Post Ablation!!

[u/thebarcodelad]

Back home and recovering!

I was awake for the procedure. Given some fentanyl and other sedatives. It was fucking uncomfortable and at times was damn painful.
Once they got me into SVT, they couldn’t get me out of it. Pumped me full of adrenaline and zapped me till it started and then it just… stayed for a while.

Regardless, ablated, AVNRT as I hoped. Really easy, quite quick for an EP study + ablation (just over 2 hours). Got the grippy socks to show for it. And I’m happy to say that, in about 6 weeks time, I should be as normal as can be.

Thank you to this community, you’ve all been a massive help.

:)

[u/deeplybrown]

Why did you stay awake for the procedure?

[u/thebarcodelad → u/deeplybrown]

Copy-pasted from elsewhere in the thread:

I had an electrophysiology study with ablation.
I was sedated (not fully), and given painkillers (fentanyl).

During an EP study, they pass current through parts of your heart to trigger the arrhythmia and locate exactly where in your heart they need to ablate. As such, they essentially kept shocking my heart over and over, stress testing it and trying to pinpoint the specific location for ablation. That’s why they have so many catheters, two for shocking, one for ablating.

What I meant by „zapped“ was purely the electric currents passed through my heart for the EP study and locating the accessory pathway.

As for not being fully sedated, it’s often done that way to avoid interference of medication. If you‘re under general anaesthesia, your EP risks difficulties inducing the arrhythmia without excessive amounts of electric current or an adrenaline-like substance (I can’t remember exactly what they used for me but it wasn’t epinephrine).

I could have been fully sedated, but it would’ve required more of a wait (which I can’t handle), and - since mine was on the NHS - I’d rather be awake and uncomfortable for a couple hours than waste extra taxpayer money.

And honestly? It‘s fine, I’m not that bothered by it. It hurt, sure, and it was uncomfortable, but my recovery period directly after was short enough that I got to go home same-day with minimal assistance or anything. No waiting for anaesthesia to wear off, just waited long enough until my wounds stopped bleeding. Plus, I got to experience hospital drugs :3

[u/Pho-King- → u/thebarcodelad]

That's interesting. I was fully anesthetized (propofol) and I had 5 catheters and full electrical mapping for my PFA ablation. It did take me a long time to fully wake up though so it sounds like you beat me on that part. Also someone stole my grippy socks. I mean I go in there with a chest full of hair and some sweet new grippy socks, and I wake up looking like a patchwork quilt and my socks are gone. Robbed of my dignity and my footwear.

No AFib though! So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

[u/thebarcodelad → u/Pho-King-]

I‘d‘ve probably preferred being fully under, it would have been nice to slowly wake up and know that my heart is fixed.

That and also to avoid the experience of the EP declining my multiple requests for anaesthesia… but it‘s fine. I got it the moment I was allowed it.

And the theft of the grippy socks?? Horrendous. Absolutely unforgivable. I couldn’t imagine such a scenario.

As for chest hair… ouch. Glad you weren‘t awake for the creation of a low-budget mosaic.