High heart rate - how long for ?

[acr]

Hi All,

Pre-surgery my resting heart rate was low 60's, post surgery its being held down by beta blockers, so is still low 60's. However I've noticed that if I check my heart rate in the morning before taking beta blockers it's 95-ish. Then I take BB's and after an hour or so all is well. Question is, how long does it take for your heart to get back to normal rate, or is that a casualty of surgery ?

I should mention that the 95 isn't exact, thats just me grabbing hold of the sensors on the exercise bike (while doing no exercise), and they're never quite right. I could use the proper monitor but that was a bridge too far. Cheers.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

YEP, an elevated HR after surgery is pretty common. It usually comes down in several weeks, maybe a few months (my memory of those days is fading). It can also come and go and return again during that time.

Bottom Line: For MOST people, it comes down in time. Usually way more time than we would like, like everything else about recovery from OHS. PATIENTCE is a virtue (and necessary) for recovery from OHS.

Keep the Faith !

'AL Capshaw'

 

[neil]

hiya agree with al it can take a while to come down,remember your heart been through a bit of a bashing,but it will all come right,

 

[kiddnp]

After my surgery, I was also worried about my high heart rate. Mine averaged to about 95 too...some days at 90, some at 100+. My doc said I should be more watchful of my blood pressure. So, I got a home BP test thingy (techy term ) which also measures my heart rate. My BP was where it should be so I calmed down a bit. I'm now 6 weeks post op and my heart rate averages around 80.

Each person is different, but I hope this helps.

 

[Bridgette]

My heart rate was quite high after surgery, in the 90's and sometimes 100+. My BP was low though. I didn't take any beta blockers because both my surgeon and doctor said that I should let my heart settle and remodel on its own. So I just had to be patient, and gradually as I got fitter and did more it started to come down.
I am two and a half years post op and mostly my resting pulse rate is in the 70's.
I only take Warfarin, no other meds.

 

[JeffM]

Post op HR

Post op HR

It's been 8.5 months since my AVR and 5 months since weaning myself off a low dose beta blocker. My resting HR averages in the low 70s. It was in the upper 40s most of my life pre-op. My current rate bothers me psychologically, but not physically. I have discovered no exercise limitations and none of the cardiac medical professionals have any concerns about it. I've been told that sometimes HRs return to pre op rates and sometimes they don't and that no one really knows why. I'd like to see it come down more, but I worry less about it as time goes by and I don't have problems because of it. I know I can bring it down with a beta blocker, but then I'd limit my exercise HR. That seems like a negative result.

 

[PairoDocs]

acr,

I am about 1 1/2 years post-op, and my heart rate was in the 80s with high doses of Toprol and its generic. The side-effects were terrible, so I went off, tried Verapamil for a bit--heart rate stayed 80s to 90s, then other annoying side-effects. Finally, decided on no beta-blockers and, you guessed it, resting pulse in the 80s-90s. About now it's 70s resting, and some mornings its 60s while in bed or very relaxed. I just finished mowing 2/3 acre with lots of trees with a walk-behind mower with an almost non-functional self-propelling unit--mower is extra heavy. Also lots of working out with Tae Kwan Do, and even some trampoline jumping with the kids. My peak aerobic capacity seems much higher since the surgery, so rest assured that in time your resting pulse will find a happy settling place that will be adequate for your heart and body. My own heart rate goes up nicely to an aerobic level while working out, then comes back down to resting in a reasonable amount of time--a period that has been getting shorter as my fitness level increases. I dare say you'll see the same thing happen over time. From what I've read in various posts over the past year+, it's 2-6 months normally for rates to moderate. I took longer, about a year if I recall.

I admit I was scared that my high heart rate would rip apart my repaired mitral valve, but I'm living proof that such doesn't necessarily happen. I wish you well, and hope to read further posts.

Chris

 

[Eva]

My pulse after 3 days of surgery went over 100. I was put on Beta blocker, it went to the 90s and now with no medication it is always in the high 80s-high 90s and the cardio does not want to give me any more beta blockers as they lowered my BP too much and I felt dizzy on the lowest dose.

I am told it will slow down with time (maybe 18 months!!). I am waiting with paaatieeeeeeeence!!!

 

[ChouDoufu]

pre-surgery i was mid-50's, with or without bb's. they only seemed to affect
my high-output level, kept my exercise rate from breaking 130-ish, when it
should have been around 155.

post-op resting rate was low 100's, and is gradually coming down. as of
this afternoon (4-1/2 months), following a short run and a nap,
resting rate is 70.

 

[67walkon]

Maybe never. It could be a new normal for you.

My pre-surgery resting rate was in the mid 40's, and I was 57 years old and very healthy. A bit less than 2 years later, my resting HR is now in the high 50's. I am still very healthy and do things like ride my road bike more than 100 miles most weeks. It is just my new normal. It also doesn't go up real high and I am on no meds--I've seen it hit the low 150's once or twice, but most of the time, it stays in the 140 range even when I am pushing really hard. Riding at 16 to 18 mph, it will stay under 120 most of the time.

Your heart is different and it is still healing. Give it a year or so to adjust to your new normal.

 

[ColinC]

Before my procedure, I was in low 80s. Immediately after (during my 8-day hospital stay) my HR stayed in the high 90s or low 100s. It did go up as high as 150 one night while I was walking the halls but it settled down after they came & sat me down. Now 5 weeks post, I am still on blood pressure meds but it stays pretty much in the high 70s or mid 80s. My surgeon says it will settle even more in a few months. When I walk, I still get my HR up in the 90s & I really hear it loudly in my ears. Oh well, I guess it's better than the alternative.
Colin C.

4/20/2009 Aortic aneurysm & aortic valve repair - Dr. Konstadinos Plestis, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City.

 

[LeakyValve]

My pre-op RHR was in the high 40s/low 50s. As an endurance athlete (cyclist) there is a certain pride with how low your RHR is against your peers. Post-surgery, RHR shot up to 95 bpm. When asked, my surgeon told me that it might never come down to where it was...that it should come down eventually, but that there was no known reason why it goes up or comes down to where it does. Through regular exercise, it's dropped from 95 to 60 in less than 6 months.

I've found that the more you think about it, the longer it stays up in the "worry range." I couldn't agree more that your heart will find its "new normal" in no time.