Who has had ablation, and what is the procedure like?
I watched a medical drama recently (GA) and it was dramatised as being very painful?!
What is recovery like, and what are the side effects short /long term?
Would love to hear from you about this.
My Dr said it could be an option since I can't take beta blockers due to nasty side effects.
Thoughts?
Many thanks 😀
If you have a GA you won't know a thing about the procedure. In fact even if you have just sedation you won't know a lot either. I've had 3 ablations ( 2 with sedation and 1 GA and have never felt pain during any of them).
Some people recover quickly, it depends on how much work needs to be done to stop the rogue beats. Everyone's story will be different and I felt differently after each of my ablations. You may feel tired and unable to do a lot for the first few weeks when it's best to rest and let your heart heal. I had two slow recoveries and one where I felt better instantly. Expect to get a few runs of abnormal beats afterwards while the scar tissue on the heart forms to block them.
I would say to anyone contemplating an ablation to change your diet first to a more plant based one to see if that helps. Also cut out all foods that contain artificial additives, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Artificial sweeteners were a sure trigger for my AF, but I found that out too late.
Jean
Hi Jean!Thanks so much for your reply, this is all very helpful.
Is it common to have more than one procedure?
I will start to look at diet changes, even though the Drs don't mention that!
I have a 11 month old so I don't want to be out of action for too long after a surgery so by the sounds of it I should try and do other things first.
I don't even feel the ectopics, they say the beats are damaging my heart muscle which is a real bore.
Anyway thanks again! 🌷
It's quite usual to have more than one procedure if they don't manage to ablate all the rogue pulses the first time. Ablation is not viewed as 'surgery', but a 'procedure' and is carried out in a catheter lab rather than an operating theatre. The only very small cut you have is in your groin or wrist where they put the catheter in to a vein that leads to the heart.
No, doctors never mention diet, it's strange because it can really help and many members of this forum would tell you how changing theirs has reduced or even stopped their AF events. I supplement with magnesium glycinate and vitamin C for my heart, as do many others and think they have really helped. Losing weight, if needed, can help too.
Jean
I was very interested in your comments on supplements.What strength do you take of vitamin C? Can you overdose on this vitamin? I try and make sure I eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Are these supplements okay to take with heart meds
Thank you for your suggestions
Have a look at this:
youtube.com/watch?v=pKBOAMm...
Brilliant vidéos, thank youHow much vitamin C do you take each day?
1000mg timed release from H&B
Thank you so much for answering all my questionsIf you have the time, just one more!
Do you take these supplements alongside drugs or instead of.
Thanks once again
Alongside drugs. X
Hi Jean!Thank you so much for your reply.
Very interesting about Vitamin C, I didn't know about that.
I went to a Dr once who had had holistic training as well and she suggested magnesium and Coq10 both of which have helped me enormously.
I have mentioned this to Drs since and they always look puzzled and brush what I have said aside. I think it too very odd of them not to know that supplements can help!
Thanks again!
Hi Cutestbaby, I had an ablation last week and felt all the burning in my heart and pain in my groin whilst on the table. My EP didn’t want to sedate and relax me too much to ensure the issues showed so he could get the exact location. I am very much a grin and bare it sort of person and have a high pain threshold but by the end I didn’t know how much more I could take. Maybe if I had highlighted my discomfort, he may have been a bit more gentle.
I have also had bleeding under the skin/bruising where the incision site is which is putting pressure on my nerve and am currently in a lot of pain when putting weight on my right leg. Back to work after 1 week, no chance.
I went into surgery thinking from what I had seen and heard it is pretty painless standard procedure. However, if they told me I would have to have it done again, I just don’t know what my decision would be (at the moment. If it was life or death and after a bigger amount of time I probably would).
I am not saying this to scare you off. Everyone heals differently and has different experiences. Nothing I ever do goes right so I sort of expected there to be some sort of issue. Just none of the Docters really mentioned this particular one even though my GP seemed to think it is very common.
Hi Loopylou 527!Thank you for your detailed description of your experience with the procedure.
It makes me really think about it.
The Dr was so blasé when telling me about it, I too assumed it was kind of a "nothing" procedure and not painful at least!
Sounds tough about your recovery and going back to work. Would be interested to hear when you feel right again!
All the best!
I had extremely painful pericarditis and oesphagitis as a result of RF ablation under GA. On coming round from GA it was so painful I was knocked out again by i/v fentanyl and later received 2hourly morphine. But this is quite rare.
Hi Cat04!That sounds utterly horrendous!!!
I chose not to be sedated when I had my ablation, and I did feel pain when they were doing the burning bit, but I managed to bare it. Mine was longer than they had said to me too as they had trouble locating the tissue, so it was a long time to have to lie very still. The procedure was successful and I have not needed a second one, although if I had to have another one I would probably choose to be sedated.
Hi Sparklegrrl!What kind of pain is it?
A few people have mentioned it.
Sounds like it may be better to be sedated but that comes with other risks.
It was so long ago I don't really remember what kind of pain it was, just that it was painful. Sorry not to be more helpful.
Hi there, I am three weeks post ablation so I can give you some information on the procedure and recovery, but not long term benefits or side effects just yet!
You really shouldn’t watch medical dramas about a procedure you might be having! Remember, that was a drama, they have to overdramatise it. I won’t lie, there was a bit of pain but it was manageable and short lived. Ok, the procedure. They put you on an X-ray table and give you a sedative, then they give you local anaesthesia in the groin. Lines with electrodes on the tip are passed through the groin up a vein to the heart, and an examination is carried out to find areas causing the Afib. Then they use either cryotherapy ( freezing) or radiofrequency ( heat) to treat those areas and isolate them. I think that’s the point at which I could feel it and had some discomfort. I’m sure your consultant will explain all this to you, and I’m not a doctor so they can answer any questions you have better than me!
As for recovery, after a couple of weeks you’ll feel stronger, but I note that you have a 11 month old baby. For the first week at least you will not be able to pick the baby up, not on any account so you must have help. This is mostly to minimise bleeding and bruising in the groin, but also the heart. Once the groin bruising has gone down, your heart also will be beginning to heal and you can push yourself a bit more. This will be after a couple of weeks. I personally have found that the last few days I have relapsed a bit, probably from doing too much. But I’m a lot older than you, so you may recover more quickly. If you decide to go ahead , I wish you all the best for a painless procedure and good recovery.
Hi Loveswimming!Thanks so much for your in depth reply.
It really helps to have this detailed description of your experience!
Although it may not be a surgery it sure does sound full on and it is invasive.
I do worry about having any kind of procedure with being a mother to such a young child.
But it also helps to look at the bigger picture and the future so I can be here for him for a long time! Hmmm.
Having this info has definitely opened my eyes to the reality of what it would be like to have this procedure so thank you for that.
It has given me a lot it think about.
I wish you all the best for your ongoing recovery! Take it easy!!
Thanks for your good wishes! An ablation is not as invasive as open heart surgery obviously but anything carries some risks however small. You have to weigh that risk against the huge future benefit you could have, and you need lots of energy with a young child which this procedure could give you. I’m not sure exactly what your condition is, but you are young and likely to recover very quickly. As you say, a lot to think about. Another chat with your consultant might help to put your mind at rest.
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