Getting over a cryo-ablation - report at two months post-procedure (JULY 2020)

Cryoablation two months on

This might be helpful for someone recovering from this same operation especially if they were previously pretty fit and sporty and looking to get back into that healthy way of life. I found it really difficult to find out much information for the younger (comparatively!), fitter person – everything seemed to veer between basically giving up everything or people who were back running after three weeks (scary!).

So following on from my last report after one month, the second month started very well. I was able to add more weight training (toning stuff, nothing heavy); more pilates as well as keeping up my yoga and physio exercises for my back. BUT I was still really struggling with the walking. I eventually managed to walk 2.2 miles with a few stops, but it was hard. Breathing was fine, but my legs were just heavy as if I was wearing ankle weights. I contacted the wonderful arrythmia nurses at Royal Papworth and they said that all was fine, just to give it time, be patient (not my speciality!).

Then, as if I had put the mockers on myself, I started to feel really tired the very next day. I didn’t do hardly anything for days, except some stretching (otherwise my back gives me hell!). It was really depressing. I also had a ‘vertigo’ which I often get when I have been ill - I’ve never been able to quite sort out if it is a thing related to post-illness fatigue, neck problem (from too much sitting around) or to do with the ears – no matter, it’s a pain either way. I took nine days off from attempting anything ‘cardiovascularly’ orientated. I just lost the will really and thought that the rest would maybe help.

So that’s where I am at the moment. I’ve cut back the weights and pilates by half and had nine days where I only walked once and that was punctuated by rests at many benches along the seafront. It’s obviously going to take even longer than my, already low, expectations. Started to walk every other day and started again at 10 minutes.

Luckily, I had read this report beforehand (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...) so I had an idea of the worst case scenario, but I think you forget how debilitating fatigue can be as opposed to simple tiredness. As mentioned, there is little information out there regarding returning to an active lifestyle or my very active job. And I’ve gained 5 kg in weight from so much inactivity!

I’m currently buying an ebike (elextric bike)  so I hope that will at least serve so I can see something outside further than half a mile from the house!

Only the odd 10 sec of irregular heartbeat, but I am on amiadarone. One other effect, major trouble dropping off to sleep, which is vvvvv unusual for me to say the least!

Sorry it’s not more positive, but it may be useful for someone in same situation who is concerned by how slow their recovery is. I should mention, perhaps, that I am a slow healer – after 5.5 weeks (majority of it hospitalised) with afib which was finally sorted out with a DCCV, it took me 3 months to recover back to normal levels of activity. 

When I say normal activity I mean being able to walk fast, run, cycle, do weights – a normal life for me in other word!