How long do ablations last?

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wolfpack
It depends on who did the ablation. Operator skill level matters. Some fail after the 3 month blanking period, others go a decade or longer.

Mine was 3 years ago. I had a breakthrough in April this year, which I would also describe very much as "a-fib lite". Nothing since then. No drugs at the moment. Honestly, if I had to guess I'd say this is what a pulmonary vein reconnection feels like. I'd be surprised if it were another focus in the left atrium. I think that would result in more episodes especially without medication.

Wow, your cardiologist certainly cashed in on that episode. Angio? Never heard of that for AF, certainly not recurrent AF. The holter and echo would belong to perhaps an initial diagnosis of AF, but if you know you've had it already, why bother with all that? You must have good insurance!

As for the 60 mile ride, go for it! Summer heat means electrolyte depletion. That's sticking out like a sore thumb in the causation analysis here. What do you do for rehydration? There are plenty of threads about electrolytes on here. Basically, watch the sodium and calcium and add the magnesium and potassium (healthy kidneys, of course). Lots of fluids. Water or alkaline water. Nix the sports drinks like Gatorade or its ilk.

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Socalsteve
I turned 60 and rode my bicycle 60 miles on my birthday. So, pretty healthy for being 60.

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GeorgeN

I turned 60 and rode my bicycle 60 miles on my birthday. So, pretty healthy for being 60.


So there can be several paths to afib, in my opinion. One is with a lot of co-morbidities (BP, CVD, obesity, diabetes & etc). The other is chronic fitness.

Over the years a lot of those who are chronically fi and end up heret, wonder why their heart is having issues. I note that while fitness will reduce the incidence of co-morbidities (which is a plumbing issue) it may not be good for the electrical system (though it may be beneficial for those with the co-morbidities)..

I came here 14 years ago and my path was chronic fitness. One of my choices to stay in remission was to avoid excessive endurance activity. I remain very fit, however, high intensity with long duration is a trigger, so I avoid it. I can to 8x20:10 Tabatas, military fitness training on the TRX, strength training, rock climbing for 6-7 hours at a time, skiing off-piste non stop for 7 hours. However I won't join my young friend who will skin up and ski down at the beginning of the day - too much endurance. I'm 63.

George

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Ken
Mine has lasted 11.5 years, and still counting.

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Socalsteve
I’m very confused. You think rock climbing and skiing for 6-7 hours at a time is not chronic fitness? Makes my 60 mile bike ride seem like a stroll in the park. Please explain.!

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GeorgeN

I’m very confused. You think rock climbing and skiing for 6-7 hours at a time is not chronic fitness? Makes my 60 mile bike ride seem like a stroll in the park. Please explain.!

Steve,

I have a sense of how much is too much for me.

I'll give examples. A year or two ago it was a powder day (I was skiing in the Rockies at 12,500'). I can do laps all day without issue. However this day, I decided to add hiking for extra vertical to each lap. That turned out to be a trigger. I was stupid to push it.

Another day, a year or two before that, I decided to see how many laps I could do in a day at A-Basin on their Pali lift. It is 1,340' vertical and steep - 37-40 deg and off piste. I managed 33 laps, plus a few others for a total of 48,000' vertical. That was a trigger. However I've done 62,000' vertical where most of the day was on groomed trails. That was not a trigger and was easy.

A lot of my day rock climbing is spent belaying.

I look at it as a combination of exertion and time in exertion. A ski run only takes say 10 minutes at most. Then you stand in line for a bit (which I try to minimize) and ride the lift up. Rock climbing also isn't continued hard activity. There may be a few physical moves on a route, but it is not continuous.

Early in my afib career, I snowshoed in with a 70 pound pack in 3' snow, breaking trail. I then proceeded to construct a 3 person snow cave. My helpers weren't much help. That was a trigger.

A set of Tabatas is very hard and high heart rate, but only lasts for 4 minutes.

I also make sure I can do everything I do breathing through my nose.

What is a trigger for someone else may be very different. I know that if I push myself hard for a long time, it is a trigger. My non-afibber friends do things like "Ride the Rockies." I avoid stuff like that.

One time I was in a class and we had to do a coulior climb (steep asent of a snow packed gulley at 13,000' with ice aze and crampons). I know it was a big risk. I overloaded my magnesium to the max, both before and after. I managed to avoid an episode.

Pre afib- I used to compete in a race up Pikes Peak. In fact, my first afib episode came with a several day delay after a training run on a 14er.

I'm fit, I can do a lot, but I do have this subjective line that I try not to cross that I think will be a trigger.

Again, for me, using the nose as a limiter (have to breathe through my nose), seems to work reasonably well.

I realize this is squishy, but it is how I try to balance wanting to do more with not triggering afib. My non-afibber friends to all kinds of endurance cardio all the time. I don't join them for that stuff.

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SueChef
Hi, Steve,

I'm in So Cal too, and with Kaiser. If you don't mind, who did your ablation, and at which facility?
At this point, I'm gathering information about Kaiser electrophysiologists, and while I'd love to have Dr. Natale, that's not possible with Kaiser.

Thanks!
Sue

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Ken
socalsteve,

Good doctor, excellent fitness, good health (no prescriptions), age 73, plus magnesium, potassium, and taurine to prevent ectopics, but in lesser quantities than most commonly recommended here. I had afib for 11years (5 undiagnosed), with two to three episodes per month.