Back to exercise

[Tamarita]

Hello! Looking for some guidance. I had an ablation 2 months ago for severe tachycardia and arrhythmia. (Seven hours plus with septum puncture to access right side )Seems to have been successful, I feel much better overall, medication has been reduced and hope to go off completely at end of this month

I was pretty active for my age(57), and am slowly trying to get back to more physical activity. I been walking and attempted some yoga yesterday. My heart monitor shows between 100-120 at minimal exertion, if I push myself I go to 140 rather quickly.... Just sitting around the house fluctuating between 70-90 I guess I'm panicking to the idea I can go into fibrillation again..... My question is how much should I push myself? When heart rate goes up it takes a while to go down, but it does eventually. I don't feel bad while exercising, I'm trying to listen to my body and take it easy but I also want to build up my resistance again

I do not have other health conditions except for asthma and some allergies. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated

[GregNdonette]

Hi Tamarita

I am also 57 years old, have had 5 ablations with my last one lasting 7 hours after my AF got quite severe. I am now 7 months post ablation and am AF free. My resting heart rate is 70 - 80bpm and once I start exerting myself it rises to 85 - 90bpm. I have only just started exercise after 7 months and am still finding it hard after having been reasonably fit prior to AF. I am virtually off all medication except one aspirin per day. I have not felt so good for 8 or 9 years.

My personal advice would be don't rush things as it can sometimes take several months to heal.

Good luck

Greg

New Zealand

[Jason1971]

Hi Tamarita, I would say just listen to your body. I was quite fortunate after my ablation in that after a week it was like I hadn't had one. I just took it steady though and anything I was unsure about whilst exercising, I eased up. Take it easy and build up to anything too vigorous. We all heal differently and what was ok with me might not be with somebody else. You know your body best.

Good luck

Jason

[Kodaska]

The last thing you should worry about is going into AF again. If it happens, it happens. You should concern yourself with things you can control, like your level of activity and the amount of energy you put into worrying about things.

So, your resting pulse is still high. What was it before the ablation?

How do you feel when you push yourself and your pulse goes up to 140? Can your lungs keep up? If so, relax. If not, slow down.

A pulse of 140 isn't that high as long as it comes down fairly quickly after exercise. I'd think a recovery period of an hour would be good, but two hours seems reasonable. If your pulse is still over 100 3-4 hours after exercise, you're pushing too hard.

Talk with your cardiologist but keep listening to your body. It's the best guide you have.

[Beta44]

I had an ablation 4 months ago and have found it very difficult to finally eliminate the Bisoprolol. My HR seemed to soar upwards very easily on excercise. I have reduced from 2x5 to 1x1.25. My heart must have become very dependent on it for rate control over the years. Not too worried about it as it is such a tiny dose. At least I have reduced by nearly 90% and eliminated the Flecainide. Best of all no sign of AF.

Peter

[Rellim296]

Hi Tamarita. We know that pushing oneself can in time be one of the causes of AF and it must be something that all of us should avoid so it's surely a question of knowing when healthy exercise oversteps the boundary and becomes too vigorous to be beneficial.

[BobD Volunteer]

Raised heart rate is a common side affect of ablation and it is still early days. Mine sat around 80-85 resting post ablation and took nearly 8 months to return to a more normal level. Don't push yourself beyond 120 for a while and listen to your body. Walking is good .

Bob

[Tamarita]

Many thanks for your responses. I find this site extremely helpful

Let's hope that we all can have the best quality of life possible while dealing with our heart issues !!!

[Runcrans]

Hi there , I used to run a fare bit primer to af ( started a year ago ) my heart rate whilst running used to be 140/160 depending on the effort , I never thought anything of it ,now I've had ablation I worry about it going too high so I don't wear a watch and I only jog and listen to my body and plenty of fluids , it was whilst out running I had to stop and walk I new something wasn't rite has I could run 10 miles no problem usually ,checked my pulse it was erratic went to walk in center then transferred to a & e that was a year ago ,one ablation on ,just listen to your body it will tell you, don't push it and warm up and cool down properly take it steady and walkings really good exercise

Take care mate Cheers Paul