12 month post ablation, HR keeps dropping

[SnowQueenOne]

Hi allRandom question but can ablation cause your HR to start going in the other direction?

Next month it will be 12 months since I had my ablation. On the whole its been fine; a couple of set backs in recovery; a bout of food poisoning & 2 possible incidents of covid based on symptoms. Also had random ectopics & very occasional short runs of a fast HB but my Consultant has said nothing to worry about.

Anyway I have a loop recorder so know if anything untoward it will get picked up but in the last month or so my watch has picked up that my resting heart rate has dropped below 60bpm on quite a few occasions. It comes up as an alert.

When I've looked at the app, it does appear that sometimes my HR can drop then go back up within minutes (a few weeks ago went from 30 to 78 in a couple of minutes). As I'm writing this my watch has has buzzed again for the second time this morning "HR alert under 60bpm for 10 minutes".

I know the watch won't be accurate but can this happen after ablation?

Thanks in advance

[BobD Volunteer]

How do you actually feel? I always found gizmos just made me anxious, often for no reason. If you feel faint or dizzy that is the time to worry. When are you next due to have your reveal read or do you have a bed side box whicb downloads automatically? If you are worried do contact your medical team.

Ablation normally increases resting heart rate for about nine months but some drugs can slow you down too much and you don't mention what you are taking.

[SnowQueenOne in reply to BobD]

Hi BobDGenerally I feel OK if a little tired at times. It's always occurred when I'm either sat or lying down. Generally just having a chill out.

I have a bedside box so that downloads each morning.

I'm not on any medication. The only time I was on any meds was prior to the ablation, Bisoprolol (im sure that's the wrong spelling!). They slowed me down too much and I actually felt quite poorly on them. Have asked whether i need any medication & Consultant doesn't feel I need anything. Assuming due to the fact I'm otherwise healthy.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to SnowQueenOne]

If nightly downloads they know all about it so if I were you I would just get on and enjoy life till they say otherwise.

[SnowQueenOne in reply to BobD]

Thanks BobD Enjoy life is certainly what I intend to do ! Take care

[Ppiman]

The watch might well be accurate but when you get an alarm, then if you run an immediate ECG on the watch (if it has one), then the heart rate measured by that will be spot on. I've never had an inaccurate low HR reading from my Apple Watch, but I do see spikes of high rate that I put down to error caused by a loose watch band. I don't use the high / low HR alarm app at all, in fact, as I can't see much value in it, thinking it's more for athletes in training and similar.

I was told that low heart rate, if it has no symptoms, is fine, however. I've had to start taking a low dose of bisoprolol this past month and my resting rate in the evenings can be high 40s, but with no symptoms.

Steve

[bassets]

My resting HR was always below 60 but has increased with ablation to 60, although it still dips at times. Something I've never worried about but if you feel the need tell your doctor and have it checked out x

[MikeThePike]

Hi there, I have never had an ablation neither do I take or need beta blockers. My resting heart rate varies roughly between 54 and 67 but sometimes during the day when I'm daydreaming or in the late evening my Fitbit records a HR of 48 or 49. Am I concerned? Not at all. As soon as I become alert again or stand up or become active my HR returns to 'normal'. I'm not an expert but it seems to me that our hearts have been designed with a 'low power' or 'standby' energy saving mode. When it sees an opportunity to save energy it does so by dropping to a minimal HR. I have never felt any kind of dizziness or breathlessness so I know there is no problem. The same thing may happen during sleep. The human heart does not have to stay above 60 bpm when you are not doing any activity so that alarm you have may need adjusting or is simply wrong.

[Hidden]

You don't mention what kind of watch you have but my Apple watch is pretty accurate, outside of a tendency to show a very brief high rate sometimes when I start moving. With regards your 'low rate' alarm, in all honesty 60 is not a low rate in my estimation. My HR goes below 45 every night as a matter of course, and my usual 'sitting around' HR is in the 50s. You may be alarming yourself unnecessarily, but at the least I feel comfortable in saying that 60 is not a low HR or anything to be concerned about - although I'm not a medic so take that or leave it. 🙂

[SnowQueenOne in reply to Hidden]

Hi TopBiscuit

Its a Samsung not the best to be honest!

Thanks, was just wondering really if it was normal as it's only just started happening within the last month or so and feeling quite tired, albeit I'm managing to exercise even if it feels harder than it should be. As someone else has replied, if anything untoward it'll get picked up on the loop recorder. Cheers

[Hidden in reply to SnowQueenOne]

I guess the main concern for you is that a) you're not feeling that good and b) the HR is a measurable change. It could possibly be due to something else entirely and may be worth your speaking to your GP about it. It's easy to assume that when you have one condition - particularly heart stuff, which tends to feel like a big thing - then we assume everything is connected to that. I hope you can get some answers.

[SnowQueenOne]

Hi AnneFromOz

As it's only started happening within the last month or so just wondered if its normal. Notice you mention feeling dizzy sometimes. Did feel a little out of sorts yesterday when it happened quite a few times and although it hasn't happened today, feeling a little really tired.

I'll see how I go and if anything untoward it'll get picked up on the loop recorder. Thanks 😊