Just had a ablation and feeling bad

[MandM26]

Hello everyone,
I just had a ablation on Friday for SVT. To me it was scary. My doctor is calling it 90 percent successful which I am happy with. I have been reading a lot on here. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. It makes me feel not so alone during this. I dont know anyone else who has this. I have been feeling really bad though. My chest feels heavy and I am getting pains across my chest. Anyone else experience this? I am not having any flip flopping feelings so I am glad about that. How long did it take to feel better again?  I go back to my doctor on the 28th for a follow up but this pain is making me nervous. I have to go back to work soon and I am trying to get prepared. Thanks again!

[researcher09]

Potential ablation complications depend on your SVT and where your EP did the burns.  If you had WPW ablation and he didn't have to go into the left side, your trauma should resolve fairly quickly.  If the EP had to ablate the right wall fo go into the left side, there could be trauma to phrenic nerves causing pulmonary side effects (your chest dropping feeling) and that should also resolve but probably take a little more time.  The other potential (if your SVT was AF) complication is PV stenosis which could also result in pulmonary side effects.  The last one would be need to be caught and taken care of ASAP.  If you didn't have AF ablation, then I would eliminate that as a possibility.  Hopefully, what you have is just run of the mill trauma from right sided SVT and you get better quickly.  However, give it a short leash and don't hesitate to call your EP and let him know what's going on.  If you do end up at a local ER, let them know you had a recent ablation and bring the EP contact info with you.

[MichelleP_3811]

Feel your pulse and see if you notice pauses in it.  If so you are likely having pvcs and that could be the source of the pain from an already irritated heart muscle.  It should subside.  Hang in there.

[MandM26]

Called my doctor on Friday and his nurse practitioner put me on water pills. So far I am feeling the same. Pains and that drop feeling. They also put me on 600mg of motrin. I am hoping these feelings start to subside. I hate this.

[firemaster91101]

Any time you have a heaviness in your chest, or chest pain, you should call 911. I know you just had your surgery, but many different things could be happening. I'm not trying to scare you, only help. A lot of Fire Depts. will come for free, and have heart monitors. Allow them to take a look at your heart, and make sure nothing serious is happening. You can refuse transport to a hospital, if they see nothing, but would follow their recommendation if they say you should go in. Quick blood work can be done in the hospital, testing for increased "Troponin" levels.

[MichelleP_3811]

The drop sensation could actually be pvcs you are feeling.  Your heart is more sensitive to everything right now so just try to stay calm about it and take it easy.  I am sure it will get better.  And I was short of breath easier as well.  Your heart rate may be more elevated than normal which could be part of the problem but hang tight and things should get better but if you have any concerns don't hesitate to consult with your doctor.  Take care.

[MandM26]

Last night was rough. I had a lot of pains and I was feeling a weird drop sensation. Its hard to explain. I get out of breathe faster since the ablation. I never had that before. I am going back to work part time tomorrow and I will take it easy. I think I make myself worse because I get nervous with all of this stuff. I really appreciate the responses and I will keep reading. I go back to my doctor on the 28th and will see what he says.

[Lylone]

I had my ablation last Friday also and hadve had weird pains and sensations near my heart.  It may be healing, it may be gas as I constipation for about 4 days from the anesthesia.  Today was my first day I didn't feel weird stuff.  It's been a few days since u posted... Hope you are doing better!

[tom_h]

It varies from person to person, but I'd say two to three weeks, and you should feel more like yourself.  I had mine done on a Thursday, and returned to work the following Tuesday, so five days and I felt good enough to sit in my cube again.

My electrophysiologist didn't want to see me for close to 30 days following mine.  By then, I was near 100% again.  I hope you continue to feel better.

[MichelleP_3811]

Some discomfort is normal after an ablation.  Your heart has been through a lot and needs time to calm down.  Depending on where they ablated can affect it as well.  I think I felt some pains through the first month and it took a good 3 months for my heart rate to slow back to a normal rate.  It was pretty high, so much so my gp did a thyroid test.  But it is pretty common for it to stay elevated for a while which may be part of your discomfort.  This said, you may want to call your doctor to discuss your symptoms to see what they say.  I did have what felt like an increase in ectopic activity after my ablation.  In hindsight I know I was having daily symptoms even on days I did not have an svt episode but I did not know that the jumpiness was another issue all together so I was taken a bit by surprise with all the jumpiness I was feeling and that took a good year or two to calm down to having days where I don't feel any.  But for me it seems I will be stuck with them to some degree the rest of my life so I am happy for you that you are not feeling any.  I may have waited too long to have mine done but at least I am not having any more svt.  As much as they say it isn't a danger I personally believe in the long run, especially if it is becoming more frequent, that svt will wear a person's heart out before it would otherwise.  So it is good you got it fixed.  Try to relax and not worry.  Stress and anxiety will tense up your heart muscle and make it feel worse.  Congrats on a successful ablation.  Take care.