I hope your BP settles down for you soon. Are you on any new medication since the ablation? Maybe some of those may be causing a temporary BP hike. When I had my ablations, I was on a couple of stomach medicines that were protocol post ablation to guard against damage to the esophagus in addition to the others-Flecainde, Plavix and metoprolol. Take care and hope things settle down soon :)

I too have had BP issues since I stopped taking the sotolol not directly after the ablation. I was hoping to eliminate a pill, but I just seemed to swap it for another. My cardio doc put me on a beta blocker - metropolol, but it still is up and down.

Take care, all these changes can be scary, it always seems to be something. I hope you are doing better and the BP issue is only temporary. Stay well.

I googled "ablation and high blood pressure" and strangely enough, this seems to be a common side effect of ablation.

Really? Yet another thing to worry about after the ablation...

Sorry... don't mean to scare you... but it seems that's another possible complication.

When I first was diagnosed a few weeks ago with paroxysma afibl, the doctor handed me a pamphlet that was kind of like a comic book on ablation. It touts how it can "cure" afib and how ablation is "minimally invasive."

It made it sound like ablation was no big deal and as easy as having a tooth filled. I really resent the way some in the medical community make it seem like patients have an IQ of a houseplant.

This is a very serious procedure that needs to be considered very carefully.

I am wondering if it is really a side effect of the ablation. Most of us who have suffered a-fib for years were on some kind of beta blocker or heart med. These drugs usually keep the blood pressure in check. Could it be that you had developed high blood pressure, but the symptoms were masked due to the meds you were taking for the a-fib. Just a thought.

island,
I feel EXACTLY the same way. When they tell you about it or you read about , they make it sound like you are getting a cavity filled. It is a huge thing. I'm with you!!! IT's kind of belittling when they downplay it so much.

Has there been any change to your meds before/after the ablation?
My BP was OK after my ablation but my heart rate took a week or so to come down to near before level. Maybe your BP this will settle down after some of the inflammation subsides.

My BP has been fine since my ablation done on 3/7/12. Like Rick my heart rate is a little higher than it normally was prior to the ablation, but it's still in the normal range. I am still taking my cardizem so maybe that helps keep the BP and heart rate down.

My EP in no way made the ablation sound like a simple procedure. He was very clear about the severity of the possible complications. That was one of the things that made me trust him so much. I knew he was being completely honest with me.

I hope your BP settles down soon. Maybe this is just a temporary problem while everything heals and settles down.

Denikae,
It's great your Ep was so straight forward. That does make you want to trust what he says.
One Ep told me there is no recuperation time, just a little healing from the punctures!! He's not my doc, but that was his comment. I don't think I believe that.

Hi Yall

I was diagnosed with AFib at 34 I'm certain I've had it all my life and just didn't do anything about it till 34. Having landed back in the ER again to get me out of AFib upon follow up visits it has been suggested to me to have ablation performed. I need any and all advice yall can give. I'm 40 now and just don't want to take medication for the rest of my life.

My meds were the same, they have not changed before or after, only thing now is my BP is high, never ever was before. Of course now they just gave me some more pills to take to bring it down instead of trying to find out why it is high all of the sudden. The thing is, I just want to know why, is there something that went wrong that caused this? Nobody wants to find out.

I have had a similar experience after my ablation surgery with my heart rate staying low even after exercise but my blood pressure going way up to compensate for the failure of my pulse to pick up. Also my surgery that occurred after just one Afib episode was extensive beyond belief and practically everyone I have talked to could not believe it was ablation surgery. Even the ER nurse where I was admitted the day after the surgery had never heard of such an extensive procedure used for ablation.

As a former medical researcher I was aware of the positive outcomes for ablations, I waited so long to decide due to reactions I've had with anesthesia in the past. I've had afib for 40 years and it was getting to the point of hospitalization 2-3 times a month. When I was 74, now 78, I finally decided on the ablation. I was given a colored printout at the places that were zapped to take care of my afib and was told it was a very significant event. As per protocol meds were slowly dc'd and ended up back in the hospital with afib. I made the decision to see if half the previous dose of flecainide, metropol would end the episodes and it did, completely. For me, not any longer having a-fib episodes, I'm more then glad I had the ablation and as much as I wanted off meds, for this I'm also ok. The only side affect is the blood pressure is more variable.