just had ablation

[nicolette36]

hi everyone,i am new to the board and am looking for people in similar situation to myself.i have suffered from svt for 12 years,been on meds and then last week i had the catheter ablation.they found 2 abnormal pathways which fingers crossed have been successfully ablated.
i found the whole ablation procedure very traumatic especially since i was refused sedation(i am uk),and it took in total 3 hours.this was 5 days ago.i am feeling exhausted,still very bruised,bit swollen,no sign of infection though.how long does it realistically take to get over this?i was led to believe only a few days,but i guess not??

[MB334]

i HAD MY FIRST ABLATION JULY 07. I RECENTLY STARTED HAVING TACHYCARDIA AGAIN.MY DOCTOR WANTS TO DO ANOTHER ABLATION AGAIN WITHOUT SEDATION. THE REASON HE GAVE ME WAS THAT THE TACHYCARDIA WITH SEDATION WILL NOT SHOW . THAT THE SEDATION SLOWS THE HEART RATE. I TRUST MY DOCTOR AND THE PROCEDURE IS DONE IN THE HOSPITAL WITH 2 NURSES WITH DOCTOR AND 2 LAB TECHS. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND THE MEDICATION ARE RISKY. SO I PLAN TO TRY THE ABLATION AGAIN

[nicolette36]

well i am in scotland(uk),maybe thats the way they do it over here??i did specifically ask for sedation but the doc said no cos they didnt want anything possibly impeding their ability to bring on my svt,they neednt have worried,it started off right away!!i did get the catheter sites numbed and like you say even that was bad,strangely enough for me the actual ablations were the less stressful parts for me,it was all the poking and prodding inbetween really,they seemed to change catheters also and i did experience a degree of pain in my actual heart and my right rib and they wouldnt give me anything for pain either,but fingers crossed it has worked,i had a cup of coffee today!!

[sueinns]

Did they not freeze you for the insertion of the catheters?  I found that to be the worst part and I had freezing.  

Having a pain free procedure was at the top of my priority list.  I was told that medications would be available to me whenever I needed them.  Even with a shot of Versed (spell), they had no problem bringing on my SVT and finding the areas that needed ablading (I had two).  During the actual ablation, I chose not to take more medication.  It felt like bad heart burn and was uncomfortable but only lasted for a few seconds.  My point though is that this was my choice and the nurses were always on the ready should I have needed more meds.

I actually felt great afterwards and even went for a slow walk the next day.  I did develop a small hematoma at the incision site but this was not really painful.  Some post-procedure discomfort is normal but you certainly shouldn't be in a lot of pain.

Expect some weird rhythms while your heart heals.  I had a worsening of PVC's after the procedure, which I had in January, and they stayed that way until a few weeks ago.  I have been in sinus rhythm for almost a month now.  It's taken awhile but fingers are crossed and I'm really hoping that I have finally made a full recovery - this is certainly the longest my heart has behaved in a very long time.

I don't understand the reasoning behind why no medications were given.  Although I can't really relate,  I very much empathize with what you went through.  Take care.

[nicolette36]

well bruising and swelling seems to be better today.yes i am glad i got it done if it has cured me but i am feeling angry that despite asking for sedation,even just a teeny weeny bit,i was refused.im relieved others have found it an ordeal too since most of what i have read leads you to believe the procedure is no big deal,that may be the case if youre medicated.like alot of medical procedures,im sure they would be far worse without sedation,but when i spoke to the nurse afterwards on the ward she didnt seem to get where i was coming from at all and i was left feeling like i was making this huge deal for nothing.!!

[ireneo]

Again, I don't know why the lack of sedation or pain relieve. Sorry to keep harping on that since it's over and done with. When I had the 4 leads put up into my heart (I didn't need the 5th one via neck), I didn't feel a thing. That was a worry for me before the ablation that I would feel things pushing up through my veins and into my heart. They numbed the groin with tiny shots. Next thing I knew (just a few minutes) I was watching the wires wiggling around in my heart and didn't feel a thing expect the doctor's wrist resting on my leg.

I did have some bruising in the groin, more so on my right side than the left. That just takes time to heal. The neck area will take time too. Just be very cautious. I recently had some abdominal surgery and had a large (about 3 x 5) dark purple bruise below my belly button. I walked around holding a pillow for days just to prevent any bumps and bad words :-)

[lagoya]

hi
i think also a reason they might not sedate if sometimes the svt or pathway are difficult they can administer adrenaline into the veins to see if that brings on the arrhythmia i know thats whats happen in mine i was enjoying them messing around with my heart so much i got totally relaxed lol.i wished i was sedated some bit ,i still get the shivers thinking about it.

to niclette 36
i really wish u the best and a speedy recovery and hope everything beats as it should.

[Momto3]

Sorry I can't help with the collar bone pain....All of my catheters were inserted through my legs (groin).  Does an over-the-counter pain reliever help?

After all the discomfort (pain), I hope the SVT is better.  No more meds?

[nicolette36]

well the reason they gave for not sedating me was that sometimes if you are medicated then it is difficult to stimulate the svt.in my case it was very easy.seriously the whole thing was horrible.it took them an hour just to insert the catheters and i found that painful,they went in through the groin then the collarbone,i guess the size of my bruises reflects that lol!!
has anyone had quite a bit of pain from the collar bone site?my actual punture site looks fine,healing nicely but further up i have some swelling,i near enough hit the roof this morning with the pain when i got up,it seems to hurt ALOT when ive been lying down,is that normal?usually i am so hardy,i can cope with alot but this has left me like a baby!!thankyou for all your comments!!i am so glad to have found this place!!

[Momto3]

I would really like to know why some doctors use conscious sedation while others do not....If anyone knows the answer, please let us know.  I understand in some cases, it is more difficult to pinpoint the foci, but like Ireneo said, once the area is identified, why not make the patient comfortable?  

I have had 2 ablations and was on the table each time for about 6.5 - 7 hours.  I have very, very little recollection of each procedure.  

For those of you with upcoming ablations, it might be helpful to discuss your concerns with your physicians.  

Nicolette36, as I recall it was about a week before I was back to normal energy levels.  Beyond that, I did have a faster HR for several weeks, and some extra beats until things settled down.

Chriswpw, I'm sorry you've experienced another episode of afib....I hope the doctor is able to provide you with answers and an agreeable solution.

Take care all

[ireneo]

I'm so sorry they did the ablation with no sedation. I'll never understand why some doctors choose to do that. It seems that once they map out the trouble areas, they could at least sedate you for the ablation part. That's the part that hurts. Then again, I'm not an EP.

I've had 3 ablations (my heart does multiple nonsense in there). Each time I felt tired for a few days but then got back to normal activities. In your case, you had some mental and emotional trauma as well and need to recover from that. Even with my sedation, I did have trouble sleeping for quite awhile. Kept dreaming of being wheeled into the "room." LOL It was a weird experience.

There's no need to rush. Listen to your body and let it heal. You may not have a big incision across your chest but they were poking around inside your heart and that's hard on the body.

[Chriswpw]

Hi.

I underwent ablation in January for WPW, I had an extra pathway also. I agree...the whole procedure is traumatic. I was fully awake and had to be cardioverted into sinus rythm during. The ablation was successful. I was back to normal activity 2 wks after, but it took me months to get over the whole thing in general and to trust my physical cababilities.  I thought I was fine until 2 weeks ago when I had another episode of rapid a-fib, 200's. So i am back on the hunt for answers as to why.

Give it a couple of days you should be feeling better. Best of luck