scheduled to have an ablation for wpw...just some questions.

[demps321]

Hello everyone.
I'm a 26 year old female who has recently been diagnosed with WPW. I aw my EP cardio Dr today and he told me to have the ablation done. He went through the ins and outs out it, but as soon as i got home i thought of questions that i wanted to ask him. So if any of you have the answers or just some of your experiences to put my mind at ease i will be most grateful.
Basically i wanted to ask him how long after having the ablation will i need to wait untill i can do exercise again? I love riding horses, but as this has risks of falling off as well as being a good work out i thought i should check when i would beable to ride again.
Also how long does the procedure take? i've read different things that range from 2 hrs to 8hrs, i'm guessing it just depends on what individual is like.
I'm feeling aprenhensive about it, but at the same time i am liking the amount of success stories that i have read on here and i am hoping it will make life alot easier and i wont have to worry about SVTs and palpitation again.

[demps321]

good to hear your ablation went well! it really helps when you hear other people's experiences. i'm not worried about bruises as i have had big ones from falling off a horse,lol.

dont think i am brave enough for a tattoo, which sounds stupid as gong in for ablation. :-/ thanks for your post though. Really helpful.

[littlegreenman1]

My ablation was 7 1/2 hours. I was fully sedated for the procedure and stayed overnight.

Three pokes - one per leg, very far "north"
One on the chest, which I have tattood over with a Leupold Duplex Reticle. ;-)

I had "hand sized" bruises on my thigh. No pain.
Heart was a little "jumpy" for the first 8 weeks.
I went to unrestricted physical activity after 2 weeks. I run long distance and the return to form was "cautious" and slow. But I was in top form @ after 4 weeks of training.

So, there was a recovery time.

[demps321]

i just looked up hematoma and i am glad it can be on the inside of your leg, rather then the out. I'm abit squeemish. lol. Good to no what can happen though so if it does i wont panic.

[demps321]

yeah i hope to get my date this week or next. The sooner i no the sooner i can plan things around it, such as time of work (looking forward to that). My Dr just said to pack an over night bag incase, so i guess it depends on the day and how it all goes. Will just have to wait and see.

[tom_h]

The need to stay overnight is often decided by how long your procedure lasts and what time they take you. From my experience, it's decided in the late afternoon.  I was taken early, and consequently got released around 5 pm.  The entry point is right where your leg joins your torso, right in the crease.  I will say that you'll be off horse for a couple of weeks, at least.  I limped a bit for a couple of weeks and had large hematoma form immediately after the procedure which broke the followingnday and drained into my thigh and then down towards my knee.  Look up "hematoma" on Wikipedia, and they often look just like that, except on the inside of the leg.

[MaryLL]

I wish you the best on your ablation. I've had 3 and the time for recovery depends on how long the procedure was, your age, general physical condition, and how your incision heals (in my opinion).
Each time, the worst was the waiting before and the "what if's" you mentioned. Once it was done, it was a matter of waiting and seeing and getting back to life. The time for an ablation is variable as others have said. My first was 10 hours (they found unexpected abnormalities in my heart), the second was 6 hours, and the third was 6 (scar tissue complications). Riding horses might be a few weeks as my EP cardio doc says nothing strenuous while the heart is healing (the first 3 months post-ablation are considered "blackout" or healing period).
The really good news is you have the opportunity to feel better than you have in a long time. I wish you the very best and can visualize you riding the horses with energy and enthusiasm!

[MichelleP_3811]

I think you will be very glad you did it.  Please do keep us posted on how it all goes and if you have any question before hand or even after we are here.  Let us know when you have a date set and I will send good thoughts your way.  Good Luck!

[demps321]

my dr said i will probably stay in for one night if he does the ablation, so i'm guessing that's just a procedure of that hospital so they can monitor everything. I'm not bothered, as he said i can go home the next day.

[demps321]

thanks again guys. After the last few days i am deffinatley looking forward to getting rid of this problem. I've been feeling really tired again. It seems to come and go every few weeks and i no i am fed up of feeling like this and having palpitaions. I find it stops me from enjoying myself, as i just have no energy to do anything and i have even cancled riding tomorrow as i thought it;s best to take it easy. I'm fed up of it all. So bring on the ablation! i keep getting excited everytime the postman shows up, as i'm waiting on my date from the hospital.
Sure i am still thinkiing the "what ifs" but i am also looking forward to getting it over with and not worrying about my problem anymore.
As i ride horses i think i will see my family Dr to get checked over before i go riding, as i dont want there to be any problems with the incision area.

