FIBROMYALGIA AND PALPITATIONS

[hipchick47]

I was just diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I have been having palpitations or arrythmia, where it feels like my heart is either skipping beats or irregular, is this common with fibromyalgia? I am also new to this forum, I would appreciate any input, thank you

[concerned621]

I have FM and have heart palpatations. I never knew what it was. In 2006 I had a 4th surgery on my spine as a result of car accident. I woke up very sick from the surgery. They did a bunch of tests and called in a pulmonary specialist. I never had any issues like this. Turned out I have MVP Mitral Valve Prolapse which if you look up symptoms of FM MVP is not uncommon.  MVP is a nervous system disorder. It can cause things you'd never think of like panic attacks, sweating, dizziness. I thought it was a heart problem.  
I had a nurse tell me and it works when you get the heart palpatation bare down like you are moving your bowels.  Sounds funny I know but it works. So bare down and sort of hold your breath just for a moment.  Then breathe normally.  It really does work.  
With anything heart related always get it checked out.  There are so many symptoms associated with FM so you want to familiarize yourself so you don't panic when something comes up.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1992 if I can help or answer any other questions please don't hesitate to ask. This is an excellent forum for you, so many knowledgeable, caring people. You are in the right place.

[dustybrown]

Welcome to MedHelp,
I agree with wonko. I think if I were you I would ask your doctor to test you for Lyme disease. It does make sense. I too underwent a Lyme titer to rule out the disease because of neurological symptoms I had.

I also have a history of atrial fibrillation as does my father who is borderline Hyperthyroid. My uncle has Graves disease, so I am always keeping a close eye on my thyroid, which at this point is normal. There is a chance that the tests that were performed on your thyroid were not detailed enough. They may have just run a TSH test. You should also have your free T4, free T3 and your thyroid antibodies done to rule out Hashimoto's or Grave's disease. You can have autoimmune thyroid disease, but have your thyroid still working properly, so your TSH would read normal.  Eventually it will fail if you do have the autoimmune disease. You may want to check with your doctor to find out if he or she performed a detailed thyroid test or just the TSH.

Also, my body doesn't retain potassium for some reason and my heart is very sensitive to this and I get palpitations if I do not take a supplement. When I was hospitalized for atrial fibrillation they ran all sorts of tests and the only thing they found wrong with me, was that my body was low on potassium. Ever since then I take a supplement every day at least 90 mg. Perhaps you could ask your doctor if this is something you could add to your regimen. I hope all of our suggestions helps you. Good luck.    
-Dusty

[wonko]

Both palpitations and thyroid irregularity are often found, and often along with fibro-like symptoms, in late-stage Lyme disease.  Your profile lists you as being in the Virginia Beach area, which is an area endemic for Lyme disease.

Most doctors will tell you that Lyme is easily ruled in or out by tests, but a growing number of patients and doctors are learning otherwise.  You don't need to remeber a tick bite or a rash to have Lyme disease.

I don't know what testing or medical work-up you have gone through, but I would suggest you consider Lyme further before accepting just the fibro diagnosis.  While many Lyme patients also get a fibro dx, the underlying cause of Lyme disease can be treated directly.  

We have a Lyme forum here on MedHelp:

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Lyme-Disease/show/148

The book "Cure Unknown" by Pam Wentraub and the documentary "Under Our Skin" are good places to start learning more about difficult cases of Lyme.  Both the book and movie have easy-to-find websites with lots of free content.

Good luck and take care.