Finally had an ablation....so far so good

[jrizzuto]

Diagnosed with SVT (actually accelerated Junctional Rythmn) and some PVCs. Drugs never worked since I don't tolerate side effects too well. So I had an ablation yesterday.

My EP decided to freeze a spot very close to the AVNode rather than burn it...less risk of damaging the AVNode.

So far so good, I still feel a few PVCs every once in a while, no junctional rythmn yet.

My only questions....

1 -my BP is very low....96/50 to 106/60. It used to be 110/70.

2 - my heartrate at rest is 57-60 BPM. Isn't that kinda low?
Are these numbers typical after an ablation?

Thanks,

JR

[Qwertyky]

6 weeks post ablation for SVT's. I went to the EP and he said I was going in and out junctional rhythm. He wants to wait 2-3 more months before doing another surgery. Maybe my heart needs to heal more. Did anyone have  junctional rhythm that went away a month or two after ablation. ???

[debbier]

I will reiterate what Cindy said,  its normal to feel these crazy rythm issues for a few months post ablation.  I hit the 6 month mark 7/21/2010.  The first few months I was so upset thinking my ablation had failed because my heart was trying the old path but would quickly realize it was no longer there and go back to normal.  That lasted at least 4 months.  I did have one lapse of SVT due to taking Zytec which I should not have taken.   I think its normal to be afraid of theses issues returning,  I still do,  I think I need pyschologic counseling to deal but its always there for me.  I think it will take time to gain the confidence to move past it all.   Did you get your holter monitor yet?  Hopefully whatever your feeling is caught on there and you can find out whats going on.  Good luck and hope thing contiue to improve.

[cindy707]

Better than that jrizzuto....on October 3rd it will be the 4th YEAR mark for me...and yes i am feeling normal.  I have had only two breakthroughs w. atrial fib and tach ....one was about a week after the surgery and the other one was about 7 months ago and that one was definately my own faulth.  As more time moves on the incidents become less and less and less until the day comes that you no longer feel your heart or are panicky and it will surprise the heck out of you.  I did alot of research right after the procedure on time frames, heal time, etc. and it was pretty text book from everything that i read.  At least you are a step ahead of me the way i was...i thought the nurses in the docs office were going to start watering me like a plant because i kept running back to the doctors for about the first 8 weeks because i wasn't grasping the physical part of my heart healing and thought it was a fail when it wasn't.  The majority of the symtoms began disolving at 4 months and the last of them at 6 months...that dying thing is so common because in having the ablation we stood on the edge of the cliff and just jumped into trust and trust we all had to learn to do after the ablation.....the only time i think about dying now are the times my kids give me a run for my money  w. stress and i tell 'em they are gonna kill me..LOL and yep i got my life back...baby steps my friend....venture back into the world doing little things that you are afraid to do and then build up it worked for me...glad i was able to help somewhat...our entire lives and our destiny is the unknown w. or w/out heart issues but don't let life pass you by because it waits for no one my friend and if your doc gave you the green light rev your engines and get ready for your race thru life........

[jrizzuto]

Your 2 cents was worth a million. Not that I'm happy to see others feel as miserable as me, but it helps to know I'm not alone, not crazy, and others survived it. My biggest fear is the unknown...and dropping dead.LOL   I hope others will chime in as well.

I spend so much time worrying about dying that I'm not enjoying life. I take it you past the 6 month mark and are feeling "normal" ???

Thanks

[cindy707]

I think that the symtoms that you just posted are very normal after your ablation.  I know i had most of them as well up until the 4 month mark and then by the 6 month mark i was good to go.  Let me try to comment number by number what it felt like for me and see if it feels the same but always if in doubt call the doc....
1. A couple of times i felt like a shade was coming down i got so lightheaded and my doc said that my b/p had dropped while my heart was adapting and getting used to flowing the right way...most of the time when it happened i was just relaxing doing nothing physical.
2. That one i know well...the best way i could ever describe it was it felt like someone took an ice pick and super fast stabbed my heart in fast out fast.
3. That one i know too...felt to me like my chest cavity was suddenly hollow and empty like i suddenly had nothing in there , no organs, etc. weirdest feeling of all.
4. Oh yeah i had those moments..sitting on pins and needles and i was sure it was a failed procedure and it was going to come back X3 and no one was telling me because they were protecting me...yeah right or worried about dying in my sleep..well here i sit in Oct. it will be 4 years...who was the fool?
5. This one made me almost laugh...that exhaustion was no joke....i took more naps than a new baby for the first 4 months...my family got fed up w. me and called my doc telling him that something was wrong w. me behind my back and he called me in and had a little talk w. me about being so tired.....it was emotional not physical and he gave me a list of 10 things to do in 10 days and said if i didn't do it i could find another doctor...needless to say i completed the list and the tiredness magically went away.....
6. You have to remember that many times when we have heart issues our b/p compensates for us giving us a very low blood pressure...mine used to sit at about 98/68 it was crazy...after the ablation my b/p would do the same as yours..it would become reactive to the incidents or situation......i think that is normal too....i don't know if this was helpful but i thought i would toss in my two cents worth....there are a couple of other people on this site that i am sure will weigh in...remember patience is a virtue after an ablation and i feel that until you hit that 6 month mark its open season on us...LOL good luck ....

