← Return to Difficulty exercising after aFIB and SVT ablation

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@gloaming

Some people have minor bouts of arrhythmia now and then during the 'blanking period.' Some don't. Some have so much ectopy that their ablation obviously didn't work and they'll have to go back for a re-do.
Some people are biking and hiking literally two days after their ablation. Some report that they still haven't recovered full functionality months later.
Some report that their hearts calmed down very soon and they have felt great ever since. Others report high resting heart rates in the high 80's for literally months and months afterwards, although almost every one of those that have reported this undesired outcome have later come back and said their heart returned to its normal rate after about a year.
From this you should take that we all naturally deal with what has been done to us and what we have experienced that got us there, meaning the disordered heart. Your system is dealing with your operation normally, as much as that may seem unfortunate or unwanted. I think you should keep doing what you are doing, but don't push it. If you're tired one day, or even a whole week, give it a rest! You can resume your regimen the following day or week. What you don't want happening is a return to high amounts of ectopy or arrhythmia. That would be a sign that your operation was probably not going to be successful ultimately. The research suggests that this is especially true later in the blanking period. Those who have short runs of ectopy in the first four or five weeks have a better prognosis than those who think they're home free for the first couple of months and then suddenly they get breakthrough arrhythmia again...that's a bad sign. The idea is that your heart 'should be' calming and repairing itself as time goes on, so ectopy after several weeks suggests the calm heart is welcoming the pre-ablation conditions of unwanted electrical signaling.
Honestly, don't fight this. Decide you're going to enjoy puttering and letting your system climb down from off the wall. A day will come when you'll bounce out of bed and you'll know you're ready to start reclaiming normalcy again.

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Replies to "Some people have minor bouts of arrhythmia now and then during the 'blanking period.' Some don't...."

Gloaming,
I very much appreciate your commentary on this site. You speak the truth good or concerning with encouragement. While I’ve not had an Ablation or a Pacemaker yet, I’m more than likely heading that way. In the meantime, I’ll pay attention to my Cardiologist (also an Electrophysicist) on dealing with my AFIB and LBBB. I recently learned the hard way about not “overdoing” exercise and yardwork with a trip to the ER and overnight stay, but got back in Sinus Rhythm quickly once there. I too have realized the entire heart health journey requires patience, slowing down and building back what you’ve lost with patience and diligence. Of course we all have to adjust our lifestyle to “heart healthy” too. Thank you very much for your insight and wisdom.

Wow, this is really a useful response. I will be patient but will attempt to push it physically with no expectations. If I go on an 8 mile hike and make it only 3 miles, I will consider this a good thing and try again in a few weeks. I appreciate the very thoughtful response.

Thanks, Gloaming - good information!

Great post. I am having an ablation done on Wednesday of this week.I have been in constant AFib for 4 years. This post gives me an idea what to expect in recovery. Thanks very much.