3 months postpartum Heart palpitations, shortness of breath but no anemia. NHS won’t listen

[lalish]

Merry Christmas! Sorry for long post

I had my first baby almost 3 months ago. Here’s a bit of background:
30 yo
Vaginal delivery with a 2nd degree tear
Lost 1.7 L of blood
Hb 9 after delivery
Breastfed baby for a month, now just occasionally (he’s bottle feeding)
Blood test a few days ago says Hb back to range so no anemia
Was checked by a couple of GPS, just simple things like blood pressure, heart rate, Oxygen, all OK and all say heart and lungs sound fine too

I feel awful and NHS does not listen to me. They send me home and say it’s just anxiety and general tiredness.
I cry a lot because I want to enjoy my baby and I can’t because I am feeling unwell physically and mentally. It’s all being traumatic for me and I’m struggling

I feel palpitations very often throughout the day. It’s like my heart is out of synch. I was slightly anemic during pregnancy and I feel very similar just now but I DONT have anemia. Lots of palpitations, heart racing with minimal activity, shortness of breath, tightness in my chest.

I am worried about my heart cause I read heart can suffer damage postpartum. I mean, look at me crying and posting about it on Christmas Day. I feel like an awful mother for not being able to care for my baby as I would want to. I feel selfish for wanting to look after myself rather than my baby boy.

Has anyone been through something similar?
I just want some reassurance while I wait for an ultrasound appointment to check my heart on Jan 3. I had to go private cause NHS won’t take me seriously. Cardiologist wants to rule out damage to heart postpartum.
I just need to know that my heart is fine to calm my anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle. I hate it

It sounds like you may have PND. Is this your first? New motherhood IS exhausting - most of us new mums barely made it through the first 6 months.

I don’t doubt I could, after all I’ve been through: being induced, the delivery, failing to breastfeed. Nothing went like I planned/wanted.

My symptoms though… are they really just anxiety? Everything makes me exhausted even like going up the stairs or a small hill. The palpitations as well, they are always there and I never used to have them. I want to like workout as well but there is no way I can last even 5 mins cause of the way I’m feeling.

When did things get back to normal for you?

Have you had an ECG? Most GP surgeries can do them, although the trick is to have one at the same time as you feel the issue - if the fluttery feeling conveniently hides at the moment of the ECG, it’s possible to have one you wear for 24 hours or more.

There are other things that might cause how you’re feeling, so if you feel your GP isn’t listening, could you try a different dr at the practice? Thyroid could cause similar issues, and PND could be playing a part (but might not be the whole answer). Are you eating well, so you’re getting all the vitamins you need? Are you getting any sleep? If you’re drinking a lot of caffeine, try and stop as that can cause palpitations too.

This is a very tough stage, physically and mentally, and you are doing all the right things by seeking support. I believe it’s sometimes possible to have an appointment with a specialist midwife, to help process a traumatic birth - I wonder if that might also be a piece of the puzzle towards feeling better.

OP ask the GP to do your thyroid and antibodies bloods. Very similar symptoms here and it turned out my thyroid was overactive. It's pants 🩲 they don't listen to patients and the constant self advocacy is exhausting ❤️

I think at the very least you should have a 48 hour tape. OP you mentioned a cardiologist. Is that someone you are seeing privately?
Has GP done thyroid blood tests?
I was in a terrible state during perimenopause. My Hb was just in range but my ferritin was 3. Has gp done both?

Sorry, just seen that cardiologist is private.

Agree, need thyroid function check.

Do you check your pulse during the palpitations? There must be a you tube tutorial about how to do this if you don't know. It is the simplest thing to do. You just need a timer for one minute, count how many beats and most importantly whether the rythm is steady. You can report back to gp.

What’s your ferritin level? You can be low on iron and have all of those symptoms without being anaemic.

What is your ferritin level? Low ferritin can cause all those symptoms. I've recently had my second iron infusion of the year and the first was low hb and v low ferritin. This time, just slightly low hb but very low ferritin again. I had those symptoms. Mine was 1.5 at the start of the year...

Sounds like thyroid have they tested? It usually hits after child birth

Are you on antidepressants, or any other medication that could be causing this? I ask because I was on one ad that caused very similar ticker issues. After having a 24hr monitor, a heart scan and something else my ticker was in fine health and it was concluded that it was the medication so I switched brand and my troubles cleared up.

The shortness of breath and permanent exhaustion for me were the main symptoms of coeliacs disease. Might be worth asking your GP for a blood test to rule it out.

Happy Christmas 🎅

Check ferritin levels! I had a ferritin of 6 with normal hb, hair loss, palpitations and pins and needles in legs. You’ll have to treat yourself nhs not really interested. Long thread about it somewhere x

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/4962447-low-ferritin?reply=131437046

GPs like to pass any symptoms women have as anxiety rather than actually provide medical care

I agree you need your thyroid checked, iron and b12 levels. What was your Hb pre birth? Is it within range or back to your pre birth levels?

My situation after my first was so similar. The doc dismissed me too after doing bloods. It genuinely took me a year to feel like I had energy. It's much quicker after my second baby. Not saying there's no specific reason you're feeling like this but it could just be postpartum life which is exhausting! (Also I'm pretty sure I had pnd in hindsight)

I had this after my first. Had all the tests, an ecg and an echo. I was put on iron tablets. Nothing fixed it.

