Ablation heal time longer than three months?

Hello All, and thank you for allowing me to join.

I recently had an ablation on March 21st, so have just hit the three month "blanking period" that I hear so much about. I was diagnosed with Paroxysymal AF in early February, to which my EP quickly scheduled my ablation because I didn't want to go down the medication route. The first month went better, second month I had more episodes, but not terrible, the third month has been the worst. The last two weeks I have had to take my PIP (Flecainide and Metoprolol) every 48 hours when an episode occurs. It's really starting to affect my mental state as I have been so healthy my entire life. I just turned 40 in April, have been very active my whole life (many, many sports), and this has just completely turned my world upside down.

My question is, have others that have been through this taken longer than three months to fully heal to which the surgery was a success? My EP said with my background, and having zero contributing factors to AF, that my probability for success was very high for the first procedure. But, with the way I have been feeling lately, I don't think it helped at all

Looking for some input from people to maybe put my mind at ease a bit. I have started taking Magnesium, Taurine, and Potassium (ordered through this website) for the last week...hoping that begins to help a bit. Very frustrated right now...

Thank you...

I'm afraid you probably need to give up on the idea of a PIP and start taking the flecainide and metoprolol on a daily basis. I'm also afraid that at three months you're unlikely to see any improvement from here on out. I could be wrong and you could be a unique case, but in general if an ablation hasn't succeeded within the blanking period then it's not going to.

What does your EP have to say about it?

Quote
DucatiRider

I was diagnosed with Paroxysymal AF in early February, to which my EP quickly scheduled my ablation because I didn't want to go down the medication route..

Rule of thumb, never rush into any complex procedure,and do your own research. Get multiple opinions. For an ablation, it's unlikely that you would use your local EP.

DucatiRider, I'm sorry your ablation was not a success. Really.
I understand your frustration: mine was the same. My first procedure didn't succeed. I then tried flecainide as PIP, but I was taking it nearly every night, so I gave up the idea and went back taking meds on the daily basis.
And from my own experience, I'd say Carey is right.

Jpeters wrote "never rush into any complex procedure", and I agree with him.
But I know: when the afibber is young and healthy, it's tempting to jump into the ablation ship instead of taking unpleasant meds (nobody wants to take rhythm drugs and beta blockers). Your EP told you that chances were great to meet the success with the first procedure. That's what I'd been told too.
My PV were isolated, because most of the ectopics causing afib statistically come from the pulmonary veins. So, the EP isolated them (cryo-ablation), but I guess he didn't look for other ectopics. In the days and weeks following the procedure, I went back in afib.

I've had a "touch-up" procedure on March 29th, so I'm in my blanking period too. I'm now afib free, but I've had lots of PACs and PVCs in the weeks following the procedure. I'm still having a few, but things are slowly setting down. I've tried not taking my meds, but ectopics were too numerous.
Now, I'm with 100mg flecainide and 2.5mg bisoprolol 1 time/day, in the evening. I've better sleep and, during daytime, I'm not too weak. I'm back to cycling and gradually feeling better.

Be patient. You'll likely want going for a second procedure, but don't rush. Follow Jpeters's advices here above.

Sometimes repeat ablations are necessary. It may be that all the "spots" causing the erratic electrical impulses were not found and ablated on the first try...or it may be that new pathways have been created through which the impulses travel. Chances are that you will need to continue your medications until your EP determines if a repeat ablation may be necessary in your particular case. I am one who has required 3 ablations to remain in normal sinus rhythm...but the 3rd one was successful thus far. I still take Elquis..but no rate or rhythm control drugs. I will continue to take Eliquis because I do not want to risk a stroke if the a-fib should begin again at some time in the future.
I hope that things go well for you...and that perhaps the ablation proves to be successful after all. Best wishes!

Thank you for the responses. I should say that I didn't "jump into" the ablation procedure, I did think about it for awhile and talked to numerous doctors about it. My EP has been doing them for a very long time, and it really made the most sense to me. I understand the mechanics of it all, I just think that maybe I need a touch up. I've had weeks where I felt completely great. Actually, I have felt very well today and worked around the house all day long with absolutely no issues. My big triggers seem to be adrenaline and spicy food...and if I happen to eat a little too much (which I rarely do). Sometimes, positional changes will kick it in but quickly go away...its very strange, I'm still hoping for the best, but I'm prepared to do what I need to to have success. My wife and I are going on a three week long backpacking trip in August that I need to be ready for. If I need to take meds through it, so be it, then I'll have another procedure after the trip. The Metropolol and Flecainide make me feel a little strange, but not terrible. I have my 3 month follow up appointment at the end of this month so I will see what the doc says.

