After ablation

[stevo28]

I had my ablation 2days ago and I find when I get slightly worked up for whatever the reason my chest hurts and I seem to get more palps. When on the op table I got zapped once and then he said that my case was very unusual and that he hadn't seen it before and then zapped me again which really hurt. My question is how long before I to start to feel any benefit and should I still be getting the same symptoms as before. Thankyou


This discussion is related to PROBLEMS AFTER CARDIAC ABLATION.

[ireneo]

It takes a few weeks for the heart to heal. You may not see much on the outside of the body but the inside of the heart has been burned. That takes time to heal and it may be irritable and prone to a flutter now and then.

Only 2 zaps? That's a pretty good ablation. I've had a total of 35 burns. I'm sorry yours hurt. They usually give meds to keep the patient comfortable.

[Chapman321]

kool, am 17 and i am on the waiting list to have the op i am petrified is it anything to get worked up about and also they told me that i would be given morphine to ease the pain

[JKJ]

I've had 2 ablation procedures and yes, it takes a little while for the full effect to kick in.  In fact my doc put me right back on my meds after both procedures to keep the symptoms down.

You felt the zaps?????  I'd really complain about that and maybe get a new doc.  I was knocked out for both of mine....in a super deep la-la land.

Hope you feel better soon.

[corsic]

Just had my ablation yesterday. I am a 41 year old female who has suffered from thyroid disease for 10 years. I developed svt which I guess is unrelated to the thyroid disease?! I am sore when I breath in and I can feel the pain in my back. Can anyone tell me if this is normal? Also, I could feel two of the 4 burns but they didn't hurt just felt like I was on a heating pad!

[JKJ]

The pain when taking a breath in was normal for me...if it gets worse or doesn't go away in a few days....contact your cardio doc.  I didn't feel any of my zaps as they had me pretty much knocked completely out for both of my procedures.

[klt14]

My mom just had an ablation on Tuesday 1/13/09. They started on her lright side and were unsuccessful 3 times with the catheter so they moved to the right side. She came home the day after the procedure. She doesn't feel the dizziness or chest pain she had before but now had extreme fatigue and SOB, particularly when she gets up to do anything. It's Saturday and the only open is the Target clinic. Is the fatigue normal? She also has Type II DM (oral meds and diet controlled but her BGM readings are elevated today), and HTN. They diagnosed her arrhythmia as WPW.

[archivist49]

I had an ablation December 10th for AVNRT. I thought I would share my experience. I believe it was successful, overall. I was given concious sedation and had no pain, though I developed an achy back as the doctor "pinged" for possible additional arrhythmias after he zapped the area for which he performed the surgery in the first place. The nurse gave me more meds through the IV to alleviate that. All in all, the procedure was mostly comfortable, painless, but tiring as I had to be "on edge" for the doctor to make the heart misbehave in order to find the problems.  Within 36 hours after the surgery, my heart behaved erratically. It felt like someone was hammering my chest from inside, and that bubbles were flushing in and out of the heart. These symptoms subsided over a period of 24 hours, and for about three weeks, I had some rhythm breaks, though nothing as bad as I used to have. I now have not had a rhythm break since January 2nd, but I seem to have fatigue, and by the end of the day, I am feeling abnormally exhausted. I view this as a process of healing, but think that I should pace myself until I am 100%. I believe a complete heal will take longer than expected, and wish the doctor had commented realistically on the possible length of recovery in all aspects, not just the heart. I was slated to go back to work 10 days after the procedure but I took off a month. Now that i am back to my fast-paced job, I experience abnormal fatigue, as stated. I think a little more realistic post-surgical information given to patients by cardiologists and the American Heart Association is warranted, both in the clinic and on professional websites devoted to cardiology and cardiac care. If

[CNickels77]

I completely agree.  I had AVNRT ablation on August 6th and I can honestly say that i have felt back to normal until this month.  I had fatigue, light headedness, dizziness, etc.  And all the doctors could say was wait it out.  It ended up being true but initially the doctors said three days and I would be back to normal.  From what i have read it can take up to 6 months for the heart to completely heal from the burns...

[jcar765]

Was glad to read these posts.  I had an ablation December 13th and really struggled with exhaustion for several weeks and still get extremely tired.  The ablation was successful and I'm not having arrhythmia problems, but I was concerned about the fatigue, especially when I was told I could get right back to my routine.  It was comforting to see it's not that unusual following the ablation.

[Maxjax]

Hi Just got my ablation done yesterday on 3/19/09 at UNC..Doc told me they zapped me once..and cud find the bad short circuit in minutes..they have not pescribed any medicines yet only asprin for the next 30 days..my heart beat is back to normal and is better ..I hope it heals and I dont have to get it done again..as most of the people here had to..the doc said in 97% case the first ablation resolves the issue but it can come back in 3% case for it they need to zap it again..keeping my fingers crossed,For all the people who are going to get ablation done..dont worry.it will be over before you know it...