4 week post ablation update

[diminished7th]

Hello again

I thought I'd share my experience now I'm 4 weeks post ablation. (I did write a long winded post 4 weeks ago and an update after 1 week so only covering weeks 2-4 now. I do tend to ramble on so apologise in advance )

I followed the post ablation sheet from this site to a t, so thanks for that all who contributed, it was super useful.

At the end of week 2 I felt dreadfully lethargic and heart beat seemed really low (40's) and I was struggling up one flight of stairs. My legs and ankles had ballooned although the swelling went away overnight.

I phoned my arrhythmia nurse (on Wednesday) and she asked for a watch/Kardia ECG reading which I forwarded (it was inconclusive). My own EP was away so she arranged for me to see another EP at the end of his clinic on the Friday. The short walk from the car park to outpatients nearly wiped me out. ECG reading taken which he said was all fine and dandy. He said I had some mild oedema (only in the lower legs, he also checked around my neck) and has arranged an echo (haven't had it yet). He took BP which was slightly high but he was relieved it wasn't low.

Toddled off home and pottered about over the next couple of days.

Weeks 3 and 4- Legs miraculously went back to normal. All bruising from leg and groin gone and puncture wound hardly visible. Heart rate went to 78, where it remains to this day apart from several very long runs of ectopics which I am getting every day often for a couple of hours. Deep and slow breathing doesn't help sadly and they are just bothersome not distressing.

Felt up to starting playing my saxes again and I have no trouble with long passages or holding long notes so all good there.

Started Tai Chi again (lovely :))

Have been for a short (1 mile) walk every day and strangely my heart rate doesn't really increase with exercise. Likewise it doesn't decrease during sleep. I'm guessing that this is normal during the blanking period?

So all in all, apart from a few days where I felt awful, I've been feeling very well and would say I'm about 95% of where I was. I guess at 66 years young the body takes a little longer to heal.

I have my post op check up on 14 May so hoping to still be in NSR and for a long while after that.

All best wishes to you wherever you are on your journey

Sue

[BobD Volunteer]

All sounds quite normal to me! I'm not sure if it is wishful thinking or what but people always underestimate how long it takes to recover. Just because you don't have a giant zip up your chest doesn't mean that your heart hasn't been seriously assaulted! Take it easy.

[diminished7th in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob, that's reassuring. I think we live in a world of instant gratification so we expect everything to be hunky dory very quickly. It doesn't help when the hospital says expect to be "back to normal' (whatever normal is) in 3 weeks or so. I find the advice on this site so much more realistic.

[Redactrice in reply to diminished7th]

It has taken more than six months for me to get closer to normal (I won't be properly normal until I can ditch the drugs). Yesterday was the seven-month anniversary of my ablation (my first). Apart from a few "unclassified" readings on the Kardia (ectopics?) and quite a bit of banging overnight which resolves by morning, I've been in NSR for one month -- the longest I've been in NSR in 20 months. During the blanking period I've had so much breakthrough AF that I've already been listed for another ablation, but if things continue like this, I may not need it after all.

Keep up the good work but take your time.

[diminished7th in reply to Redactrice]

Hopefully you'll continue to improve and a 2nd ablation won't be needed in the near future. What drugs are you on? I have apixaban, which I think will always be required and 5mg bisoprolol, which I hope will discontinue sometime but we shall see. I'm lucky to be retired with an extremely good cook for a husband so I can take it easy and just potter as much as I feel. I do think that playing the sax helped me a lot as I have a great set of lungs from years of blowing. Also when I walk it's only at a pace of about 1.5 miles per hour so very steady. You take care and good luck x

[Redactrice in reply to diminished7th]

There is no end to the benefits of making music.

I'm still on 12.5mg metoprolol and 50mg flecainide twice a day, and 20mg rivaroxaban once a day. The metoprolol and flecainide are half-doses -- the prescription says 25mg / 100mg respectively, but I don't take that much unless I'm in AF. They cause a suite of side effects which I hate; I'd actually rather have AF, except for the risk of stroke and structural damage long term.

