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Jannie411's Ablation - Part 3 - Post-Ablation Notes
Hi everyone,
Here is Part 3, these are my Post-Ablation Notes. Happy reading!
Post-Ablation instructions from the hospital: No lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds, no strenuous activity. No driving for several days. No exercise for a week. Only Tylenol allowed for pain. No shower allowed until the next day. Bandaids are to remain on the catheter sites until the next day. I was assured the blue disinfectant / antiseptic covering my lower torso and upper legs would wash off easily in the shower (and it did).
The ride home from the hospital was uneventful. My husband and I arrived home around 3:45 pm. It was so good to be home. I took the stairs (all 14 of them) at a regular pace - and no flutters, no pain, no SVT!
After making a few phone calls and getting settled in, I proceeded to the bathroom to check the bandages on my catheter entry sites as I had been instructed to keep an eye on them and make sure there was no bleeding. I was having slight discomfort from them but was able to walk with no difficulty. Sure enough, the one on the left had some slight bleeding. I think it was irritated by the elastic leg on my underwear. I cleaned it as best as I could without removing the bandaids and applied manual pressure to stop the bleeding. It stopped after 5 minutes.
Afterwards, my husband and I had an early dinner and retired to the couch for some needed rest and to watch TV, read magazines, and check email. He fell asleep. I couldn't sleep since I was still very wired and replaying the days events in my head. We went to bed around 9:00 pm and both had a decent night's rest for the first time in more than a week.
The following morning, I showered and shampooed. What a pleasure to take a long, hot (former SVT trigger) shower with no worries. I had removed the cath site bandaids (2 bandaids on each cath entry site). There had been some minor bleeding from the left one during the night. I checked the bruises - at that time, they were round, purple, and about 1" in diameter. I rebandaged the cath entry sites with soft gauze, and fastened them with paper tape. As the elastic leg underwear seemed to be irritating the skin at the cath sites, I folded two soft clean washcloths into quarters and inserted one washcloth between each of the sites and the elastic leg. The elastic leg held the washcloths in place and the cath sites were protected and much more comfortable. By Saturday, I didn't need the washcloths or bandages anymore as the cath areas healed quickly and didn't hurt much at that point. No more issues with bleeding since the night of the ablation. (Note: I checked the bruises this morning, the one on the left side had expanded to about 3", but is fading fast, the one on the right also expanded to about 2" and is nearly gone.)
I will have to take Atenolol for the next three weeks.....but only 1/3 of the dose I was originally taking.......then I'm off it for good. (And good riddance to it!!!) The doc said it was only temporary to smooth out the bumps while my heart healed.
I wore soft cotton jogging suits for two days following ablation and they worked well for me. By Saturday I was able to wear my jeans again with no discomfort at the cath sites.
In the first few days following the ablation, I did experience a few small flutters and a few episodes where it felt like an SVT attack was going to start up. But it fizzled within 5-10 seconds as it had nowhere to go. On Sunday, I had a dull achiness in my chest from mid-afternoon till bedtime, but by Monday morning, I was fine and have had no issues since.
There was one little problem I hadn't anticipated. Constipation. Never had this problem before in my life and hope I never have it again. It cropped up 2 days post ablation and resolved itself a few days later. I'm guessing it was due to my being immobile for the entire day of the ablation, not too active the day after, and because my normal meal schedule had been disrupted. Wish someone had mentioned this might happen because I would have filled up on fruits and vegetables post-ablation.
On Monday, I was able to drive again. Went to the grocery store to pick up milk. It was uncomfortable to pick up the 1/2 gallon container, guess my heart isn't ready for lifting yet. Maybe next week.....we shall see. :)
Yesterday, I resumed exercising. Starting out with a half-hour a day, 2.5 mph, 1-1/2 miles on the treadmill and will slowly increase from there. Also planning to get resistance bands to increase my upper body and muscle strength. And a wrist type BP exercise monitor. Can anyone recommend a good one that is not too expensive?
I've scheduled a post-ablation check-up with "Dr. Wonderful" (my EP) in 2-1/2 weeks. Can't wait to tell him how great things are going and how his efforts and medical expertise and skills have changed my life for the better.
This concludes my SVT ablation posts. I will continue to write in my MedHelp journal - those of you who are interested may follow my continuing healing journey there. Please keep in touch.....I enjoy hearing from you!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional. The opinions given here are mine alone and should not be construed as medical advice.
Here is Part 3, these are my Post-Ablation Notes. Happy reading!
