.....a female friend of mine in her mid 70's has had a recent episode and the Cardiologist has diagnosed Arrhythmia. Am afraid I am not knowledgeable about heart conditions and couldn't find much in ' tags '. He examined her throat and thought she may have a thyroid problem. Her scan revealed several harmless looking nodes but her blood tests according to her GP were normal ! Sorry I don't have the results ! She has complained of being tired - is forgetful - butterfly brain - difficulty losing weight and so on....
Does anyone know of some information to which I can refer that is medically based.....am sure Rod will come up with something - hopefully ! - that may just connect the two conditions. Is it the same as palpitations ? She is being told it is just about getting older !
She frowns upon my knowledge gained from this site - but has now started to take VitD and B12 having heard me talk about it to someone else !!
Thanks in advance..............
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Marz
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I'm sorry I don't have anything "official" but I can tell you that my arrhythmia, bradycardia and missed beats (sometimes several in a row!) have improved greatly since switching to NDT. It was also much better on T3. If I find anything I will post it, but I'm sure Rod will know exactly where to look
.....thank you CarolynB - glad to hear of your improvement. It was a missed beat that first took me to the doctor that lead to my diagnosis. That too settled - or I just did not notice it anymore ! Always had a low pulse which is now higher. Often wonder if it is too high - but am taking so little T3. 25mcg cut into 4 and I only take 3 of them ! No T4 ! ......ummmm ?
Marz, There are several kinds of arrhythmia, but she really should steer clear of the drug amiodarone (often given for atrial fibrillation) which can definitely cause problems with those who have thyroid problems. Doctors love to blame arrhythmias on too much thyroid hormone but in fact this can be quite wrong as the heart needs T3 in order for the electric currents to work properly. She really needs to see a doctor who understands both thyroid disorders and cardiac problems and how they are interrelated. Jane x
....Jane - thank you very much. Wonder how we can find out which sort of arrhythmia she has. Will certainly ask if she is on Amiodarone. She has regular blood tests and ECG's. Have to be careful as she is a little tetchy with me about thyroid - but will quietly observe and report ! Did see something about Amiodarone on Pub Med when I was having a nose around.
Marz, there's a whole book about thyroid and the heart. You can read some of it through Amazons' website. Worth a browse just in case there's anything visible that might help.
A specialist book, so very expensive to buy new, but some relative bargains in the 'used' section!
(If it does not work, simply go to the site and type arrhythmia into the search box.)
There are several mentions - worth a quick look round. Quite obviously nothing like this is actually simple. Even if it is directly connected, there is always the need to considered if anything else is going on, maybe exacerbating the issues.
....yes I am sure you are right about it being just part of the problem and that other factors are involved...thus making it more difficult to resolve. It strikes me that so many people are healthy all their lives and then suddenly something like heart comes up and hits them. Another reason, in my humble opinion, that people are checked and have baseline thyroid figures when they are younger. Just a thought.
Thank you Rod for the information. When you made the comment ' normal be blowed ! ' - were you thinking that if there were nodes it could not be normal ? - just interested......
That what is stated to be "normal" often is not - e.g. it is very much not a number the could ever be described as normal such as a TSH a millionth of a unit below top of range, or even way over range.
That if the context is has anything about it, then the word does not mean the same thing. At the risk of offending the good folk of the county again, "Normal For Norfolk" is NOT "normal"!
That doctors even use the term. Because the word means so many things. It means being at right angles to something else. It is the name sometimes used of the Gaussian distribution. It means anything from around 50 to 85-ish when applied to a resting heart rate - depending on age, athletic training, etc., and can be measured outside that range and still be normal for the person / circumstance. It needs qualification to make sense.
Yes - without knowing anything of the history of nodes...
One classic example of a non-normal normal:
Someone who is both iron-deficient and B12 deficiency. Low iron results in small red blood cells (microcytic anaemia). Low B12 results large red blood cells (macrocytosis). Having both can result is "normal" average red blood cell size because some are small and some are large but they balance each other out.