[jrizzuto]

Oh yeah forgot one thing. When I listen to the heartbeat with a stethescope, The Ventricle beat seems like it's a double. Only a drummer would understand what I mean when I say I hear a "flam" on the 2nd beat. Picture two sticks striking the drum practically the same time. A very quick double impact...not an echo (which is spaced much farther apart). The atrium beat sounds perfectly normal, but the ventricle seems doubled.

weird.

[jrizzuto]

OK I'm still here ! 2 months post cryo ablation for possible AVNRT, junctional Tachy and echo beats. I can say that the junctional rythmn is gone. Yippee.

Still I have weird sensations from time to time. I still have PVCs, less bothersome as time goes on (but we didn't address those with the procedure anyway). This is what I have:

1- I get light headed very often. It's like a brain zap.
2- sharp pain right in the heart, quick, comes and goes
3- empty feeling in the chest, sometimes full feeling in the chest. Sometimes feels like I have to take a deep breath.
4- anxiety slowly returning
5- can't seem to get enough sleep, always TIRED. Sometimes so exhausted I just want to drop to the floor
6- sometimes all of the above PLUS a spile in BP. Now remember I normally have low BP, like 105/60. But when this happens I'll spike to 140/90. I'll feel my temples and back of the neck beating, and I know my pressure is high.

Then it will all just disappear, I'll yawn a few times and it's over. I'll feel flushed out for the rest of the day. I know the anxiety accentuates all of this but which comes first...the symptoms or the anxiety....who the heck knows. I asked the doc if whatever he removed could regenerate and he said YES but he would expect that to happen within a few days. By now, that risk is practically gone.

I'm pleased that the rythmn is cured, but I still don't have confidence in myself that I won't have some sort of episode.

So - is it possible that these are still side effects of the procedure...and will go away eventually? But after 2 months?

[Brooke_38]

Hello...

First, congrats on your ablation procedure! Secondly, sorry to hear that your starting to feel those all too familiar symptoms again. It being only 2 weeks since your procedure is still early in the game to call it a "falied ablation"

It is not at all uncommon during the healing phase, which can take anywher from 3-6 months and even up to a year for some, for you to feel like your heart wants to go into SVT. It's also pretty normal to feel those ectopic beats, and much more when you let anxiety take hold. Believe me, I've been there and done that. It will be interesting to see what you capture on the monitor. Also, keep in mind that anxiety can cause your BP to rise, try to take a deep breath and relax. I know it's easier said than done, but in the long run it will help you.

Hang in there and take it "one-day-at-a-time" think positive thoughts...Keep us posted! :)

[jrizzuto]

16 days after my cryo ablation.

Saw the report from the doctor, really interesting. He diagnosed me with either AVNRT or Junctional Tachycardia with a lot of echo beats.  Both have similar symptoms, loads of anxiety, palps, etc. He "modified" the AVNode and removed some spot extending down from the AVNode. Cryo...not RF. So for the first week and a half, I was on top of the world. I'm afraid that is beginning to crumble.

Had two episodes this week. Not exactly the same as before the procedure, but disturbing all the same. Anxiety is slowly creeping back into my life, light-headedness is still present. Heartrate and BP coming back up to my normal....110/65 bpm65. On Tuesday I felt dizzy, shakey, anxious, my head was beating. So I checked...BP was 149/90, heartrate was 80. Not terrible numbers for most but for me that was HIGH.

Thursday morning, felt anxious, lots of PVCs, and felt the heart beating very hard, kinda like a junctional rythmn again but slower.

I'm guessing it's one of two things....either the heart is trying to use the pathway that was removed, or the damn pathway is regenerating. The doc is sending me a holter monitor so he can see what's going on. I'm really DOWN about this, I can't imagine this coming back again and I'll be back where I started.

Would appreciate comments on the possibility of this really coming back....so soon.

Thanks

[debbier]

I know that feeling when you feel your going to pass out for a second.   I had that a few times after my ablation, I thought it was due to low blood pressure but it has resolved.  Good Luck!  I had the burning feeling for approx 3 weeks then it also resolved.   If you are ever unsure go to er!

