High heart rate after surgery

[Kitty]

Hi all

Hope everyone's well! So it's 4 months after my avr and I just have a question for anyone who may have had a similar issue. After surgery I was taking metapropol to decrease my high heart rate which my cardiologist slowly cut down the dosage to nothing. I've just been to my gp as I've been having random runs of a high heart rate and palpations for no apparent reason. So I'm going to wear a halter montitor for 24 hours to see what's happening (I know what that involved)

So my question is, is this just something that's normal after surgery (that's what I'm hoping) and its just a case of going back on medication for awhile. I would just love to hear some other stories

 

[Agian]

No answer to your question, but it's good to see someone else from Adelaide on the forum.

 

[Kitty]

It sure is

 

[Agian]

I was started on Atenolol on Friday. The whole idea of taking something that slows your heart-rate made me anxious. My heart-rate has been steady between 100-110 for the past two months. After taking the first Atenolol this morning, it's sitting on 65. I feel no different.

 

[Duffey]

High heart rate was something I encountered post-op and others have reported the same. I did try medication, but didn't do well with it. I eventually learned that consistent workouts on a treadmill eventually helped bring the rate down. Wearing a halter monitor is a good idea. You'll know whether the irregular heartbeats need to be watched or are a result of your recent avr.

 

[Rachel]

Completly agree with Duffey! My resting HR was around 90 for weeks after surgery (I was not on a BB) - it did settle down only after I was able to walk faster and do some running.....it's now 53-60 but it took about 6-8 months to get there.

Also always good to get it checked out!

 

[Classtime Sailer]

Yes. My resting HR was high for some time. Metoprolol lowered my BP too much and I slowly got off of it. My resting HR is not where it was pre surgery.
Pre: 43, Post 49. (And to date, I cannot get my HR up as high as I could pre surgery either. Mid 170s vs High 180s) I have heard of many AVR folks with palps and such during the recovery. It takes time. I hope your cardiologist/surgeon is in on this and not just the GP. Let us know how it worked out.

 

[Kitty]

It's good to know its a fairly normal part of recovery. I walk all the time and have even started a few exercise classes a couple of months ago. My cardiologist did mention when he took me off the medication that some palpations are normal but not for what length of time I could expect them. It was mainly the fact that it had settled down even after stopping the medication and it's only in the last few weeks I've noticed it again which made me even bother asking. So fingers crossed its all normal