Aa
Is It All In My Head?
A couple of weeks ago, I started having tightening in my chest followed with pains, my heart was racing, I became very anxious, I had tingling in my arms, clamy hands and palms and felt like I was going to pass out. I went to the ER where they did chest xrays, an ekg, and ran different blood tests. Everything came back normal except for the fact they saw I had a few heart palpatations, but nothing to be too concerned with. A cardiologist was called in and he wanted to do a stress test. I really didn't feel like it was my heart so I didn't get it done. I was released from the ER, but for the next couple of days I still had tightening in my chest and mild pains along with lightheadedness. I've had thyroid problems in my past starting when I was in middle school and I'm now 37. I started feeling better, but yesterday the same thing happened with the lightheadedness, chest tightening, etc. I again went to the emergency room where they ran the same tests, ekg's, and xrays. They said everything look great. I told the doctor I felt I was still anxious and couldn't relax. He gave me a prescription for Ativan and told me to follow up with my doctor to get my thyroid checked out. I have a goiter on my thyroid that I've had for about 4 or 5 years. It's pretty big and you can see it when I tilt my head back. The doctors have wanted to removed it, but because I have phobias of doctors, hospitals, and surgeries, I haven't had it done. I have gone to my regular doctor and he told me all these symptoms were because I had a pulled muscle in my chest and gave me a prescription for an antiinflammatory. Are you kidding me? I don't have a pulled muscle! To go along with my thyroid problems, I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I'm a teacher and my family tells me they can see differences in my mood/behavior when school lets out and when the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays come around (about every six months). I get anxious when I know school will be out and I'll be out of my regular routine. While I'm writing this, I'm sitting here crying because I feel like I won't ever get better and feel this way the rest of my life. My "normal" feeling (if you can call it that) is one of forgetfullness, loss of interest in things, tired all the time, weight I can't take off, and moodiness for no reason. I hope someone's read this and can help me.
Get the goiter out before it grows down into your chest and they have to cut your sternum to get it out like they did mine.I had mine out in Sept.and the sternum is just now healed up.
Its not such a bad surgery and the medical team will take good care of you.
lets us know how you are.
Love Venora Moonwind
Its not such a bad surgery and the medical team will take good care of you.
lets us know how you are.
Love Venora Moonwind
When you have these episodes what is your blood pressure and your pulse rate?
I am also bipolar and had Graves'. If you were actually having a thyroid storm something should have shown up in the ER. Blood pressure, extreme pulse rate, something to show the heart was under high stress. I know that a goiter is the end result of being hyper, so it definitely needs to be taken care of and not neglected any longer.
But my other thought is that if you are truly bipolar they could be severe anxiety attacks. They feel exactly the same as a heart attack, chest tightening, hard to breath, vomitting, left arm numbness, etc.... Except that nothing ever comes of it or shows up on any tests. Anxiety attacks don't normally raise your blood pressure that considerably, at least they never did mine. And a severe anxiety disorder has the exact symptoms you are describing. My brother had them so bad for a while he felt them constantly for weeks at a time.
I hope you are seeing some kind of therapist about the bipolar disorder. They have lots of really good anti-depressants with anti-anxiety meds included. And of coarse there are very good treatments for the mania as well.
You need to get over your phobia and understand that you are in charge of your health and not the drs. They can diagnose and treat, but you are the boss with the ability to hire and fire them at will!! Keep this in mind while dealing with them and they are not so scary. Trust me, I had to realize this myself to get over my white-coat syndrome!!
Good luck and take care of problems immediately!! Keep us posted.
Dac
I am also bipolar and had Graves'. If you were actually having a thyroid storm something should have shown up in the ER. Blood pressure, extreme pulse rate, something to show the heart was under high stress. I know that a goiter is the end result of being hyper, so it definitely needs to be taken care of and not neglected any longer.
But my other thought is that if you are truly bipolar they could be severe anxiety attacks. They feel exactly the same as a heart attack, chest tightening, hard to breath, vomitting, left arm numbness, etc.... Except that nothing ever comes of it or shows up on any tests. Anxiety attacks don't normally raise your blood pressure that considerably, at least they never did mine. And a severe anxiety disorder has the exact symptoms you are describing. My brother had them so bad for a while he felt them constantly for weeks at a time.
I hope you are seeing some kind of therapist about the bipolar disorder. They have lots of really good anti-depressants with anti-anxiety meds included. And of coarse there are very good treatments for the mania as well.
You need to get over your phobia and understand that you are in charge of your health and not the drs. They can diagnose and treat, but you are the boss with the ability to hire and fire them at will!! Keep this in mind while dealing with them and they are not so scary. Trust me, I had to realize this myself to get over my white-coat syndrome!!
Good luck and take care of problems immediately!! Keep us posted.
