Check out this video. It is in 3 parts. It's an English sounding guy right after ablation talking about his thoughts and experiences. One warning though... he has the accent that is very monotone and you might fall asleep watching it. The English always sound like they are downplaying everything. Worst case scenario is that you can use the video as a sleep aid. Cheerio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JatcgDKX4mQ&feature=related

Thanks peteycap. That guy makes watching paint dry seem exciting by comparison. LOL. I was surprised that he was not put under and went home the same day.

You cheeky devil Pete I don't sound monotone. You can't paint us all with one brush !!!!! Maybe living in Canada has changed me.
Moy...

Hahaha! It's funny, an Englishman can make World War III sound like a minor problem, and a person from Venezuela can make a trip to the store sound like a major traumatic event.

I'm from Italian/Irish descent and from New Jersey (recently moved to Maryland)... "Fuhgettaboutit!" :-)

My background is Irish/English so I knew by your sense of humour we had something in common.
Lets hope we never have to prove that WWIII is minor !!!!!
Merry Christmas.
Cheers, Moy...

I am going to be honest with you. After I had the RF ablation, it took me a couple of weeks to feel OK. I had pain in my chest that lasted a few days. My back also hurt from laying flat for 6 hours. When I got home, I had a difficult time from the anesthsia (nausea, vomiting and lightheadedness.) I only took 4 or 5 days off from work and it wasn't enough. My heartrate was all over the place and I was very short of breath. I ended up in the ER 1 week after the ablation. Everything was alright, my heart was just healing. Everone is different. You may bounce back quicker. I had cryoablation and I felt good right away. Good luck!

RN52 - My experience was so similar to yours. I had my first ablation March '11 and I felt like I had been in a battle. I was very bruised and sore, ended in the ER about a week after the procedure and it took me a couple of weeks before I felt better. October '11 I had a CRYO Ablation and even felt good in the recovery room. It's been almost 2 1/2 months and I have been AF free since then and I am keeping my fingers crosssed.

rfreeze - no matter what kind of ablation you have, the hardest part is lying flat on your back for 6 - 8 hours. Can't read, but if you can bring anything to listen to, it will help to pass the time, or put you back to sleep. It helped me.

Take care and let us know when you are scheduled. Good luck.

Take care and

My experience was similar to the other responses. The procedure itself was a piece of cake - took about 5 hours. Six hours flat on my back after the procedure was difficult because I had an allergic reaction to the adhesive of the large patches they had applied to my chest and back for cardioverting. It was torture because I was not allowed to scratch, except when the nurse wasn't looking!

It took me a good two or three months to begin to regain my strength and for my heart to heal. I was not able to do much for the first few weeks. I was in the ER twice in the first two weeks after the ablation. Then they put me on Flecainide for a couple of months. Afib free now for almost three years.

rfreeze - Today, it's one week after my ablation and I wished I had asked your question before so I had a better set of expectations, but then I probably would have worried more about them. I'm a 65-year-old guy who thought I was in pretty good shape, but to be very honest, I was surprised at what the procedure took out of me. Like several others mentioned, my lower back was sore (still is a bit) due to laying 5-6 hours on a lightly padded slab. My procedure was on a Thursday and I was discharged from the hospital that Saturday. I could sit up and walk a bit on Friday. Had a good bit of bruising down one thigh from one of the catheter sites plus all the blood thinners they have you on BUT did not feel like I had any afib. Have had a few feelings of irregular beats/palpitations, but nothing very bad. Each day at home, I've been able to walk a bit more as my legs and thighs loosen up and can drive and putter around the house OK. I don't feel yet like I can do anything very strenuous, but as others have noted, it takes a couple of months for your heart to heal completely. Just have to take it one day at a time. I did have some swelling in the hospital due to being given a lot of liquid -- my EP was using a fairly new catheter device in a research trial that injects water (I guess) to keep the heart cool during the ablation procedure. All told, I think I'm going to make it. Each day, I'm getting a little stronger and it was nice to only be in the hospital for a relatively short time (2 days). I had open heart surgery 7 years ago and I was in 10 days for that! Time will tell if my ablation will work but I figured if I didn't try it, I'd never know. My hope is just to get off the drugs even though I'll still be on coumadin for a while until we see how everything heals. I wish you the best with your procedure and also a wonderful holiday season. If I can be of any other help, just let me know. Richard

For me, not so bad, even with 7 hour procedure. First was coming out of anesthestia - I was very thirsty and had to wait an hour or 2 for even ice chips. But I felt OK. 24 hrs. observation in hospital. Not too bad, but it was hard to keep my legs straight for 12 more hrs. i had low potassium so they had to medicate for that.

I was tired when I went home (Saturday am) but went back p/t to work on Monday, full time on Wed. I had some bruising after procedure, not much, and lots of water retention, but that was OK too.

Sometimes the after effects of surgery are more due to anesthestia that the procedure itself. A MD friend told me it takes a few weeks for the body to fully flush out the anesthesia. But really felt OK in 2-3 days after ablation.

Glad to hear you are doing ok Richard. Pete

I'm scheduled for an ablation in April and i gotta say some of your responses have me a bit concerned.

RN 52, twinsisters, jodelleknits, and hughesrl7,
Did you all have general anesthesia or conscious sedation? I'm concerned about the nausea and vomiting after the procedure also. I tend to get that after narcotics. If you are nauseated after the procedure, how can you lie still for 6 hrs?

Is there anything that can be done to lessen the back pain from lying flat so long? Would they allow a rolled up towel under the small of your back for instance? I don't know if that would help or not.

Is the lying flat for 6 hrs in a hospital bed or on a hard table? I wondered if you can adjust the bed so your knees are bent for that length of time??

I was wondering also about all of the back complaints. I have a problem with sciatica (I manage this ongoing) and I'm wondering if this procedure might set off another round of acute symptoms.

You would think there would something that could be preventative. Even one of those thermacare heating pads. But I guess that would not be sterile and not allowed in the procedure room. Plus you would be lying on it for such a long time without moving, could cause burns.

Anyone have suggestions on how to lessen the back pain afterwards?

When you are on blood thinners, Motrin is not even an option for afterwards, right?

I did not have any trouble with the anesthesia and was "out" the whole time.

Lying flat on your back in a bed cannot be avoided since they go in through your veins and this stops the chance of bleeding.

If you have back problems, mention this to the doctors. I first time I was not prepared for the long stretch of lying flat and was uncomfortable and bored.

The second time (hopefully the last) I brought an I Pod loaded with books since you can't read in bed. I listed (slept) to books. It put me back to sleep many times, it drowned out the outside noise (did you ever notice how noisy a hospital is?) and in general relaxed me. Bring something to listen to, music, books, whatever. You will not be able to read, may not even have the concentration (I had to listen to the books again), but what ever you have to do to pass the time.

Take care.