I have talked about being a “quantified self” type practitioner. One of the things that I frequently do is look at a variety of data and metrics to see how my progression goes. Today I am looking at my “heart rate” over the last 4-6 months.

I met my surgeon for a review about 3 to 4 weeks back. During that time he told me as I recover and go through my rehab, my heart will go through a wild ride. And like he promised it has been a wild ride so far.

Prior to the identification of my arterial blockage, my heart rate was in the 70 range supported by a couple of BP medications.

In early March when my angiogram results came in and it was found that indeed I had some arterial blockages, my cardiologist put me on additional beta-blockers to slow down my heart (among other things the beta-blockers does) and this brought my heart rate down from the 70’s to the 60’s - a 15% drop. This lasted until my surgery in early April.

Post-surgery I was put on a different beta-blocker and my BP medications were dropped. My resting heart rate went up each day for the next two weeks from around 60 to around 80, a 35% increase.

Then, I started walking. First with the dog walks and then what started as a 20-minute walk which is now gradually increased to a wonderful 60 minutes a day. I even spent a couple of hours mowing the lawn today, which is a good progression. With the added exercise, the resting heart rate started dropping each day. In the next two weeks, it dropped from 80 to 60 again. A 25% drop.

And then came back my seasonal allergies. Being exposed outside to the pollen and the elements, I have started having some nasal allergies. And the heart rate has slowly gone up again from the ’60s to around 66 over the last two weeks. When I look at the Fitbit graphs, these now look like the various COVID wave graphs for different countries. I am on a Wave 3.

I am sure that with the ensuing cardio rehab, this will all change again. I am not sure what is going to happen when the heart is pushed to its limits and where the resting heart rate with settle again. And it would be indeed interesting to see where I would be another 3 months from today when I check in on this subject again.

A wild ride indeed, with more of it to come.