Forum Discussion
Heart Palpitations without chemo - could it be a side effect of AIs?
Hi guys
Has anyone else had heart palpitations who HASN'T been on chemo, but IS on AIs? I've been on Arimidex for 12 months now. I guess it would be similar to 'panic attacks'? Tho pretty sure it isn't this!
I've had a scary few days this week, with thumping heart palpitations (skipping beats every 5 or 6 beats, then maybe after 10-15 beats) but yesterday morning at 3am, it was after EVERY beat & it scared the crap out of me. I also had a 'throat blockage' that felt a bit like indigestion & I know this can be a sign of a heart attack, but didn't have the pressure, pain or clamminess associated with a heart attack. I was awake from 3am on ..... So I 'sat it out' til 10am with the thumping skipped beats still happening - then went to the GP. They did an ECG but it didn't show up - and wanted bloods done to make sure the troponin levels weren't 'up' (showing an enzyme related to heart attacks) but there were no pathology centres open on Sat in our towns which surprised me as they always used to be open - maybe they closed due to Covid? So now I had to go to the closest hospital (and waste THEIR time) to get a simple blood test, ECG etc, when the pathology place should have been open. :(
I said I would drive to the closest town where the hospital would do the bloods - but they didn't want me to drive in case I had an episode on the way ... so they called the ambos to take me. This really upset me as it is a waste of an emergency service & I felt guilty that I was using the Ambulance when a more serious case could be impacted by it not being available! :(
So at the hospital, they did another ECG (the beat abnormality didn't show, even tho the skipping continued throughout the day.) Chest xray was clear. Bloods were good. I finally got home at 6pm with one of my uke ladies driving up to pick me up. Hubby thought I'd been out kayak fishing all day! His dementia at least stopped him being worried! LOL
I go back to the GP for more bloods tomorrow (thyroid etc) and hopefully get fitted with a Holter monitor to check my heart beat over the next day or so - and I truly hope that it will pick up on the skipped beats. My dad died young from heart (had his first one at 40 and died at 50 with numerous attacks in between.) My brother was fitted with a pacemaker 2 years ago after a single catastrophic incident (he is incredibly fit & thin so that was a real surprise!) My sister now tells me she has had palpitations for years - I didn't know! So it is possibly inherited, could be age related, or could be a side effect from my AI tablets!
I see my Onc on Tues, so will be mentioning both the ticker problems & the urinary urgency (which started about 4-6 weeks ago) as my main concerns.
Who else has had heart issues when they've NOT been on chemo but HAVE been on AIs? (I know that chemo can cause heart problems - and they now check patients before & after chemo - tho the problems can start years after the treatment - so everyone needs to be aware of this.)
Hopefully this will all settle down soon without the need for too much medical intervention - I DO need to drink more water, as this can upset the electrolyte balance in the body (as can drinking TOO much water - it washes the electrolytes OUT of the body. This happened to my neighbour - she ended up with a pacemaker.) So I have my fingers crossed.
It has also raised fears about what will happen to my husband if something adverse DOES happen to me - as we don't have family nearby - and I can't rely on friends to take over the care of hubby (with dementia) if I am unable to do so. I will be contacting My Aged Care this week to kick start getting him 'on the books' even if we don't use their services initially.
What sort of Plan B do you have for your elderly partner/parents, in case something happens to you? We don't have children tho we do have 2 stepchildren in NZ - but can't expect them to take over his care.
Has anyone else had heart palpitations who HASN'T been on chemo, but IS on AIs? I've been on Arimidex for 12 months now. I guess it would be similar to 'panic attacks'? Tho pretty sure it isn't this!
I've had a scary few days this week, with thumping heart palpitations (skipping beats every 5 or 6 beats, then maybe after 10-15 beats) but yesterday morning at 3am, it was after EVERY beat & it scared the crap out of me. I also had a 'throat blockage' that felt a bit like indigestion & I know this can be a sign of a heart attack, but didn't have the pressure, pain or clamminess associated with a heart attack. I was awake from 3am on ..... So I 'sat it out' til 10am with the thumping skipped beats still happening - then went to the GP. They did an ECG but it didn't show up - and wanted bloods done to make sure the troponin levels weren't 'up' (showing an enzyme related to heart attacks) but there were no pathology centres open on Sat in our towns which surprised me as they always used to be open - maybe they closed due to Covid? So now I had to go to the closest hospital (and waste THEIR time) to get a simple blood test, ECG etc, when the pathology place should have been open. :(
I said I would drive to the closest town where the hospital would do the bloods - but they didn't want me to drive in case I had an episode on the way ... so they called the ambos to take me. This really upset me as it is a waste of an emergency service & I felt guilty that I was using the Ambulance when a more serious case could be impacted by it not being available! :(
So at the hospital, they did another ECG (the beat abnormality didn't show, even tho the skipping continued throughout the day.) Chest xray was clear. Bloods were good. I finally got home at 6pm with one of my uke ladies driving up to pick me up. Hubby thought I'd been out kayak fishing all day! His dementia at least stopped him being worried! LOL
I go back to the GP for more bloods tomorrow (thyroid etc) and hopefully get fitted with a Holter monitor to check my heart beat over the next day or so - and I truly hope that it will pick up on the skipped beats. My dad died young from heart (had his first one at 40 and died at 50 with numerous attacks in between.) My brother was fitted with a pacemaker 2 years ago after a single catastrophic incident (he is incredibly fit & thin so that was a real surprise!) My sister now tells me she has had palpitations for years - I didn't know! So it is possibly inherited, could be age related, or could be a side effect from my AI tablets!
