My Blaze made me aware I may have hyperthyroidism

[TracyV125]

I'm physically fit and run/workout regularly.  I've been wearing my Blaze since April 2016.  My resting heart rate has been consistently 53-58 since then.

On June 25 I noticed my RHR went up a little.  Then every day after it climbed a bit more up to 77 a few days ago.

July 5th I called my doctors office and they sent me for blood work.  I saw him yesterday and it turns out that my TSH level is 0.01 indicating that it is most likely hyperthyroidism.  I went for more blood work (thyroid study) yesterday.

Thanks to my Blaze (and a few other symptoms that I might've put off) I called and can now fix the problem.

The reason I'm sharing this is because I wanted people to know that if you see your RHR rise it doesn't always mean there's something wrong with your Fitbit. 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[FerdinandFitbit]

Wow, thanks for sharing your experience with us @TracyV125!

While Fitbit trackers are not medical devices and therefore not meant to diagnose any condition, they sure give you an idea of things that might be going on with your body and not necessarily that there's something wrong with the tracker as you well say.

I'm glad you are now aware of this and that you reached out to your doctor to confirm and I really hope you can get the correct treatment for this to keep enjoying a healthy life!

Anything else you may need, you know that I'm here or any other moderator willing to help. Again great to see you participating in the Community Forums and thanks for sharing this with us! 

[MakMak]

Thanks for sharing, @TracyV125! Glad to hear you got yourself checked out. It's really amazing to see what new uses people are finding for their Fitbits these days. Have you seen the stories of them being used in court cases, too? Crazy!

[RatedE]

Very true!  I noticed my RHR started to climb just a day or so before I caught an illness (I guess my body was starting to prepare itself to fight whatever was coming).  I've also noticed my RHR decrease when I'm on holidays and go up again when I'm back to work 😉

[TracyV125]

@RatedE it's amazing how the body works.  It's incredible that a RHR could indicate such things as illness.  How much higher did it shoot up?  When I saw my steady mid 50's go up to 75 I knew something wasn't right.  Even though 60-80 is a normal range...it wasn't my normal.

[TracyV125]

@FerdinandFitbit  Although it's not a medical device, it sure can tell you a lot about what's going on in your body. 

When I did a search here I found in most posts people were blaming an update or a malfunction.  So I wanted to make others aware that it could be a signal something isn't right.

Thanks for your kind words.

[RatedE]

I was normally at around 60-61 and then climbed to 64-65 over the next couple of days and that's when I came down with my flu. After my illness was over, it went back down to the 60-ish range. 🙂

[TexasHealthNut]

Just saw this…same thing is happening to me right now!  Sucks, can’t run until they get under control!  Been a runner all my life…😞

wearing my Fitbit alerted me to my resting heart rate (56-61) now 73-76 bpm! 

[Ladyhorse]

I just found this thread as my RHR has been fluctuating for a while now.  Up to 13 beats daily variance, and if it goes higher for a while I feel better.  Lower means fatigue, legs like concrete, aching muscles and large joints.  My RHR range is now 63 - 76.    I have just found that I have high calcium (hypercalcemia) that comes and goes and is in sync with the RHR fluctuations.  Low RHR is bad coincides with high calcium level, and higher RHR means I have more energy and blood tests are in high normal range.  I am having more tests now, thyroid tests also but most likely is a parathyroid tumor causing this (can be fixed).  PS:  I'm in the process of getting a new fitbit, just to prove it's not the Fitbit malfunctioning.  I have three years data, so I know this is not normal for me.  This could be really important for recording peoples health and getting on top of problems before any permanent damage is done.  How did you get on?

[TexasHealthNut]

My Fitbit alerted me that I was having mini thyroid storms and diagnosed with hyperthyroidism! I will never be without! I’m back to normal now low dose Synthroid after a thyroid ablation procedure!

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