Thyroid

[GamerLlama87]

O.27-4.2 is the range so yours is high.

I know, the doctor seemed quite alarmed but I'd have had no idea if it wasn't for the fact they just threw thyroid stuff into the blood works in a "why not, while we're doing it" kinda way! Never had any of the symptoms she expected me to have from it

 

[lexle]

I meant to ask you about your levels, so me being 2.2 on the ‘normal scale’ is ok, but on the ‘under-active scale’ I’m coming to the limit.. My symptoms are always the same when my meds need increasing so my body sort of tells me
Did your doctor tell you to keep your level below 2.5?

I‘d never actually known my levels up until about a year ago when a different consultant told me, but yeah he said ideally below 2.5. I don’t get cold or tired any where near like I used to (when I was on around 75mcg) Obviously it all affects us differently but you sound very similar to me. I hope you manage to get it sorted!

 

[mcfeez]

So I found out my blood results -
TSH - 0.78
T4 - 10.9


I hope these mean something to one of you lovely people
I need to know wether to speak to my doctor again.

My TSH is 5, with medication. So I think this is totally fine! (Not a dr obviously)

 

[knivesnflowers]

one thing i'm surprised about with my hashimoto's is the lack of check ups for the nodules / goitre?? it's been five years since my first and only ultrasound but even when i've enquired about a follow up scan due to symptoms i've just been told they're not really a thing...

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

I’m not sure what type of surgery it would be, my next appointment is in March. The idea of being medication free is very appealing. I’m thinking about recovery time afterwards too with surgery. I’m guessing with RAI it would be pretty straightforward?

It depends if it destroys your thyroid function completely. In which case you'd need to be on Thyroxine, probably for life and you might feel crappy whilst they titrate your dose. RAI isn't an area I'm massively knowledgeable in though. I did read up on it at the time but can't remember much of it as it didn't apply to situation in the end. I don't know what the risk percentages are for needing medication etc.

 

[Beth1980]

Normally they will repeat the test at a later date, if it's the first to show something, as some things can influence the test but that would be more for TSH levels. I guess it will also depend of the reference ranges in your area.
I orginally had middle range TSH but low T4 and after a few test showing the same and a positive antibody test I was started on Levothyroxine, hope your daughter gets everything sorted.

 

[Hairraiser]

Weight gain despite diet and lots of exercise and activity - this is the annoying thing, trying to lose and I am gaining, my doctor immediately was like "Let's check your thyroid."
Cold extremities
Fatigue, I have insomnia, but I will go weeks with having good sleep and I am still SO TIRED ALL THE TIME
Joint pain, knees, elbows
Brittle nails, dry flaky skin

These are all exactly what I have!!!!
the coldness and fatigue are what gets me the most!
my bloods came back as deficient in Vitamin D, so I’m now taking a supplement.
It’s nice when the doctor doesn’t just fob you off and actually do some investigations.
Hopefully you can get the right treatment for it, cause it’s so debilitating!

 

[bourb0nbiscuits]

I’ve just had RAI for thyroid cancer, but if you have any questions let me know!

Oh my gosh, sorry to hear that , how are you feeling?

 

[monga]

Smothering is not far off. I would say like I can’t get enough air in my lungs. Like the air isn’t reaching the bottom. It’s hurting my neck , chest and back where I’m straining to get air in.

Yes . Deff get a TFT done ,have you got any other symptoms ? like nail /hair issues , periods , gut , there's so many things besides muscle weakness that you don't put down to thyroid .

 

[mcfeez]

Probably borderline? They won’t adjust in that instance…I don’t know how old you are but could it be perimenopause? That kicks in earlier than you think.

I'm 33 - so (hopefully) unlikely to be that. I think i'll bring it up with my doc if nothing improves and ask for bloods to be done again.

 

[catmama1692]

Hi, mine was overactive during my pregnancies. Now they've found the issue they will monitor you with regular blood tests. There's a threshold where you'll need to start taking medication. You'll probably be under Consultant care for the rest of the pregnancy (and possibly all future ones) so you'll have more appointments. I saw my Consultant monthly initially I think.

I found that my consultant was really good at listening to what I wanted and we held off medicating at the point where they would have liked me to start taking it. They were very clear though that had my T3 and T4 levels raised any further that medication would no longer be a choice but an absolute necessity.

They would have put me on carbimazole. It might be worth reading up on it now so you can make informed choices.

You'll also need to have your thyroid levels checked regularly after pregnancy to see if they go back to normal. Longer term it will depend on what the reason behind your thyroid being overactive is, ie: autoimmune issue/multinodular goiter etc to how that is managed.

