacted the arrhythmia nurses by phone and emailed ECGs from Apple Watch. They said I was right to contact them and wanted me to keep them informed, they indicated that they might intervene if it went on more than 72 hours. You should have been given contact details and you should use them, I wouldn’t delay.

I don’t think there’s any such thing as normal with AF as we’re all different but it certainly is not uncommon to have episodes in the blanking period and many go on to be successful afterwards, see my bio.

Best wishes

[mjames1]

however today woke up feeling I am back in af 😞 is this a normal reaction or do I fear the worse

Yes it's normal to fear the worse, but it's also possible you're back in atrial fibrillation, which means your doctor should be notified so appropriate interventions may be started.

The only way you will know is with an EKG. This could either be some sort of Holter for continuous monitoring, or you can take matters to your own hand and find out right away with a Home device like the Kardia or Apple Watch.

We tend to fear the unknown and right now the unknown is whether or not you're in atrial fibrillation. Find out with an EKG and you will start taking back control of your fears.

Jim