Rapid heartbeat and out of breath. - Pernicious Anaemi...

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Rapid heartbeat and out of breath.

Ladyawkward profile image
21 Replies

Hey guys. Lady again! I've been having a bad day today. Since I woke up my heart has been racing and hasn't stopped. I'm out of breath too. I kind of just want some opinions. Does pa cause this and anemia? I've always had a fast heart beat in the 100s but it's never usually constant it will race a min then slow down but it's not slowing down :(

I got a complete ultrasound and testing done when I was a teen because I got out of breath too quickly exercising but they said everything was good. Should I tell my chiropractor (he refers me to everything) I need to take action about it? Or should I wait. I've been on treatment almost 2 months b12 shots twice a week and a lot of iron. It just really scares me and sucks today. I'm 5'6 and 130 lbs so it's not from over weight or anything

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Ladyawkward
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21 Replies
Allyson1 profile image
Allyson1

The PAS website has a helpful symptom checklist.

I definitely have shortness of breath with low B12. We often call it "the sighs" because that's what it feels like, very frequent sighing breaths just hungry for air.

I had rapid heart rate too, but many things contributed to it, especially thyroid, adrenals, and also, hypokalemia when I initially took B12. But B12 deficiency made my fast heart rate worse. It's pretty normal now, I think.

I'm not sure how much help a chiropractor would be for this. It's a good idea to talk to your doctor about it. They would need to rule out other causes.

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to Allyson1

The problem is I don't have a doctor. I have a naturopath that is treating my migraines and supplying me with b12 but thats it. The chiropractor is in search for my right doctor. He called someone this week telling them about me asking if they could or knew anyone that could help. I have high t3. Pretty high but my naturopath said it's a good thing. But I want help with that to see

Thank you for replying

Parlay profile image
Parlay in reply to Ladyawkward

PA can contribute to both the breathlessness and racing heart but so can low potassium and low ferritin especially. Also low magnesium. There is a page on Facebook called the magnesium advocacy group and they are very knowledgeable on the magnesium side of things. Potassium and ferritin are depleted by b12 but are cofactors to it working. Hope you feel better soon.

Gambit62 profile image
Gambit62Administrator

The autonomic system that regulates a lot of things we do without thinking (which includes breathing) responds to signals from cells telling it they are low in oxygen by raising your heart rate. This means that your blood and in particular the red blood cells that are carrying oxygen circulate quicker and should result in more oxygen getting to cells - it will also tell you to take deeper breaths to get more oxygen into your lungs - hence panting and your pulse rate going up when you exercise.

There are a lot of things that could cause your cells to tell your brain that that they don't have the oxygen they need and a lot of things that could restrict the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. It could be signals from nerves being slightly off - or it could be that the blood isn't carrying oxygen properly. B12 can cause both these problems but so can a lot of other conditions.

bjhealing51 profile image
bjhealing51

There is a cardiologist on YouTube that recommends magnesium for fast heart rate

I asked my GP wether it would help and she said try it, which I have and it has helped me a great deal. I am not medically qualified but check it out .

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to bjhealing51

How many mg of it do you take? I only take one magnesium malate pill a day maybe I should take a couple more. I have glycinate for evening but I forget to take it. My naturopath gives me mag chloride through an IV twice a month I've noticed being calmer and my heart scaring me because it seemed like it beat so slow! But compared to normal anything is slow!

oozlumbird profile image
oozlumbird

Have you had your thyroid checked? It could be overactive. Have a google for the symptoms -- there's quite a crossover with PA and, as autoimmune disorders, they can occur together.

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to oozlumbird

Yes my T3 is very high. Naturopath said that's a good thing but I want another opinion

lilly4 profile image
lilly4

Do you happen to know what kind of B12 your naturopath is using for your injections? If it is methylcobalamin that can cause rapid heart rate in some people. GPs in the UK anyway tend to use hydroxycobalimin which doesn't usually cause this.

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to lilly4

It's cyano. I've taken it orally for years with no problems but I dnt think I had what I have now then

JenMartins profile image
JenMartins

It might have been said but have you had your thyroid checked? These can by symptoms of Hyperthyroid. Also calcium deficiency and Magnesium deficiency can also cause shortness of breath.

