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4186692 tn?1350823288

support for ablation for Wolff parkinson White Syndrome

Would anyone who has had ablation be willing to write responses to my journal that I have written after ablation for Wolff Parkinson White four days ago. I feel rather alone, not knowing anyone who has experienced this and I have no idea what is normal or not, apart from the brief information I was given about ablation by the Drs and the leaflets and online. There isn't much about peoples experiences. It is all generalised.
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1423357 tn?1511085442
As Michelle pointed out I was one of those rare few that avoided the transseptal puncture by threading the catheter through the overlapping closure that hadn't sealed up.  Perhaps it accounted for my seemingly fast recovery.
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1423357 tn?1511085442
It's a shame that you didn't find us sooner, because there are many of us here that have undergone the procedure and could have offered support.  I read your journal, but decided to answer you here in the event that others will find this thread in the future.

I was 59 at the time of my ablation for AVRT.  My SVT was very similar to yours and was initially suspected to be WPW, but turned out to be Circus Movement Tachycardia, a high rate, self sustaining type of SVT.

After the procedure, I was sent home the same day.  I'd say I felt fatigued for 4 or 5 days afterwards, and felt a little breathless if I climbed stairs, or walked up the driveway to fetch the mail from the box.  I did go back to work on the fifth day, and was able to drive the 50 miles each way. I skate a lot, and by the tenth day, I did some very light warmup laps with my son pacing me to keep me from going any faster.  I can tell you that I didn't feel my normal self.  After that, I continued to improve.  I'd say it took perhaps a month to really feel like my former self.

My leg:  They used both sides, but the right side was used the most.  I had a large hematoma which drained into my thigh and look horrible for nearly there weeks before slowly disappearing.  It got as far as my knee, and was sore to the touch.  I limped noticeably for 2 weeks following the procedure.  I'd say that hurt the most.  Oh...being a male, and having general anesthesia, I was catheterized.   It was removed prior to me leaving the hospital.  The seering pain upon peeing for the next few days was something else, but it finally got better too.

Heartache:  I felt this as well.  I was an intense ache in my heart that would cause me to pause until it.subsided.  My wife would look worried as I bent over a little and instinctively clutched my chest until it subsided.  Ibuprofen helped immensely during the recovery period.  I ad 17 burns for my ablation.

I had a bunch of PVC's during that period, and to this day continue to have occasional bursts of SVT which thankfully drop out after 5-12 beats.  I have not had any sustained runs though and can push myself to failure without any SVT.   My cardiologist gave me a stress test 6 months afterwards, jokingly welcoming me ontto his "pain train".  I managed 13 or 14 minutes on the standard test before finally punching out, panting in a pool of sweat.  No SVT though!

So I would suggest to you to give it some time.  Your heart has undergone trauma having been burned, and most likely internally pierced to reach the left side.  Unlessvsomethingnis very wrong, I think you will begin to see improvement soon.  If you physician says it's ok, I'd get out and do some walking and other activities to et your heart "working" again.

Good luck, and we're here all the time.
Helpful - 0
1807132 tn?1318743597
The flutter and skipping feeling is likely ectopic beats.  A lot of people get them after an ablation but they should calm down after a while.  For everyone that time is different.  It is likely though you won't ever get rid of them and can be prone to them flaring up.  Mine were actually the cause of me falling into my fast beat for avnrt.  As I stated I had a bad bout of them 5 weeks post ablation.  After three months they settled down but it has taken a year for me to truly stop noticing them so much.  I think if you do experience them a lot try to not over exert yourself too much.  I continued to do my cardio routine and pushing myself too much may have delayed them calming down.  But they are a separate issue from the svt.  I wish someone had told me I had had them prior to having the ablation done but they are even less harmless than the svt so you don't need to worry about them too much.  Try to watch what you eat, over exerting yourself, and stressing out.  And again, hopefully with a little distance you will start to feel better soon.  Take care.
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1807132 tn?1318743597
The fact that you had your ablation on the left side, do you know if they had to puncture a hole to get over there.  There is some spot that is typically open that the doctor can thread through to get to the left side of the heart but for some it is closed up and the doctor has to puncture it to get through.  This I would think would may make recovery for WPW more difficult.  I personally was tired/short of breath for a couple of days but 5 weeks out experienced a super bad bout of pvcs and pacs that made me feel very sick.  Some people get them pretty bad after an ablation but they should calm down after a while but in general it can take a good 3 months to see good results.  Your scar line needs to form a bit so it could be why you had an episode.  I had a had a handful of short bursts of some sort of a fast beat since my ablation but I don't sense it is the same as my avnrt.  If you continue to have them then speak to your doctor.  As for feeling super tired I partly wonder if it is due to a puncture or how long they worked on you.  Revving up your heart as much as they do in an ablation can tire out the heart.  With a bit of time and distance your heart should regain strength.  But do give it time.  The heart is very resilient and can do some pretty good healing but the process is very slow.  That said, if anything is happening that is concerning to you do not hesitate to contact the doctor.  They have your case history and have a lot of experience to know if what you are feeling is normal or not. Hang in there, stay strong but try not to over do it for a while.  I do hope you feel better soon.  Take care.
Helpful - 0
4186692 tn?1350823288
I gad at least one episode of fast heartbeat and went back to hospital my first night home.
I am now often very aware of my heartbeat and i seems to flutter and skip sometimes.
I have a burny ache in my chest.

I had a lot of sedative during the procedure because I was initially scared and then the catheter insertion and the burning was painful.
At the end of the procedure I had a drug that blocks the sinus node momentarily so that they could check if the extra pathway was inactivated.
When I had a bleed at the catheter insertion site later I had another drug becuase the nurse put pressure on the vagus nerve when pressing on the bleed site in my groin and they had to put something in my line when my heart slowed right down and I passed out.
I am quite sensitive to drugs so your explanation makes sense.  
I'm only about 4 days past the procedure so I will just have to be patient and see what comes.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
lacking in energy could be related to the stress this is causing you

have you been having a normal heart rhythm since or episodes of PVC/PAC/Tachy etc

Your lacing in energy could also be the drugs they used on you, sometimes they knock you the F out and other times they just make you drowsy deepening on the doctor and their methods. That could still be a factor in you feeling tired etc

the comfortability..well that would be personal to you. I would say if you are still feeling this way 7 - 10 days later then perhaps organize an appointment or a phone call to the doctor. Most literature i have read normally says about a week until you can resume normal activities

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1807132 tn?1318743597
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