Hi all. I'm 68 and had an ablation in May 2024.

The past two times I've walked, when I get back, I think my HR has stayed up too high for too long, but I wanted to ask others opinions.

My resting HR right now is 66, but after doing 4.2 miles, when I get back it has stayed 85+ for at least a few hours. The time before last, I had a candy bar on the ride home and had an HR of 105 for hours and did not want to eat and have it go even higher.

I wondered if anyone had any thoughts?

This is just my guess based on what I have learned over the years and from trying to incorporate some commonality I see posted anecdotally by people discussing AF and ablation recovery:

a. Each of us is unique and responds to stressors in his/her own way. Sometimes, a lot of the experience is common, often some of it is not;
b. Most hearts are going to be cranky after an ablation. Leaving aside what was going on in the weeks prior to an ablation, some of which might have been rather oppressive, the operation is itself a stress, and it leaves the heart's septum and lesion locales irritated and damaged;
c. A great many report elevated HR for weeks, even months, after an ablation. Some report that they finally noticed their heart returning to a decent low HR a year later. Wow!;
d. Any exercise during the blanking period may be too much, too soon. Your heart may indicate as much by its rhythm and pace. If the rate slows, say by next morning, then it's probably fine. Don't forget hydration. We get home and get busy, answer a call or return one, and next thing you know you're brushing your teeth in pajamas You could add electrolytes to that; and
e. A heart can be in AF with rates well below 100 BPM. So, if you're worried, use a Kardia or a smart watch not more than about 4 years old now (for best tech and software), and take multiple readings over 15 minutes, including during the activity, to see any indications of arrhythmia or 'undetermined' reading, which these devices will sometimes show when they can't quite bring themselves to fall on the side of the fence where AF lies, but it's still wonky.

I'm past the blanking period now. I'm 15 months post-op.

I think I worried too soon. I just got in from a 4.2 miles walk and I'm at 70.

The first mile was 100+, then about midway it was down to 86 walking, and 78 when resting in a minute or so.

What I think happened was, I've been taking L-arginine and L-citrulline, and it gave me a lot of bloat up under my ribs. I had so much bloat it even felt like it was hard for me to inflate my lungs all the way. I've backed off on it for a few days now and I think I'm all right.