Heart worries

[Sue4983]

Hi there

Has anyone had issues with their heart ? I have recently seen an endo who I paid to see privately who said I had a degree of subclinical thyroid dysfunction and wanted more blood tests done I then had these done on the NHS as he was going to charge me six hundred pounds for them but in the meantime I have been diagnosed with an enlarged heart and an abnormal heart rythmn ! GP is now sending me for echocardiogram and 24 hour blood pressure monitoring

Does anyone think this could be linked in any way?

I have rheumatoid arthritis which I take methotrexate for and am also going through the menopause!

The latest blood tests which I am emailing to the thyroid consultant are as follows

TSH .42 0.35-4.94

Free T4. 13.1. 9.0-19.0

Serum free triiodothyronine 5.13 3.25-6.21

I would appreciate any feedback as I've now been off work for seven months and Im worried sick

Many thanks

Sue

[Clutter]

Sue4983,

Your thyroid levels are euthyroid (normal) and don't indicate subclinical thyroid dysfunction.

What causes enlargement of the heart?

An enlarged heart is medically known as cardiomegaly. Cardiomegaly can be caused by a number of different conditions, including diseases of the heart muscle or heart valves, high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and pulmonary hypertension.19 Dec 2016

Enlarged Heart (Cardiomegaly): Check Your Symptoms and Signs

medicinenet.com/enlarged_he...

Rheumatoid arthritis-related inflammation can affect the heart muscle, the heart valves, or the blood vessels of the heart (coronary arteries). ... Rheumatoid nodules of local inflammation can occur in the lungs.17 Jan 2017

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Causes, Symptoms, Treatment - How Does ...

emedicinehealth.com/rheumat...

Some articles suggest that Methotrexate may cause adverse heart effects while others suggest that it gives heart protection to RA patients.

google.co.uk/search?q=does+...

[Sue4983 in reply to Clutter]

Yes thanks for that the occupational health nurse that did my report for work said she thought it could be linked to my medication or rheumatoid

I suppose I've just got to wait for these tests but easier said than done !Its only been ten days but it feels like a year !

[Clutter in reply to Sue4983]

Sue4983,

I sympathise. Although most tests are done to rule things out rather than to actually make a diagnosis it is very stressful waiting for results and repeat tests.

You may be interested in joining the NRAS community healthunlocked.com/nras

[Marz]

Am wondering that as RA is auto-immune if you have Hashimotos too ...

How are your levels of B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD ?

There is a very strong connection between the heart and thyroid as shown in all the research papers in the book on Amazon -Thyroid and Heart Failure .... you can take a peep inside on-line.

[Sue4983]

I did have my Vit D Folate and Ferritin and B12 checked a few months ago and they were all O K I haven't got the results to hand at the moment

I just feel that the latest problem is somehow linked to everything else

I was originally off work because I had a knee operation then I got shingles then the pain in neck hoarse voice fatigue etc now the heart problems It just seems to much of a coincidence!

Thank you for your reply

[greygoose in reply to Sue4983]

Probably is! When you find your results for B12 etc. it would be a good idea to start a new thread with them (and the ranges). OK is just an opinion.

[Marz in reply to Sue4983]

Will look out for those results as they are important. Do you have Hashimotos ?

[Sue4983]

Just going to email my nutritionist to get these Vit D etc results

Is the test for Hashimotos the antibodies ?

[humanbean in reply to Sue4983]

Get the results for any other nutrient tests as well as vitamin D. Being terribly low in iron gave me lots of heart problems. They diminished as I got my iron levels up. I've been left with a tendency to get bouts of tachycardia though, which I absolutely hate.