Within 48 hours of my recent cryoablation I went back into persistent AFib with a rapid heart rate of 158bpm. Prior to the ablation my heart rate was 80bpm. Twelve days later I had a cardioversion that kept me in NSR for just three days. I'm now 18 days post-ablation with a racing heartbeat of 160bpm at any minor activity, reaching for a cup of tea, getting out of my chair, bending down. I tried a short walk to a nearby restaurant last night, and when I got home I nearly blacked out.
I was warned to expect the occasional palpitation/ectopic beat but nothing like this. My cardiologist doesn't answer any of my messages. I fear he wants to put me on amiodarone, which terrifies me. Anyone else experienced similar after an ablation? If so, what did you do? Did these symptoms eventually disappear, if so when?
Written by
PeterGabriel
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hello Peter. Really sorry to hear you are having so many problems. I had ablation years ago for svts. It made them worse so the ablation was repeated but unsuccessful so I went back on Verapamil and am still taking it today and the svts are well controlled.
Don’t know whether this is relevant but I had a mitral valve repair last year and had problems with AF for 4 months afterwards but it did settle down.
Hi, thanks so much for your reply. I'm hoping my problems settle soon, can't go on like this for six months waiting for an assessment. Good to hear your svts are now controlled, hope you're feeling better now. Keep well, and best wishes
Hi if you don't mind me butting in may I ask if your thyroid is checked while on this? Obviously it works great for you. My Dr tried to put me on it temporarily during a bad bout of Afib as the other meds didn't work. I refused as I have nodules on my thyroid. Things have settled and my meds help ( but don't stop) my bouts of Afib.X
Good morning. Yes , when on Amiodarone it is very important to have annual thyroid blood tests and liver blood and function tests. It is a very powerful but highly effective drug and works very well in controlling cardiac rhythm for most folk. However as with all medicine there are some that cannot tolerate it due to the various side effects including interfering with thyroid function. The swings in my thyroid is currently being investigated and the Ami has been reduced to half tablet every other day as I have had 2 ablation and am now not in permanent AFIB. In fact I cannot be sure that the amiodarone is causing the thyroid problem as my father had extreme thyrotoxicosis and my sister who is in her 70's takes 300mg tablet which is a very high dose to control her hypothyroidism - hence ti may ne in the family. In conclusion I have had various arrhythmia most of my life and when it was necessary found that amiodarone was highly effective for me. Some folk unfortunately live with AFIB incl perm AFIB all of their lives and have to manage the five fold risk of stroke with anticoagulants. I wish you all the very best Lilypocket. Btw I am 77 nearly.
Ablation at start of June followed by 2 months of flutter at 130-140. Cardioversion has stopped the flutter ,3 weeks of stable heart , feeling much more able to go back to normal activities. However my heart was in good condition before ablation no valve issues or clogging of the arteries. Electrophysiology nurse said that once in flutter not a lot the patient can do to take it out of that state, Also said that reactions to amiodarone very mixed- some people no side effects even after long usage others with some of the nasty ones including lung embolism. Amiodarone for me induced flutter and I was asked to take it just for short period to help keep the 3rd cardioversion effective but I lapsed back into significant AF 4 months later. Low dose beta blocker (1.25 bisoprolol) was the most effective thing for me
Thanks for your reply. I've just started Amiodarone, it's a bit early to tell yet, but i too have had heavier palpitations/flutter these past couple of days. Also waking up in the middle of the night with great difficulty in getting back to sleep. Cardiologist wants me to take it initially for four weeks, have another cardioversion, then Amiodarone and low dose Bisoprolol for another two months. And see if I can stay in normal rhythm, if not then a second ablation is on the cards. Hope your ablation continues to be successful.
Your post sound very much the way to go initially. I have endured Afib for a decade before 2nd ablation was successful at the famous Heart Centre here in Singapore. My very best wishes for your improvement.
He was diagnosed at 60 for AF after a medical at his GP’s... sent to see cardiologist straight away, he had no cardioversion as went back into sinus rhythm after taking 5 days of Bisoprolol and rivaroxiban.
He remained in sinus rhythm for two years without any problems. Then the dreaded happened, 1/6/2019 he was in great pain and I took him to A&E.... he was kept in and it took a long time to be diagnosed and meds given for an acute kidney infection and sadly no one checked his AF, even after me explaining he was under this same hospital for it...!!
Sadly he was discharged under the care of his GP, who was furious that no appointment to see a specialist for the kidneys or cardiologist. !!!
At this point she booked the two appointments to see both consultants, which was might I add a six week wait...
But the big appt for cardiologist admitted him straight away to the heart failure ward... as his heart unknown to us (GP, failed him too) ... was basically so enlarged as it has been pounding away out of rhythm with no drug intervention or checks for six weeks...!! The cardiologist who admitted him wanted him on Ameodarone, but this was never administered, it was queried by my husband, but the ward said we do meds differently up here and this was what the cardiologist put him on when he arrived on ward... digoxin and other meds. Sadly there was a change over at weekend of this cardiologist who said he still wasn’t quite right and he requested an echo scan to be done.
So on the Monday morning the next cardiologist wanted him discharged on the meds and to be seen by specialist nurses in the AF clinic that he’d been under during his original diagnosis when he was 60. I wasn’t happy he was being discharged, but I did put my foot down and demand an echo before discharge and so glad I did as my husband had a legal document that had to be back to the DVLA in a time frame, so he have it to this cardiologist before he discharged him.
The hospital never discussed much with us and I feel all hidden due to the damage his heart had sadly now been left with... !!
