Annoyingly high heart rate

[Goldeneye8]

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I am 9 weeks post Aortic Valve replacement. Late 40’s so I was installed with a mechanical valve.

This forum has proved really useful with a load of issues I have experienced post op but one thing that is bothering me is my persistently high HR.

This last week, after a few weeks of behaving within a more normal range my HR is jumping to around 120-130 as soon as I do the most basic things like ironing or walking( this was after some cardio rehab and moderate walking on the coastline of west Cornwall). It’s a pain as I really want to start getting back into cycling ( albeit only on a e-bike at this stage) but even a 5 min stint m( on a flat and hardly using any energy) my HR spiked up to 135 ( averaging out a bit lower once my Garmin does its thing ).

I love fitness and have not done any cardio for 15 months since I was diagnosed with a leaky ( to put it mildly) valve. I am just scared to do anything that bumps up my HR too much. I understand its relatively early days but I can’t seem to stop obsessing over my HR. I feel fine when its high (even during the crazy Afib stages) but I am really cautious about pushing it…..yet fighting against an unbelievable urge to get fit again.

Reading other posts it feels like this is a trivial thing but it really is stressing me out. I’m even stressed about going out for a walk with my kids today as I know the HR will be high.

I take bisoprolol as well as warfarin.

Any feedback appreciated.

[Gumbie_Cat]

I don’t have any answers, but it’s not trivial for this to get you down. I haven’t had any valve issues, but I’m in permanent A Fib now, on Bisoprolol and apixaban. My heart rate keeps spiking like that when I’m walking as well.

I really want to keep a reasonable level of fitness, and it’s hard coming to terms with this heart rate being all over the place. (Previously had a low resting heart rate, which wouldn’t go up to these levels unless I ran for a bus!)

I don’t really feel it either - but I do feel constantly tired, and have no energy in my legs for hills and stairs.

Hope you get it sorted!

[Captain_Birdseye]

It's still early days yet, your body getting used to the new part and medication. There's also a chance you've picked up a wee infection somewhere and your body is working away to get shot of it. Any anxieties will also affect the heart rate.

Definitely keep an eye on it, and go back to the GP if it's bothering you to see if something else can be tried - but it might just be a waiting game for a few more weeks.

When I was put on bisoprolol, my heart rate dropped initially and came back up for some reason after 2-3 months, never figured out why. I ended up changing to a different beta blocker for other reasons and it's been quite stable.

[Cliff_G]

Benjik, I agree with the other posters here. The heart is affected by being exposed and operated on and often becomes inflamed. This inflammation affects the very subtle electrical properties of the heart tissue and hence disturbs the regular normal beating. This is sometimes called remodelling.

9 weeks is a comparatively short time in what should be happening, which is that the heart tissue "reverse remodels" (i.e. refreshes itself) back to something near normal. Continued fast beating and in particular if it goes into AF will perpetuate the remodelling into what you don't want. With AF in particular, it is said that "AF begets AF", i.e. the remodelling caused by the errant beats creates more AF, so the sooner you and your doctors can get on top of it the better.

You may need your bisoprolol increased, at least in the medium term, and there are also anti-arrhythmic meds which can be used to help. But definitely see a doctor soon, including an early appt with a cardiologist, you should get a Holter monitor to see exactly what is going on.

The fact that your rate settles when you don't exercise is really good, just try to resist the training urge for the time being! You say that your fate goes high really only when you exercise. Try to pace yourself and initially only do minimal exercise which does not create the high rate. Once this is achieved, increase the degree of exercise slowly, wait, increase, wait etc. This is called pacing and though the book is not for your situation, there is a description of pacing on pages 55/56 at aorticdissectionawareness.o...

Have you been referred to a Cardiac Rehab clinic. You should be, so please ask if you haven't.

Best wishes

[Rhinos67]

Hi

I had a mechanical valve and then a pacemaker fitted nearly 12 months ago.

I was seeing HR spikes on my Garmin too and was told to stop rehab until it was checked out.

I went to the Pacemaker clinic where they can download all the data from my heart and guess what, no spikes recorded. They told me to go on how I feel and ignore the HR reading on my Garmin.

That's what I've been doing ever since and I'm doing fine.

Good luck and if you aren't already a member of our FB group.

UK Aortic and Heart Defects Pre and Post surgery then maybe consider it 😊

Joanne

[Goldeneye8 in reply to Rhinos67]

Thanks. I have wondered about the accuracy of my Garmin but it was bang on when I last had observations in hospital. That said it was ticking at a normal rate then. My surgeon at my 5 week review pretty much said to ignore the watch and go on how I feel…easier said than done. Thanks for the Fb recommend.

[Rhinos67 in reply to Goldeneye8]

I was obsessed with checking it on my Garmin. When I saw that it had spiked then my anxiety sent it even higher 🙄 The Cardiologist said that any vibrations when exercising would affect the reading and the only accurate heart monitors really are the chest strap ones.Joanne

[Cliff_G in reply to Rhinos67]

Glad I got a chest-strap one, then. Has been good

[Goldeneye8]

Wow, thank you all for your replies, really helpful.

I am a couple of weeks into my Cardio Rehab where my HR typically behaves throughout, this could be to do with pacing but tbh I'm pretty active all day so I'm already warmed up by the time I do any other activities.

My Afib is about once every 10-14 days mercifully and is getting less frequent (although no doubt this will bring on another bout for having the temerity to say its improving!).

I think speaking to the cardio nurses is my best bet at the next rehab as my suite of GP's at my local really do not have the knowledge to offer any advice other than speak to your surgeon - who is pretty much impossible to get hold of.

I must admit having gone 15 months without exercise I am gutted to get to this point and not be able to start doing some of those things I have been holding onto during the whole process...but I also get it that I am super-impatient and actually pushing myself like I have in the past couple of weeks really has not helped.

I will sink my teeth unto the linked file later - thank you.

Finally, the 2 hour walk I just done with the kids saw my HR range from 40( nothing unusual about that level btw for me) to 142...again I felt fine but it started to spike 3/4 of the way in going up the 2nd main hill climb. Frustrating but I just going to take it easy for a few days now.

[Cliff_G in reply to Goldeneye8]

Great. Just take a rest and take it easy when you get a spike.

[Daschhund123]

hi Benjiki agree with the other posts it is still relativelyin the early days i havent had any valveissues i have a pacemaker which iv had since age of17 i am now 51 and it took a little while to settle down only for the fact i got infection after infection,i then had a blood clot brachiocephalicin my neck and now is in my abdomen and havent had any more problems i am on bisoprolol and warfarin and go in and out of afib i have now just been diagnosed with diabetes and am currently nursing a very hi blood pressure