I got to the hospital at 7AM. They had to wait for an INR test and result before we could start. They went ahead and got the IV in and everything ready to go while waiting for the results. Now we are in the EP lab (at 50 deg below zero) waiting and we get a call that something was wrong with the sample so they had to draw another vile and send it down. They told me that it had to be between 2.0 and 2.5. The test came back at 3.0 so they said that we would have to reschedule but the the Dr stepped in and said he would do it. SO we did.
I was out in a few seconds and it took almost 6 hours to complete. I woke up in my room in Cardiac ICU and my wife and 2 younger sisters were there. My throat was and is really sore from the tube that they insert during an operation to keep the throat from closing up. And they had to insert 5 sleeves into my veins to be able to put in the wires. There were 3 on the right side of my groin and 2 on the left. Normally they insert these while you are under and then take them out before you wake up BUT since my INR was so high they didn't want to take a chance on bleeding so they left them in. It took until 1:30 AM to get my INR down and then they removed those sleeves which was no fun at all. I am very sore from that also. After they remove them you have to lay still on your back for about 8 hours to give them time to seal up. That was a real pain. I can't sit still for 5 minutes let alone 8 hours.
Because of all the stuff going on with me last night I may have gotten 45 minutes sleep. I had the 3 Drs come in this morning and tell me that it was pretty much a picture perfect procedure and they believe they got the area, but only time will tell. They said it will take 3 months for the scar material to form and stop the electrical pulses. So they said to continue taking my meds for the next 3 months and that I may have attacks during this time.After that they will take me off the rhythm med (Rythmol) and we will see over 6 months if I have any attacks. If there are no attacks I will probably stop taking the Warfarin also.
I was walking (at the hosp) by 9:30AM and released by 10AM.
There was some pain (like the Catheter) But again I say that the chance of never having another AF attack is well worth it.
I'm pretty wore out now and I'm gonna eat something and then go to bed.
Thank You all for the thoughts and prayers.
Tim
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Whew, I am sure you are SO glad that is over! I'm glad your doc went ahead with it in spite of your INR. Can you imagine being sent home after being all ready? I'm sure you are pretty sore today. What great news that the doc thinks he got to the right spot. ALL GOOD!!! Get your rest and enjoy being back home with the promise of many days of NSR to come!
Thank you for such a comprehensive insight into your recent experiences. Great to hear that it has been done, I expect it was very stressful worrying about your INR, thank goodness in the end they did the operation. Wishing you a speedy recovery, take it easy and look forward to hearing the next instalment of your continued recovery. Wendy.
In bed at about 10PM and back up at 3AM. I think it's the pain killers keeping me awake. I am feeling better but pretty sore all over. Probably from laying on that table from 7:30 AM Monday until 9AM Tuesday. The bleeding has stopped now. A little pain when I take a deep breath but I have read that from many who had the ablation. Hoping to go back to bed n a few minutes.
.WOW I' sooooo pleased for you and hope that this will be the end of AF,thanks for given the information on the procedure,its comforting to know,if one has to have it done.Take care and I am praying for you. Ann
I wish you the best. My INR was 4 as I had just started warfarin 2 weeks before and they still did an ablation on me. I did not have the pain you are having but there were some rhythm abnormalities at times which put me through some ups and downs. Good luck!
Back to sleep from 5AM til 8:30AM. The pain killers I took last night have worn off and I feel much better now. I really hate pain killers, they make me feel horrible and I get depressed when I take them.
LZuk... that was a high INR to be operating on you. The pain is not that bad now. Just a really sore throat and the spot where they went into the artery is is quite touchy.
AND.... For all of you watching to see and thinking about an Ablation... I would do it again in a (fast) heart beat.
Another nap for 2 hours and feeling even better. Some coughing up fluids, again probably from being on my back for almost 26 hours and a little pain in my chest when laying on my side. I have read others talking about that also. Again, feeling much better. The key is get sleep afterwards.
Glad you are getting rest and feeling better and better. Any time anyone has a procedure I think half the post-op discomfort is from that hard table for so long. So keep up the recovery and keep us all in the loop. I am sure your family is providing plenty of TLC. It's really great to hear your first person account of what so many of us anticipate or contemplate. You must be so glad to have this in your rear view mirror!
I am feeling better every day. For me I think it was, get off the pain killers and get some sleep. Still having some aches and pains but nothing that I can't handle.
And YES, I am so glad to have this behind me now. I am happy and have hope which I haven't felt in a long time.
I just wish I could talk to everyone going through this and try to make them understand how important it is to get actively involved with their diagnosis and treatment. I wasted 10+ years just assuming that a Dr knew what he was doing. How much better could my life have been if I had become active from the beginning. Their is Hope for those with AF if you get the proper treatment and understand what is happening in your body.
AFib is very frightening if you don't know what is going on. There is so much information out there that can help relieve stress and confusion. From Cardioversion to Ablation, From Beta Blockers to Amiodarone, rate control VS rhythm control, blood thinners, clots and the list just goes on. Most people who suffer with this don't know enough to even know what to ask a Dr.
I have pointed many to a good website that does a great job in making AF understandable to the normal person. It is stopafib.org/.
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RF Balloon Ablation Done!
All well still after ablation beginning of June
I'm on the waiting list for an Ablation now
