ablasion recovery time?

[SVTCindy]

I am waiting to get an ablasion for SVT and I'm wondering how long it took you guys who have had this to recover. More specifically, when did you return to work?

[helenosborne1978]

The cardiologist will advise on recovery time depending on the nature of the SVT. In my case they had to go through to the left side so I had to take paracetamol for a while after. I took the following day off work but was back in work after my day off. I think the advice is to rest up for a good day or two after the procedure. In my case I didn't feel that I was back 100% until a good 6 weeks after the procedure and I didn't attempt any exercise until then. During recovery I felt every ectopic beat and I had periods when I felt that 'sinking' feeling in the heart, I was concerned about these sensations and had a monitor for two weeks. However, everything was fine and I realised that these sensations were part of the recovery process. After 6 weeks I tried some gentle exercise. It's important that you listen to your body and try to build trust in your heart. It took me some time to get used to the new sensation of doing exercise without a palpitation! Good luck with the ablation, prepare yourself for some potentially unusual sensations, keep your cardiologist informed if you are concerned and monitor your response to a gentle return to normal activity. Best wishes!

[Amyx in reply to helenosborne1978]

I'm so glad I've seen this! I had the procedure 2 weeks ago and I'm feeling every premature beat skipped beat. Was told this can happen but has been happening lots. I'm assuming it should settle then? It's not a great feeling 😞

[KevinVail2236]

I felt so much better the following morning with no sensations or palpitations. Back to work in two days, desk duty though.

Good luck

[SVTSophie]

I agree with helenosborne1978, think it's down to the nature of the SVT for your recovery time and dependant on what your cardiologist says. I had a week off work and was told I couldn't use stairs for at least 4 days and to make sure I lay flat for the week to make sure the two scars on both sides of my femoral arteries healed properly - I was also advised not to drive for a week.

[JonathanPittsCrick]

Yes it depends on how complex the procedure is. The most usual type of SVT is A-V nodal re-entry tachycardia (AVNRT) and ablation for this, especially with cryoablation, should not cause many after-effects. Obviously you have to be a bit careful about where the catheters are put into the vein and avoid extreme movements of the leg for 3-4 days. The heart may feel rather jumpy with more ectopic beats over the following week or so but they are best ignored.

Another kind of SVT involves an extra pathway on the left side of the heart and ablation for this is more complex in volving access via the arterial system or by trans-septal puncture (like AF ablation) so recovery can take a few days longer. Any ablation can cause some pains around the heart for a day or two.

In general, for an office job you should be able to return to work after 2 days, or a week for more physical jobs - but sometimes it takes longer to feel strong enough.

[Abbe]

Hi! I had my ablation 2 years ago and was back to work after just 2 weeks.. I didn't have any pain or any eptopics, best thing I ever did to stop the scary SVT! Abbe