Got pregnant again and now I have tachycardia too with a high heart rate constantly. I just want answers!! :(

Have they tested your B12 level? Did you use gas and air in labour? It can cause the symptoms you describe. They might tell you to take oral supplements but you are likely to need injections.

My suggestion..Im not a clinician just have lots of personal experience with heart problems
Start taking 100% RDA of magnesium, and a really good multivitamin with calcium and B12. and about 2000 iui of Vit D every day. Get thyroid checked with TSH and thyroid antibodies and full bloods with inflammation markers. Get the heart sonogram and ask for a 48 hr monitor. If all of that checks out and you are still having heart problems then consider that it is being driven by anxiety. At that point talk with your GP about trialling a beta blocker to see if it helps.

I hope you can find a solution that works for you

Good morning and Happy Christmas! Congratulations on your baby!

This is my first post on MN but I wanted to add my experience in case it helps at all. I understand what it's like to feel anxious about your heart as I had the same symptoms after my first baby who is now 4 years old. My doctor gave me a short ECG and then the 24 hour monitoring and the palpitations I was feeling turned out to be ectopic beats caused partly by a slower than average heart rate. The Dr was not concerned and in time I got used to them and they slowly stopped. I have just had my second baby under very similar circumstances to yours (large blood loss etc) and the palpitations/ectopic beats have unfortunately returned! This time I am not worried as I know it happened before and it will pass. But I understand how scary it can be and it's definitely compounded by the sleep deprivation and new baby anxiety, I really thought something awful was wrong with me. So please do speak to your doctor but hopefully it will be something very simple and resolve itself soon. Hope it's helpful to hear and puts your mind at ease a little.

Thank you everyone for your kind words, advice and recommendations. I’ll make sure to get checked on the things you’ve mentioned. It’s a nice feeling to be listened so thank you everyone for taking the time to share your experience. I’m sure I’m ok and I will keep you updated in case others are going through the same and want some reassurance. Hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas and happy holidays :)

Sorry you're feeling bad OP. I was like this after DD, similar blood loss. I felt shaky, heart pounding on any exertion, dizzy. Had everything checked, bloods done, told they couldn't find the cause of it not that any Dr I spoke to about it tried particularly hard. It did get better but DD is 3.5 now and I still get some episodes of it. I found it much worse when I was sleep deprived and it tends to come back if I've had a rough night. No idea what on earth causes it, I was thinking maybe POTS. It is really debilitating and made me feel depressed and just generally unwell for years.

i think you were justified in booking the private cardiologist - SCAD heart attacks are rare but can happen in the year after giving birth. I lost a friend to this. It is far more likely to be some sort of imbalance than your heart but I do think you can’t be too careful and need this ruling out.

I hope you're feeling OK and hopefully have a few more answers now
I have had very similar problems myself, gave birth just over 3 months ago. I found I started feeling crap when my second period started about 3 weeks ago. Started get really dizzy, didn't matter if I was stood up or sat down. I'm now getting the shortness of breath and a kind of tightening in the chest. I find if i start googling symptoms I almost have a anxiety/panic attack and get soooo much anxiety! Had my blood taken today to check iron levels aswell, but my anxiety is so through the roof i start worrying its more than that. I don't usually suffer with health anxiety but like yourself after a traumatic birth its really hit me hard.
Although it's awful it's nice to relate to someone. I hope you get yourself back to normal soon. X

Hi it’s me again with an update and good news: Ultrasound came back normal, my heart is perfectly fine and working well. Cardiologist has now ruled out Peripartum cardiomyopathy, which was my biggest fear, some kind of damage to my heart. He also made a quick ECG and was very happy with it. He wants to rule out absolutely everything so he arranged a 72 hr Holter monitor so that’s pending but I’m sure it will come back normal.

I would also like to add: the previous week before I posted this (Christmas day) I was feeling really unwell hence why I decided to do it and find some reassurance. Turns out my first period after almost a year came on Christmas Day in the evening. So I have a feeling that hormones had to do with a lot of the palpitations and feeling overwhelmed, anxious and sad. I had been feeling like 💩 since I gave birth but that week was just awful.

I also started to take vitamins like some of you suggested and I feel they have improved the way I’m feeling as well (could just maybe be my mind feeling reassured by taking a pill). I think there’s no harm in taking a supplement if it can help even a little.

I am so sorry @HansW93 that you’re going through an episode of health anxiety. I have had a few now even before pregnancy and there is nothing worse than the vicious cycle of worrying and being anxious about your health and causing the symptoms that make you feel unwell. I hope it reassures you a little that EVERY time I have worried about my health it turns out I’m perfectly healthy. So please do seek reassurance and have peace of mind so you can enjoy this wonderful phase of your life. The mind is so powerful, the symptoms feel AND are real. It’s amazing how we can make ourselves unwell so easily and it’s so difficult to make ourselves feel healthy or reassure us there’s nothing wrong.

Again, thanks again everyone, will keep posting updates if there are any and don’t hesitate to ask me any questions :)