Quote
DucatiRider
I just think that maybe I need a touch up.

I think you're quite likely right. It's common, even with the most experienced EPs.

Welcome DucatiRider (and nice bike by the way!)

There is nothing inherently wrong with going for an index ablation so early in one's AFIB history, but it does make it a lot tougher to make the best decision on who you will partner with. Especially, since its very unlikely for a very new Afibber to have truly been exposed this early in the game, to the reality that making a highly-discriminating choice for the very best ablation expert who you can realistically access, including being very willing to travel for up to 5 days to a week to put your heart in the best possible hands for this highly skill-dependent procedure.

Indeed, genuinely elite-level AFIB ablation is one of THE most skill-dependent procedures in all of medicine! And, thus, getting this decision right is of utmost importance toward achieving truly durable success via an expert ablation 'process' in the least total amount of work required to arrive at that goal.

It is quite fast to go from initial diagnosis of AFIB to an index ablation in just over a month's time. With respect to your EP, did you meet him in conjunction with your diagnosis of AFIB, or did you have some other need for an EP other than AFIB prior to last February's initial diagnosis?

How frequent were your episodes leading up to last February's original diagnosis and when did you first notice these symptoms .. assuming you were, and are still, a symptomatic Afibber who is always aware of when an episode starts and ends? And how long were your typical episodes and what was the longest single episode prior to your March 21 ABL?

Also, what ablation method did your EP use? Radio Frequency or Cryo-balloon and did he perform a standard PVI (Pulmonary vein isolation) alone, or did he address any additional extended Non-PV triggers well away from the antrum area of the 4 PVs, after he or she completed the initial PVI phase of the ablation?

Did you get a copy of your Ablation Report that should spell out exactly what he or she did inside your heart that day?

The answers to these few questions would give us a better start in helping assess your situation, but I can tell you will solid certainty right now, that since your AFIB (and/or possibly A-Flutter) has been increasing as you describe above, well into the third month blanking period ... and your recurrent activity has been the worst of the total three months experience in these most recent few weeks, you can thus already bet your bottom dollar that a follow-up ablation IS in the cards, or I'll eat my hat! And the sooner the better once you know it is going to be needed as it almost certainly will be and you are already well into the ablation process.

I should take at least a month or two minimum to set up a second procedure ... and you need to be very careful, very discriminating and deliberate in who you choose to perform round two!

As a rule of thumb, if an EP can fit you in within the next couple of weeks to a month or so for an AFIB ablation, without first moving heaven and earth, then that is very likely a strong red flag that he or she may not be busy enough doing enough ablations each week to stretch out his or her schedule into a decent steady consistent waiting list.

If an EP can't keep up a continuous back-log of demand for their country-wide renown as an elite AFIB ablation expert who is well worth waiting for, and is one who can handle any type of AFIB from the basic PAF cases to the most complex LSPAF (Long-standing Persistent AFI with an enviable national, if not global, track record for consistent success ... then my strong advice is to keep on looking, and it wont take long to find a true maestro to partner with once you see the light and undeniable logic of casting the widest feasible net in your search for the right expert to carry on from here to final freedom from all atrial arrhythmia in hte least amount of time and work needed going foLward.

It is a very good sign when you have to wait a while for your EP to have a free slot for a ablation. And when any EP is either too available or too eager to get you into their EP-lab, those tale-tell signs are often very much worth heeding, and thus pumping the brakes a bit on that person doing any more ablation work on one's heart without additional in-depth investigation as to all the best available options you might truly have.

You mentioned your EP does lots of ablations ... which is a good thing. Do you know roughly how many AFIB ablations he or she has done, and if they do many ... or any ... persistent and long standing persistent AFIB cases?

These are just a few of the yardsticks for evaluating any EP an Afibber is considering trusting their heart's care to ... especially for a second time ... and especially when your AFIB is significantly worse now than before your index ablation.

