Hi Candiflip,

According to my books on Mg, if you are low in potassium, it won't actually help to just supplement with potassium because - you might have already guessed it - you need magnesium present in sufficient quantities to absorb potassium. So, really, it is still the magnesium that is the most important one to start with.

However, that said, I can really understand your unwillingness to supplement with anything after that experience.

I can also understand that you want to wait to see what your doctor says before trying anything in the way of supplements. However, don't hold your breath on that one, in all likelihood, he or she won't have a clue. The trouble with doctors is that many of them know sweet fanny adams about supplements. Their training is with drugs and it is drug hawkers who come to their surgeries selling their wares, so that is what they read up about after they have finished their training. Plus, they are often just too busy dealing with their day-to-day patient enquiries to spend time researching supplements, either.

The best thing is to educate yourself and read up about your particular health issue and start trying things out. If you take the supplements in small doses to start with, very carefully and slowly, then you are very unlikely to do anything to yourself which will be life-threatening. However, not supplementing with magnesium (or at the very least, making an effort to have more magnesium-rich foods and water) - if you do have a serious underlying deficiency and on top of that some kind of congenital heart weakness - might literally be life-threatening.

It is suspected that many athletes and otherwise outwardly healthy people who suffered from so-called sudden cardiac arrest did so because of a massive magnesium deficiency: remember, magnesium helps to regulate heart rhythm, in particular the part where the heart muscle relaxes. If your heart suddenly hasn't got enough magnesium to make this happen, then, well, you can make up this bit yourself...

I know I am scare-mongering here, but I think you should have this information at hand when you speak to your doc. Ask him/her about whether you have mitral valve prolapse or arrhythmias, ask him/her whether they are aware of a connection between these problems and magnesium deficiency, ask him/her whether they can give you a prescription for magnesium supplements or even IV magnesium, if necessary. Ask them if they know about testing for magnesium levels (and a blood test is not the best way to test them). If he/she gives you some good solid answers, fine, if they don't, but want to put you on beta-blockers or some other medication instead, either insist they look into magnesium, or do it yourself. I know you have a little kid and probably not much time to do internet research, but it would be a lifetime investment for you and your family.

Good luck with your doctor's visit,

amanda

That's good to know!!!

amanda

Yup!

Try reading here:

http://www.krispin.com/thyroid.html

and here:

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info/

I am pretty clueless about thyroid issues, but there definitely is a connection.

If you regularly get foot and leg cramps, you are probably very low in magnesium and should get more Mg in your food, water and via supplements.

IFing will put more stress on your adrenals, imho, and is not a good way to eat for anyone with adrenal problems.

amanda

thanks I will read after the monster(son ) calms down and I can sit..

I forgot to say before(at least I think? I have writing so much over the last few days.. ) that the pain, dizziness, lightheaded ect happens through out the day, but it's very mild.. it seems when I'm sitting relaxing by mid/end of day.. that is when the pain is far worse.. more dizzy... major pressure in my head..
Does this mean anything? I just wrote it down in my notes for the dr..

IMO, it means you're stressing during down-time. When you're busy, you don't think about it. The pain is there and you know it, but you have something else to focus on. When you start relaxing, your mind wanders and you (consciously or unconsciously) obsess.

I know it's not as big of a deal, but here's an example: I have a temp filling in a root canal'd tooth right now. The bite is a little off and it feels kind of funny. During the day, it's just that - a funny feeling. When I lie down for the night, though, it suddenly becomes painful, no matter my position, simply because I can't keep my thoughts off it.

Also remember that dizziness, tightness in chest, racing heart and hot/cold sweats are all symptoms of anxiety. They can be symptoms of something far worse, but dimes to dollars if you're fine while you're working but not fine 60 seconds later when you sit down, you're stressing.

Well to be honest, I do hope it's just anxiety, but I don't know..I just don't think that is it.
#1 I do not have a racing heart rate.. actually the opposite.. when I'm having more pain its lower and resting is average.. so like 50-60 when I'm not feeling well and normally like 60-70.
Also my blood pressure has been pretty low lately.. I can tell when it dips even lower also and I can tell when it shoots up..