[jrizzuto]

Update 11 days after ablation: Anxiety still basically gone, no return of the junctional rythmn. PVCs are declining. But, some other symptoms are appearing that seem to be part of the healing process (supposedly normal).
1- mid afternoon, VERY tired.
2- some instances of shortness of breath, not severe but noticable. Feel the urge to take deep breaths. No wheezing, lungs seem open, but breathing is heavy sometimes. Feel some mild pressure in the chest.
3 - some chest discomfort, feels "sore" in there. Sometimes I feel a very sharp stabbing pain in the left shoulderblade. Quick, and then its gone. Didn't expect a pain in the back, but it comes and goes.
4 - during the night, had all of the above PLUS my left hand had pain starting from the top of the forearm thru fingertips. Lasted about 5 minutes, then it was gone.

I got pretty scared and almost dialed 911, but after I fell back asleep I was OK. When I spoke to the docs office, they said some folks have symptoms immediately after the ablation, some delay for a week. Looks like I'm the delayed reaction type. They said it is normal to have some of these since the heart is healing, it is sore. I have no ankle/foot swelling or water retention. Maybe I went back to work too fast, but I was feeling fine ! The key is identifying if these symptoms become more frequent or lead to lightheadedness, then they said get to an ER and let them check me out.

One more freaky thing.....once in a while I get what I call a brain zap. Feels like the sensation when you are about to go under an anesthetic, but it is for a second...no more than that. Docs office says it can be when the heart is trying to use the old pathway that was ablated. That split second is a bit scary.

I would appreciate some comments from others, I dont want to push the panic button needlessly.

Thanks

[jrizzuto]

Well it's now Friday, day 3. The BP came up a little bit, 105/60. Heartrate still <60 at rest. Still unusually calm. I'm sure the anesthetics are gone, so this is the new ME. I'm happy with that, I needed improvements anyway LOL.

All along my low BP prevented me from typical beta blocker treatments which would have helped the palps. With a Beta, my pressure was so low I couldn't function. Ablation was my only choice. Glad I did it.

PVCs still present, not bad though. I notice them when I go to bed, especially if I'm lying on my left side. Annoying but not bad.

[itdood]

I wonder if the HR and BP are lingering anesthetic?

[jrizzuto]

Thanks for the comments. Yes my doc is the best-  in Baylor, Dallas. I am a little light headed, nothing too bad though. After the ordeal I would say weakness is probably normal. every day I should get stronger. I have a nice bruise "down there" which kinda scared me last night when I saw it. I'm just a big baby !

Anyway besides being a little sore, including the throat (from the breathing tube) I'm not all that bad. Not ready to wear pants yet, getting up from a sitting position hurts, my appetite is definitely on the rise.

I definitely have PVCs occasionally, but as my doc said he did not address those. I only have a few hundred of those per day, he would go after PVCs when it reaches a much higher number. They are more of an annoyance if anything. My main concern was the junctional rythmn, which I haven't felt yet. The doc says give it 2 weeks to "cure" and measure success after that point. I feel unusually CALM. Maybe that is what normal feels like without anxiety, panic, palps.

I like it. I like it a lot. I hope it stays.

JR

Thanks for the replies, keep them coming.

[cindy707]

Hi i read your post this morning and congrats are definately in order here.  I think many of us on this site would change places with you in a heart beat to have your vitals.  Your blood pressure is amazing and your pulse rate is even better.  Wow.........what it means in a nutshell is that your system is in a relaxed mode with those vitals and your body isn't under any stress or duress....and your heart rate really isn't low especially if you are in pretty fair physical shape meaning within normal weight limits, etc.  Freezing and RF waves are the two top choices for an ablation....i actually had both with my ablation a couple of years ago so to me you have a pretty great doc....the freezing or using cryo is almost and insurance that there will be no scarring on the surface of the heart or close to the surface if they go deeper thus causing more and more issues with scarring which comes from burning the effected area.  It sounds like you are on the mend and the numbers you have quoted shows a plus sign that quite possibly the procedure was a success for you....so congrats to you and if anything pops up post because alot of us on this site have had ablations for exactly what you went in for including myself.....time to book that parachuting jump or bungee' ing....LOL have a great day!!!!

[Jerry_NJ]

Congratulation to you and your doctor(s) on the good results (so far).... hope it continues and gets better.

Freezing, that's a new one.  Maybe others will comment on it too.

The BP and HR don't sound like a given problem, but if you are light headed then either or both may be too low.  But, I'd guess if you have mild symptoms such as the above, they will pass with time.  You had a low BP to start with... are you on any medications, such as a beta blocker?  If yes, that is likely the driver of the low BP/HR.