Ablation results - 3 weeks after

This is a progress report on results of my PVI and flutter ablation at Cleveland Clinic by Dr Tchou 3 weeks ago (Oct 23, 2012).

I had almost daily AF (1-7 hrs per day) for about 9 months prior to the ablation, with the exception of a 4 week AF-free period after starting Mg supplementation in April 2012 and another 3 week AF-free period after stopping Evoxac (a cholinergic drug for dry eyes, dry mouth) in Aug 2012 .

At 3 weeks post-ablation, I have had zero AF thus far. I had two episodes of flutter in the first week post-ablation, but they only lasted 3-5 seconds each. At four days post-ablation, I had an ocular migraine for 20 minutes (very bright colored butterfly wing thing in about 20% of my right eye's field of vision - it morphed and grew and drifted to the right side before subsiding). For the first 2 weeks after ablation, I had low-grade headaches just about every day - unusual for me because I never have headaches.

After mentioning the headaches and ocular migraine to my Coumadin nurse, she told my EP#2 and he called me and said go to ER to get it checked out, as I am a stroke risk after a vascular procedure. Went to ER and they did a CT scan of my head that was clear, and they told me the visual thing and headaches were probably new onset of migraine, so I went back home. After researching ocular migraines following ablations as suggested by an afibber on this forum, I found a couple studies that mentioned that 8% of folks with ablations involving transseptal puncture had ocular migraines that usually resolved within 3 months of the ablation.

My low-grade headaches have subsided, and I have had no more ocular migraines after that first one. My pre-ablation resting pulse had declined over the 9 months of AF from mid-50s to mid-40s, but now seems to have stabilized in the mid-50s again.

I had a knot on my right groin under the catheter insertion sites that grew to the size of a marble in the first week, but has subsided now to a size smaller than a pea, and it continues to decrease in size. It felt like a swollen gland there for a few days, but I don't really notice it now.

I started walking in second week after ablation, and have worked up to walking 45 min every other day at a normal to brisk pace. I notice that my heart rate increases gradually on hills as it should, unlike pre-ablation when it would bounce in and out of flutter or AF when I changed exertion level. Sometimes around the house, I still feel like I am having AF, a kind of phantom AF feelling -- I get this twitching, tickle sensation in my chest reminiscent of AF episode, but when I check my pulse, it is steady as a rock.

Pre-ablation I was having bad insomnia, due likely to worry about the AF and ablation. Post-ablation I am sleeping very soundly.

So I feel pretty good at this point, and I am ecstatic about the results so far. Still on warfarin until I see Dr Tchou again in late February 2013. I have not been on any anti-arrythmic before or after the ablation, except for a month of Multaq back in Mar 2012 that failed.



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2012 07:24AM by gehauser.

That's great news! Did your EP put you on any anti-arrhythmic or rate control drugs?

Regarding ocular migranes...I started having them only during long exercise when oxygen demand was unusually high for me. I noticed that once I increased my dietary potassium I've never had them since. They are colorful and sometimes interesting to watch though!

Tom

Great to hear its going well Gehauser ... All the best for continuing NSR!
Shannon

Tom B Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's great news! Did your EP put you on any
> anti-arrhythmic or rate control drugs?

No, because my heart rate pre-ablation was so low (low to mid-40s) he did not want to lower it further with an anti-arrythmic.

But I am an outlier - normally Dr Tchou prescribes an anti-arrythmic for 3 mos prior and 3 mos after ablation.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2012 03:55PM by gehauser.

Gelhauser good news! stay with the supplements and trigger avoidance..........I am at 3 months and doing great too, had one 3 minute episode at the 4 weeks mark but that's been it.....I like you had flutter ablated also so I do not know what I or we had? anyway I trust we both are better and maybe done with this crap

Tom P

Tom B Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Regarding ocular migranes...I started having them
> only during long exercise when oxygen demand was
> unusually high for me. I noticed that once I
> increased my dietary potassium I've never had them
> since. They are colorful and sometimes interesting
> to watch though!

Interesting, because my potassium had dropped to 3.7 after the ablation.

G

Hi Tom P,

Glad to hear your NSR is hanging steady as well. You benefited too, no doubt, from getting it done before your disease process had progressed toward more frequent and longer lasting episodes over a longer number of years before getting this first ...and hopefully last .. ablation.

If one is not able to put the beast to sleep, for the most part, by a dedicated and thorough commitment to the nutritional/minerals/enzyme/hormonal strategy, then by all means the best step is go for a good ablation by a skilled operator sooner rather than procrastinating so long that you wind up making things that much more difficult for yourself and your ablation EP.

Shannon

gehauser Wrote:
> Interesting, because my potassium had dropped to
> 3.7 after the ablation.
>
> G

I had a similar experience...in the recovery ward after my ablation the nurse said my potassium was 3.4. I've never had it that low and I check it often with a cardymeter - it is usually around 4.5. I wonder if the procedure and/or the pharma's including anesthetic might be dropping the levels?

Tom

I'm now 17 days out from my ablation and also experienced headaches, some moderately severe, others low grade. But they are becoming less the last few days. Glad I read this thread as my cardiologist who I saw last Friday didn't know the cause. i have an appointment with the EP on Dec 7th and will delve further.

Tom B Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> gehauser Wrote:
> > Interesting, because my potassium had dropped
> to
> > 3.7 after the ablation.
> >
> > G
>
> I had a similar experience...in the recovery ward
> after my ablation the nurse said my potassium was
> 3.4. I've never had it that low and I check it
> often with a cardymeter - it is usually around
> 4.5. I wonder if the procedure and/or the
> pharma's including anesthetic might be dropping
> the levels?
>
> Tom

I think mine dropped because I had not eaten or supplemented in 30 hrs! My normal daily K intake is 10,000-12,000 mg per day.

Good to hear gehauser.

Very interesting concerning the occular migraines. I experienced those following my FiveBox procedure (had no headache, just the visual aura). I always thought those related to my magnesium deficiency, but interesting that they pop up after a significant procedure-

EB

>>> I notice that my heart rate increases gradually on hills as it should, unlike pre-ablation when it would bounce in and out of flutter or AF when I changed exertion level.

So interesting you would say that gehauser - that's exactly where my afib seems to be at the moment. This is a bit of a new development. But at times, just standing up and walking will set off the flutters, and then the afib.It's the most annoying thing.
Nancy

I'm now 8 weeks post Ablation and have felt a definite shift to fewer flutters in the past week. I went to a Jazz concert two nights ago, and as soon as the drums began to beat, my heart began to skip. That's when I realized that for as long as I can remember, live, lively music has resulted in arrythmias. Dancing to fast music has always left me breathless. This must be the parasympathetic nervous system in action! I don't plan to limit my music to dirges and lullabyes, so perhaps it's something I'll just have to anticipate and accept. At least, when the concert is over, my cardiac rhythm returned to a slow walk and not the "slow, slow, quick quick" of a fox trot! Meanwhile, daily doses of the Ink Spots could be my best, natural anti-arrhythmic!

justfibbing,

You may be interested in this [www.afibbers.com]

Hans