[tom_h]

There are two holes made that immediately come to mind.  The first is the puncture hole that is made at the top of your leg to insert the catheters.  The second hole is the puncture they make in the internal wall of your atria, referred to as a transseptal puncture.  This is done to gain access to the left side of your heart.  Many report heart pain later on from this part of procedure.  I felt mostly a dull ache for a couple of weeks.  Mine required 17 burns to bridge a wide area of tissue.

[tekNO]

hi demps321. i just had an ablation for AVNRT last thursday, 28 june and i did a full work out yesterday already. my EP said i could return to working out 7 days after the surgery which is when the incisions should be fully healed by. I went out a short walk on sunday, then longer walk monday, tuesday and wednesday just to build some stamina back up. you just have to be careful to ensure you don't cause your incisions to open up.

my procedure took 6 hours and i think it all depends on what they find when they begin. i was originally diagnosed with SVT, but they found i had AVNRT once they triggered my symptoms.

i honestly couldn't be happier with my results. the procedure was a piece of cake for me. the worst part for me was the waiting period that lead up to the surgery and all the "what ifs" i asked myself. also after the procedure you have to lie flat for 5+ hours to ensure the incisions heal, but other than that i was fast asleep and don't remember a thing. i was home that same day by 830pm and was walking around my house the next day. i did experience some slight burning sensations in my chest and still am from time to time and i've had a few PACs and PVCs but definitely less than i did before the surgery. they are slowly tapering off.

shoot me a message if you have any specific questions. the whole process is really fresh in my mind since i just had it done a week ago. but if i have any advice it would be to definitely DO IT! the peace of mind i have now is unbeatable.

good luck!

[demps321]

oh thanks for the info. I feel so much better for just talking to people who have been through the procedure and have had good outcomes. My Dr did mention about the small hole, but the whole consultation was abit of a blur as i was trying to take all the information in. I think i will write down my questions so that when i see him again i can ask him everything i have thought about. I am just looking forward to getting it done with and getting back to normal, with hopefully alot more energy. I've never known anything different as i was born with it and even had palpitations as a child. So i am wondering if i will have alot more energy and beable to do things i couldn't do before, like climbs aload of stairs or go jogging without feeling crap at the end of it. Obviously won't do anything like that untill i have asked him about recovery period. Thanks again and i will keep you all updated. Just wait to wait for 6-8 weeks....i hate waiting.

[tom_h]

I was out of work for 3 days, and took a couple of weeks off before returning to my workout schedule.    My procedure was under anesthesia and from the time I went under until the time I awoke was approximately 5 hours.  It will be two years this November.  

[MichelleP_3811]

I had an ablation for svt last September.  I was having frequent episodes so they were able to induce the tachycardia pretty quickly so I was in and out in 2 hours but that is the key.  They need to be able to trigger the tachycardia to be able to know where to ablate.  From what they said they usually average at least a minimum of 3 hours.  That said, I believe correcting wpw is a bit more tricky than correcting my avnrt.  The EP should have forewarned you that they may need to punch a small hole to get to the side with the problem.  I was told to wait 5 days before going back to my normal exercise regime.  I would think the same time frame for you would apply but I am not sure how long you would have to wait if they wound up needing to punch the hole so I would ask your EP before you go in though I am sure they will discuss this with you regardless at the end of the ablation.  The ablation itself is actually not that big a deal.  Most people wind up falling asleep.  If you wanted to read about mine you can click my name and read my journal entry.  The one thing I will say is if you have them already you may experience an awareness of your ectopic beats (pacs or pvcs) after the ablation is done.  Not all do but some do but they should calm down after a number of months.  I only say this because I was not informed about mine and was a bit taken by surprise by them after my ablation.  I did feel them prior to the ablation but was not aware what they were and that they were something different then the svt.  I thought everything I was feeling was related to the svt.  If you don't have any ectopics now I see no reason why you would get them but if you do have them on top of your svt they will likely continue.  Just so you are aware.  But getting the wpw condition corrected is a very good thing for the long term health of your heart in my opinion especially since it is not likely to go away on its own.  So good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.  Of course if you have any other questions please feel free to ask.  Take care.