Could not deal with bisoprolol at all. I couldn't get out of bed. Metoprolol still causes lethargy but it doesn't keep me in bed.

Slow walking is better than no walking! And may I borrow your husband for a night when I'm too enervated to make a proper dinner?

[diminished7th in reply to Redactrice]

Of course you can borrow him, I'll send him round. Even better if you're anywhere near the north ease pop in for lunch :).

Totally agree about music, it has such a positive effect whether playing, listening, dancing or just any involvement.

[Redactrice in reply to diminished7th]

Thank you for the invitation. Today would be a good day for a chef visit. I'm back in AF. Waiting for HR to drop before I attempt to go out for basic shopping which I should have done yesterday. Alas, I am much too far away -- south coast.

I'm going to PM you about a topic related to the northeast.

[Physalis in reply to BobD]

I didn't have any trouble or weakness after my ablation, apart from the migraine.

It has just occurred to me that this was because the EP didn't need to drill into my heart muscle. I had a hole in the heart there already.

[Redactrice in reply to Physalis]

How convenient. :-))

[Physalis in reply to Redactrice]

I suppose it was. It was only after my blood pressure dropped when I stood up to go home that a doctor did an ultrasound to check for internal bleeding. He told me that they didn't need to drill through.

However, pushing open that flap was what caused the eleven days of migraines. I've felt for some time that they only stopped when the flap closed up fairly tightly again.

The anticoagulant has stopped me getting the few migraine attacks I always had each year - for 75 years. Since 2019 none.

[Jajarunner]

That's amazing, took me six months to feel 90% better after each of mine and I was a decade younger! Fingers crossed that it does the trick 🙏🙏🙏

[diminished7th in reply to Jajarunner]

Thank you. As I said above I'm sure that playing the sax has helped a lot with my recovery as I've always been used to control my breathing to fit in long passages of music.

[Karendeena]

I had my ablation in March 2024 and had no AF episodes at all that I am aware of 🤞My heart rate increased from around 64 BPM to around 78bpm and this remained for the 12 months. It's down to around 68bpm now so taken 12 months to settle.

I was uncomfortable for a few weeks post ablation with indigestion when lying down and I suffered aura migraines for 10 days, other than that I think my recovery was pretty good and I am grateful for that.

I think you will be recovering for 12 months but looks like you are doing really well ❤️

[diminished7th in reply to Karendeena]

That's great to hear your ablation was a success. I think all in all I've been quite lucky with how I feel. I quite like that my HR is at 78, it seems to suit me. I always thought it was too low before at around 58. I felt more sluggish before the op. I will continue to take it easy and rebuild my stamina and it takes as long as it takes. I like pottering and as long as I can play my sax I'm happy. I just won't be dancing around the stage for a while.

[Karendeena in reply to diminished7th]

I am so sure I made the right decision, long may the beast stay away from my door 😊 I must say I feel better with an increased heart rate and I understand that this is a good sign for long term success according to BHF. Hope it continues to be successful for you too.

Can I ask please are you staying on medication? I don't think my EP favours stopping them

[diminished7th in reply to Karendeena]

That's good to hear about the Heart rate. I also feel better when mine is pumping that wee bit faster.

I'm not sure about meds as at discharge it was just no change from the apixaban and bisoprolol (5mg). I go for my follow up on 14 May so will know more then. I'll let you know

[MydogBrandy]

hi I am post ablation 6 years on and 76 years old, best thing I have ever done not a single episode since. Hope you will be as lucky as I have been🙏🏻good luck

[diminished7th in reply to MydogBrandy]

That's fantastic for you and thank you. I hope I'm as lucky too x

[MydogBrandy in reply to diminished7th]

Lovely not to be on all the tablets as well x

[Snowgirl65]

Best wishes for your continued success!