# Heart Palpitations After Total Thyroidectomy?



## MJRusso

Hi all.

I'm 5 days post TT and I'm not currently taking any hormone medications. I feel OK for the most part, but last night I woke up out of a deep sleep with my heart racing/fluttering. It passed after 2 or 3 minutes and I was able to go right back to sleep. I never has this issue prior to surgery.

I expected to start experiencing signs of hypothyroidism at some point (even before the surgery I already felt hypo), but the heart palpitation seems like an overactive/hyperthyroid issue.

Is that even possible without a thyroid or medications? Has anyone in my position experienced this before? Any answers/suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

~Michael


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## joplin1975

Yes, you still may be experiencing the effects of a thyroid dump. I had symptoms for the first three or four days -- hot flashes, jittery feeling, a few heart palps for good measure.

To make it more confusing, you can get heart palps from being hypo, too. When my TSH was in the 120s, I had them then too.

Clear as mud, right?


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## Andros

MJRusso said:


> Hi all.
> 
> I'm 5 days post TT and I'm not currently taking any hormone medications. I feel OK for the most part, but last night I woke up out of a deep sleep with my heart racing/fluttering. It passed after 2 or 3 minutes and I was able to go right back to sleep. I never has this issue prior to surgery.
> 
> I expected to start experiencing signs of hypothyroidism at some point (even before the surgery I already felt hypo), but the heart palpitation seems like an overactive/hyperthyroid issue.
> 
> Is that even possible without a thyroid or medications? Has anyone in my position experienced this before? Any answers/suggestions?
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> ~Michael


It sounds like you may have had what we call a "dump" which would be a rapid release of thyroxine into your system. Even though your thyroid is long gone, there are peripheral storage units.

And you know, it never hurts to call your doctor.

An enzyme called deiodinase removes iodide from the inactive monoiodothyronine and diiodothyronine molecules in the thyroid, which restores most of the iodide used in the biosynthesis of T4 and T3. From the thyroid hormones released into the bloodstream, a peripheral deiodinase in target tissues such as the pituitary, kidney, and liver selectively removes iodide from the 5' position of T4 to make T3, which is a much more active molecule.

In the end organ, T3 is present in the two following forms:

•Type 1, which is present within the liver and accounts for 80% of the deiodination of T4
•Type 2, which is present within the pituitary gland

Read on, Mike!
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2089598-overview#a30


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## jenny v

For what it's worth, I've been both hyper and hypo and I've had heart palpitations with both.


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## I DClaire

jenny v said:


> For what it's worth, I've been both hyper and hypo and I've had heart palpitations with both.


Me, too, Jenny. I don't know but what that is the one symptom that keeps me confused.

Day after tomorrow I'm scheduled for a heart CAT scan but the cardiologist has already told me that if that doesn't show something, we've got to put my heart worries to rest. It's hard - the #1 symptom I had when I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism was heart palpitations. I've had my thyroid removed and my #1 symptom still is heart palpitations, to the point where I had a massive attack of something last week that sent me to the ER. I had EVERY symptom of a heart attack but apparently what I feel is not actually my heart.

Sometimes my heart pounds so hard I just can barely tolerate it...but tests won't indicate any heart problem.


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## DonnaK

I had the same prior to surgery and was sent to ER twice. Finally had stress test and ultrasound and all was well with my heart so I have learned to just be calm when it happens. My doc gave me some anti-axiety stuff to take when it happens though as he thinks it is panic attacks associated with my thyroid issues.


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