T3 and A-Fib - talk to me: As above. Ive just... - Thyroid UK

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T3 and A-Fib - talk to me

Murphysmum profile image
26 Replies

As above.

Ive just felt my heart beat in my neck for a few minutes.

Whilst my bp doesn’t seem affected, and the monitor shows a rate of around 60bpm, I can feel several steady beats and then a gap... then steady beats again.

I googled a low and behold these are symptoms of a fib.

Help.... I feel soooo much better with added T3 😢

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Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum
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26 Replies
bantam12 profile image
bantam12

Sounds more like ectopics than AFib.

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54

Those are ectopic beats. Afib is chaotic beating. Usually rapid and all over the place. I have Afib currently and have had ectopic beats. If your heart rate and BP are normal it’s unlikely to be Afib. My current resting heart rate is in the high 90’s or up to 115 sometimes. It’s horrible.

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toFancyPants54

That does sound horrible. I only ever had that once for a short time and I was very very uncomfortable.

Ok, so ectopic beats bantam12 - what happens with that?

At the moment it makes my chest feel tight and head and neck feel like they’re going to explode. It’s not nice.

I’m awaiting bloods - is this a too high/low issue?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMurphysmum

Can be low nutrients......eg Magnesium or iron/ferritin

Or gluten

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toSlowDragon

Ahhhhh!

I’m still trying the gluten thing! Really I am.

..... nothing to note with regards to thyroid so far though but I do feel better overall 😉

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMurphysmum

Do you supplement magnesium?

What's vitamin D level like?

And are you supplementing vitamin D?

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toSlowDragon

Haven’t had D checked in a while but it was adequate at the end of last year and I’ve been supplementing every day since with better you Vit D + K2.

Yes, I supplement magnesium too and when it was last checked it was ok.... according to gp 😳

Again I m still taking it anyway so should be good

bantam12 profile image
bantam12 in reply toMurphysmum

Ectopics are premature beats which cause a pause so you feel a skipped beat then return to normal until the next one, it's considered benign and a normal occurrence it's just that some people are more aware of them. I get over 20,000 a day and need treatment.

You should get it checked out anyway to make sure there is no underlying cause.

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply tobantam12

😳 I don’t think I’m in the 20,000 a day category.

Pretty much been happening several times a day for the last week though. Really annoying because otherwise I feel great.

I had an ecg and scan last year and all was well then but I will mention to consultant in case.

Kind of hoping bloods come back too high or low explaining all 🤞🏻

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54 in reply toMurphysmum

Do mention it to the doctor to get checked. They are also pretty common when perimenopause and menopause hit and hormones fluctuate so not necessarily linked to thyroid. Afib isn't necessarily linked to thyroid either. It's just doctors freak out about it being so.

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toFancyPants54

Thank you, I will do.

You know the skipped beats/palps themselves don’t bother me too much, it’s the pressure in my head and neck at the same time that’s very disconcerting. Makes me want to stop whatever I’m doing and lie down!

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54 in reply toMurphysmum

Which is the real reason you should go and talk to your GP. I've not experienced that symptom with ectopic beats.

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toFancyPants54

I agree.

I’m feeling slightly better though as when I googled it it does say often accompanied by pressure in the neck or throat.... (not head tho!)

I have had this in the past prior to all my issues kicking off. I don’t know if my levels were low or high then though.

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54 in reply toMurphysmum

Good luck. You were saying recently that you were feeling better with the T3 added. I hope if you need to adjust it is just a small adjustment.

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toFancyPants54

Lord! Me too.

I realise I’m lucky because I discovered this forum early on and I’m only two years into my quest to feel well again but, man does it feel like a long time!!

I just want to be consistently well for more than say... two weeks!

Too much to ask...?

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54 in reply toMurphysmum

It often seems like it. But then there are others who find their dose and are off. I increased my Levothyroxine to 150 about 4 weeks ago, having had to drop my T3 in case it was upsetting the Afib. I remember thinking "I don't seem to be having any symptoms from the increase, in fact I don't feel too bad". And then the bug from hell hit me and felled me like a tree. I'm in the 3rd week now and still feeling awful. In fact I now seem to have a cold on top of the flu-like thing I have had for the past 2 weeks. Cough from hell. Lifeless. So tired but unable to sleep due to cough. Struggling to do anything. And I gave it to my husband so he's not quite as bad as me, but he's not feeling good and is very tired and coughing. So I have no idea now how that 150 Levothroxine is doing!

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toFancyPants54

Oh no!

I hope you get well soon. There’s nothing worse. I’ve been lucky there too in that I haven’t suffered anything else in the couple of years I’ve been trying to get well again.

Probably mixed that now

Get well soon 😉

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator in reply tobantam12

How awful for you - over 20,000 a day. I hope they sort you out quickly.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMurphysmum

Tight chest might be low iron/ferritin

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toSlowDragon

Low ferritin wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve been supplementing on and off with iron but it doesn’t seem to budge.

I may approach gp again because I don’t know what else to do about it now.

I’m exercising more now and pushing a bit now that I feel back to my old self... what impact would this have?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMurphysmum

We need to regularly retest vitamin levels

Ask GP to test iron and ferritin

Eating liver or liver pate once a week, plus other iron rich foods like black pudding, prawns, spinach, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily vitamin C can help improve iron absorption

FERRITIN and hypothyroidism

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...

restartmed.com/hypothyroidi...

Post about iron supplements

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toSlowDragon

I’ve been doing all that!

And I have the Thorne iron bisglyconate tablets which I’ve had two courses of.

Can’t recall what the exact numbers were last time but I think my ferritin has gone from 30 something to 43 in a period of about 9 months 🤷🏼‍♀️

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMurphysmum

Lots of different options in that post about iron supplements

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator

I woudn't worry too much, if anything, taking T3 calmed everything in my body, whereas with T4 I had pulse of 160+ at times. Cardiologist was puzzled why this was happening nearly always in the middle of the night and was going to put an implant in heart but when given T3, everything calmed down and a fast pulse is'nt pleasant and I hadn't seen a cardilogist again for at least seven years .

Brain and heart need the most T3. Are you on a reasonable dose?

I had a seven day heart monitor in February and am still awaiting the results. I've contacted GP, I've spoken to the Cardiology Dept, I've gone into the Holter Dept and she said she'd pass a message along. I spoke to GP on phone ten days ago and she hasn't got back to me either and she said she'd send an email to cardio. I just imagine how many emails a cardiology dept would deal with in a day and I think it would be never-ending and who could possibly read all of them. I've not been able to book my holidays either until I get a response from the professionals.

We wouldn't need to be a person who worries too much. I hope you resolve your problem soon.

Murphysmum profile image
Murphysmum in reply toshaws

Thanks shaws

I’m hopeful it’s a medication issue 😬

mourneadventurer profile image
mourneadventurer

Another considerations might be an irritated vagus nerve caused by food intolerances/allergies, SIBO, pathogens, or a hiatus hernia.

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