Dac
I'm not on any meds. Anytime I've had thyroid tests done, they've been coming back normal. Can a goiter make you have symptoms where you think you're having a heart attack? Doctors in the past have done biopsies and found them to be inconclusive. I haven't been too concerned with the goiter because I didn't think it could effect the way I felt. It gives me hope to know my thyroid may actually be the cause of my heart palpatations, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, and tightening of my chest. The first time it happened was about 3 weeks ago when I had to go to the ER. After the episode, my chest remained tight, but it got better. With it just happening again night before last and going to the ER again, they put me on Ativan which seems to help with my symptoms. If there's anyone out there who's had these same things happen to them, please email me back. It seems the symptoms started all the sudden and haven't really gone away. Has this happened to anyone else? Can it really be my goiter making all this happen? Even though it's never given me any kind of problems in the past? If all my thyroid tests are coming back normal, what then? It's hard to tell the doctor you know it's your thyroid when they keep telling you everything looks fine.
If the nodule/goiter is large and growing, then surgery is (normally) done (suggested).
You don't want it to grow further down your throat and/or into your chest area to where surgery will be more difficult and dangerous.
I understand your fear of surgery. It would be my last choice because I am one of those people that wakes up during surgery procedures - not pleasant! However, if it would save my life, I chance it and I do it!
If you don't follow doctors suggestion or follow up with second/third opinion, and, then don't follow through with the suggested treatment, its your responsibility for your immediate and future health, on one else!
Hey, we've all been through the thyroid mill in one form of thyroid issue or another. Most of us were scared at first too. A lot of us were in denial as well. More, than not, thought how can it be me, I have been healthy all my life - well life happens, good and bad; however, we except and move on. However, most of us thought enough of ourslves to have it taken care of, in a timely manner approperate.
Treatment is out there and you deserve it. You deserve medical resolutions and to feel your best, however, its up to you girlfriend!
Do right by yourself! You deserve it! Take care of yourself! Do the right thing! Get treatment! ASAP!!
Good Luck!
GL
You don't want it to grow further down your throat and/or into your chest area to where surgery will be more difficult and dangerous.
I understand your fear of surgery. It would be my last choice because I am one of those people that wakes up during surgery procedures - not pleasant! However, if it would save my life, I chance it and I do it!
If you don't follow doctors suggestion or follow up with second/third opinion, and, then don't follow through with the suggested treatment, its your responsibility for your immediate and future health, on one else!
Hey, we've all been through the thyroid mill in one form of thyroid issue or another. Most of us were scared at first too. A lot of us were in denial as well. More, than not, thought how can it be me, I have been healthy all my life - well life happens, good and bad; however, we except and move on. However, most of us thought enough of ourslves to have it taken care of, in a timely manner approperate.
Treatment is out there and you deserve it. You deserve medical resolutions and to feel your best, however, its up to you girlfriend!
Do right by yourself! You deserve it! Take care of yourself! Do the right thing! Get treatment! ASAP!!
Good Luck!
GL
I would get to an endo right away...you could be having mini-thyroid storms, I've had many. Sometimes a goiter will have autonomous function and dump hormones on you. I'm not saying you don't have bi-polar, but sometimes after correct thyroid treatment these things disappear. I have graves and hashi's...with an enlarged thyroid (esp right side) I recently had rai to hopefully kill off my thyroid, if that doesn't work then I will insist on the removal of my thyroid altogether. It's scarey when the heart racing, numbness, tingling, and chest pains start... The disease and the symptoms are scarier than getting treatment for this. The minute I walk into a doctors office or hospital I get nervous, even if I'm not there for myself, you can overcome this phobia, and get help for yourself. Are you on any meds for your thyroid?
Pam
Pam
I have a goiter and I had your symptoms, especially the rage and rapid heartbeat. However, my hperthyroid showed slightly hyper in blood tests and I have Graves disease. I'm on PTU antithyroid medication. It's not perfect but a whole lot better. Sorry to ask again, but did you see an endocrinologist. I told my doctor I didn't care what the bloodtests showed b/c I felt like **** and I insisted on being treated for my thyroid. I also had my adrenals tested and am waiting for the results
I had tests done and these are what they said: T3 187, T4 8.4, and TSH 1.07. Are these normal levels? It's aggravating when I keep being told my levels are normal, but I KNOW my body and something's not right. What did they put you on for your rapid heart beat? Did you have chest pains/tightness as well?
It's not all in your head. Have you seen an endocrinologist? Did he/she say your thyroid has to be removed? If you are hyperthyroid, can you try antithyroid medication first?
Get the darn goiter out! They can cause you to go through hell and back! I did the last 18 months...I had a TT opn 2/14/07 and I feel soooooo much better. I started with the same symptoms as you...the heart palps are very scary... and just kept plugging away until my OBGYN found the huge goiter. All of my thyroid tests always came back normal too, because it was overproducing and growing by leaps and bounds. My ENT said that the longer you wait to have these things taken out, the harder the surgery is. I'm so glad I had it done. I didn't realize how bad I have been feeling and for how long now, until I had the surgery and am on the rebound...I haven't felt this good in a really long time. I still can't believe that such a small organ can cause so much trouble and feeling miserable.
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