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What Causes Occasionally Rapid And Irregular Pulse, Restlessness And Dizziness?
Question: I've been struggling with things like: occasionally rapid and irregular pulse (sometimes when moving and sometimes when still), restlessness, dizziness on occasion but never passing out, general feeling "off" and being very anxious about it. I have been to a cardiologist and had holter, event monitor, EKG, echo, chest x-ray and blood work, all normal. I have also been to an endocrinologist, who found that I have thyroid nodules, and had had an episode of thyroiditis - some hyperthyroid symptoms when normally hypothyroid. I have been taking 60mg propranolol er to slow down my heart rate, and it's helped a lot.
I think I understand how my thyroid and anxiety can cause all of these problems, although it's hard to accept because I've been so anxious and felt so different from how I normally do.
I am 33, normal height and weight, female, never smoked, healthy parents who have no heart disease, and normally quite active - though I've felt strange enough that it's really limited my activity recently. I am doing a stress test next week, which I think my doctor is doing mainly due to my anxiety about what's going on, and not because she necessarily feels it's necessary.
I guess my question is - if I've had all of these heart tests and nothing has been found to be wrong with my heart, can I safety accept that the strangeness is thyroid and/or anxiety related and stop worrying about things like heart blockages? When I started feeling sick, I read a lot online, which I thought would make me feel better - but there are so many scary and unexpected "healthy woman in 30s with no risk factors suddenly having heart attack" stories, that the information I'd expected to reassure me in fact made me more nervous.
I think I understand how my thyroid and anxiety can cause all of these problems, although it's hard to accept because I've been so anxious and felt so different from how I normally do.
I am 33, normal height and weight, female, never smoked, healthy parents who have no heart disease, and normally quite active - though I've felt strange enough that it's really limited my activity recently. I am doing a stress test next week, which I think my doctor is doing mainly due to my anxiety about what's going on, and not because she necessarily feels it's necessary.
I guess my question is - if I've had all of these heart tests and nothing has been found to be wrong with my heart, can I safety accept that the strangeness is thyroid and/or anxiety related and stop worrying about things like heart blockages? When I started feeling sick, I read a lot online, which I thought would make me feel better - but there are so many scary and unexpected "healthy woman in 30s with no risk factors suddenly having heart attack" stories, that the information I'd expected to reassure me in fact made me more nervous.
Brief Answer:
I would like to assure you that nothing is going wrong with your heart.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear XXXX!
Thank you for asking on HCM!
I understand how you feel like, and I would like to reassure you that nothing from your referred symptoms, is related to any direct cardiac disorders (facing also all your normal cardiac tests results).
Your restlessness, dizziness, generally feeling "off", anxiety and even cardiac palpitations have nothing to do with your heart. They are neither specific for a cardiac coronary artery blockage, nor cardiac specific symptomatology at all.
So relax! The only obvious and medically cause of your complains already proven, is your thyroid dysfunction (Hashimoto's disease). it is a chronic disorder, expressed with a plenty of unpleasant signs and symptoms, which require careful medical supervision and management.
You are right about cardiac stress testing you are going to perform next week. it is recommended when a suspicious clinical scenario is present, and when at least an intermediate probability risk level for coronary disease really exists. But this is not your case. You do not exert any specific clinical symptomatology for coronary artery disease, without evidence of coronary risk factors.
So relax again! You just need to keep an eye open on your thyroid issue.
No one could predict precisely its future, but from the other part, we don't have medical evidence to confirm any cardiac pathologies, or be pessimistic.
Hope to have been helpful to you. Greetings! Dr. Iliri
I would like to assure you that nothing is going wrong with your heart.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear XXXX!
Thank you for asking on HCM!
I understand how you feel like, and I would like to reassure you that nothing from your referred symptoms, is related to any direct cardiac disorders (facing also all your normal cardiac tests results).
Your restlessness, dizziness, generally feeling "off", anxiety and even cardiac palpitations have nothing to do with your heart. They are neither specific for a cardiac coronary artery blockage, nor cardiac specific symptomatology at all.
So relax! The only obvious and medically cause of your complains already proven, is your thyroid dysfunction (Hashimoto's disease). it is a chronic disorder, expressed with a plenty of unpleasant signs and symptoms, which require careful medical supervision and management.
You are right about cardiac stress testing you are going to perform next week. it is recommended when a suspicious clinical scenario is present, and when at least an intermediate probability risk level for coronary disease really exists. But this is not your case. You do not exert any specific clinical symptomatology for coronary artery disease, without evidence of coronary risk factors.
So relax again! You just need to keep an eye open on your thyroid issue.
No one could predict precisely its future, but from the other part, we don't have medical evidence to confirm any cardiac pathologies, or be pessimistic.
Hope to have been helpful to you. Greetings! Dr. Iliri
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Thank you! I'm sorry, I should have added: sometimes, my chest and arms feel tight, I get a little short of breath, and my arms go numb/lose feeling when I am sleeping quite often. That is part of what makes me nervous. Did all of the tests I had rule out any cardiac cause of that discomfort?
Brief Answer:
The performed tests confirm non cardiac related complains.
Detailed Answer:
Hi again XXXX!
My answer is: YES!
Seems that all the already performed cardiac tests, coupled with your near cardiac stress test, are quite enough to rule out those nonspecific general complains.
They do not seem to be cardiac related symptoms. And tests support these conclusions.
Wish you a good health! Dr. Iliri
The performed tests confirm non cardiac related complains.
Detailed Answer:
Hi again XXXX!
My answer is: YES!
Seems that all the already performed cardiac tests, coupled with your near cardiac stress test, are quite enough to rule out those nonspecific general complains.
They do not seem to be cardiac related symptoms. And tests support these conclusions.
Wish you a good health! Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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