post ablation --long pr

  Thank you in advance for reading this. I am a 47 year old woman who had an ablation procedure done 7 weeks ago. My anatomy was a bit different and the fast path was ablated. It appeared after ablation that both paths had been damaged in some way. Day 1 I was in 1st degree heart block but went home without symptoms. By day 2, I was in complete heart block. After about a week I went into Mobitz 1 (wenkebach) with a long pr (from 3.6 to 4.3). Initially we were looking at a pacemaker but my EP specialist thought there may be some opportunity for repair so I wait...It is now 7 weeks and I am symptomatic every day. If I exercise I feel fine for several hours and then I feel sensation in my neck and chest from a few minutes to many hours--up to 5-6 hours. I  also have had a cough since the ablation and it becomes worse with symptoms. My question is about the pr interval --have you heard about potential recovery of a situation such as this. I have been told that the only way to alleviate symptoms is with a pacemaker. If you have any information on this I would appreciate it.  Thanks again.

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

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Dear sp,
Technically your heart has had ample time to recover and sounds as if it has not
recovered it's pr interval, although your EP specialist is the boss and therefore
the main determinant other than you of when to say when.  Sometimes there are
signs of potential recovery, but once it is believed that no recovery is likely
or at the time that the symptoms are simply unbearable for you it is TIME to
have the pacemaker placed.  Unfortunately, this prolonged pr interval problem is
a significant potential risk for anyone undergoing ablation near the AV node as
you had done.  Of course there really is no way of telling who may or may not
recover from the initial complete heart block.  Good Luck and keep close contact with
your physician so long as you do not have a pacemaker and you are having symptoms
as you speak of above.  
Information provided in the heart forum is intended for general medical informational
purposes only, actual diagnosis and treatment can only be made by your physician(s).