Hi
I had abaltion over 5 months ago and have had horrible problems with my upper GI. Feeling of pressure, nausea, heart burn. The working diagnosis is some sort of gasteroparesis. It has got better slowly but still very troublesome...good day and bad days. Still more bad days than good days.
I am otherwise fit and healthy. I am 46 and it was the first abaltion. My heart has been fine and no PAF anymore. My heart rate still seems to be sitting at 78 which is a lot higher than before the abaltion.
Really like to know what to expect with GI issues. There are many moments of regret of having abaltion despite good cardiac result.
Does anyone know if my GI issues are likely to resolve even after 5 months?
I did a search on the forum but can't find anything specific.
Sorry for long post
S



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2019 07:30PM by nabili.

Your elevated heart rate is perfectly normal. Everyone experiences that following an ablation and it can last a surprisingly long time. It typically takes upwards of a year to return to its previous level.

As you suspect, gastroparesis is the likely cause of your GI problems. It's an uncommon complication of ablation caused by vagal nerve injury. The good news is according to this it rarely persists beyond six months, so you're probably looking at relief sometime soon.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2019 06:55PM by Carey.

I really hope so.
Thank you

Hi, Nabili.
I experienced this. And I agree with Carey.
It's common being prescribed a PPI (omeprazole, pantoprazole...) for some weeks post ablation, because the esophagus is very close to the left atrium and the burns in the heart can cause some irritation in the GI tract.
Carey mentions the vagus nerve, and I'd add that the phrenic nerve can be affected too, particularly when the PV are cryo ablated.
During the weeks following my first procedure (cryo), I had a hard time breathing deeply. It was as if my guts and stomach were constantly pushing upwards. I couldn't easily inflate my belly while breathing. Obviously, the pressure this made towards my heart and descending aorta might pinch my vagus nerve, causing ectopics and afib. That's the way I understand this.
I recently realized this gave me bad breathing habits. I tend to take short breaths, too short breaths that end affecting my HR (ectopics). To make things worse, I was tempted to listen to my heart and check my pulses, fearing afib. Of course, while doing that I was holding my breath more than I should, worsening things one more time.

I'm no specialist, but let me make some suggestions...

- Avoid big meals. It's better having 4-5 light meals.
- Eat slowly, with good mastication.
- Stop eating min 3h before going to bed.
- Avoid cold drinks. Drink 1.5 to 2L water/day, no more than 1 small glass at a time.
- Don't sit down or lay down just after meal. A quiet walk is better than anything.
- Breathe slowly and deeply, don't hold your breath. When you're feeling pressure in your stomach, quiet and deep breathing and gently moving around can bring relief.

I hope this may help you.

Thanks Pompom.
Haven't had any problem with phrenic nerve fortunately but can imagine it would be very distressing.
I suppose the nervous system to the gut will re-route itself and recover. Hopefully soon.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2019 08:13AM by nabili.

Who did your ablation nabili??

Prof Schilling in London AF clinic.