Hi There is an arrythmia society in the uK, if you cannot find it phone the BHF ( British heart foundation ) both very helpful. She needs to see a specialist cardiologist who deals with arrythmias. It is likely to be Atrial Fibrillation ( AF)as that is common. There is quite separately an arrythmia, often called essential,. Which means it does not mater and usually there from birth,but suddenly found. however even that can sometimes become dangerous.I I have had both of these all my life and I also have VT`s which are very dangerous, they are also called arrythmias. So you see lots of different ones. also an AF society , they all have sites and you can get very good pamphlets from the BHF Anti coagulation for all these is essential because of the risk of clots.
....thank you Jackie - that is very helpful. She has seen a Cardiologist here in Crete so not sure what his speciality is ! On the whole the docs here are excellent and if anything are inclined to over diagnose.
Hi actually for all heart problems (and everyone).essential that all electrolytes are always in range. Magnesium, tiny range, calcium ( the corrected calcium that matters )sodium and potassium ( all U`s and E`s , kidney function). Although the basic magnesium and Potassium, as opposed to the cellular measurement is not as good. I have them weekly to daily and they measure well enough to keep me alive..and vary often. Potassium ideal about 4 ie not the bottom of range ,which varies slightly according to range.of Lab. Potassium, magnesium and sodium change daily. If taking any of these, except for calcium, monthly tests, the others vary daily., so at least once a week ,tests need repeating. I have had 4 cardiac arrests due to electrolytes mainly low potassium, most dangerous cause of sudden death. Too high then acute renal failure and coma, often death. So , yes very i important.If taking vit D, anyone, vital to have calcium checks as D increases calcium in body.If cardio good, he would have done these tests. Cardiologist these days like most medicine have lots of subdivisions and some know more about one thing.
I did not want to bombard you with info which is why I did not put too much before.Co-enzyme QT a brilliant supplement but needs to check this before taking , mainly due to the anticoagulation. I take both but because of clots, arrests and strokes ) I have to check mine and alter it daily, so depends on the checking of iNR.
....my word that sounds very complicated but have read many of your posts and am aware that you have this amazing juggling act on your hands. Thank you for taking the time to inform me. Am not sure I will be able to help my friend - there is some resistance naturally - who am I to come up with a suggestion ? !!
Thanks again Jackie - if you think of anything then do let me know !
Thanks for you reply, we are all stubborn when diagnosed with something unpleasant ! Sounds as if she also needs her Free T3 testing, or do they test it there. When I first was diagnosed HYPO, ( Hashis found later ) it was only my FT3 that was low. I was treated, I had armour and later when available T3 too. Thyroid disease does not cause AF but can effect it.
If you want any more info for her, ( if she will accept it) send me a PM any time.
Best wishes,
Jackie
Hi Marz, Just another thought. Does she know her magnesium levels? Low magnesium can sometimes contribute to arrhythmia. Jane x x
yes well said, however on NHS they always give a 'serum magnesium' and that is 'useless' pretty much, it is much better to have an RBC magnesium, it can be done on NHS however seh has to put her foot down for it as they usually do the serum.
...thank you Jane - that had occurred to me too as the heart is a muscle and all that. Good to have confirmation though. Will walk on egg shells and do my best to introduce this ! Appreciate your help very much. M xx
Also one more thing Marz which I know you will find helpful for your own family too. Caroline and I are just back from California where we saw this doctor. He highlights Magnesium deficiency as one of the problems of the modern world, and has identified 3 major things wrong with Caroline that she has never had diagnosed before. We are waiting for further test results. Let me know if you need more info and I'll p.m. you. Early days with her treatment, and she feels awful, but we are looking upon that as a good sign as her body tries to get rid of toxins. Jane x x
Dr. Neil Nathan Offers New Hope for People with Undiagnosed Disease - YouTube
I recently needed an EKG for a check up. I asked about two things which I had read about for those suffering from hypothyroidism. One is that the left ventricle is often enlarged in hypothyroids and also there is a lag of the R wave on the EKG. And both appear to be true, and showed up on my EKG although I don't know enough to explain whether it causes her arrhythmia but it may.
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