I think you'll find most everyone's experience is different. I've had two of them. First didn't work, but the second has stuck for the last couple years. The procedure itself isn't bad. The urinary catheter was the most uncomfortable part of the whole thing and the drugs made me nauseous briefly, but if you are in decent shape you bounce back quickly. Night in the hospital and out the next morning. I went through Kaiser in San Bruno for what it's worth.
I researched the subject extensively, and it is not an easy call. Dr. John Mandrola has a good overview here (
https://www.drjohnm.org/...af-ablation-in-2015/). There is certainly a good case for not doing anything if it is not impacting your life style. But if you are on Slowtwitch afib is certainly a problem. That's where I was at - I didn't want to give up exercise for the rest of my life (my afib was persistent).
Probably the most frustrating part for me is identifying the cause. When afib first hit I was 40 and in decent shape. No heart disease, etc. but a family history. When I asked the docs what they thought triggered it, they basically shrugged and said it's not clear. About the only thing they agreed on was booze is bad. They also seem to agree that it will return at some point, but it could be next month or ten years from now.
In terms of aftereffects, the only noticeable thing long term is I think I lost some of the high end when I run and/or climb hard. Max heart rate before afib was probably 180ish, now I'm lucky to get over 160. Could be I'm just getting older, but the feeling of running into a brick wall is very pronounced.
Bottom line: I think you have to explore it as an option depending on your own situation. But I doubt it is a panacea and you are probably signing up for multiple procedures. But for me it was better than taking the drugs. Good luck!!