Heart problems

[Aleahcim1]

Hi wonder if anyone could give me any advice please? I was diagnosed with Hashimotos 5 years ago. Prescribed levothyroxine just over 2 years ago, now on 75mcg. Been feeling dreadful for sometime, visiting surgery for help but won't prescribe more levo as my thyroid levels are on baseline of normal although I have had a referral for an endo which is not until October. I have experienced chest pain and palpitations plus shortness of breath for months. GP recently sent me for a 24 hr ECG this showed ST depressions suggesting I have cardiac ischima. I think this problem may be to do with my Hashimotos?

[shaws Administrator]

Heart problems maybe due to not being on sufficient medication, no matter what your GP says. First, what you must do is get a copy of your latest blood tests for your thyroid gland with the ranges and put on a new question. We are entitled to copies but some charge a nominal sum.

If you've not had a Vitamin B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate test, ask for these to be done as we are usually deficient and can cause problems too.

[shaws Administrator in reply to shaws]

Also, when you had been diagnosed with Hashi's that you had to wait three years for treatment to begin (most probably due just to your initial TSH result) is abominable.

[Jackie]

Hi Yes, I agree with you. It ks important for you to be under a good Endo and good Cadio. Investigate them thoroughly before seeing them.

Jackie

[Mystory4u]

Never mind the relationship to your hashimotos get yourself to a specialist cardiologist ASAP. I have worked in cardiac wards and you need urgent assessment, in my opinion. If you get further chest pains call emergency/ambulance. Please take care of yourself and seek medical advice.

[Aleahcim1 in reply to Mystory4u]

Thank you my daughter has said the same thing! I will do that. Just palpitations at the moment but I will call for an ambulance if the pain returns. I am going to call to make a private appointment with a cardiologist on Monday. Hoping they will be able to transfer me through to the NHS though.

[Mystory4u in reply to Aleahcim1]

Relieved to hear it. If private cardiologist believes you need urgent investigation you should consider getting a letter and any results from him/her and presenting at the emergency department of an NHS hospital that has a cardiac unit with a good reputation - perhaps your private cardiologist knows someone there and can recommend one. I'm in Australia but have lived in UK. over here private consultants often also work and teach in public hospitals and it may be similar in UK today. Try to avoid stress and intense physical exercise until you have had a cardiac assessment which may include an angiogram. Also please note that many docs still like to out women through an exercise stress test. These have Bbeen proven to be unreliable in diagnosing women with coronary artery disease etc and often result I false positives too. If you are middle aged or older I recommend asking your cardiologist to skip the stress test and go straight to angiogram or some other reliable diagnostic tool, especially if you have not been exercising regularly for years and are not athletic. also note that recent studies have shown that women with coronary artery disease or who are having cardiac related issues present with very different symptoms to men so if you experience shortness of breath that may also be an acute warning sign that you need urgent medical attention and to call an ambulance. I hope you are well and get the medical attention and expertise that is your right - woman often find it more difficult to be taken seriously in medical circles. (I am a woman so I know.)

[Aleahcim]

Hello, thank you so much for your replies. I have requested a copy of all my results. I received my referral for the cardiologist today(the GP marked urgent). It is on October 22nd and that is supposed to be urgent!! I am looking into the possibility of having a private consultation first with a cardiologist then transferring back to nhs as I can't afford private care to carry on.

I also requested a referral to an endo in Newcastle as there seems to be a good provision at the RVI. Sadly myGrandmother and my Mum suffered with thyroid problems diagnosed far too late. They both died of heart failure. My symptoms are the same but I have them much younger. I wish it was easier to get help in the nhs!

[Mystory4u in reply to Aleahcim]

Call your gp's rooms and tell them the date and that you need to be seen more quickly and ask them to contact the cardiologists secretary/rooms to get an urgent appointment - they should put you in as an extra or else ask to be referred to another cardiologist if that still doesn't work out because for instance the cardiologist has broken a leg or is out of the country. I used to run a cardiologist's private practice in Australia and this is how it's done here. Learn to push and not to take no for an answer or you'll get overlooked - all health practices are overwhelmed so it's the person who advocates for themselves that gets what they need, not people who are too ready to accept what they are given. You have a right to be seen earlier than this - please exercise this right and push for it. I have seen very unhappy outcomes when people are too laid back - I don't want this for you.

[TSH110]

I have hypo (never told which type but probably HT) and was put on levothyroxine but very slowly due to heart pains and palpitations.it took 9 mths to get me vaguely ok again. I felt a lot better on 125mcg daily but this was reduced to 120/125 alternate days on the grounds that I was overdosed and my TSH was too low <0.5. I never felt good on the reduced dose and was plagued by heart pain etc. After three years of it I decided to self medicate on NDT slowly exchanging one for the other, following the thyroid patient advocacy guidelines. I am on an equivalent dose of 1.25 grains a day and my chest pains, and heart palipitations have mysteriously evaporated. I still have breathlessness and fatigue easily , climbing stairs, but generally feel much better. I am far more able to exercise, not to the levels before becoming ill but still pretty good.

I believe I actually needed the higher dose of thyroxine to stop the heart problems. I prefer NDT, which seems to be better for me.

Once you get the levels and ranges posted, others, far more knowledgeable than me, will be able to advise you.

I thought you might find my personal experience interesting as it seems we have had similar symptoms.

[Aleahcim1 in reply to TSH110]

Thank you, yes when I was first prescribed levo my palpitations dissaperared but they returned quite some time ago. Docs are reluctant to give me more levo. Please could you tell me what NDT is and how do I get it. I feel that my body is having difficulty converting from T4 to T3.

[TSH110]

Ok I will PM you

[Aleahcim in reply to TSH110]

Thank you