Things Looking Up after Ablation!

[TheStand]

I'm finally back to normal. I was pretty tired for about 3 weeks and I would really tire out very easily with almost anything I did. It's now been almost 5 weeks and I'm feeling great. All of the insertion points have healed up and although I though there would be a bunch of pain involved with them... There wasn't. I barely even knew they were there. All of the bruising is gone, no more chest pains and best of all... I haven't had an attack for a while now (or if I am I can't tell). That is major because my timing before the ablation was off. My Rythmol (propafanone) had pretty much stopped working. I had been having attacks quite often, 3 in the week before the ablation and now even though the rythmol is doing nothing for me... I'm not having attacks and the ones I have had (a few weeks back) were so mild.

Once again, I believe the ablation was the best choice I have made since this started 13 years ago. I wish that I would have had a Dr then to guide me into this but that's water under the bridge now. Just busy thanking God for the outcome and can't wait for the Dr to tell me that I can stop taking the drugs.

Tim

[Afib2012]

Yay Tim. That is so exciting!!! Gives me so much to look forward to. I already feel good just tired but I'm only 5 days post ablation. I'm so happy for ya!!! Congrats and God Bless!!!

Naomi

[TheStand in reply to Afib2012]

Thanks Naomi, Because our ablations were so close together, I've been following yours also. Praying that we both are successful with this.

Tim

[johncb]

Great news Tim. I think my ablation may have been the same date as yours(25-Feb) my recovery is much the same. Feels better each week.

[TheStand in reply to johncb]

Yes mine was also the 25th of Feb. Where was yours done at. Mine was done by Dr. Mithilesh Das in Indianapolis @ the VA hospital. He is the head of the IU Med Center Cardiology Dept and has published many papers on AF and procedures.

[johncb in reply to TheStand]

Hi Tim, mine was done at the Hollywood Hospital in Perth Western Australia and my EP was Prof Ruckshen Weerasooriya who has performed over 2000 ablations here and in France. One of my brothers also has a fib but never saw an EP and continued on the drug approach for many years and has now been permanent for 5 or six years with virtually no chance of reversal. I elected to go for the ablation as soon as I possibly could and am very confident I did the right thing.

[porridgequeen]

That's great! Although I have only just joined the site I have been reading comments on the forum for a couple of weeks. In fact from the day after I had seen my cons. who told me I had to go on warfarin and I felt I needed the views of other AF people. All comments, including yours, really reassured me. Hope everything continues to go well.

[TheStand in reply to porridgequeen]

Happy to have you here. Well I wish you didn't have to be but glad you are here for information. Educating yourself is the best thing you can do for AF. Knowing what treatments are out there and hearing others outcomes really helps you to make the right choices.

Warfarin.... It's a love/hate relationship. I love the protection that it provides against stroke but hate having to take it daily and monitor my INR. But knowing a few who have suffered a stroke and seeing their lifestyle now.... It is well worth it.

Be Proactive in your treatment. Research, read and learn about this condition and don't just accept what the consultant says. Chances are, If you do your homework.... You'll know more about it than them.

Tim

[porridgequeen in reply to TheStand]

Thanks for that Tim.

Honestly, I can't believe how much I have already learned from everybody on here. The most important being that I know next to nothing about my condition!

I was diagnosed just over 2 years ago after having a palpitation which had lasted an hour and scared me so much that I was taken to A&E. A week long heart monitor showed that I had AF. What a shock! All right I was 64 but ate broccoli, exercised and weighed the same as I did 50 years ago.

.

I am still asymptomatic so I don't feel any changes in my heart rate unless I take my pulse. I thought that was a good thing- but realise now that pretending all is well when it may not be is not helping.

I'm off to trawl the web. No more predictable 'Yes Doctor' from me.

Thanks for your help - again.

[TheStand in reply to porridgequeen]

stopafib.org/ is a great site.

facebook.com/atrialfibrilla... on facebook.

a-fib.com/ another good site.

heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditio...

theheart.org/condition/arrh...

Here's a start.

[PattiJRyan in reply to TheStand]

Thanks for mentioning our website, A-Fib.com, a non-profit, patient education website. There's loads to read on our site, technical as well as personal experiences by patients offering hope and encouragement. Wishing you good heart health, Patti Ryan, Atrial Fibrillation: Resources for Patients, A-Fib.com.

[BobD Volunteer]

Hi TIm, good to hear that. Also interested you were on propafanone as was I. Not so well used in UK than Flecainide. It took me a little while to wean myself off the prop as every time I just stopped I started getting loads of ectopics so cut down over several weeks, Still get ectopic clusters four years down the line but the problem with we AFers is that we feel every little pop and bang which normal people seldom notice.

Onwards and upwards

Bob

[TheStand in reply to BobD]

Hi Bob,

My withdrawal from Propafanoe may be easier. I think I have been doing it for a month or 2 now. Even though I have been taking it, I don't think it has been helping for a while. I started having the attacks quite often about 1 to 2 months before my ablation. The Dr talked to me about having to change meds again and suggested the ablation. So far it has been the best choice I have ever made. I agree... We seem to notice every little hiccup that happens with our hearts. Although after the ablation it's getting harder to feel them. I can remember that before, I could tell minutes before it started that it was going to happen.

If you remember... Did your resting pulse go up after the ablation? Mine, on my meds, was around the mid 50's to low 60's and now after the ablation it runs in the mid to upper 70's. My Dr says he has seen this many times but says it should go back own after a few months. Due to this, I think, my BP has gone up a small amount.

Thanks for the comments...

Tim

[BobD Volunteer]

Hi TIm, Yes my pulse went up after ablation and my consultant told me this was normal. It stayed around 80 for quite a while but then gradually dropped back again to what it is now around 65-70 . My BP has never been brilliant probably because of my high stress environment in motor sport -- little exercise and lots of stress- not as a driver but an engineer and even now at 68 yoa tends to be a bit high. I am on candesartin - quite low dose and my BP is around 140/85. Strangely I often found that when my rate went down my BP went up .My all time world record was the morning after my first ablation when things went critical with my pulse at 220 and my BP 210/175, My ticker really didn't like what had been done to it that time and I knew I was in trouble when the doctors were coming in every 20minutes to look at me! 24 hours on amiodarone drip sorted that out but I did eventually have a second ablation a year later and a third a year after that before they sorted me out fully. Most EPs over here tend to under ablate first time I understand. Glad things are working out for you. See you are where the month of May is noisy. I am in North Devon in UK. but had my work done at Royal Brompton Hospital in London.

Best regards

Bob

[TheStand in reply to BobD]

Yes it is quite noisy with the 500 race and then the brickyard. It gets a bit hectic around that time.

Tim

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

Hi Tim,

Was off the grid for a week for a great family vacation in the Caribbean. Glad to hear you are doing well and feeling better every week! YAY!!!

[TheStand in reply to SRMGrandma]

Thanks... Hope you had a great vacation... I Love that area... Have been there many times.

Tim