Post-Ablation instructions from the hospital: No lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds, no strenuous activity. No driving for several days. No exercise for a week. Only Tylenol allowed for pain. No shower allowed until the next day. Bandaids are to remain on the catheter sites until the next day. I was assured the blue disinfectant / antiseptic covering my lower torso and upper legs would wash off easily in the shower (and it did).
The ride home from the hospital was uneventful. My husband and I arrived home around 3:45 pm. It was so good to be home. I took the stairs (all 14 of them) at a regular pace - and no flutters, no pain, no SVT!
After making a few phone calls and getting settled in, I proceeded to the bathroom to check the bandages on my catheter entry sites as I had been instructed to keep an eye on them and make sure there was no bleeding. I was having slight discomfort from them but was able to walk with no difficulty. Sure enough, the one on the left had some slight bleeding. I think it was irritated by the elastic leg on my underwear. I cleaned it as best as I could without removing the bandaids and applied manual pressure to stop the bleeding. It stopped after 5 minutes.
Afterwards, my husband and I had an early dinner and retired to the couch for some needed rest and to watch TV, read magazines, and check email. He fell asleep. I couldn't sleep since I was still very wired and replaying the days events in my head. We went to bed around 9:00 pm and both had a decent night's rest for the first time in more than a week.
The following morning, I showered and shampooed. What a pleasure to take a long, hot (former SVT trigger) shower with no worries. I had removed the cath site bandaids (2 bandaids on each cath entry site). There had been some minor bleeding from the left one during the night. I checked the bruises - at that time, they were round, purple, and about 1" in diameter. I rebandaged the cath entry sites with soft gauze, and fastened them with paper tape. As the elastic leg underwear seemed to be irritating the skin at the cath sites, I folded two soft clean washcloths into quarters and inserted one washcloth between each of the sites and the elastic leg. The elastic leg held the washcloths in place and the cath sites were protected and much more comfortable. By Saturday, I didn't need the washcloths or bandages anymore as the cath areas healed quickly and didn't hurt much at that point. No more issues with bleeding since the night of the ablation. (Note: I checked the bruises this morning, the one on the left side had expanded to about 3", but is fading fast, the one on the right also expanded to about 2" and is nearly gone.)
I will have to take Atenolol for the next three weeks.....but only 1/3 of the dose I was originally taking.......then I'm off it for good. (And good riddance to it!!!) The doc said it was only temporary to smooth out the bumps while my heart healed.
I wore soft cotton jogging suits for two days following ablation and they worked well for me. By Saturday I was able to wear my jeans again with no discomfort at the cath sites.
In the first few days following the ablation, I did experience a few small flutters and a few episodes where it felt like an SVT attack was going to start up. But it fizzled within 5-10 seconds as it had nowhere to go. On Sunday, I had a dull achiness in my chest from mid-afternoon till bedtime, but by Monday morning, I was fine and have had no issues since.
There was one little problem I hadn't anticipated. Constipation. Never had this problem before in my life and hope I never have it again. It cropped up 2 days post ablation and resolved itself a few days later. I'm guessing it was due to my being immobile for the entire day of the ablation, not too active the day after, and because my normal meal schedule had been disrupted. Wish someone had mentioned this might happen because I would have filled up on fruits and vegetables post-ablation.
On Monday, I was able to drive again. Went to the grocery store to pick up milk. It was uncomfortable to pick up the 1/2 gallon container, guess my heart isn't ready for lifting yet. Maybe next week.....we shall see. :)
Yesterday, I resumed exercising. Starting out with a half-hour a day, 2.5 mph, 1-1/2 miles on the treadmill and will slowly increase from there. Also planning to get resistance bands to increase my upper body and muscle strength. And a wrist type BP exercise monitor. Can anyone recommend a good one that is not too expensive?
I've scheduled a post-ablation check-up with "Dr. Wonderful" (my EP) in 2-1/2 weeks. Can't wait to tell him how great things are going and how his efforts and medical expertise and skills have changed my life for the better.
This concludes my SVT ablation posts. I will continue to write in my MedHelp journal - those of you who are interested may follow my continuing healing journey there. Please keep in touch.....I enjoy hearing from you!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional. The opinions given here are mine alone and should not be construed as medical advice.
No - strong painkillers were not necessary. I had only minor discomfort after the procedure and took Tylenol for a couple of days.
Thanks! I can relate.....I was so sick of the SVT and PVCs that I would have done anything to get rid of them.....and finally did! Hard to believe what a difference one week makes! Having this problem fixed is like winning the healthcare lottery!
I am so glad you are doing so well. It really is nice to have a step by step report of the procedure. I am always better off when I know what to expect. If I end up having an ablation, I will know what's going on.
I am getting to the point where I want my life back. Tired of all this.
I am getting to the point where I want my life back. Tired of all this.
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