I see my Onc on Tues, so will be mentioning both the ticker problems & the urinary urgency (which started about 4-6 weeks ago) as my main concerns.
Who else has had heart issues when they've NOT been on chemo but HAVE been on AIs? (I know that chemo can cause heart problems - and they now check patients before & after chemo - tho the problems can start years after the treatment - so everyone needs to be aware of this.)
Hopefully this will all settle down soon without the need for too much medical intervention - I DO need to drink more water, as this can upset the electrolyte balance in the body (as can drinking TOO much water - it washes the electrolytes OUT of the body. This happened to my neighbour - she ended up with a pacemaker.) So I have my fingers crossed.
It has also raised fears about what will happen to my husband if something adverse DOES happen to me - as we don't have family nearby - and I can't rely on friends to take over the care of hubby (with dementia) if I am unable to do so. I will be contacting My Aged Care this week to kick start getting him 'on the books' even if we don't use their services initially.
What sort of Plan B do you have for your elderly partner/parents, in case something happens to you? We don't have children tho we do have 2 stepchildren in NZ - but can't expect them to take over his care.
38 Replies
- Hi @arpie , sorry to hear you have been having such a worrying time but glad to read that you are getting some answers! Wishing you all the best travelling forward. Take good care of yourself.
Michele xxx - Good luck with your cardiologist. The electrical system of the heart is a wonderful thing. My (brilliant) cardiologist’s offsider is a heart surgeon, who recommended ablation. My cardiologist and I weren’t that keen, at least not till we tried some less invasive options! Gradually the problem is resolving, which is really good, with limited medication. Hope you get a similarly good result.
- I Saw the GP today with the report from the 24hr Holter Monitor. It picked up heaps of the missed beats, as well as some triples - so really pleased that they were picked up as none of the ECGs did! GP not overly concerned - no meds offered.
I am feeling much better in the last 3-4 days & have even been out in my kayak! I am feeling much less anxious than I was last week. So it Looks like it is an electrical thing - so now have a referral to a cardiologist to investigate & see where that takes me.
Many thanks for your support & concerns xx - @arpie yes it is! Just when you think it’s behind you, along comes bc with its side-effect inducing treatments and brings up old fears 😕. This is why I’m scared of hormone therapy (and all other treatments). Anyway, just keep an eye on it and if results say nothing is there ask to wear it longer maybe? You have yourself a great and stress-free weekend too, and keep us updated on results next week Xx
- Thanks for that @FLClover - it is all rather daunting, isn't it!? Can't wait for Monday, to see the GP re the results!
Have a great weekend xx - @arpie hello!I wore a holter moniter in 2017 (way before bc) because I felt palpitations. I wore it for 24hrs. GP sent me to cardiologist after that because an ectopic beat had been picked up. He made me wear another, more advanced, holter m for 7 days. Every time I felt anything in my chest I had to press a button on the monitor. It had a little screen. When I went to see him for results he said another ectopic beat had been picked up but had regulated itself. I didn’t want to do a CT scan with contrast, so instead I did a stress test. He told me I had SVT and released me, saying he was happy with my results and I didn’t need medication. So they def pick up these beats, but it may need to be worn longer. You said you felt them the whole time you wore it so should be registered. I had a very big panic attack on day 5, when I asked him about it he said it looked perfectly normal 🤔. Good luck, I hope it settles 🤞🏼
- Thyroid bloods were normal, @primek - I will be requesting a stress test as well when I get to see the cardiologist.
- I had palpitations and it was due to thyroid. Lots of people can develop irregular heart beats and your Dr is doing all tbat is needed to check it out. Just because you didn't have ore cancer doesnt mean the AIs have caused it. You may also need a stress test if tbe halter shows nothing. It's all about luck with the timing.
- @arpie my third year on Letrozole but I’ve found the side affects have eased since I started magnesium tablets they have helped heaps with the joint and muscle pain, my cardiologist put me on them helps your heart...
- SO many side effects with Letrozole - I only stood it for 6 weeks. Now on Arimidex & doing much better.
