Problems After Ablation - Help - Heart Disorders Message Board

RHYTHMR · 10-10-2006, 09:36 AM

HI,
I am new to this site. I am 39yo female with history of MVP, SVT and thyroid nodule. I had 1st ablation for AVNRT on 4/19/06. It was unsuccessful and had a second ablation on 6/22/06. I was taken off beta blockers after 2nd ablation. Next day after ablation had shortness of breath and tachycardia from minimal exertion. Was told my heart needed to "reset" itself and sent home. After 4 weeks I couldn't stand the tachy.,shortness of breath and fatigue anymore - went to ER. Was admitted and told I now had Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia and put back on Inderal. Inderal helped tachy. but still had shortness of breath and started having skipped beats constantly (only had occ. pre ablation). Monitor showed PJCs, PACS, and occ. PVCs. It has been over 3 months since 2nd ablation and I am still not back to normal. The skipped beats and shortness of breath on minimal exertion are causing me anxiety. Ep says ectopic beats may eventually subside. Cardio. has ordered CXR, Pulmonary Function Tests, VQ Scan, labs - all normal. Had cardiac cath on 8/29 - normal except for MVP w/ mild regurgitation. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who is still having problems after ablation. It is getting very discouraging since my quality of life was better before I had the ablation..........Please respond, Thank you!

jgetter · 10-10-2006, 01:32 PM

I am really glad that you wrote in because I am experiencing the same symptoms after Ablation. I am on Toprol, and have had breakthrough afib almost everyday since the procedure...the cardio says that is from the fact that the problem is from the left pulmonary veins (?), and is more involved than originally thought... . The reason that I opted for the procedure was that the irregular beats caused me to black out and my blood pressure was so low that they said no beta blockers, and that ablation was the only answer...now I am on beta blockers and have afib more frequently than ever before! They say I will be on the bb forever. What does your cardio say about your feeling worse? p.s.do you ever feel like it starts and then the volume is turned down but you still feel as if you are heavy hearted and on the verge of a full blown episode? Hope you feel better

RHYTHMR · 10-10-2006, 02:41 PM

Hi Jgetter,
Thanks for the response. You probably thought what I did before ablation - you would not have to worry about the horrible arrythmias and you could get off of medication, that was my plan. Now I am still on meds and instead of having Svt every couple months I have skipped beats and shortness of breath 24/7. I also have low BP (runs 90/50-100/60). I do often feel like my heart is going to take off but doesn't actually go into a full blown episode. I feels like a fluttering in my chest - I tell my husband I am sure it is going to take off. I haven't actually had any documented SVT since the second ablation. My EP thinks the ectopic beats "may" subside. My cardio. and EP are both confused as to why I am short of breath - had heart cath,CXR, pulmonary function tests and bloodwork - all ok. It sounds like you are disgusted with your ablation outcome too. I am on a heart monitor now for 2 weeks - as I am typing this my heart is flip-flopping around. I see the EP in 1 month and he said if I have no improvement he would like to refer me to Cleveland Clinic. Have you considered a second opinion?? Cleveland Clinic is supposed to be very advanced in ablation for A-Fib. I have a friend going for A-Fib ablation in 6 months - there is a long waiting period for the procedure but you can get an evaluation set up. Good luck and please respond with any other questions/comments. Thanks again for replying. Take Care....

jgetter · 10-10-2006, 03:21 PM

When you have the flip flop feeling, have you been hooked up to see if you are in afib? I was in the er the other night and they wouldn't let me go until I converted (I told them I was happy as a Catholic) joke, anyway, you may be in afib, so be careful. Sometimes I want to stop the medication just to see where I am really...this is so confusing. Thanks for the advice about the Cleveland Clinic...tell you what, the next ablation is going to be on the left side and I am going to go to the best I can find! That particular ablation involves going through a section of the heart and around the pulmonary veins...a bit invasive for my taste. I was on team tennis until a month ago...that's out the door because of the uncertainty of the episodes..even with the medication, and the dulling of them I still hesitate to play because my heart races and fflops too much. The breathing problems for you are alarming to me...I know that I put Vick's on my chest before I go to bed due to the breathing, it helps for some reason...isn't it strange that many of us, you will read, have problems breathing...I'm so sorry for your situation, and thanks for the info. let's keep in touch J...I'm 45, young too!

jgetter · 10-15-2006, 07:18 AM

I'm so sorry, are you taking a beta blocker?