In any event, from what you have shared so far Ducati, its an almost total certainty you will need a follow-up ablation and you will most certainly need a better result than you experienced in round one. And keep in mind that many EPs are really great people and often are excellent clinical EPs and may well be a very fine all around doctor.However, please hear me when I assure you that even possessing all those qualities does NOT automatically qualify that doctor as your best option to guide the catheters inside your heart in this most important NEXT ablation that you will certainly require for real lasting freedom from the beast!

We should talk more thoroughly on the phone about your scenario Ducati, it's much easier for me these days to cover a lot more ground and explore the nuances of this AFIB and EP world with you ... as well as this key vital choice you are now faced with ... particularly for a very important follow-up ablation!

Send me a private message (PM) at the link just to the right of my name at the top left of this post with your cell number and time zone and I'll try to call you during normal daytime hours in the coming few days.

Be well,
Shannon

Shannon,

Thank you for the long and very detailed response. I might take you up on the offer to chat at some point, that's very nice of you. I do have a lot of confidence in my EP at this point, every doctor I have spoke with about him has lauded his record. He's been doing the procedure for over 12 years, and does many of them per week. I remember my cardiologist saying that my EP was one of the first doctors doing the procedure in NYC when they first started doing it for strictly afib, or something like that. Sorry, some of the details are a little fuzzy. He originally couldn't get me in for a few months, but I asked him if he could "fit me in" so I could get healed up for the hiking trip.

I made a few mistakes after the procedure that I think might have lengthened my heal time. I was working out in the gym only a few days after the surgery (which I learned was not a good idea), and have probably exercised a bit too much throughout the entire three months. My thoughts are that I have inflamed the heart too many times and not let it heal enough. But I could be very wrong because I'm not a doctor! haha

Thanks again, I will PM you when ready. Oh, and I ride a Ducati Multistrada 1200...I love it!

Cheers!

Quote
DucatiRider
Shannon,
I was working out in the gym only a few days after the surgery (which I learned was not a good idea), and have probably exercised a bit too much throughout the entire three months. My thoughts are that I have inflamed the heart too many times and not let it heal enough. But I could be very wrong because I'm not a doctor! haha
Cheers!

I know a guy who ran the bleachers right after his procedure. I don't think things worked out very well for him, either.

BTW/ Thank you for correcting every misleading statement you made in your initial posting. It appears you already understood what the problem was. Also, I don't believe that any world champion ablation EP would "rush" you into a procedure ahead of everyone else so that you could go backpacking. Initially you said it was so you wouldn't need to be put on medications. Good luck with your life.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2018 11:17AM by jpeters.

I very much doubt that physical activity after the procedure had anything whatsoever to do with the outcome. A durable set of lesions is a durable set of lesions no matter how much exercise you're getting.

Quote
Carey
I very much doubt that physical activity after the procedure had anything whatsoever to do with the outcome. A durable set of lesions is a durable set of lesions no matter how much exercise you're getting.

I've heard this come up repeatedly, with the understanding that it takes time for the heart to heal and form scar tissue.

Quote
jpeters

Shannon,
I was working out in the gym only a few days after the surgery (which I learned was not a good idea), and have probably exercised a bit too much throughout the entire three months. My thoughts are that I have inflamed the heart too many times and not let it heal enough. But I could be very wrong because I'm not a doctor! haha
Cheers!

I know a guy who ran the bleachers right after his procedure. I don't think things worked out very well for him, either.

BTW/ Thank you for correcting every misleading statement you made in your initial posting. It appears you already understood what the problem was. Also, I don't believe that any world champion ablation EP would "rush" you into a procedure ahead of everyone else so that you could go backpacking. Initially you said it was so you wouldn't need to be put on medications. Good luck with your life.

I apologize if my first post seemed misleading. There is so much information about this for me over the last three months and it's all I have thought about, so I have gone from one end to the other about it all. Also, my EP didn't "rush me into" the procedure or put me in front of anyone else. I had to ask him if he could make time for it, and from what I gathered he keeps a time slot open here and there for people. I believe that everyone's situation is different, and many people aren't ready to do it right away...I was. I have a family member who is a PHD in Cardiology, that worked as a nurse for an EP for many years before getting his PHD. After talking with him about it, I felt confident that it was the way to go.

I have another question for people that have responded. I'm interested in the people who are giving me advice. Does anyone work in the medical field? How is everyone getting their knowledge on this subject?

This post has a more detailed response about the healing period from Shannon from about a year ago....
[www.afibbers.org]

Quote
jpeters
I've heard this come up repeatedly, with the understanding that it takes time for the heart to heal and form scar tissue.

