Can someone help me with results please? Really struggling to cope

Hormones
1

Hi everyone, I was really looking for some advice/help with some of my results and if they could be causing my symptoms. In November last year (2014) I suddenly became very unwell following a throat infection, although I used to have anxiety (scared going places) I suddenly began with intense feelings of fear and doom, it didn't feel like classic anxiety at all and I didn't feel worried- my body just felt incredibly not right! 

Following this sudden shift I experienced:

- Depression

- Night sweats

- Tremor

- Extreme Fatigue

- Very dry skin

- A few months later I developed a 'goitre'

- An arrhythmia which was detected in hospital

- Dizzyness and eyes 'blacking out' when walking around

and many other weird and random symptoms.

To cut a long story short I've been very unwell since and have had to take the year off university to try and recover. I was hospitalised in April due to a severe hedache and weakness in my reflexes and they also detected an arrhyhtmia. 

The doctors were thoroughly confused about what is going in, and are pretty adimant it is not related to my thyroid as my levels are 'normal'.

However, out of desperation I have paid for a private referral and upon the first consultation the doctor said he suspects Hashimoto's and that something else may be going on. 

What is confusing me most is my most recent thyroid results which are:

TSH 1.1

Free T4 10.5 (7-17)

Free T3 6.4 (3- 6.5)

It appears that my free T4 is on the low side but Free T3 on the high, could this account for any of my symptoms?

I've had a fair few tests done and the only other things so far which have come back as low is my b12 (145, but now raised to 456 after supplements) and my Ferritin (13), I noticed my temp is consistently low often hitting 35,2 degrees celsius, and my blood sugar sometimes dips to 3.8.

If anyone has had anything similiar or any advice about what might be going on I would be so grateful, I'm really struggling to get through each day!

Thanks, Sarah. 

 

2

Hello Sarah63852

What you have described is identical to what happened to me 18 months ago.

I am not an expert in the thyroid levells but mine were as follows:

1. TSH was 0.17 on May 4, now is 0.16.

T4 was 16.5.

T3 not done.

TPAO  less than 33.

I went to see a thyroid surgeon who refused to do any scans or a biopsy. I have now been referred to another Endo.

So from what you have written it is highly likely that you have a thyroid disorder requiring treatment.

You wrote that you developed a goitre. I assume that you have had a scan. 

Mine was an incidental finding on a CTPA scan for something completely different.

Hope you get sorted out by your endo.

Kind reards

Jean.

 

3

Hello Sarah:

My name is Shelly and I am an RN-Nurse.  I live in the USA and I suffer with Hashimoto's thyroid disease.  I had it in my teenage years but back in the 1970's nobody looked for it.  I am now 54 so I have had it my whole life.

Hashimoto's is a slow thyroid disease and can act just like a flu does.  As you said you become tired, sleeping a lot and you gain weight fast, develop a goiter.

Most common symptoms  of low thyroid are: rapid weight gain, low temp, dry skin, low heart rate, headaches, muscle pains, depressed feelings, sleeping a lot, acne. There are more but these are most common.

The real cause of how we get such a disease is between:  1) Family history of it and 2) a virus such as Epstein- Barr virus called "Mono".  3) They also think that stress or a stressful event can cause the thyroid to be impaired. Hashimoto's  disease is caused by the protein anti-bodies that get a message that YOUR OWN thyroid gland is a foreign body, and these antibodies ATTACK the gland and it renders it useless in late stages.  It takes a long time to do this

Yes, some of your blood levels are off and can indicate Hashimoto's.  It can go low and high.  You have more symptoms of a low thyroid  (hypothyroidism) and you should see an Endocrinologist.  Sometimes having Hashimoto's disease you can go into Hyperthyroid  and then go low Hypothyroid.  It swings back and forth.  That is why relying on just blood work is kind of a bad idea.

I suggest you see an Endocrinologist and that doctor is trained to know all about thyroid problems.  Our bodies are complex and do crazy things as it trys to fix itself.  You will need meds to replace the hormone and I suggest you log your symptoms and bring it with you to the Endo's appt.  It helps to show them it in writing.

Also make sure you have proper glucose levels.  Make sure you are tested for Diabetes.

You are not alone most of us have thyroid problems and it hits women more than men, and can be passed on in the DNA. 

I hope this helps. Be well, Shelly

 

4

Hi Jean, Thanks for your response and I'm sorry that you have been through something similar, it is truly dreadful feeling so poorly and not knowing whats wrong!

Have you recieved any treatment for your thyroid?

Yes I have a 'smooth thryoid swelling' no nodules found on the ultrasound.

Did you have similar symptoms to mine? It's comforting to know someone in a similar situation! 

Many Thanks, 

Sarah. 

5

Hi Shelly, thanks for your response it's very much appreciated!

Can I ask if your thyroid levels showed up completely out of whack when you first got diagnosed? My problem is because my TSH is always so 'normal', around 1, that I've had a hard time getting doctors to agree there is a thryoid problem. Finally seeing my new endo next week (the one who has agreed its hashi's and he's running some more tests). 

A few days ago I had some recent thyroid results back which showed my TSH at '1.0' my FT4 at '9.5' and my FT3 at '4.2'. It seems odd to me that my FT4 seems pretty low but so is my TSH. Do you happen to know if thats to do with the hashi's?

They also did a random cortisol showing up at 150 so now looking into adrenal problems also!

Thanks for you help,

Sarah. 

6

Hello Sarah:

When  first was diagnosed I was 26, in 1987, (now 54),  although I had symptoms earlier and nobody looked for it back in the 1970's. 

 I remember my doc said I had hardly any T3  & T 4 and  he was amazed I was able to function as a  nurse!  Back then he called me, we did not have the Internet and nobody thought to ask for a copy of the blood work. 

 I was skinny  then.  I also was always  tired  &  I then gained weight quickly for no reason,  and I always was COLD.  My period's were late all the time.  My hair started to fall out. 

Yes, in short,  Hashimoto's can appear like your blood  is Hyper but you have  Hypo. It can change back & forth.  It also causes a goiter later in time.

Normal  TSH should be (0.34  to  5.60&#160 and  can appear  to  be okay but T3 &  T4 say  otherwise.   The adrenals should  be checked as there is a relationship between Thyroid gland  problems and adrenal tumors and  cortisol  levels.

Normal T4 is  (4.5  to 11.2) or so and I am using American values but it is similar to UK's ones. It really is the symptoms more than the blood levels.  Also Hashimoto's has an antibody TPA test.  That shows if the antibodies are present and the level of them.

I had my adrenals checked and have a benign tumor on my left gland.  It is not secreting any hormone or cortisol.   It is important to have it checked at least every 2 years after the inital checkup.

I hope this helps,  keep me posted on how it goes,  Shelly

 

7

I have hashis 19 years now and still struggling to find right dose. How does your fatigue affect you I am curios? I have it also can't sleep depressed night sweats too. Constant brain fog. Free levels are low tsh 2.38 high for me. When I try to raise my synthyroid I feel worse how about you?