If It’s Not Your Heart or Your Age, It Could Be Your Thyroid

If your heart starts pounding and skipping beats what is your first thought? For Mary M., 49, it was, “Oh No! Is this a heart attack? Is it heart arrhythmia? I know my mother has an irregular heartbeat and my grandmother died from a stroke.  Is it my turn?” So, off she went to the doctor. Her pounding heart had been waking her up at night and she was ready for the diagnosis and sat pretty calmly through the EKG test. Her mother took heart medication, exercised and watched her diet so she knew how to handle it. When the doctor returned to the room and told her “Your heart looks fine and your heart rate is normal,” she was confused. The call that came from her doctor a few days later threw her into a panic. “Your T3 and T4 thyroid levels are VERY high and your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormones) is .0009, which is extremely low. You need to see an endocrinologist. The last person I sent for this had to have her thyroid removed.” What? Who gets a sudden “go straight to surgery and take out your thyroid” phone call? Mary had never heard of it and didn’t know anyone who had to have this done. But, now that she thought about it her brother’s thyroid AND adrenal glands had quit on him, so maybe this was a “thing” in her family. She has assumed that her increased anxiety and inability to sleep were just symptoms of menopause. Everyone she talked to said, “Yep, me too. I think it’s just part of the pro...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Women's Health Source Type: blogs