It does, but there's no evidence I'm aware of that normal levels of exercise interfere with that process. Every EP I've dealt with has been of the opinion that you should return to your normal activities as soon as you're past the 3-5 days of healing time at the insertion sites. Mainly, once you're past that period go by how you feel. If you feel fatigued, then rest. If you don't, then get on your bike or run or walk or whatever it is you do. That's the advice I've gotten from more than one EP and I think it fits with modern medical wisdom. The sooner you're up and moving, the better.

Quote
Carey
The sooner you're up and moving, the better.

Very happy to hear that. It's kind of my life mantra, and nice to think that someone doesn't have to spend a year working up to a brisk walk following every ablation.

Good Sunday Ducati,

A Ducati Multistrada1200, is a very nice bike indeed! ... they really know how to make a first class motorcycle.

It’s certainly not wise to dive right back into intensive exercise too soon after a big Index Ablation, not because your body can’t withstand the added stress of physical exertion post ablation, but simply because it’s wise to give your heart time to heal and reduce the considerable inflammation that can still linger to a degree, up to two months plus after the ablation. Keep in mind that while the ablation work is laid down on day one, there is a variable healing rate as the initial rather ‘raw’ inflamed lesions gradually form durable mature scars and only after this scar maturation and healing process is complete (approximately 8 to 10 weeks post ablation) will you have a better sense of how effective the ablation will be longer term. This variable healing rate is the entire rationale for the blanking period to begin with.

Things that are good to go easy with the first month are heavy weight-lifting or long endurance running/biking where you are pressing the envelope, particularly during the first three to four weeks post ablation ... ease back into it gradually. There is no need to break any speed records for resuming your prior level of activity.

But by now, and really after the end of the 8th week post ablation, is the actual practical end of the blanking period ... and you definitely should have seen a significant drop off in your arrhythmia recurrance and not this marked increase in activity over the last month that you describe.

Your EP may well be a good choice, and I know a good many of the best NYC region ablationists. The key point I’m trying to convey is that there is an very real and significant dichotomy in the EP world between the real world success of the still far fewer elite level operators out there, relative to the majority of mostly clinical EPs doing AF ablation as a regular or occasional part of their overall case load, and yet who have not progressed much beyond an anatomical-only PVI-alone ablation strategy which is often the limit they were taught in their own typical clinical EP fellowship program. That is, assuming ‘any’ AF ablation method at all was even taught during a given EPs fellowship training ... keeping in mind that any EP in their mid to late 50s plus, is less likely to have learned any AF ablation at all during their own EP fellowship program since AFIB ablation as we know it first left the station in late fall of 1998.

And for a somewhat older EP who may have jumped on the AF ablation bandwagon (as so many did) much later in their EP career, and well after one’s fellowship training was over, this is generally not an ideal scenario. There are individual exceptions of course, but generally it pays huge dividends to insure your ablation expert attended a high volume persistent and LSPAF AFIB research center (hint: there aren’t a many at all of such elite level ablation training opportunities available world-wide and thus the slots open each year at such prime training centers are very dear indeed!

And the vetting during the final year of most general cardiology fellowship programs by the mentors of said fellowships, trying to sort out which budding new general cardiology fellows who have expressed a desire and passion to undergo yet a third multi-year level of the most advanced cardiology training by either completing an Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, a Cardiovascular Surgical Fellowship or an Electrophysiology Fellowship, is taken very seriously to try to insure only the most qualified in demeanor, skill, and knowledge are granted the relatively limited slots at such high volume elite level EP training centers .. as an example.

There are a lot of nuances involved in making a very well considered choice for who to partner with to guide one’s expert ablation process to increase the odds of making a home run choice with ultimately the least total amount of work required to achieve genuine durable freedom from all atrial arrhythmia.

What I do is provide an in-depth window into this process that even many general referral Cardio’s are not fully aware of. Especially when they automatically refer only to a local EP they may be most familiar with, when recommending in their view the very best available choice for their referral patients with AFIB. We cast a much wider net. Sometimes using the local-only EP pool works out okay, if an excellent option happens to live nearby and the referral doc is aware of their true prowess in this most highly skill dependent procedure ... one of the most skill dependent in all of medicine as noted earlier. But it has been my vast experience over many years at this that the majority of referral general cardiologists do not fully appreciate how truly skill dependent this procedure really is, and how important being very discriminating in this choice winds up being for a large majority of prospective AFIB ablation patients.

