High heart rate after ablation procedure?? I am new to this community...

[tachy62]

I had an ablation procedure on the 25th of June. Before the procedure my heart rate without medication was periodically from 90-130. Then I was prescribed Elequis, Metoprolol and propofenone. Those medications controlled the Afib 100%. Now after the Ablation procedure I had 1 week of normal but higher heart rate, then stopped taking the colchicine they had given me for inflammation of the heart post ablation. The colchicine was giving me horrible diarrhea. Now ;my heart rate is back to 90-130, classified as potential Afib on my Kardia, but constant. My Electrophysiologist Doc does not seem to be too worried about it and told me to go to the ER if it gets higher into the 150-160 range and persists. I am worried and anxious.....Help..............

[CDreamer]

Hi - & welcome, lots of help & support from very know people here.

it’s quite common for a higher HR after ablation - mine took about 9 months to return to my pre-ablation testing rate of 60-65. Normal rate is considered 60-120 so I would give it time to settle, plenty is rest & recuperation required - a LOT more than you would have imagined - & avoid stress including exercise induced stress. Keep very well hydrated.

May I suggest that you read the - Ablation Recovery info sheet from the AFA - a link should be on pinned post but if you have difficulty finding just shout & I or an other will post for you.

Best wishes CD

[tachy62 in reply to CDreamer]

oh I forgot to mention I have a Kardia and most of the time the rhythm is classified as Afib or unclassified which could be atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia or something else. I Don't have dizziness or Shortness of breath, but I can't really sleep at night and can't exercise like I could before the procedure.....uuuggghh did you have persistent Afib after the procedure ??

[BobD Volunteer]

heartrhythmalliance.org/res....

A rate of 140 is typically atrial tachycardia if regular and not uncommon post ablation so may need a cardioversion to revert but it is early days yet and will be several more months before your heart settles down as we explain in the fact sheet I directed you to . Rest and stay well hydrated and dont even think about exercise yet.

[tachy62 in reply to BobD]

Yeah, that is what is confusing.....My Doctor said it would be okay to exercise?? Well maybe I will call him and ask for an ECG and then see what he says.....Thanks for the info...

[BobD Volunteer in reply to tachy62]

Doctors haven't experienced it like we have. You can exercise but must be able to do so and talk normally at the same time. Listen to your body.

[Paulbounce]

Hi Tachy.

Welcome to the forum.

I'm going to link to another post below. I hope this gives you good news - hold tight my friend.

Enjoy your day.

Paul

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

[jedimasterlincoln]

Welcome to the community!

[Foxglo]

I had an ablation last December my Ep said to expect a higher heart rate which I had for some months gradually reducing.. I found after the heart rate I had a number of different heart episodes as the heart recovered. At the time I found it unnerving that after good times I could suddenly get pain in one batch then runs of short fast heart rates. Now it seems as if as the heart when through the healing I experienced a variety of heart rate feelings on after another with gaps of normal in between. My EP constantly reassured me, at the time it was hard to accept but he was absolutely correct. If it is any help me worrying made things worse as did not keeping hydrated. Hope things work out well for you. I have found it reassuring sending ECG from my watch to the EP.

[Jetcat]

Hi tachy62, i too had high rates after one of my ablations. But I wasn’t too concerned because on discharge from the ward my E/P did tell me this could happen and if it does it will eventually settle down, which it did. But it did take a couple of months.👍 take it easy and let us know how get on.

[Golfer60UK]

Hello and good morning, I have had two ablations which were unsuccessful after short periods. Since the last one I have developed a fast heart rate up to 130 BPM. My Cardiologist, after tests, say's I have atrial flutter as well as some AF. So I have had a pacemaker fitted and next week it will be fully activated. Hopefully should do the trick.

[Singwell]

Hi - it is early days yet! I had my Ablation in April this year and was in and out of AF for the first two and a half weeks. Some days more in AF than out. As someone here said - your heart is quite upset with you right now - try to stay calm, rest and give it time. I agree with BobD your GP most likely knows nothing about AF so please don't exert. I've had to educate my GP. Even your EP might tell you it's OK the exercise - but it might not be for YOU. Higher heart rates definitely to be expected - mine used the be between 58-70 most of the time pre ablation. Now it's 69-90. I spend a lot of time in the 80s and it takes getting used to. Keep an eye on your Kardiamobile readings, keep a log of how you feel, and settle down with a book, Netflix and a cup of tea.

[Dodie117]

You need to be patient as very early days. My heart took 5months to settle down and in that time I took gentle walks but no strenuous exercise. It took almost a year for my resting heart rate to return to pre ablation rates. That was 2013 and I am still free of AF. So listen to others on here as they have experienced this. Be patient and kind to your heart. It’s taken a bashing. Good luck ☘️

[WallMatt]

I experienced the same thing with a higher than normal heart rate for over a year after my ablation. Like you, I had the inflamation and took colchicine! Now, after three years my heart rates are once again back to the pre-afib rates. Not sure why this happens!

[Snowgirl65]

My heart rate climbed to 20 points above normal for the first month after my ablation in April, then slowly lowered. My doctor said it's normal.

[johnMiosh]

I take regular readings of my "relaxed HR" every night at around the same time while relaxing in front of the TV. It was around 57 for years, but bisoprolol reduced it to 47. After my first ablation it rose to 75, six months later, after my second it rose to 85. I wzs then taken off bisoprolol and it rose to 100. It took three years to drop back down to the mid sixties, where it has stabilised. My actual resting HR is about 5 or 6 beats lower than this.

The graph shows the last few years, the blue line is a daily reading, the red line is the average over 14 days.

HR over time

[tachy62]

So thank you everyone for the amazing encouragement. I think that I was feeling anxious because my heart wasn't just fast it was fast and in Afib or Atrial flutter. I was cardioverted this morning and the EP has adjusted my meds so hopefully all goes well...my hear t rate is 85 and steady sinus as i write this.....I will keep you posted....thanks again....so grateful for your words...

[Golf1515]

Hi all. I love the comments and similar stories from folks like me who just want a little comfort but also realistic expectations! I’m 2 weeks to the day out of cardiac ablation procedure for lone AF. For the first 8 days it was absolutely perfect. Since then I have developed a high resting HR. Anywhere from 104-124. I keep hearing and reading that is somewhat expected as the heart is trying to heal and recover. I certainly hope that is the case but it naturally makes me uneasy in the meantime. This forum has been helpful and comforting in many ways. Has anyone else had a similar experience to mine and if so what advice would you give ???? Thanks to all who take the time to share their experiences!!