When heart issues are secondary issue

Posted by nickihayes @nickihayes, Apr 20, 2023

Guess what I learned? My high burden of PAC's at the age of 46 is not a primary issue. And what is goes misdiagnosed A LOT OF THE TIME.
I have a parathyroid tumor! This causes my calcium to be high and high calcium causes a whole slew of issues including heart arrthymias. Dr's often treat the symptoms without looking into the high calcium, and the symptoms are a bummer. Chronic fatigue, feeling unwell, shortness of breath, depression. All super general, but it SUCKSSSSS trying to function like this. I nearly chose heart meds when that wasn't the real core issue.
High calcium.... If you've had it, check further! It causes heart issues.

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shoshin | @shoshin | Apr 21, 2023

Thank you so much for sharing & posting this!

So many cardiologists haven't the faintest interest in or clue about environmental--including diet & other lifestyle, factors...in the aetiology of symptoms & illness. Doing comprehensive bloodwork analyses (think: comprehensive metabolic panel; CBC--including differential & platelets; iron, TIBC, ferritin panel; & thyroid panel with TSH)...long before even thinking about any cardiological intervention (be it pharmaceutical or surgical)...ought to be their universal starting point!

nickihayes | @nickihayes | Apr 21, 2023

I agree!
What has been really hard to digest for me is that when I came to Mayo, we did a full blood workup and my calcium was still high (as it had been off an on here at home with my pcp), my creatinine was still high (again, it had been here at home also and it has never been ever before), and she acknowledged those things but remained focused solely on the heart. I understand that she is cardiology but but it seems very obvious with high calcium that generally, there is only one thing that causes that and it's also known to cause arrthymias. I went to see an endocrinologist after reading about high calcium and before she even did more bloodwork- just looking at what had already been done- she explained hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia, the symptoms and the surgery. And of course, subsequent bloodwork supports it because that's what's happening. a 20 minute surgery is going to have me feeling better than I have in nearly 8 months. My work has been affected etc. It's just incredible. BUT i posted because the more I read, the more I read about how undiagnosed parathyroid tumors are, and how it affects the heart and in essence, slowly kills people from calcium build up in arteries, a fib, kidney stones etc. Don't get me started on how crappy I feel every day on the inside from it and the fatigue. NOT a heart issue even with all the arrthymias. Parathyroid. Crazy. So if calcium number has ever been high, do not let anyone disregard!

gloaming | @gloaming | Apr 25, 2023

Hyper/hypo kalemia and magnesemia are also problems for many unsuspecting heart patients. Both should be assessed and controlled through supplementation if not through the diet.