# Heart pain



## fayla (Oct 17, 2012)

I am recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism but had been experiencing on and off heart pain beforehand. Now it has become more frequent. Expressed my concerns to a dr. She did an EKG and it was normal. Also my my pulse and blood pressure are within the normal range. At times I will feel like my heart is pounding yet my pulse will be around 80.

Anyone have experiences with heart pain?


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## Rain (Jun 19, 2012)

I get some pain in my chest, mainly around the heart area. Sometimes it's sharp, and other times it just feels like a muscle ache. I've had the same pounding heart feeling, whether my pulse is normal or elevated. Since I've gone from hyper to slightly hypo I haven't been having the pains as much anymore.

I have had a couple of ECGs and a 7-day holter monitor, all showed up fine. The doc says there is nothing wrong with my heart, it's just symptoms of the thyroid problem. Stressing about it does make it worse.
Perhaps ask for a holter test to ease your mind, or a referral to a cardiologist if you're too worried about it?


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## fayla (Oct 17, 2012)

Thanks for the reply Rain. You're right, I think I'm having them more often because I am stressing about it and worried.

When you are hyper how were you sleeping habits? I've noticed lately that an hour before dawn or so I'll wake up and feel like my blood is racing through my veins, almost feels like my body is buzzing. I try to do breathing exercises until I feel calmer.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Breathing exercises are a great way to calm yourself! I suffered from insomnia when I was hyper, yuck. I think it is pretty common to feel wired most of the time.


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## Rain (Jun 19, 2012)

fayla said:


> Thanks for the reply Rain. You're right, I think I'm having them more often because I am stressing about it and worried.
> 
> When you are hyper how were you sleeping habits? I've noticed lately that an hour before dawn or so I'll wake up and feel like my blood is racing through my veins, almost feels like my body is buzzing. I try to do breathing exercises until I feel calmer.


I know I'm right about that, some people have no idea how powerful the mind is hugs1
When my heart symptoms were that bad, the only way I could stop myself getting into a panic was to remind myself of the symptoms of hyper and keep telling myself that's ALL IT IS. Every list you read will have rapid or pounding heart on it, and most have chest pain.

I couldn't sleep much at all when I was hyper. I was constantly tired, but wired at the same time. I'd wake up multiple times through the night (half of them to pee), and end up out of bed at least an hour before my alarm went off.
I had the same thing, sometimes you wake up and feel like you've just run up a hill! Pounding heart, fast pulse and like you can feel the blood tingling through your while body.

Breathing will help a lot.

Are you on a beta blocker? I had awful palpitations before I was put on propranolol, it really helped, with both hand tremors and all of the heart things. When you read how it works you understand why it's so good!


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## fayla (Oct 17, 2012)

Rain, that's what is happening to me. If I wake up to pee or something, I can feel my heart pounding. I can go back to sleep, because I feel my heart pounding and it's scary. I'll take my pulse and it's usually in the 80s. But it will feel like it is pounding. When I went to the dr she said she would prefer not to put me on a beta blocker because my heart rate is normal.

I don't know how I'm going to continue to function if I don't get relief soon. I go to school full time and work also. I need my rest ...... we all do.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

fayla, is your heart pounding like BOOM - BOOM - BOOM, or is it more like a confused fluttering (what I would call palpitations)?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

fayla said:


> I am recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism but had been experiencing on and off heart pain beforehand. Now it has become more frequent. Expressed my concerns to a dr. She did an EKG and it was normal. Also my my pulse and blood pressure are within the normal range. At times I will feel like my heart is pounding yet my pulse will be around 80.
> 
> Anyone have experiences with heart pain?


If you are hyperthyroid, you should be on a beta-blocker. Are you? Are you on anti-thyroid meds?


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## fayla (Oct 17, 2012)

Octavia it is definitely more of a boom boom boom. I haven't really felt like it was fluttering.

Andros, no beta blocker, no antithyroid meds. I have not seen an endo yet and my primary dr has not prescribed me anything even though I've cried and voiced much concern. No beta blocker because my heart rate is in normal range.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Okay...and I see that your blood pressure is normal. Since you're not making progress with the doctors yet, what about seeing a counselor or psychologist to learn some techniques to help yourself get calm when this happens?


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## fayla (Oct 17, 2012)

Octavia, so the boom boom boom is more of an anxiety reaction? I'll wake up from sleeping and feel it. But overall, i am just afraid. I think I've read too much about thyroid storms and how it can cause heart damage. I am freaked out by all of this. I can't thank you and everyone enough for the advice.

I'm sorry if I sound like an overreacting crybaby, I just feel like my emotions are all over the place.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Well, I don't KNOW if the pounding is from anxiety. It could be, and it becomes sort of a vicious cycle...you feel the pounding, then become anxious about it, then it gets worse, or happens more often, etc.

It sounds like physically, your heart is doing okay, according to the doctors, and your blood pressure is normal. So IF it's an anxiety thing, then something can be done about it, and it doesn't necessarily have to be pills. Sometimes, we just need to learn ways to bring ourselves out of the anxiety.


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## fayla (Oct 17, 2012)

Octavia, you're very right. My symptoms have become worse since I found out because I am stressing over it to the point where I can't sleep at night and my heart always feels like it is pounding. I have never learned good coping mechanisms unfortunately. But I am working on breathing techniques and want to try meditation. Looking at the pug in your avi makes me feel better :winking0014:


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

_Having _a pug like the one in my avi makes me feel better.


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## fayla (Oct 17, 2012)

Octavia, you may have seen this already but it always makes me laugh. Gotta love pugs and I'm sure we all could use a little laugh.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Oh - that was cute! Thanks for posting - I had not seen it before. (Thank goodness my pug doesn't "sing" like that!)


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## ideborah (Sep 19, 2012)

fayla said:


> Octavia it is definitely more of a boom boom boom. I haven't really felt like it was fluttering.
> 
> Andros, no beta blocker, no antithyroid meds. I have not seen an endo yet and my primary dr has not prescribed me anything even though I've cried and voiced much concern. No beta blocker because my heart rate is in normal range.


My heart was/is normal as well. But my primary doctor put me on a beta blocker when I mentioned the tremors. It is a low dose but it has helped the tremors and the heart pounding and chest pain. Not 100%, but a great deal. My primary doctor called the endo personally and got me into see him within a week. Maybe it's time for a new primary for you. Good luck. You'll feel better once you're on the right meds.


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## fayla (Oct 17, 2012)

Thanks ideborah. I hope to get on the right track soon.


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## lizzieodat (Feb 25, 2013)

Hi Fayla,

I frequently have chest pain and palpitations. However, I have been recently dx with a heart problem AND hyperthyroidism. I had a normal EKG and normal blood pressure but an echo (heart ultrasound) showed my heart dysfunction. While it is too early to tell whether the thyroid was the cause of the heart trouble and my doctors won't quite commit to that, they acknowledge that the thyroid can majorly exacerbate the heart. Of course if my heart makes significant recovery once my thyroid treatment is optimized then that could conclusively show that the thyroid was the culprit (I just started treatment). Time will tell. Here is a link I found about heart and thyroid connection: http://www.eje-online.org/content/152/1/1.full
I have actually come across a fair amount of very credible info on the subject that leads me to believe that the thyroid causing heart stuff is not all that unusual.

I posted earlier about this and included more about my own story too. I wish you all the best on your journey to great health!


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