After much positive encouragement from this forum I had decided to go ahead with a PFA ablation .But last week I read that recovery time could be up to 6 months , now I'm having second thoughts !
What recovery time have other people experienced please ?
Thanks
Same recovery as normal RF or Cryo ablation.
Recovery generally will be different for everyone, depends upon fitness level, age, other conditions. I understand that PFA may have slightly quicker recovery time but only had RF myself. I could do everyday things from day one but it easy to overdo things so taking a few weeks to recover is important. Some people report ectopics and they can be pesky for some and certainly I had them for some months but they didn’t stop me doing stuff. For me it was what are the alternatives when you don’t want or cannot tolerate meds?
Meds were not an option for me but many have no problems and happy to take them rather than have ablation.
I believe my recovery was speeded up by taking things very, very easy in the first few weeks. I was fine after 2 months, though continued to treat each new activity and event as a milestone. 10 months on have crammed in the busiest summer I’ve had for years!
I had an ablation a year ago, after encouragement from this forum. I took it very easy for two weeks or so afterwards and gradually started going back to normal. I just got some ectopics for a few months, but they gradually eased off. It is a daunting prospect, having an ablation, but I’m sure you’ll be fine and it’s worth going through it, if it stops the awful AFib from returning. Good luck with your procedure.
Well, for me it was four months before I could walk a brisk four miles. Seven months before I could run again. If I did too much I knocked out by fatigue. I've had three and they only varied a little. The first three months were the worse tbh. Mine were PVI and two RF.However, yesterday on Facebook was a chap walk/running the Parkrun THREE weeks after an ablation.
Number four is going to be PFA as I've heard recovery is quicker 🤞
Thank you all for your commentsThe fact sheet was extremely helpful
Well, I had the PFA on May 20, '24. Before leaving the hospital that day, I asked my EP, who with a team of others had just performed the procedure, when I could expect to be back on the tennis court and/or golf course. A straight answer I wanted no matter what, and he said that I should give it a week. Pleasantly surprised, I went home quite a happy 80 year old. But I actually gave it 2 weeks just to make sure. It is so wonderful not only to be free of AF but also free of the worry of an impending one not to mention to be off all meds including even apixaban after being clear for 3 months plus. Ever morning, first thing I say, is, "Thank you Lord for a quiet, happy heart."
I had RF ablation for AF when I was 41. I took 3 weeks off work to recover but I decided to extend it to 6 weeks — I was mostly just fatigued. I had a few short episodes of AF during the first six months after the procedure, but I've been AF free for a couple of years now. On the downside, my ectopic burden has increased dramatically. Which may or may not be connected to the ablation procedure.
You may well feel like you can get back to normal relatively quickly but it’s wise to use your head and limit yourself for a month or so, I thought I was safe at 10 weeks and overdid things painting and decorating which triggered a short AF episode. I keep an update on my bio. Be cautious and build up slowly would be my advice and I wish I’d had my cryoablation sooner.
Link to ablation resources on AFA website heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...
Best wishes
I had PFA and was almost back to my normal sports after two weeks. Did some easy indoor rowing after wk1 then added indoor cycling after wk2 (bit more time for groin wound to heal), then weight training after that, soon after that I was back to my previous levels and achievements so all good. I don't know if previous fitness helps for a quicker recovery but I suspect it does.
Everyone seems to have had such different experiences . I feel it is like launching myself into the unknown , bit of a coward I'm afraidAt the moment I feel very fit and well on Flecainide 150 mg and Xarelto , do lots of walking and dog sports , I do have several Afib episodes a year but feel I am more in control than I would be not knowing how an ablation is going to work for me
Would be interested to hear fromanyone else who has chosen the med route over the ablation one
Thank you all for your support as always
There may be some confusion about 'recovery' period. It doesn't mean you are going to be incapacitated or unwell for that length of time. I was recovered in terms of feeling okay a few hours after the procedure when the effects of the sedative had worn off. However I followed the advice sheet and did very little for a fortnight - not because I felt rough or anything; because I wanted to give the procedure the best chance of long-term success.
The 'blanking'period, during which your heart is still slowly healing and settling down, is a different thing - much longer and seems to vary a lot person to person. I was still noticing subtle improvements well over a year after mine.
I'd have another ablation tomorrow! In my case I got huge reward for less than an hour of what was nothing more than discomfort in the cath lab.
Thank you for your very balanced replyAre you on any meds now ?
No, none. I have great respect for the general opinion I see on here that everyone who ever had/has AF should be on Anti-Coagulants, but in my circumstances I choose to be drug free for as long as I can. I'm under 65, I'm male and have no co-morbities. In addition I have not knowingly had any AF since my ablation in Feb 2022.
Well done ! Thank you
I didn't have PF but RF in March this year. It was a 3 to 4 hour procedure and I felt a bit agitated and sick for the first 24 hours. I came out of hospital the next day and the following day I walked over to Tesco about 800 yards and had coffee. I did this every day gradually increasing the time walking. The same day I went out for lunch and was fine. I did get quite a bit of indigestion and sleepless nights which settled after a while.
I think I am still recovering 5 months later but feel much stronger with no AF episodes!!
I was 71 years old when I had an ablation ten months ago. After two weeks I began light exercise, mainly indoor walking. After a month I was doing eight to ten thousand steps a day along with light weights. I’ve read that some people returned to work a few days after an ablation but my experience was different. Still recovery time was longer than I was led to believe, I expected a few days but it was actually about two weeks.
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