Post ablation for AVNRT.

[Katya73]

Hi,

It's been 12 days after my ablation for AVNRT. They burned the slow pathway. Before my ablation I had to quit taking Sotalol (240 mg a day). So now I am about 15 days without betablocker. Of course my heart rate is much higher then it was before (100's while sitting, it was 60-70 while sitting) and maybe I have to take another betablocker after 6 weeks (new appointment with cardio). My question is that yesterday I got an attack of SVT/AVNRT or just tachycardia, up to 140-145. It scared the hell out of me. Went to the doctor (weekendservice in Belgium) and she also confirmed I was just in sinus rythm. When I read on forums and asked my doctor he said it is because I quitted taking Sotalol abruptly (on recommendation of my cardio) and that my heart has to heal from the ablation. Are there any persons who can relate? Thanks. I guess I need some peace of mind. I do hope the ablation worked... (I still take Apocard for my ventricular ectopics). Also the attack didn't last long yesterday. About 5 minutes instead of 20-30 minutes before ablation.

Thanks!

[MichelleP_3811]

Sending good thoughts your way.  Keep us posted.

[Katya73]

I am quite worried. I had 4 short attacks of AVNRT in 4 weeks plus looads of palps. Positive thing is they last less longer, and get shorter and shorter in time. Negative thing is that I am worried that the procedure failed. I got a lot of palpitations lately but it might also have something to do with that medication I had to take from my GP (known for messing up hormones and causing palpitations). Anyway, on monday I will know more, then I have an appointment with my cardiologist. I am kind of nervous... You may all keep your fingers crossed ;).

[tom_h]

Oh yes.  I had all kinds of skips and little runs of SVT for over a year after mine.

Glad you're doing well.

[Katya73]

Hi there.

Well I am now four months post ablation (30 october 2014) and everything went fairly good until my doctor decided to give me depakene (depakine) valproic acid, which can cause heart palpitations (according to the leaflet in the US but in EU it is not mentioned) which I don't understand. Anyway. My hormones have been messed up by that medication and I always get more palps around my menstruation. So I guess I should not worry and hope the meds will go out of my system soon. It's been a week now since I last took a Depakene 250 mg. I even had a bout of AVNRT the night I took my last pill. It lasted a minute. So the time is getting shorter. I do hope that I will continue to heal since I experience a lot of pvc's lately. Thanks anyway to listen. I read that it can take up to a year until fully healed. Is that correct?

Thanks x
Katya

[MichelleP_3811]

It is pretty typical to have an elevated heart rate for a good 3 months post ablation even without having been on meds.  The meds may be compounding the issue for you but 145 is pretty slow for avnrt so it was likely just an excited heart.  Mine was elevated as well my ectopics became more frequent for a good year but with time your heart will calm down and be even calmer than it was before the ablation.  It just takes some time.  Glad to hear you are on the mend.  Take care.

[Katya73]

Sorry for the typos ;).

[Katya73]

Hi Tom,

Thanksfor your reply. I guess it was just sinus tachycardia and I was getting myself way to exited with an oximeter on my finger. I was over-checking myself so maybe I mad the attack so much longer by over-exiting myself. I guess I should take some more time, like you said. There is also such a thing as rebound-techycardia from stopping the medication (sotalol) so I guess it takes time. I read on the internet that it can take 3 months before they can say if an ablation was succesful. I must say that I miss my beta blockers because now my heart is way much higher then before. I also have lots of pvc's. The run yesterday started with a pvc. Thanks!

Greetings,
Katya

[tom_h]

Hi Katya.  Congratulation on your ablation!  It's far too early to tell yet whether it was successful or not.  You really need to give it a lot more time.  I think just about all of us got short little runs of SVT for up to a year or more following the procedure, along with clusters of PVC's.  I do have to say though that a 5 minute episode is rather lengthy.  Most of report very brief runs of a dozen beats or so before dropping out to sinus rhythm.

You were on some serious anti-arrhythmic with the Sotalol.  I took it briefly, and it scared the heck out of me, so I when back on Metoprolol, a relative "candy pill" compared to Sotalol.  I'm sorry, but I can't comment on the effects of abrupt cessation of it.

Other symptoms I felt immediate following mine was "heartache", moments of this dull achiness right in the center of my chest that were strong enough to make me stop and double over for a moment or so until they passed.  I had 17 burns to bridge a wide accessory pathway in my left atrium for orthodromic AVRT, and suspect that I was feeling the effects of that. Of course most of us walked with a limp for a couple of weeks from the tenderness of the insertion site.

I hope you recover quickly from your procedure and can move on with your life now free of SVT.  Good luck!

[Katya73]

Little add to my post: They feel different my palps, I have PVC's and PAC's. Quite much just after abblation, now it is slightly, lightly better I think. Thanks!