And I have to say, I am not obsessing over this. And like I said the pain is all day.. just seems worse at night for some reason. the stress level is the same. the kid is still up.. nothing else has really changed. It just seems that is when I get more chest pains/sharper as well as more dips in bp.. when this happens the veins in my hands/arms stick out really bad.. really bad.
I'm not obsessing over it, I just write things down so that I mention to dr when I think of them

Thing is, you can't ignore if you are in pain all day. It's not obsessing to be aware of it, that is simply normal functioning. Low level chronic pain is going to create stress on you at some level, whether you are aware of that stress or not. You'd for sure be able to understand the stress it causes if it went away for good and left you in peace. You'd be like - ahhhhhhhhh, THAT'S better!!

And please, feel free to throw a muffin or bon-bon at me for being obnoxious and saying the 's***ss' word again, my mouth is open.

You phrased it very well. I dealt with an anxiety disorder for years, convinced I had something wrong with me. I didn't "feel" stressed. The stress builds, and when you aren't active, your mind doesn't have anything more important to focus on.

I wasn't trying to suggest, Candice, that you're being OCD about it. What I was trying to say was that the stress/anxiety will wear at you throughout the day and at some point your mind will have to sort it out - some people grind their teeth, others have nightmares, some have a heightened pain sensitivity.

FWIW, stress/anxiety tanks my BP as well, also my BG. It also causes an irregular heartbeat, which is the worst...

Candice
I'm betting you'll feel better tomorrow after you've seen the cardiologist. Great that you're writing it all down ... that's going to be very useful for the doc, and you'll be sure not to miss telling something.
Good luck tomorrow!

Wishing you a positive outcome and some conclusive answers at your appt tomorrow!!

Good Luck!

when thyroid, adrenals and progesterone are all connected...mixed in with this bunch is also iron and b12.

the 2 sites Amanda gave you are good, you may also want to check out realthyroidhelp.com (daughter forum from stopthethyroidmadness) as there is a ton of good information on adrenals, hormones, thyroid and pituitary.

~ candiflip, good luck with the cardiologist and if it's Dr Ricci tell him his cousin said to treat you right!

also iherb, no problem with customs.

I wonder if you should see an endocrinologist also? It wouldn't hurt to have him check all of your hormones. What if your thyroid is sputtering out? It can go high and then low and back again while it's in the process of tanking out for good.

I just remembered that I did have racing heart and then a very slow heart beat when I first started with my hypothyroid problems. Sometimes I could lay in bed and FEEL my heart beating in my neck. (Not with my hands, just with my head and neck.) Other times it was so slow I was afraid I'd die in the night. I also had very low blood pressure.

I felt TERRIBLE. I was afraid to drive I felt so wobbly and out of it.

Anyway, I just remembered that and thought I'd throw it out there.

So dr's appt went okay I guess. I left with not much more info. She wants to do more tests..
The took new EKG there in office.. Dr said looking at it def looks like I have had a heart attack, but she said she just feels a bit puzzled saying that as I'm so young..
They did the treadmill test.. I could not even last much over 6 minutes. They wanted me to to at least 9 or 10.. I just couldn't.. She said they did not stress my heart out enough but by 6 min I felt like I was going to pass out I was so out of breath.. I was having cheat pains.. I am sorta disappointed. I feel as though I'm in good health.. wth They have me on that 24 hour monitor today. I take it back to them tomorrow.. then wait to hear back what test she wants to do next. Dr said she had two in mind, just waiting to see the results from the 24 hour one. I think one of these was a test to inject dye in to 'stress' my heart out that way.. and the other one she did not say.
I feel like SHIT after the treadmill test.. just horrible. I thought it would be a breeze.. but I feel out of breath still and major tightness in my chest as well and it was 2 hours ago.
Dh quested her about my cholesterol.. She said it is 'NOT BAD' so that was good for dh to hear.. but the then went on and on with her that I was low carb, ATKINS.. she was not happy with that.. but did not say much. Just said I need to eat more balanced. well I feel I eat balanced.. my bp and cholesterol are fine.. so will just wait to see what she has to say after more tests and go from there.

edit:
just remembered another test she said she wanted to do.. an ultrasound on my heart.