Ablation for Afib Completed

Hi!
I just had the Synaptic compliant cryoablation balloon and system procedure for my paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. I am part of a clinical trial study in Phoenix at Banner University Medical Center. I am 2 days post procedure. Overall, I am doing well. I am experiencing the slight tightness in my chest, along with a sore throat and headache (I am sure from the anesthesia). The groin area, while a little swollen, is less painful than I expected, with no bleeding in the area. Since many of you who are reading this have had an ablation, do you have any suggestions as I go forward now that the procedure for me is behind me? I was really trying to avoid having the ablation but it appeared to me that it was the only way to get and keep my heart in normal sinus rhythm.
Thanks.

Congratulations I hope you have a future with no A Fib!
My ablation was June 11th and NSR since then with maybe 2 or 3 strong beats for a couple seconds.
I have mostly been resting but still keeping busy in the garden, tomorrow I go golfing for the first time in 4 weeks, in a cart, haha



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2024 08:59PM by calvin.

Congrats on your index ablation, glad it went well! Take your time, give your body and heart permission to rest, don't rush into anything.

Yesterday was one-year anniversary of my ablation. So far I am doing well. I had very low blood pressure after ablation and my heart and body felt weak, so I stayed in bed most of the time the week after ablation. It took me 2 months to feel relatively normal and restarted exercise.

I just had mine on June 27th. I think that everyone is different when it comes to recovery. I played in a band for a 4 hour session in a club two days later. No lifting amplifiers. I just sat there, but I was still surprised that I was able to do that. I have been able to walk everyday this week, a bit sore in the groin but not to the point where I couldn't do it. I was in NSR for 4 months prior to the procedure with the occasional odd heart beats and I still am having those but this time it doesn't feel like it will go into full blown afib or aflutter. I am hoping that feeling goes away since it is still expected to happen following ablation and it has only been 2 weeks. It's confusing though and a big change in mental state as well. Another big change for me was the elimination of two meds immediately. I didn't realize how much of an impact it had on how I felt while I was taking them. Congrats and good luck!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2024 07:32PM by JDfiB.

I would just go with how you feel. Feeling zapped? Then rest. Feeling energetic and pumped because it's over? Take it slow for a coupla days to feel yourself out. Maybe Day 5 will surprise you and you'll feel down. Or, you'll feel like a million bucks.

You live under your own skin, and you gotta live with yourself. So does anyone else in the household who is pulling for you. They want you quiet, calm, apparently recovering, and they want the best for you. So, the wise choice is to temper your enthusiasm for a few days, stay out of the spa or a warm bath, and don't be dismayed if you get some PACs or the odd short run of SVT. This is perfectly okay. I had to go to the ER in complete disarray 13 days after my second ablation because I was in full AF....AGAIN!!! They couldn't do much for me and sent me home with an increase in metoprolol. Later that afternoon, I reverted to NSR and have been in it ever since...16 months.

When/if you feel that you'd like to go for a slow walk around the block, or ten blocks, do it. Slow, gain confidence, let yourself begin to feel better and like you're doing okay. Before you know it, you should be feeling like you were six years ago.

One last point: almost all of us realize that our heart rate is up and doesn't seem to want to slow. Yours might be in the 80's...? 90's? That's okay, and to be expected. In fact, it might persist for several months. Many posting here over the past two years say it can take up to a year. Some of the way you feel, and the way your system reacts, is just normal for you, particularly in view of all you've endured....the anxiety, the realization that your heart is disordered, maybe lots of nights of poor sleep. Your system is in a state of arousal, wanting to protect itself. You may find yourself wanting to stay there for several months until you allow yourself to believe you've won the lottery.