Post Catheter Ablation Experience

[CNickels77]

I am 27 y/o and just had a catheter ablation for SVT a week ago.  Since, I've been feeling a little bit weaker but have been getting better every day.  I had trouble after the ablation bringing my heart beat down to a normal pace and had to spend the night in the hospital.  The Doctor said that I was sensitive to the adrenalyne and coupled with being dehydrated would take some time to get back to normal.  Has anyone had a similar experience?

Also, any suggestions on when to begin exercising.  Prior to the ablation I had been working out about 5 days a week but I don't want to push it too hard...

[lagoya]

hi
i spent 2 nights in hosiptal after mine i had to get adrenalyne as well and the first night i was ok but the next day i was shattered and very tired.it takes a while for the heart to heal after an ablation as it is still having to work {obivously} and after the burning.i would take it easy for now or for a few weeks leave things settle a bit.i know i had a lot of pain in my muscles after ablation but it subsided after a week or so.keep youself hydrated and enjoy the rest.
i dont know exactly how hard and how soon u could exercise i think your cardio should have advised u on that  but i persume u could resume lightly to start after a few weeks depending how the ablation went and how good u feel.exercise is important for the heart and the body as a whole.but i would not go lifting heavy weights until your leg or where your cathers were placed was well healed or as to not put extra stress on the heart as it heals
have  u asked your doc about this
was the ablation a success

[CNickels77]

Hey Lagoya,

The Doctor said that he believes that the ablation was a success.  In the days afterwards I would get a beat that would feel like the beginning of SVT but then it would just sort of short circuit out so that is probably a good sign.  My legs have healed up pretty quickly and aren't tender at all anymore.

On the exercise front, my Dr. said to take it slow and wait until I feel pretty good.  It's hard for me to say though, I feel pretty decent now but don't want to do any damage by working out too hard.  Maybe I'll just walk and do some light cardio for the next week or so.

When did you get yours done?  Was it a success?  I think that my expectations going into the ablation were that I would be out and about by two days afterwards but I found that it has taken me quite a few days to start feeling back to normal.  The first few days were the roughest because my heart rate seemed to be staying in the 90's and 100's even at rest.  I've gotten it back down to normal levels now...

[lagoya]

yeah it takes a while for the heart to settle after having those wires poking in there plus the stress of the procedure which is normal i went back lightly {exercise}after about  3 weeks and on docs advise just to be safe and i exercise away now without much problems.
my ablation was this time last year and i may have to get another cause i get quite a lot of pvcs that have gone into runs alltough not as bad as before or they would last as long i had a bunch of tests again recently and i am seeing my ep on the 9th of sept to see if i need another i may not they just might leave me a low dose beta blocker for now.i have no problem exercising or getting my hr up  and have no pvcs during exercise or heavy thumping --sometimes it can take 2 ablations just a little fine tuning.
glad yours was a success u may get the odd flip-flop here and there its just the heart healing

best of luck

[mabebesc]

Hi,

I had an ablation on the 4th of August.  My heart rate was up too the day of the procedure -90-s.  Even now, if I overdue, it seems to beat faster than normal.   I think it's fairly normal because of the meds used and the whole procedure itself.  Just these past couple of days, I'm feeling less fatigued and my energy is coming back.  I thought because of my age ,52,years old, it was taking me a little longer to recover but from what I'm reading, it's not  unusual to feel fatigued for a little while after. I would check back with your Dr. about exercising.  I was told to take it easy for a few days and  see how I felt.  I'm just going to take a daily one mile walk for a few days and gradually build up to my regular 3 mile walk.  I think it makes sense not to push too much since our hearts have been through a lot of poking and prodding. I'm glad you're doing well!
Betty

[CNickels77]

Hi Betty,

Thanks for the response.  Looks like we were going through the same thing at about the same time.  Did your ablation go well?  My doctor seems to think that mine was successful but noted that you can't be sure until some time passes.

Prior to going in for the ablation, my expectation was that I  would be back up and around after a couple of days.  I was a little off base.  Yesterday and today have been good days where I've been feeling back to my old self.  I think I will start walking this weekend but not get back fully for another couple of weeks.

Are you getting any weird heart beats?  I've gotten a couple that just seem to get shorted out which I believe has to be a good sign.

Hope all is going well!

[Val46]

I had my ablation done on Aug 5.  I was having over 10000 pvc's per day.  The ablation was successful, but I have been having chest pain and burning since the procedure.  I was awake when he started to ablate and he didn't start the fentanol (pain killer) until AFTER the procedure started, so I was in agony while he ablated for three minutes.  I continue to have burning.  Did you have the burning sensation?  What does your pain feel like?  How far out are you from the procedure?    Also I am in my mid fortys and wondered what your aprox. age is.  I suppose that could make a difference.  I was very fit before the procedure, and am having trouble walking.  It causes pain.  Thanks for your info.  Val

[mabebesc]

I am 52 years old and thought maybe that why I was feeling so tired after the ablation. I have had the burning sensation too in my chest which I'm trying to manage with Advil. I had my ablation done on Aug. 4th. Mine feels like an occasional mild burning that seems to come and go,  I can pretty much ignore it although it can be slightly annoying, I'm sure it will lessen as time goes by.
Betty

[CNickels77]

Hey Val,

I had my ablation on August 6th and am 27 y/o.  I can't believe that you were awake when they began the ablation.  I was knocked out before the electrophysiologist even was in the room and didn't wake up until I was back in my hospital room.

As for the burning sensation, I don't really have any of that.  Occassionally, I'll get a mild shooting pain around my heart area but is subsides within a few minutes.  I just notice that I am more fatigued than usual.  I am physically fit but find certain activities harder than they had been.  However, that is subsiding as time goes on.

We might have had different ablations, I had AV nodal reentry, but I would contact your doctor if you are having trouble walking.  It's been over a week now for both of us, and I would think that you should be back up on your feet at least.  What did your Doctor indicate as a recovery period?