To our shock horror, it was the DVLA who enlightened us when he had to give his licence back because his ejection fraction was so low he would not be allowed to drive...
This is going on forever... so to try cut it short... his consultant who took up his case and follow up, admitted to us that the damage had been done and that the same hospital should of refereed him back to the AF clinic specialists on discharge.... I also think his GP is questionable too... who consequently has recently taken early retirement!!
The journey is still going on after... numerous cardioversions, that haven’t worked, Amiodarone that hasn’t worked then Ablation that’s hasn’t worked and 15 months of hell hes just now been fitted with a pacemaker at 62, which we were told would never happen as he was too young and his heart was never slow it was always fast....but we’ve now found out that when his heart is now in rhythm it runs slow....!! I’m finding it all so much to try and get my head round...
So this is my take... it’s was so badly damaged....it wasn’t rested enough.... cardioversions where done unsuccessfully to try get it back in rhythm.... without using ameodarone to help in this.... then eventually .... someone must of read notes and finally put him on it!! WHICH I DID QUERY.... why not six months previous???
So the heart had been that long out of rhythm with drug intervention.... poor Amiodarone had no chance of working!!!!
Hence why all these other things arnt ...
Pacemaker goes in and two weeks later he’s out of rhythm again... and might I add he said whilst out of rhythm he felt the worst he has ever felt....!!
So saw electro consultant Monday and he’s now on sotalol... he gets his 6 week review on pacemaker, in two weeks.... ECG next week cause this med can disrupt electrics...
...... it seems to me that there’s no light here at the end of a very long tunnel...
I am worried sick as my hubby will not have a second opinion and I don’t feel hopeful that sotalol will work...
The next plan b is cutting the electrics and I’m terrified..... if this happens he can never have his job back, Don’t get me wrong... I’d sooner have him than his job... but we’re in a right mess and been to hell and back!
If you or anyone on here has any advice for me it would be greatly appreciated.
As for you Peter, I feel Amiodarone would of helped my husband had it of been administered when the first initial consultant admitted him back in June 2019..... sadly it came to late...
I live in hope 🤞🙏🤞 for my husband, turns 63 next week xx
Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes I'm hoping the Amiodarone gets me back into normal rhythm perhaps assisted by a cardioversion. And I may need a second ablation. I have been in persistent AFib for 11 months. My cardiologist says that ablation can still work if persistent for 18 months.
So sorry to hear of your husband's long running problems. Early diagnosis and treatment seems to be crucial in positive outcomes but AFib can be hard to diagnose. I too was discharged from A&E twice without diagnosis of AFib. I'm not convinced that all A&E medics even think about AFib, they're just looking for signs of a heart attack. I don't know what advice I can give you, other than it doesn't hurt to seek a second opinion.
And happy birthday to your husband, it's my 65th tomorrow
Thanks for your reply Peter and a big happy Birthday to you too!
Thanks for sharing your journey and I agree with you on the A&E, I suppose AF still needs some specialist nurses being based in each hospital, who have the knowledge base!
Hope Amiodarone helps you, I know it’s not recommended to stay on for too long due to its side effects and it’s light sensitive so watch your skin and eyes outdoors. My husband seemed fine on it, but was on it for longer than he should as covid here when he couldn’t get to be seen.. plus after Ablation he went out again two weeks later... the medicine did put him back in... so it was his life line and mine as we were worried as didn’t want him going back into hospital. He had his Ablation on 13th March, just before covid struck....!!
Ablation didn’t work and couldn’t have another one as wouldn’t of benefited!
I wish you well and we are seeing how sotalol works now! 🤞
I underwent cryoablation about 10 years ago (I'm 73). I've been on a cocktail of flecainide, bisoprolol, lisinopril and rivaroxaban ever since. I have had brief periods of atrial fibrillation since but spontaneous retroversion has always occurred after a few hours. Otherwise I have enjoyed as good health as I could have expected for my age.
Reading through my notes I'm reminded that at my last occurrence of AF, after boli of amiodarone and metoprolol proving of limited success, an infusion of amiodarone in my neck was being prepared. I also remember being warned of the possible side effects (including necrosis). Fortunately this was when I spontaneously retroverted, although with a ''sinus pause'' of 9 seconds!
I had so many years with paroxismal Atrial Fibrillation which turned into persistent Afib about 4 years ago and I had to endure typical HR of 120-130 bpm. 3 cardioversions each lasting only about a month. I have a brilliant Cardiac Electrophysiologist here in Singapore where I live and opted for an ablation which was partially successful hence had another 6 months later at the age of 74. Still have the odd SVT and ectopics but very much improved. Have low resting HR of 48-54 but this is fine for my case. BP taken daily is 130/75. LVEF apx 60. My mother wo was 100 last July has had Afib for many years and still functions very well. She takes the anticoagulant called Pradaxa. By the way, I know an American gentleman who had 6 ablations before finally becoming Afib free. Stay safe and well.
Thanks for your reply ☺️ I'm slightly confused as you say you are still in Afib but then say since the ablations you only get ectopics or a bit of SVT or have I got lost somewhere in the messages (it wouldn't surprise me lol) It sounds as if your ablations did the trick. There is a member on here who lives in Canada who came to France (Bordeaux) for 3 ablations and is now Afib free. France was the pioneer in this treatment and more specifically Bordeaux. There is always some hope I suppose ( if you are unable to live with it. But many people do like your mum )Take care
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Afib & Ablation Shock
Lansoprazole after ablation
My new update after Ablation 
Starting beta blockers and very nervous. Has anyone else experience with them?
Anyone else struggled with being told anxiety 
