I have had long COVID for nearly 2 years now. One of the features of this is a nice range of cardiac issues, eg palpitations, chest pains, excessive heart rate when doing very little. I'm concerned there's some atrial flutter in there too. Also exercise intolerance / post exertion malaise, which means I must be increasingly out of shape. Problem is I now have no idea what a normal heart rate is when doing light activities. My resting HR is about 70 but it goes up to 90 / 100 / 110 when doing things I would have considered very trivial a few years ago, eg making breakfast, having a shower, hanging washing out, going for a short drive, that sort of thing.
My target heart rate per the BHF calculator is between 86 and 120. It feels like I'm well into that range by doing very little, and certainly not by exercising properly.
Does this sound familiar to anybody?
Thanks!
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tokenwelshman
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I would think that your heart rate going up to the level you state is perfectly normal when doing the things you mention. I've had AF for 18 years and the slightest bit of stress will raise my pulse, but I've learnt to ignore it. It took a lot of years with AF before I could do that, probably 10-12. Any movement raises our heart rate. The concern would be if you were sat still and your heart rate went up for no reason.
Chest pain, can't help you there as I've never had it.
That's helpful to know, thank you. The problem I have is that when my heart rate shoots up when doing mild activities, I feel pretty grim while it's happening, so it's difficult to ignore.
The only way to identify a potential arrhythmia is to have a 24h ECG which your GP can arrange for you. I don’t know why you think you may have atrial flutter but you can’t diagnose yourself based on how it feels. It could be a run of ectopics or a run of SVT which are a lot less of a worry than AF or AFlutter, but unpleasant all the same. I have ME/CFS and my arrhythmias began after a severe respiratory infection (pre Covid) that went on for weeks. The symptoms you describe sound very similar to what I experienced following that infection, including the higher HR and orthostatic/POTS-like symptoms, although I acknowledge that Covid can have cardiac complications of its own and additional risks so you really should get your heart checked out.
Jean is right. Your body has been through a lot, and by the sounds of it you’re still suffering. Severe fatigue and post exertional malaise is such a blight on anyone’s life and unless someone has experienced it, they’ll have no idea. It’s beyond anything normal, and when the simplest of activities drains the life force out of you day in, day out it’s very, very tough. So please direct your energies if you can to getting a 24h Holter monitor. It may put your mind at ease. I really do wish you well with your health.
I'm on the list for a cardiology appointment, so I'm expecting / hoping for a 24 hour monitor as part of that process. I guess if they are able to rule out anything sinister from a cardiac perspective, that would probably mean orthostatic / inappropriate tachycardia type issues, which would be frustrating but at least nothing "too serious". Fingers crossed!! I agree - the whole post exertion malaise situation has ruined my life, I am a shadow of my former self and can't see any way out of it at the moment.
There is the tilt table for POTS although I don’t know what the treatment is other than more “lifestyle” and tips & tricks approach to dealing with the symptoms. I definitely agree that the exhaustion is the worst thing to live with and restricts just about everything. All the more difficult when there’s no effective treatment other than pacing and lifestyle/energy management. I share your concerns about losing fitness too. I have been fortunate to have a reasonably positive experience with the dreaded “graded exercise therapy” with a specialist physiotherapist who was very respectful of my limits, but what counts as “exercise” in that context isn’t what the most people would understand as exercise. I hope your cardiology appointments and tests go well and that there is nothing untoward going on.
From what I've heard, the treatment for POTS and similar issues is lots of fluid (2.5 to 3 litres a day), increased salt intake (if your blood pressure is okay) - both of which result in more blood being produced meaning your heart doesn't have to work so hard - and also compression leggings to stop the blood plummeting to the floor when you stand up. I am doing a lot of pacing which essentially means driving my family insane by not being able to do anything useful all day. You've done very well to find a physiotherapist that doesn't try to push you too hard! Thank you for your kind words - hoping the cardio appointment comes through in the next month or so.
I can identify with your symptoms but mine weren't brought on by covid. I think the problem isn't so much the pulse rate as the way it makes me feel and, like you, I feel worried by the higher rate and the general feelings that all isn't right or as it should be.
That's exactly it - when my pulse shoots up, I feel grim, and I'm not sure if my heart rate should be behaving like this. I did read something over the weekend about post viral illness causing the link between blood pressure and heart rate to become mangled, so that your heart loses the ability to control itself properly.
I hadn't read that. I have something called left bundle branch block and my doctor puts things down to that (having earlier told me it wasn't anything to worry over...).
Hi - that's good to know. I just worry that if my heart rate is hitting 1110 or more when doing something fairly trivial, what would it do if I actually tried to exercise.
So think of me uncontrolled but on Metoprolol back for 1 year 3 mths after the stroke @ 187 H/R avge and not exerting because I couldn't do anyting. Bisoprolol down to 156 Day avge.
CCB Diltiazem 120mg AM. Now 62-69 but for a year was 88-96 H/R. 47avge Night - doesn't change. Metoprolol gave me 2 pauses 2 seconds night. No pauses on the other two. Proved on 24-hr monitor.
Settle down. My Heart Specialist said that my heart needs exertion at least once a day. So there you go exertion is good for your AF rated heart.
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Bisoprolol and Beta Blockers 
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Living with AF - my story
Can we develop a useful formula for calculating what is an acceptable heart rate for an individual in AF? (when to seek medical attention)?
