I recently underwent a pulmonary vein ablation for atrial fibrillation. I know some people here have had the same procedure – I was wondering what your recovery from the procedure was like?
The doctor said it was quite common to experience ‘healing arrhythmias’ after the procedure. How long does it take for these to go away? It’s been two weeks since the operation and, if anything, my bouts of Afib are getting worse instead of better. I’m having episodes that are as bad or worse than prior to the surgery, with continuous Afib for 10-15 hours. My non-arrhythmic heart rate now is quite elevated from my previous resting rate (it’s 70-80 now, rather than 40-50 BPM), and skipped beats/fluttering is quite common. I’m also experiencing some deep, dull pain in my heart and lungs, I assume from things healing the damage of surgery. I’m quite short of breath, to the point where even talking is difficult – I have to take breaks to breathe.
So, for anyone out there that has gone through this procedure, what was your recovery like? How long did you have post-procedure arrhythmias? What other pain and symptoms did you experience? How long did it take before you were able to live a ‘normal life’ (i.e. function at work, do household chores, etc.)? How long before you were able to exercise again?
I haven’t been able to train consistently or race for about 4 years now, and I haven’t been able to exercise at all for over 6 months. I’ve been dreaming about being able to just go for a walk or an easy bike ride. So far my recovery hasn’t been as smooth as I had hoped…
Someone give me some hope here!
Thanks,
J
The doctor said it was quite common to experience ‘healing arrhythmias’ after the procedure. How long does it take for these to go away? It’s been two weeks since the operation and, if anything, my bouts of Afib are getting worse instead of better. I’m having episodes that are as bad or worse than prior to the surgery, with continuous Afib for 10-15 hours. My non-arrhythmic heart rate now is quite elevated from my previous resting rate (it’s 70-80 now, rather than 40-50 BPM), and skipped beats/fluttering is quite common. I’m also experiencing some deep, dull pain in my heart and lungs, I assume from things healing the damage of surgery. I’m quite short of breath, to the point where even talking is difficult – I have to take breaks to breathe.
So, for anyone out there that has gone through this procedure, what was your recovery like? How long did you have post-procedure arrhythmias? What other pain and symptoms did you experience? How long did it take before you were able to live a ‘normal life’ (i.e. function at work, do household chores, etc.)? How long before you were able to exercise again?
I haven’t been able to train consistently or race for about 4 years now, and I haven’t been able to exercise at all for over 6 months. I’ve been dreaming about being able to just go for a walk or an easy bike ride. So far my recovery hasn’t been as smooth as I had hoped…
Someone give me some hope here!
Thanks,
J