heart rate is much higher post surgery?

[Coykendall]

I have a triple bypass 5 weeks ago and although the wounds and sternum seem to have healed very well, my heart is casuing me all kinds of grief: before I have the surgery (80% block of the left main) my resting pulse was 64 and my BP was 110/65...I was very fit, 48 yrs old, type one diabetic for 40 years, A!C of 5.6, so exceptionaly well controlled with no complications, ie eyes, legs, kidneeys, etc)) xcountry skier, runner, etc...now, post surgery, my BP is 130/70 and my resting pulse is 90ish....will go as hugh as 120, which causes me to sweat, get anxious, etc etc...I'm on 50mg of metoporol (2X25) and 2.5mg of Norvasc (short term) and an 81mg asprin....the racing heart has been getting more and more common and I'm wondering what the hell is going on...my surgeon didn;t answer the question when I asked if this heart thing was a passing phenomenon....what gives? Does anyonw know?

[Cleveland Clinic]

Some patients in the post-op phase develop elevated heart rates.  Sometimes this is associated with sweating and anxiety.  We think that some of it may be related to having had a sternotomy (open chest).  There may be some autonomic nervous system fibers in that area of the chest that get injured leading to higher sympathetic tone.  Once the healing process completes this usually resolves.  It typically may take a few months.  This phenomenon is different than post-operative atrial fibrillation which may also occur up to a few months after open heart surgery.  Typically, this is more likely to happen after valvular surgery, however, a bypass operation poses a risk as well.  Being on metoprolol should help with either one of those two conditions.  Consider having your cardiologist increase the dose as long as your blood pressure is ok.  Of course, the atrial fibrillations should be ruled out with an EKG or a heart monitor.   Your cardiologist should have no problems getting those arranged.  The reason to make sure that this is not atrial fibrillation is such that atrial fib carries a higher risk of complications such as stroke especially in someone with diebetes and high blood pressure.  There is a way to prevent atrial fibrillation by taking slightly stronger than metoprolol medications.  The stroke complications can be prevented by taking blood thinners.  The positive thing about post-operative atrial fibrillation is that it is typically transient and resolves later in the post-op state.   I, therefore, recommend that you see your cardiologist and discuss and work this up further.  

[Coykendall]

The cardiologist and the surgeon both said that the elevated heart rate would pass with the healing process and from your comments, this now makes sense to me, but the elevated blood pressure post surgery is still an annoyance since i had near perfect BP before I went ahead with the bypass...hopefully this too is stress related and will regulate itself as the healing continues. Again, I apreciate the help in giving some sense to the conditions I'm experiencing.