@4aces4me Sounds like we may be dealing with similar heart conditions. Fourteen and a half years ago, I had Afib 100% of the time and ended up having open Maze surgery to correct it. From then until the night of April 10th, I hadn’t had any heart issues and wasn’t taking any heart meds. But that night, between 9 and 10 p.m., all my heart rates suddenly jumped 20–30 bpm (or more) — and they’ve stayed elevated ever since.

My heart seems to behave like yours during and after activity. It revs up with exercise, then refuses to settle back down when I rest. For example, I’m sitting in my recliner typing this right now, and my heart rate is at 122. Earlier this morning, I was outside doing yard work and some heavy lifting — I saw my heart rate hit 150+ a few times. Here’s a quick snapshot from the Apple Health app:

9:51 – 126–149 bpm
9:53 – 128–135
9:55 – 128–170
9:57 – 128–138
and it kept jumping around until 10:09, when I came inside for a shower.
After that, while relaxing post-shower at 10:21, it ranged from 61–128 bpm.
I saw a cardiologist for the first time since 2012 (whole other story there), and he diagnosed me with Atrial Flutter. He said there were definite episodes of Afib, but the Flutter was constant — you just had to look closely at the EKG. He even pointed it out on one of my KardiaMobile tracings.

I don’t really feel discomfort, but there’s definitely a lack of energy. I used to call it being tired, but it’s not — I’m just running low on fuel. Breathing ramps up pretty easily too — not true shortness of breath, more like huffing and puffing during simple tasks.

He prescribed Eliquis and Metoprolol, with plans for a cardioversion after about 30 days. No mention of lifestyle changes. I do drink two cups of coffee a day, which puts me right near the max recommended 400mg of caffeine… plus the occasional square (or three) of dark chocolate. Still, I’m carrying on — doing what I can, when I can, then resting and repeating.

Hope you find a good path forward with your condition.

Oh, and for context — I’m 70 years old, 6'3", and 215 lbs.