Had ablation for flutter and have pain and rapid heart rate

So I had my first ablation on Tuesday July11. I kept having 14 hour episodes while on the Bystolic so we went ahead and did it. It was a rough experience because I kept waking up with intense searing pain from shoulder blade to shoulder blade when they did the burns. I was under conscious sedation and was told I was difficult to keep sedated. I had to spend the night in the hospital and had an echo the next day which was totally normal. So my EP told me it was more complicated than anticipated and I required many burns. I am two days out now and my chest feels like it has sharp rocks in it and I am getting runs of high flutter like heart rate and some palpitations. I'm pretty sure I will end up with Afib. Are these after effects normal? I am going to start on magnesium also and am going over the Strategy. Thanks, Cindy

Hi Cindy,

Welcome and hope you are feeling better by the time you read this! Sounds like the ablation was for afib but conscious sedation for an afib ablation is (I think) a bit unusual at this point, for the reasons you mention. My flutter ablation was under conscious sedation but my afib ablation was under general - they said they wanted me out and not moving, which was fine with me

Staying in overnight is SOP I believe. I had pain on deep breathing for a few days and that is also normal, but I wouldn't have described it as "sharp rocks". Some arrhythmias following the procedure are normal but there should not be a lot of them. I had a flutter episode at 18 days that had to be cardioverted, and then another one when I went off the propafenone at the end of the blanking period that converted with PIP. Palpitations are also seem to be normal - in my case they have tapered off over time and are no longer noticeable (4 months out).

Can you give us a bit more on your afib history and where you had the procedure done?

Really hope you are feeling better!

C

Hi, My ablation was for flutter not afib so I wasn't supposed to have to spend the night. I am feeling better today but had a flutter episode last night. I was very demoralized but realize its not unusual in the first few days. Let's hope it doesn't happen again. It was interesting for me to hear you also had a flutter episode after ablation. I'm just so tired of it all. My ablation was at Ohio State University Heart Hospital by John Hummel MD. Thanks, Cindy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2017 11:59PM by CindyH.

Hi Cindy, I hope you are doing better. There is a lot of inflammation inside the chest area after an ablation so you can expect some crazy things during the first couple of weeks. Don't get demoralized. It will get better each day.but it does take at least 12 weeks for everything to heal. Stay positive.

Thanks, I am feeling great now. So now we wait to see if Afib appears. I could swear the doctor said it would show up very soon if that's what's going to happen. Thanks for the info!

Hi, Cindy.

Glad to hear the discomfort is now behind you.

Didn't experience any of the pains you described after my aflutter ablation. And like yours, I was also kept overnight, which I believe was the typical procedure (Pennsylvania).

And also very common, my aflutter was readily fixed, only to be followed a short while thereafter by afib.

Fingers crossed for you!

\L

Mine was a few days ago. Its encouraging to me that you felt better over time.

Hi Michael, Hope you are feeling more normal by now. I had high heart rate for around a week and I have had one mixed flutter/afib episode two days after the ablation and nothing since except for some flutter lasting no more than a few seconds. I go off the Bystolic and Eliquis in 2 days and I am a bit nervous about that. Hang in there!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2017 09:54PM by CindyH.