I’m sure a good many of our readers, especially the old timers who have really been around the block and back again, will confirm what I’m saying from their own experiences in finally finding the best option for their hearts care, often after a lot of trial and error that wound up being equal measures time-consuming and ultimately deflating and frustrating until the finally found the right fit, too often after multiple ablations with one or more EPs who all seemed surely experienced enough to get the job done before each of those ablations.

In any event, a phone call with me will likely just confirm your own hunch and feeling that your EP is just what you need to finish this job, but you might also learn some valuable insights as well that are not always self evident for your consideration. Especially, for a relative new comer to this truly complex Big Picture world of AFIB.

It’s perfectly up to you Ducati if you wish to venture a phone call with me now or not? There is zero money involved here at all, just a public service from this wonderful oasis of an AFIB resource that gave so much to me as well when I needed it the most many many moons ago. And like so many other old timers here that freely and so generously offer their many years and decades of experience here in taming the beast, in the threads and posts of this forum going back so many years now.

I fully understand too, that with so many relatively new Afibbers now finding our website everyday, that it’s not possible for most of you to have a sense for who any of us old timers are here, or the possible value of any of our suggestions. Indeed, that can be scary and it often takes some time for that kind of trust to be earned, understandably.

Perhaps consider PMing some of the frequent long term posters for feedback on what any of us are saying here... or just do an advanced search above on various frequent posters to get a better feel for their experience level and history on this board as good ways to get up to speed faster.

Whatever your decision, I wish you all the best and hopefully you will prove to be an exception to the rule that an increase in activity during the 3rd month of the blanking period far and away most often indicates a follow up ablation is likely in the cards going forward.

Cheers!
Shannon

Shannon said:

Quote

I’m sure a good many of our readers, especially the old timers who have really been around the block and back again, will confirm what I’m saying from their own experiences in finally finding the best option for their hearts care, often after a lot of trial and error that wound up being equal measures time-consuming and ultimately deflating and frustrating until the finally found the right fit, too often after multiple ablations with one or more EPs who all seemed surely experienced enough to get the job done before each of those ablations.

I'm not sure I qualify as an old-timer, and I certainly don't have the medical background, but I have had 2 ablations in 16 months, after suffering through afib for a decade or longer and then tachycardia that appeared after my first ablation by a well-known and good meaning EP who simply subscribed to bad science. I also went through 4 different AA meds and in-hospital dosing and some really scary, dangerous situations. It was only after I spoke with Shannon and read this forum and as much as I could about afib treatment that I believed what is said here time and again. Partner with the very best EP you can, who has performed 1000's of ablations at one of the elite centers. By doing so you will lower your chances of a bad outcome to negligible numbers and increase the likelihood of a successful ablation. And if I remember correctly, that is best defined as freedom from all arrhythmias and tachycardia of duration greater than 30 seconds AND freedom from all anti-arrhythmic drugs at the one year point. And that is where I am today, because I followed Shannon's sage advice culled from years of experience and knowledge gained, and his associations with the very best of the best in electrophysiology. In a sentence, I trust my life to Shannon's guidance. There are no guarantees, and nobody gets out of here alive, but this is the best recipe, IMHO. There are folks in this world who I will always be grateful to, and Shannon and the people at TCAI/St. David's are among them.

Quote
AB Page
And if I remember correctly, that is best defined as freedom from all arrhythmias and tachycardia of duration greater than 30 seconds AND freedom from all anti-arrhythmic drugs at the one year point.
There are no guarantees

Right

Quote
Carey

I've heard this come up repeatedly, with the understanding that it takes time for the heart to heal and form scar tissue.

It does, but there's no evidence I'm aware of that normal levels of exercise interfere with that process. Every EP I've dealt with has been of the opinion that you should return to your normal activities as soon as you're past the 3-5 days of healing time at the insertion sites. Mainly, once you're past that period go by how you feel. If you feel fatigued, then rest. If you don't, then get on your bike or run or walk or whatever it is you do. That's the advice I've gotten from more than one EP and I think it fits with modern medical wisdom. The sooner you're up and moving, the better.

Anecdote alert!

