How long is the Blanking Period?

I ask because of the following circumstances:

First afib ablation 13 years ago after 11 years of afib. ZERO breakthroughs after the ablation and no blanking period for me (at least no afib). I was skeptical about the "blanking period" because of my experience.

Second ablation Jan.6 of this year. On Flecainide for two months post ablation (Jan. and Feb.) - no breakthroughs. After stopping Flec, one additional month (Mar.) with no issues. Then during months 4 and 5 (Apr. & May), I had 6 afib breakthroughs and all were stopped by a pill in a pocket (200 mg of Flecainide).

Now, during months 6 and 7 (Jun. & Jul.) - Nothing - all is well except for a few ectopics lasting 2-3 seconds. I am very symptomatic, so I always know what is happening.

Could the blanking period last 5 months?

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Ken
Could the blanking period last 5 months?

No. The blanking period is generally accepted as being 3 months. That's not a magic number and it's actually somewhat arbitrary. It's simply the period of time that the scars from an ablation take to fully form and become permanent barriers to AF. So AF episodes during the 3 months following an ablation aren't considered to indicate that the procedure was unsuccessful. After that period, episodes of AF may indicate that the procedure wasn't fully successful. But this is the human body we're talking about. Nothing is precise and there are always exceptions. It could be those episodes in April and May were flukes and won't happen again. You'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

Thanks for explaining "blanking" because when I saw "blanking period" it made me think about the "blanking president".

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Carey

Could the blanking period last 5 months?
You'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

It’s the “wait and see” that for me is more nerve wracking than the AF-however symptomatic. It’s the feeling of walking on eggshells. 8 months post ablation I’ve had 3 episodes...starting at 29 days apart and now creeping closer apart. I make an unilateral decision on everything I do. Today Whole Foods delivered some water. One of the past 3 AF occurred from bending over and lifting. I was deciding whether to take the two eight pack 16oz bottles inside and risk an AF/flutter. I also didn’t sleep well last night. I was wondering if lack of sleep would trigger another episode like my last AF -#3. Then I think that the act of Being worried could trigger an AF like my first episode post ablation. It’s a destructive mind game.