Brilliant thank you so much for the reply! I'll read up on that drug now incase its mentioned it any appointments next month!
Yes I was expecting the regular blood tests, did you get induced a little bit early because of this? I've also got coeliac disease, previous c section and previous high BP so I'm wondering if I'll be delivering at 39 weeks again.
Unfortunately the thyroid issue was picked up before pregnancy so I doubt it'll return to normal after, it's just a bit annoying that these issues got picked up in July and I'm now only just getting appointments for it, I had no idea thyroid issues was such a big thing in pregnancies so wish I'd be warned about that!

 

[ChampagneBox]

Anyone else find their PMS symptoms are worse/different on levo after total thyroidectomy?

 

[starfish2009]

Hi All

A couple of questions for my fellow hypothyroidism friends.

First one - for the ladies - did it affect your periods?

I was diagnosed in pregnancy a few years back (my baby is 2 in November) and was slightly under so started taking 50mg of levothyroxine daily and have done since. Had my bloods tested Feb time and Dr said that I'm on the correct dose and will need to keep on taking it as is.

I've noticed that the majority of this year my periods have been a bit off, for example:

Feb period come after a 46 day cycle
March period come after 34 day cycle
April period come after 33 day cycle
May period come after 29 day cycle
June period come after 51 day cycle
August period come after 32 day cycle
September - no period
October - currently on cycle day 49 with no period

I'm 30 and have taken pregnancy tests which are negative. Just so stumped as

Second - chest heaviness

Does anyone ever get an ache in their chests? At first I described it as a 'heavy feeling' I sometimes experience when I have bad anxiety, but it's pretty much always there, I'm not particularly breathless or anything... it's just always there? I've probably had this around 10-12 weeks?

Hey, I'm totally new to this tattle life so bare with me here haha not quite sure what I'm doing to be honest lol. but heard loads about it so thought id jump on and have a nosey see what's going on, and some how stumbled across this post. I am a fellow under active thyroid lady so can relate, its certainly not fun.

Period wise i would definitely say it changed my periods i can go 6 weeks without one and not realise and they never start on the same day its always like a few days between them so end up having a longer gap between some months. I did speak to my doctor about this and he did say it was normal even with my levels being in range apparently so I'm just used to it now i think. i tend to track them on my health app on my phone now so i have an idea of when my last one was. im 29 soon to be 30 so around the same age as you. hmm with the chest pains all i can suggest is maybe see if they can do a chest x-ray i had a shadow on my lung before i even knew i had an underactive thyroid but that's what made them find my issue with my thyroid not trying to scare you or anything but maybe check with your doctor ?. do you struggle with anxiety? or are you more sure something else is going on? also are you in the right levels with your thyroid? I'm not on 100 and they have said ive finally hit "normal levels" now.

i would definitely say speak to your doctor if you're concerned though xxx

 

[Hairraiser]

I’m at a loss as to why I have the same symptoms as hypo.

I should be grateful my numbers are ok, i just wish I knew what was wrong

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

I had terrible symptoms from my first vaccine felt like the house dropped on me couldn’t lift my arm for days , like flu achy kind of symptoms and sore throat but not a sore throat, odd symptoms that kept coming and going, my joints were swollen and sore my nails had funny lines that I was putting down to hand sanitizer as I’d never had them before, my eyesight was getting worse ,extreme tiredness and my cycle had stopped, I was putting that down to peri menopause or something, like I say I’ve never been under active so I didn’t put it down to my thyroid, I didn’t get my thyroid checked till December as I only needed it done every few months because I’ve been stable for years last time I had it done was before the vaccines and it was normal. I had my blood checked on the Wed and the GP rang me first thing next morning to tell me it was really low and he’d already phoned my endo and she’d be in touch with me, someone on another thread said their endo had told them if they were getting the vaccine to get their bloods done soon after as there are cases of it interfering with thyroid hormones? I’d never had any advice unless it’s a new thing they’d discovered, I had Pfizer in December and a horrendous heavy period in Jan and really tender boobs so I don’t know where my levels are atm I have to get them checked this week I’m off my carbimozole and have to have my bloods done every six weeks and phone my consultant for the results she sent me out the specimen bags for haematology to get them done at the hubs if my GP can’t fit me in… This is online so maybe there’s something they’ve found out as more people are coming forward

Fifth Documented Case of Graves Disease Linked With COVID-19 Vaccine

A relationship between thyroid dysfunction, autoimmune thyroid disorders, and COVID-19 infection is evolving in medical literature. Researchers investigated whether this link extended to the COVID-19 vaccine.

www.endocrinologyadvisor.com

Thank you for the link. You sound like you've had a really bad time. Weirdly my eyesight has worsened too but my eyes are quite sore so could be llinked. I actually have a vague memory of that happening years ago too.

I don't have Graves, mine's multi nodular. However, I don't know about you but I've had enough already. My symptoms are not as bad (yet) as they have been previously but it's still not fun. I have a tremor anyway which I'm convinced was triggered by the period of time the thyroid was badly overactive without treatment and it being overactive now is worsening that, which is affecting my work. I'm fed up but I don't see an awful lot of fun in the future if the other half of my thyroid is removed and I'm on thyroxine for life. Sorry for the grump! Hope you are OK.

