Cardiac Ablation - side effects

[sj73]

Help!  My mom had cardiac ablation on Monday - was told it was a text book procedure - everything went well.  Her blood pressure has been good and her hart rate has been in the 70s no spikes in heart rate since procedure.  However, after 6 hours of resting in the hospital - she started to get burning pain in her chest and back.  Pain so severe she was given vicodin and three shots of morphine.  Today, is Wednesday - The pain is gone but she seems like she is on her death bed.  She was released from the hospital this morning but she has no appetite- can't get her to eat much - and she is beyond fatiqued.  I am extremely frustrated.  Any thoughts???


This discussion is related to PROBLEMS AFTER CARDIAC ABLATION.

[kenkeith]

Medication may responsible for the symptoms.  Does your mother take a beta blocker?

[ItsMeBeck]

I have had two ablations, the first one in Jan '08 the second one in March '08. After the one in Jan I was VERY VERY tired. For about the first two days I didn't care about doing anything except sleeping. I would wake up, go out in the livingroom for a bit, and then turn right around and go back to bed for a nice long nap. My husband was getting pretty worried that I was abnormally tired, but by the third day I was feeling much better, not at all as tired. I don't know for sure what it was that made me so tired, but it didn't happen after the second one.. If you're really concerned you could give her doc a call, but from my experience it sounds like how I felt. Her body may just need time to rest and heal. BTW, I'm a 28 y/o female.

[JKJ]

I've also had 2 ablation procedures and they both left me wiped out.  Was your Mom under heavy sedation during the procedure?  If so, it can take awhile for that stuff to get out of your body.  

I was in my mid 30's when I had mine done.  

[abwilli78]

I had cardiac ablation performed on Christmas Eve 2008.  I immediately began experiencing severe burning, cramping, and numbness in my right leg.  The doctor was informed of the problems and ordered an ultrasound of the right groin (one of the entry sites).  Nothing was found, and I was immediately discharged.  On December 29th, 2008, I was rushed to the nearest ER because of excruciating pain in my right leg.  I was told that I had a pseudo-annyurism at the insertion site and was sent (via ambulance) back to the original hospital that performed the ablation.  Of course, they could not find any problems when I got there.  Keep in mind that even Morphine (8 units) did not even begin to touch the pain.  I stayed in the hospital for a grand total of 5 days and was finally given a diagnosis of lumbar plexitis.  Now this could have happened during insertion of the catheters or while a 250lb man beared down with all his might on the right insertion site!  Either way, prior to the ablation, I could walk, run, whatever.  After the ablation, I spent a few weeks on a walker and so completely overmedicated that I could not even stay awake long enough to bathe, eat, or get up off the couch.  My husband still has pick up my right leg for me to get into the bed at night.  Not once did the EP or the hospital say anything about or provide written material concerning nerve damage severe enough that I still cannot walk across my living room without crying.  There has to be something that can be done to get me back to playing soccer with my kids and being able to work (did I mention that I lost my job because of this) and fulfilling all the duties of a loving wife and mother.
My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your mother.

[Aza879]

Hi my name is Aaron im 32 and i sufferd from WPW. i have had 3 Ablations with the 3rd being succsefull, however after nearly 9 months from my last one in oct 08, i am starting to get ectopic beats on a regular basis and for those of you who have had these will understand my concerns as they do not feel nice. im  very active and play a wide spectrum of sports and with a very active job as a PT Instructor in the forces all sorts go through my head, ive been told between my 1st and 2nd Ablation that ectopic Beats on their own are harmless but surley if this was the case everyone would have them?? What do i do as i feel if i go to the cardioligist again that i will get told the same and have wasted their time.???

[kyhickchic]

In response to your mother's case. I'm 40 years old and just had the ablasia surgery for SVT July 1, 09. I was extreamely tired afterward. When I came home from the hospital I would be awake for 2 hours and sleep for 2 hours and then I slept the whole night too! It's getting better day by day. I actually came back to work on July 6 but ended up taking an extra day off because I was still so tired. I was not put into a real deep sleep and from what I remember my heart was racing and then going the normal beats like turning up and down the volume on a radio. It's like your heart is running a marathon even though your body is lying still. So there has to be some kind of toll taken on your body after this. I did have something happen after the surgery that concerned me. My tops of my thighs developed large discolored gray areas about a week after the surgery. They didn't look like a bruise but just a discoloration like bad blood circulation. But I was checked for clots with an ultra sound and I don't have any. I am still having small attacks with my heart that last about 5 seconds but nothing like I was having before. I was told that I have a rare 2 electrical pathways on my heart when your only supposed to have one. I hope your mom gets feeling better real soon!!
Lisa

[dcl619]

i had a cardiac ablation several years ago. Last year, I had several minor heart attacks and had to have 5 stents inserted in a branch off of my LAD. Less than a year later, I've had to have 3 more stents put in that same branch. My doctor says that the branch appeared shredded. Anyone know whether a cardiac ablation can cause this? I am not sure whether my doctor will tell me that the other doctor that did the cardiac ablation caused this or not. Just curious if anyone knows.

[ed34]

Morphine is very powerful to some people. I had high dose recently and it took 5 days
to stop falling asleep at all hours. Morphine also destroys appetite in many people.
After my bypass surgery, I never thought I'd eat again. I was on just fluid for three days.
Then I came off morphine and just took tramadol, whammo, I was eating like a horse.

[chelsia1]

Had heart ablation about 6 weeks ago, on table for 12 hours. No real issues with heart rate,which is good, However, when got out of surgery my right hand, which had no IV was terribly swollen and first three fingers had little motion. As time has gone by, swelling down, but thumb and first 2 fingers ache and tingle all the time.  Very sensative to hot and cold and limited gripping. Also, found a 3" X 3" spot (square shaped) that looks red like a burn in my back just right of backbone and just below shoulder blade. Further, the top of my right foot tingles and aches like my hand. Hand MRI done on my hand and said was OK. This all developed right after surgery.

These seem so unrelated, but have to look at when they started, and was when I awoke from surgery. Doctor, does not share my concern, but it doesn't make sense. And .....  my hand HURTS !!!!!!!!!