ectopic heartbeats after ablation

[wbekim]

had ablation for afib 17th January been in blissful bar but last 3 days ectopic beats have gradually increased really worried any advice or guidance

[Jalia]

Give it a chance, its only early days. I had all this after mine.

[wbekim in reply to Jalia]

Just afraid that with having no symptoms for 3 weeks and ectopic beats increasing may indicate procedure has not worked and will have slippery slope back to afib

[kkatz in reply to wbekim]

At 3 weeks I thought wow not even in pain,no Afib.I did feel,weak,tired,breathless.At 6-8 weeks,pain, tachycardia,brachycardia,ectopics.I think it was the scars forming.No Afib and less than a week to go to 2 years NSR.Not total plain sailing .Ectopics really ruining my life a year ago but now sorted.However I need a kick up the butt as all my unhealthy bad habits pre Afib sneaking back.

[wbekim in reply to kkatz]

I have had no problems with hr 60ish or fatigue gone back to excercise without pushing too far but ectopics have just started creeping in and increasing so anxiety and apprehension ramped up no pain or afib

[CDreamer]

Ignore them as it is quite common to experience ectopics, LSD - Long, Slow & Deep breathing will help lessen your anxiety - which will exacerbate the feelings which are unpleasant but not dangerous. I found bending down and overdoing things was my biggest trigger. I had high HR and ectopics for about 9 months following my ablations but all settled eventually.

Good luck.

[Ppiman]

Worrying, of course - and deeply anxiety inducing, but still only the natural healing course, I would say!

Steve

[Buzby62]

I assume you’ve recorded these on an ECG device, if so I would send them to your arrhythmia nurses working with your EP. They are there for you at least until your 12 month review to evaluate any irregularities.

Best wishes

[Magtogrid]

if you can, put it out of your mind. I have had loads of ectopics starting at month 5 after ablation and not have started to go away again. My excellent EP says that it doesn't indicate any material change either way so just let it work itself out. I have been extremely anxious about my PAF but I am starting to relax into the recuperation which I am also sure must help. Good luck. R

[Jetcat]

try not to worry too much. My heart did all sorts of misbehaving after my ablations. I remember well the times my heart rate would just start racing for no reason or the missed heart beats started. Things take time to settle so take it easy👍

[wbekim in reply to Jetcat]

Thanks for the info and advice will try to take onboard and keep reactions to arrhythmia as calm as possible

[Jetcat]

it’s not easy I know.! But I’m sure things will settle down. It’s easy for any heart irregularities to start pressing the anxiety/ worry buttons. Iv wasted alot of my life letting the worry dominate, and to be honest it’s been wasted worries.👍

[wbekim in reply to Jetcat]

Same here over 40 years

[kliving]

Ectopic beats are fairly normal after an ablation. For the large majority they are not even noticed, some will notice them for a few weeks to a few months, a small minority (like me) this will become a new arrhythmia for them. Those in the first two groups don't have much to worry about, the consensus is they are not harmful and usually self correct overtime or with a small dose of something like beta blocker for a while. People in the third group have varying results, it really depends on the amount and how long it lasts. For me, I was getting them every heartbeat, most only get a few every hour or so. Most EP and doctors in general don't do much for this as they are considered to be not harmful. If it happens consistently, it can cause other issues. I would still bring this up to your EP and try getting this documented on an ECG, just so it can be tracked and make sure there is nothing else going on. I have seen numbers thrown around that a few hundred an hour is considered safe and nothing to worry about. All I am willing to say is it can be down right uncomfortable and annoying. Try to keep a positive spin on it. It is really early in the healing process for you, and this has a very good chance of resolving over time. But I will say that I haven't had AFIB in a year and while not a great trade-off I can manage this with medication and still be in a good place compared to before the ablation. Not a great win perhaps but an ugly win is still a win.

[wbekim in reply to kliving]

I tend to agree ectopic beats can be less harmful than afib but still anxiety provoking and causing apprehension nonetheless

[kliving in reply to wbekim]

It certainly is unsettling and cause for concern. You might want to ask about a BB/CCB to see if that helps. It is common to stay on them during the blanking period, and it could relieve some anxiety with the ectopic beats. I wouldn't be overly worried about it yet, though. It is still early in the healing process and as others have said it can take months to get through it. Take the time to rest and go slow with the exertion for a while. Slow progress is still better than no progress.

[wbekim in reply to kliving]

Thanks for your input currently on 7.5 bisoprolol was going to be put on amiodorone for 3 months but slightly raised level of some thyroid reading stopped that

[kliving in reply to wbekim]

An odd thought that did help with my problem. I was taking 240mg Diltiazem once a day, and we ended up changing it to 120mg twice a day. Maybe you can do something like that to see if it helps. Definitely consult your doctor first, though. I refused amiodarone and tikosyn so we tried propafenone (rythmol), and it has worked wonderfully for me.

[Madscientist16]

Yes, pretty normal while the heart/pulmonary veins heal from the procedure. Anxiety makes it worse. I know easier said than done when trying to not to be anxious. Keep busy and deep breathing can help. After a few weeks it will be better. Also know that this may be your new normal. I still have ectopic beats every day but barely notice it and it can get bad from time to time (eating the wrong things or too much, being sick or stressed) but it never developed into a AF episode for me. You got this!

[wbekim in reply to Madscientist16]

Thanks mad it was just that the first 3 weeks were symptoms free and ectopic beats have just started for no apparent reason and are increasing in frequency