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to JenMartins

Yes my T3 is 229 and 180 is considered high end but my naturopath said it's good to have it higher but I'm not sure I trust him 100 percent. T4 and free t3 and Tsh were all normal

JenMartins profile image
JenMartins in reply to Ladyawkward

mmm I would get another opinion if I were you. Natropaths I don't think would be that well versed in the thyroid and making calls on if you should stay high or not.

Thyroid issues are not something to be messed with. What does your GP say?

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to JenMartins

I've always thought I had issues because the ends of my eyebrows started falling out at 15. I'm 23 now and still struggle with thin eyebrows. My gp is a quack and knows nothing saw my crazy low ferritin and the positive antiparietal cell antibody which was also super high end positive and said "everything looks great except for the thyroid I'll refer you to an endocrinologist" when those 2 things were what were basically killing me slowly. I never got any calls back from the endo to schedule so I actually am trying to find another one. My chiropractor is in search for the right drs for me. So soon hopefully I can see an endo

JenMartins profile image
JenMartins in reply to Ladyawkward

I hear you. I was lucky in that I got referred to good doctors to get on the right treatment but if I did not fall into that treatment I was told it was all in my head. Until I found B12. So my rapid heart rate and breathing issues were sorted with thyroid meds but the myriad of other issues I had which were debilitating were sorted with the b12 but it took many years to know it was B12 so a lot of suffering occurred.

Are you on any medication for your thyroid? Hyperthyroid is nothing to take for granted. Not wanting to scare you but inform you that if left untreated you can have a thyroid storm and end up in ER or worse can be fatal. Your doctors should have warned you about that. The medical establishment really should be ashamed of themselves the way they treat some patients.

I am only on low medication for my thyroid now but if I go off it wham, nightmare again. So I am happy to stay on it rather than try to get off and go natural.

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to JenMartins

Okay thank you. No I'm not on any medication from doctors because all 40 of them said all my symptoms were depression and anxiety and I need antidepressants. Until I found the naturopath then he found out the autoimmune disease. But I'm planning on tomorrow when I see the chiropractor if he doesn't have any good news or luck about the doctor he called then he needs to refer me to an endo. But Im only on b12 shots and birth control. Thyroid was always tested (the basic tests that never show any other levels than TSH probably) and everyone said it was fine. Only fine because they didn't test the whole thyroid panel before other than last month

When you say you have 'lots of iron' were you anaemic. I have been taking iron supplements after iron deficiency anaemia and have been having palpitations lasting longer than usual and making me feel woozy. When I looked up side effects of iron supplements I discovered that heart arrythmia can be an effect of iron overload. Not sure how overloaded you have to be but it's worth checking. It can also be a symptom of lots of other things aswell as others have said.

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to

My ferritin was checked for the first time a month and some ago and it was 6. I felt like I was dying and that was why. I no longer feel the random "I think I need to go the hospital" feeling anymore since I've been taking iron. I think I'm taking around 60mg a day. I get my new ferritin test results thursday. I feel like it's gone up a little but I'm still getting crazy faint feeling still. And my palpitations have actually gone away for the most part.

in reply to Ladyawkward

The trouble is you can get similar symptoms if you're low or if you're too high. It was just a thought.

Did you have a haemoglobin level, aswell as ferritin. My hb was 6 at my worst and ferritin was 3 and was sent straight for a blood transfusion. It made an amazing difference. My husband said he could almost see the colour coming back to my face.

I have been taking 200mg ferrous sulphate three times a day for three months and hope I can give up soon.

Hope you get things sorted soon

Ladyawkward profile image
Ladyawkward in reply to

That's what people and drs said "you look physically better since treatment" I still have my days where my face will turn corpse white and I have to go to bed right then, only cure for it. No my hemoglobin was fine which is why I was like why am I on iron. But I feel a huge difference over all except the light headedness. Good luck to you too! It sucks

I also have very bad absorption issues. I don't make enough hydrocloric acid hence the autoimmune disease and not absorbing b12 other than injections. I'm interested if I'm absorbing some of the iron or not.

in reply to Ladyawkward

I saw GP after blood test. My ferritin level was 44, but she said she would like it to be 100. Normal range from our lab is 11-390. You probably have a long way to go to get good ferritin levels.

Good luck!

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