I did invoke AF by jumping back on the treadmill only 8 days after my index ablation. I attribute this to piling inflammation on top of inflammation so to speak by engaging in endurance exercise when my atria were certainly still quite “puffed up” from the procedure. That being said, I have no evidence to suggest that there was any long-lasting effect from that. In other words, it certainly upset the apple cart at the time but I can’t say with any degree of confidence at all that it changed the long term prognosis for atrial fib.

Quote
wolfpack


I did invoke AF by jumping back on the treadmill only 8 days after my index ablation

Maybe a good time to take up a different sport, like chess.

Listen to Shannon, I owe him and Dr. Natale my life, not a small statement there.

Just thought I'd update a bit. I have been afib free for 7 days now and feeling a whole bunch better. I have a follow up with my EP tomorrow and will update as to what he says after that as well. Crossing my fingers that I just prolonged the healing a bit by exercising so much and pushing too hard. I talked to a customer of mine that had the procedure last year and he told me it took him 5 months before it all stopped. I guess everyone is different!

Well, my afib free stretch lasted 8 days, now back to getting it sporadically. Met with my EP yesterday and wants to do a second procedure to touch up the areas and look at another area possibly. Can't fit me in for a couple months though, which is fine because I have a backpacking trip to go on in August. So for now, he has put me on Flec 50mg twice daily, and Metoprolol 25 mg twice daily. Pretty bummed out about it all and hoping the second procedure does the trick. Thanks for any info everyone has provided so far, I appreciate it.

Ducatirider,

This is part of my "annual report" that I post here every November:

Ablated in November '06 (over 60 "burns" in the left atrium). I had been postponing extensive hiking trips and vacations because of the afib and finally decided it was time. The summer after the ablation, my wife and I spent 7 days hiking in the Dolomites in northern Italy.

Stopped all meds at ablation and was put on Warfarin for 4 weeks post ablation, but no other meds. No a-fib period, during the blanking period.

Returned to normal activity two days after ablation.

Returned to normal exercise 4 weeks post ablation. Felt like I could have started working out the day after the ablation, but decided it was wise to follow the Doctor's advice.

While exercising, I reached my anaerobic threshold much quicker than pre-ablation (reduced atrial function from ablation trauma). This steadily improved during the first year, then leveled off to what I would consider normal. I do weight workouts twice a week, golf twice a week, windsurfing (40+ days a year) and walking 3-4 times a week. I pay close attention to staying hydrated while exercising and drink 20oz of G2 (plus a lot of water) when sweating profusely.

Resting heart rate was in the 50's pre-ablation while on meds.
Resting heart rate for three months post ablation - 70's.
Resting heart rate for 4 years post ablation – 60's.
Resting heart rate now - upper 50’s/lower 60’s.

Plus, I did ride number of Japanese street bikes between 1965 and 1990, and raced MotoX for a few years in the late 60's and early 70's on three bikes - Husqvarna, Montesa, and a Rickman/Hodaka. Did hill climbs on a BSA 500 cc thumper. The Ducati is sweet!

I am the least qualified to address any questions about ablation and have no clue if this is good advice or not. The only 3 people I know personally that had ablations, 2 more than 15 years ago, told me if I ever went that route, to do absolutely nothing for 30 days and for the next 60 days next to nothing. Both are still NSR today and continue some busy work and lifestyles. But, I stand to be corrected. This may not be true for modern ablations. 2 ablations were done at Stony Brook NY.

I did a 50-mile bike ride about a week after my ablation last August. Did a bunch more since then. Still in NSR.

Taking it easy for a week or two following an ablation is common sense, but the notion that you have to severely restrict physical activity for 90 days is definitely old advice no longer applicable, if it ever was.

Thought that may be overkill. Possibly a combination of quality and healing time has changed.

Quote
Carey
I did a 50-mile bike ride about a week after my ablation last August. Did a bunch more since then. Still in NSR.

Taking it easy for a week or two following an ablation is common sense, but the notion that you have to severely restrict physical activity for 90 days is definitely old advice no longer applicable, if it ever was.

I'm very anxious to take my Natale ablation for a spin. I also know my limits so far as taking it easy are limited. I have never been able to do it. I decided before my ablation with DR Natale that I would not touch my bike for three months and would only focus on walking and or rail to trail riding with my family. Unfortuantely I've been completely sidlined by sciatic nerve pain and was just diagnosed with a herniated disc the other day. So my hope now that I can get that sorted by my three month period. And get back to doing some training.