Ive been on propanolol for years, and noticed i felt awful when i hadnt taken them. Thinking it was just anxiety, but im thinking now that its actually my thyroid not being masked. Ive purposely not taken any in 2/3 days and my chest/heart feels very fluttery.

Its strange though. Like.. why would it (seemingly) go high suddenly? Is thyroiditis repetitive!? The GP said my levels were at a level they'd usually see in people on too high a dose of thyroid meds but im not on any!? Oh and that my bloods show inflammation markers. Weird, man!

Thyrotoxicosis potentially, or independently functioning nodules. If you are feeling flutters please talk to your GP about taking a small dose of aspirin per day. It's about 75mg and they sell them in Asda, Boots etc so you don't need to pay for a prescription of they do prescribe it.

 

[aggytha]

My TSH has been <0.01 (undetectable) both during pregnancy and afterwards. My thyroid issue isn't autoimmune, it's a multinodular goiter which had become toxic so the nodules were producing too much of the hormone. I very nearly had to go on medication during one of my pregnancies but fortunately my T4 levels didn't rise any higher. There are side effects with the medication though so make sure you're making an informed choice.

I can't remember if you mentioned in your previous post whether you'd been tested for antibodies? This will determine if you have an autoimmune condition or a problem within the thyroid itself.

Mine didn't ever resolve properly after pregnancy and I ended up having half of it removed. The remaining half is very large but at the moment is behaving itself hormone wise so I get to keep it for a while.

I’ve (finally!) had my TRAB (antibody) result and have been told it’s come back positive. However I believe my thyroid levels are currently within normal range.

My OB has told me that Endocrinology want to retest my TRAB and thyroid function at 28 weeks, which is fine, but is a false positive possible?! I gather this indicates that it is autoimmune related and not pregnancy induced?

 

[Vidyagaymes]

I was told i Can take it Half an hour before food, sometimes if i wake up in the night when the kids come into our bed I take it there

 

[monga]

It


Its really been an eye opener for me. So much of the rubbish I’ve been dealing with is almost certainly linked to my thyroid… fuzzy thinking, depression, low appetite, coldness. I really really do hope that the treatment will help With that.
I just also think it’s super ridiculous that bodies can just start to hate themselves and make tonnes of antibodies against something that is actually really important….

Yes it does improve once your levels drop into the normal range but it can take a while . I don't think being underactive is as hard to manage as over ( here's hoping ) I've had a lot of twoing and froing with meds over the years from block and replace to coming off only to relapse , I've been fine this past 10 yrs only on a maintence dose to control it until I had that feckin vaccine .I've had ongoing symptoms from Feb ( didn't find out till Dec )but didn't know it was being caused by being underactive as I've never been that way ,the joint pains etc were beginning to worry me though, so like yourself it's a kind of relief , only thing is stress and illness can play havoc with your levels even if you're being medicated as the immune system takes a battering ,hope you're feeling better soon and you don't take too long to fall into the normal range .

 

[Leachcranberry]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at 19, my Mum and my Grandad also had thyroid issues. My main symptoms were tiredness, weight gain and thinning hair, and was prescribed thyroxine. I never managed to loose the weight so if anyone has any tips for things that worked for them I would love to hear them.

 

[monga]

Yes, I feel like the blood results should only be an indicator of what’s going on and they should be looking at the overall picture. Blood results say X, patient symptoms say Y, and then managing it from there. It seems like a lot of people don’t realise how debilitating it can actually be unless you have thyroid problems yourself. I have friends and colleagues that think it just means you’re a little bit tired and gain weight easily. I work for the NHS and I’m tempted to just head along to endo and speak to someone to see if its even worth asking for a referral.

I follow a girl on Tiktok who also has hypo and PCOS and manages it purely by changing her diet. She’s no longer on any medication for anything. I completely admire her dedication but it seems like such a huge lifestyle change as she watches every single she eats and drinks. Her account is heal.with.fifi if anyone is interested!

Yes it is a really debilitating thing doctors seem to shrug it off and tell you to get on with it , my GP can't even treat me I have to wait for consultant care even though it can be weeks before they contact you .I have to use my own initiative between times as you're basically left to your own devices , have you thought about going private and see what they could offer .

I do think hyperthyroidism seems more complex - it can affect your eyes and stuff too can't it? I think it was my mums optician who originally suspected thats what she had. It also seems harder to control - hers has gone underactive a couple of times due to the meds.

Yes ! you have to get an ultrasound and MRI which isn't the most pleasant if you're claustrophobic my eyesight is the first indicator there's something brewing ,even a cold, all linked to the immune system you see.