After Ablation: The Storm Of Recovery
There is never as much peace as when a ship escapes the thrashes of a hurricane. The crew still grips the ropes and rails, looking hopefully around to make sure there are no more dark clouds on the horizon. However, the ship itself is battered, and the sails are often ripped and thrashed by wind and wave. A headcount is taken, and inevitably the ship begins preparations to limp to the nearest port for rest and regaining the required supplies so the crew can piece themselves and their ship back together.
This is what it is like after a surgery, in my experience. The surgery is half the journey, but it is far from over.
In my opinion, the greatest difficulty of surgeries, especially of the cardiac variety, is lying down on that table and trusting the people around you with your life, knowing they will soon be cutting into you and shoving needles and wires into your veins. That itself is frankly terrifying enough.
Then comes the recovery, which is the challenge I currently face. It has been six days, and I am getting stronger, but my experience during my second ablation is different from my first. In many ways, better but still far from ideal.
Ablations for me have always been a tricky business. I had one before, and this one was far from simple either. The procedure itself took 6 hours, when the estimate was maybe 3-4, and I stayed overnight for observation. Neither of these eventualities was expected, but… I suppose in the back of my mind, I hoped for the best, but in my heart, I had a feeling this would happen.
At least this time I did not wake up shrieking in pain like before. Rather, more accurately, I woke up cursing like a drunken sailor, according to my family. And given how much pain I was in, it is understandable. Not the kind that births a shrill scream, but the kind that makes one cry and rage. Regardless, I was given medicine to help dull the pain and let me sleep, which was deeply appreciated.
What the resources left out entirely was that while I was often cautioned about the potential “discomfort” after surgery, from both nurses and my own research, I experienced genuine “severe pain” while recovering from an ablation. I am deeply familiar with the difference.
However, according to the article, “What to Expect Before, During, & After Cardiac Ablation” by the University of Utah Healthcare website, for “7 days: refrain from exercise, sex, and lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds” (University of Utah Health | University of Utah Health, 2021). In this case, I was cautioned from lifting my cat and my computer… and heck, even my water bottle.
In addition to the pain scale, I was surprised that the article largely left out details. For example, does climbing stairs qualify as 'exercise'? (University of Utah Health | University of Utah Health, 2021). And what qualifies as too much movement and too little? A simple walk made my sides bleed, and it took me four days to climb the stairs in my house. I regretted it almost instantly.
So, there is a chance my experience with ablations is abnormal, and my recovery from this type of procedure tends to be more brutal due to my previous health history. This is possible, but for anyone else getting an ablation, I would ask your doctor more questions about the recovery process beforehand, especially if you have a complicated heart history.
This is particularly so because, for the past few days, I have been recovering from this situation, working to regain my strength and be able to walk and function normally. Perhaps too zealously, due to well-meaning family members insisting I walk a mile with them in the park. Granted, this was intended to alleviate their own discomfort with the situation rather than actually help me, and their overzealous efforts caused the wound to bleed ever so slightly… but it is part of the tapestry of the strange ways healthy people behave around those who are sick. Assumption that it is laziness that keeps them in bed and that overdoing it is the only true way to heal. Personally, I understand this philosophy and that it is often well-meaning, but in my experience with it, I wholeheartedly disagree.
It is important to rest yet not to remain utterly still when healing from surgery because to do otherwise potentially compromises the healing process. However, never underestimate the importance of rest. This is a delicate balance between rest and walking that I encourage you to discuss with your doctor before your procedure.
I want to make one thing clear, though. Despite my pain and the unpleasantness of the recovery from this procedure, it was, in fact, effective — and as an added bonus, I can think more clearly than I have in nearly a year as a result of it. My current frustration with the results of the procedure is with the pain, and it is in no way a criticism of my doctor’s skill, as he is one of the leading practitioners in his field, especially in the care of adults with congenital heart disease, as he specializes in ablations. So, if there is anyone I trust, it is my doctor, and he is absolutely not the one I blame for this setback.
When it comes to congenital heart problems and complications, I have a history of things going wrong. My left arm, which is twisted, mangled, and half the length of my other one, is a testament to this. My first open-heart surgery at a month old had a complication that wrecked the growth plates of my arm and left it mangled. The condition of my arm was the result of that surgery, but I still do not blame my doctor. Through physical therapy, I learned how to use it then, too.
As such, I consider it a personal rule not to blame my doctors. Rather, I blame those who caused me to be in this unnecessary pain in the first place, and that is not my doctors. Given its personal nature, I will go into it more clearly in a later article. But for now, even though this last year wrecked my heart due to factors I did not cause, which required this ablative intervention to reconstruct and solidify the heart walls, my heart can function normally again. I feel better than I have in years… despite the lingering pain.
It is, in some way, reassuring to know that my heart was not to blame for this situation, but as always, it was just a wounded sentinel standing guard until the last.
This process has delayed my return to Germany for a few weeks, just to be sure I am healed enough to mitigate any potential risks. I intend to jump back across the pond stronger than ever, even if it requires me to go through some immense cardiovascular pain to do so. I focus on why I do it in order to get through what I cannot avoid.
So, for the next month, I will be in a metaphorical “port” situation. Here I will be resting, recovering, and recuperating in order to continue my adventures as soon as my doctor clears me. For now, through this first week and into the next, I need to rest while the swelling wears down, but then I get to start rebuilding my strength. The thing is, with each passing day, I feel more like myself than I have in a year. So, like a ship, I will rest in port — and when the doctor gives the word, Germany is waiting.
What do you think? Did you find this helpful? Can you relate?
Have you ever had an ablation procedure? What do you fight for?
Comment below.
Tune in next Monday and Friday for more! I will be writing more now that I’m finally feeling better, so I’m getting a new, more frequent schedule.
Keep ticking, everybody!
P.S. Are there any aspects of CVD health or pacemakers you’d like to know more about?
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Reference List:
University of Utah Health | University of Utah Health. (2021). What to Expect Before, During, & After Cardiac Ablation. [online] Available at: https://healthcare.utah.edu/cardiovascular/treatments/what-to-expect-cardiac-ablation.
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