HI, I had open heart surgery on Aug. 17th 2004, to have a benign tumor removed, everything went well and all was removed. About a month and a half after surgery, I started to feel some fluttering with my heart, and also in my throat, I know the throat thing sounds weird. I never have had these symptoms before my surgery. I wore a Halter monitor for 24 hours. When I went to see my cardiologist for a check up after surgery,and to get the results from monitor he told me that I do have a fast heart rate, and low blood pressure. I am having an ultrasound done on my heart today, which my surgeon wanted me to have done 3 months after the surgery. My cardiologist also wants meto have a chest xray ( I told him I was having shortness of breath but didn't tell him it was only with activity) and he ordered blood tests to check my Thyroid??????? His nurse said he always checks his patients thyroids. Does any of this make any since to anyone and should I be worried. He did give me some medication for the fast heart rate. Any help would be appreciated!! Thanks!

Hi, here is some information on Hyperthyroidism (overactive) and your heart.

A rapid heart beat, or irregular skipped beats (palpitations) is a common complaint in patients with hyperthyroidism. Some subjects notice that their basal resting heart rate is a bit higher than normal; other patients observe that their heart rate goes up much faster and takes longer to return to normal when they exercise.

In some older patients, or in patients with existing heart disease, hyperthyroidism may increase the risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation. Several large studies have shown that the risk of developing hyperthyroidism can be up to 5-fold greater in subjects with a suppressed TSH, who feel otherwise well, compared to control subjects with a normal TSH.

Indeed, the diagnosis of previously unsuspected hyperthyroidism is not uncommon in older patients with rapid irregular heart rhythms who present to the emergency room. It may be difficult to maintain the heart in normal rhythm until the hyperthyroidism is brought under satisfactory control. For some patients with sustained irregularities in heart rate and rhythm, the possibility of anticoagulation should be considered until the abnormal heart rate and rhythm can be corrected. Shortness of breath in hyperthyroid patients may also be attributable to effects on the lungs, likely as a partial result of weakness in the muscle used for breathing. A direct effect on oxygen exchange in the lungs remains a possibility.
http://www.mythyroid.com/thyroid_disease_and_the_heart.htm

Thanks for the reply, by the way, I forgot to let everyone know my age which is 28.