Very low heart rate

[Tony B - NJ 642]

I was sleeved in August 2021. Since then I have lost 108 pounds and have exercised around 1.25 hours per day, mostly walking and occasional bike rides. My heart rate has slowly gone down but recently I am seeing a resting heart rate of 46-48 routinely. The doctor does not seem concerned but at 58 years old I am a little worried. Has anyone else seen similar changes in heart rate? For reference, my BP is 120/70. I am off all meds except a very small does of lisinopril which the Doc wants to keep me on due to a family history of heart disease and HBP.

[Queen ApisM 427]

My drop was not that dramatic, but immediately after surgery my resting heart rate dropped to about 57-59 beats per minute, and it hasn't gone back up (it used to be closer to 70). I freaked out a bit but my cardiologist was unconcerned. Given you are within a healthy BMI again, are active, and also still on some lisinopril, you are probably fine. How are you feeling? If you feel good, no lightheadedness or anything like that, that's a good sign.

If the doctor you are consulting with isn't a cardiologist, then I might see what they think about it.

[Tony B - NJ 642]

I feel very good....but just get worried because at 58 years old, everything I read says that is low. I guess I am just in much better shape now. Maybe I will make an appointment with a cardiologist just to be on the safe side.

[Queen ApisM 427]

8 minutes ago, Tony B - NJ said:

I feel very good....but just get worried because at 58 years old, everything I read says that is low. I guess I am just in much better shape now. Maybe I will make an appointment with a cardiologist just to be on the safe side.

I think this is a good idea - best case, no concerns. Worst case, they catch something and you can deal with it sooner rather than later.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,579]

I'm 4 weeks post op, and I've noticed my heart rate has dropped, as well. Before surgery I was always sitting at 68-73 bpm. Now I'm at 60-64 bpm. Nothing crazy, but I noticed when I work out and my heart rate used to go to like 110 or 115, it now goes to like 98 - 103 or so. So I'm just keeping an eye on it and if i dips to what is considered too low, I will consult my cardiologist (my PCP isn't worried right now, so at least there's that). My surgeon said it's normal because as we drop weight and get healthier, our hearts don't have to work as hard.

Edited June 1, 2022 by SleeveDiva2022

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,579]

Also, here's something from the mayo clining about it: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/heart-rate/faq-20057979#:~:text=A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60,to 40 beats per minute.

[ms.sss 15,490]

I was 46 yrs old when i had WLS. In the first 9 months immediately after surgery my resting heart rate averaged 50 bpm (at least according to the data collected from my apple watch i wear religiously)

Which is crazy to me because 50 bpm is less than my husband’s, who is a regular marathon runner, AND I weighed much more than he did in the first couple months.

My average resting heart rate slowly climbed up after the first year to 60-65 which is where it has stayed for the past year and a bit (I’m 3.5+ years out now, and 50 yrs old)

My doc is not, nor has ever been concerned (but he did take me off my HBP meds like the first few days after surgery).

For reference:

Im a 5’2” female, 117.8 lbs this morning , run 30-45 mins every 2-3 days with minimal strength training (15-20 mins every 2-3 days). Blood pressure generally in the 100/60 range (it used to be much lower in the first year…but again my doc was not too concerned other than to tell me to incorporate more salt into my diet).

But yeah, if you are worried def make an appt with a medical professional…though you said it yourself: you are in much better shape, and my totally non-medical-degree-holding assumption would be that your body is just using your resources more efficiently. And if you are feeling good, that is generally a good sign of good things.

Good Luck! ❤️

Edited to add: in the 3-4 years before WLS, my resting heart rate was like 90-100 bpm. And it would shoot up to like 170 from walking up a couple flights of stairs 😳

Edited June 1, 2022 by ms.sss

[Tony B - NJ 642]

Thanks all.....gave me a little comfort that it is most likely not a huge issue.

[The Greater Fool 2,011]

When I was binge running my resting rate was at 40.

The only time this was an issue is after my tummy-tuck (which happened to be the day after my 5th marathon) where a newly discovered (because of this event) bleeding issue caused me to bleed out on the table. They gave me 7 units of blood and revived me, fortunately. Ultimately my low heart rate saved my life. The annoying issue was post-op because the low rate kept causing a code where they rushed in with a crash cart to "rescue" me, which was unnecessary. After about the 5th episode the surgeon just removed the heart monitor.

[lizonaplane 1,612]

As others have said, a low resting heart rate is a sign of good cardiovascular fitness (in most cases). Athletes and marathoners often have shockingly low heart rates. If you are concerned, seek out a second opinion, but low heart rates in the absence of other symptoms are usually good not bad. Congratulations on better cardiovascular fitness!

[Sleeve_Me_Alone 656]

I had idiopathic tachycardia (meaning my heart rate was unusually high for no known reason) for years prior to WLS. My average resting heart rate, was between 90-100bpm, and very often even higher than that. I'm now 8 months post-op and my heart rate has slowly come down to about 70bpm. Similarly, my doctor is not at all concerned and seems to think its an indicator of improved health, so I honestly don't worry about it too much. If you start to have odd symptoms (lethargy, dizziness, shortness of breath, or anything else unexplainable) definitely check in with your Dr again.

[liveaboard15 1,293]

I am 34 years old. My surgery was 6 weeks ago. Almost right after surgery my heart rate went down like crazy that i was concerned. So i use to keep a log earlier this year of my blood pressure and rate and it was typically in the 130's over 80 with a heart rate of around 80's and this was me just relaxing. After surgery that dropped to about 110/60 with a heart rate now around 55-60 and i do wear a fitbit and it does track my heart rate and it says my resting heart rate is around the 55 and while i sleep it drops to around 44ish which is normal. I also have a Oximeter that i wear at times whiel sitting at my desk and an alarm goes off when my heart rate drops too low which is often. I brought this up with my primary care and they were not concerned at all. Neither was my cardiologist.

[BigSue 1,357]

My resting heart rate dropped to under 40 bpm. Every time I went to a doctor, they commented on it (they frequently thought there was something wrong with their instrument and had to check it manually), but nobody was that concerned… Until I started having problems. I was feeling weak and run down all the time, but everything was fine with my bloodwork, and finally my surgeon suggested it may have been related to my low heart rate and referred me to a cardiologist, who diagnosed me with bradycardia.

The cardiologist said that it was probably because my heart was used to having to work hard while I was walking around with 200 extra pounds, and once I lost so much weight and got in better shape, my heart was stronger than it needed to be and slowed down to compensate. I ended up having to get a pacemaker. The cardiologist said that bradycardia due to extreme weight loss is rare, and that even when it happens, it’s not a problem unless it causes symptoms.