Hello All Hypo sufferers, my partner has been having breathlessness, says heart races when she climbs stairs, is this a common problem?

[juby]

[mandy72]

my heart races like mad when i get up from sitting ... walking up the stairs and most day to day activities allso very breathless just sitting down

[oldgreybird in reply to mandy72]

Breathlessness can also be the sign that something is not right with the heart/lungs.

My husband started to get breathless some weeks ago and went to the GP who arranged various blood tests and an ECG which all came back negative so it was put down to the blood pressure tablets he had started as it is one of the possible side effects. He stopped taking the tablets but the breathlessness continued and he felt worse and worse and ended up back at the Surgery and was seen by another GP who was surprised he hadn't had a particular blood test done with the other ones and sent him off to get it done that day. My husband felt dreadful and was so breathless that night that he nearly went to A&E. He got a call the next morning from the Surgery who had the result of the blood test and they told him to get to A&E straight away as it was likely he had blood clots.

It turned out he had clots between his heart and both lungs and was in hospital for 3 days while they started the treatment to deal with it. The consultant was amazed he had lasted as long as he had before ending up in A&E and that his heart had not been compromised - my husband is normally very strong and fit which I think must have helped. If he had been weedy and unfit it might have been another story.

Anyway, the point is, please do not ignore the breathlessness. Make a fuss at the GP's. It is not normal to be breathless and whether it is because of the levo or something else, you need to get it sorted. Don't ignore it and don't be fobbed off.

[Ansteynomad]

And me.

[nightingale-56]

Me too and not to mention the acid reflux! Janet.

[helvella Administrator]

Breathlessness can be a symptom of low B12 levels and that should, in my view, be one of the things considered.

Rod

[shaws Administrator]

As well as a B12 check, this link is from Dr Lowe for information:-

web.archive.org/web/2010112...

[editfmrt]

Shaws excellent link also takes you onto another of his archived articles:

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[mandy72 in reply to editfmrt]

how do we prove to drs that being hypo is the cause? everytime i go they put it down to smoking and weight.......my breathing and heart racing all started a couple of weeks after starting on 50mcg levothyroxine and has not improved at all.....im reading that its overmedicated and undermedicated my dr is a waste of space and i feel like im just banging my head against a brick wall.........do our T3 T4 and antibodies even get checked in uk ??

[Jackie]

Hi Breathlessness can be many things but also is the first sign of heart disease. Racing heart, she needs to first take her H. R , pulse, manually 3 times a day, for 2 weeks, especially when off etc, If it shows swings, especially at the time,, important to go to GP and ask for a home monitor, 24 hours or better 7 days. This may be Atrial Fibrillatioin, thyroid disease often brings on A.F ,very common but needs drugs especially anticoagulation, can cause clots otherwise. If it is positive needs to be under a Cardio and Endo.

Best wishes,

Jackie

[promisem]

One of you mentioned acid reflux. I had breathlessness that turned out to be asthma, and the asthma was triggered in part by acid reflux. Once I got rid of coffee and other factors that were behind the acid reflux, my conditions went away. I'm not saying this is the case here, but it's just one of the possibilities.

The page below about symptoms is on a site run by doctors who specialize in acid reflux.

refluxmd.com/learn/symptoms

The other thing I've learned from that experience is that you should take a hard look at all the things you eat and drink and consider the affects of aging on how you process foods and liquids. Some of us get more sensitive to caffeine as we get older. Also, sometimes psychological conditions play a part, such as stress, anxiety and panic attacks.

Sometimes the causes are not serious and may be easy to identify if you know where to look.

[juby]

Thank you everybody for the replies, very useful.