Joint pain, fatigue

Hormones
1

I've been dealing with this for around 2 years now...my symptoms vary slightly, some days are better than others, but by far the most obvious and persistent symptom is chronic knee pain. 

The knee pain/lower leg pain never goes away, is in both legs, and is constant, never getting better or worse.  

Other symptoms I have are other joint and muscle soreness/stiffness, feel a bit weak, fatigue, don't feel well rested, no matter how much sleep, eyes hurt/feel tired, toes feel cold, feel unmotivated, trouble concentrating.

I've mainly focused on the knee/leg pain as that is the most bothersome. However, I feel like it may have led my doctors down the wrong path. I've had x-rays and MRIs of my knees, thorough blood work (tested for arthritis, lupus, and all the main minerals, thyroid, etc.), physical therapy, and physical medicine where I got an EMG to check nerves/muscles. No doctor has found anything.

I'm not sure what to do now. I think my symptoms sound a bit thyroid related, but many of them are pretty general. I plan to ask for more blood work, and perhaps to see and endocrinologist. In my past blood work, I noticed that my thyroid levels were trending towards hypo levels, but not out of range. Also, my parathyroid hormone was just out of the upper range, with high (but not extreme) levels of calcium (I realize this could be a sign of a different issue). 

Any specific blood tests I should make sure are included with this round of blood work? I hope we can make some progress soon, I've seen a lot of doctors with no change in 2 years, and it's getting frustrating. 

2

One possibility worth exploring might be sleep apnoea (apnea).  This is one possible explanation amongst many for tiredness; sometimes hypothyroid can be linked to this, as well as to acid reflux.  Hope that helps.

3

You could ask for a Vitamin D blood test lack of that would cause fatigue and if its been there a while problems with your bones to.  Good Luck

4

Hi,just so I've got this clear,have you actually been diagnosed as hypothyroid?

I have all the symptoms you're describing,with the addition of almost constant headache and intolerance to heat,despite having cold feet.I am hypothyroid,and on Levothyroxine,200mcg daily.My Endo has been changed to find out why I have all these problems.I didn't focus on one,I gave him a list I'd written in advance.A load of bloods have been taken,so should get results when back in September.Gill

5

Hi jp, doctors tend to prescribe according to blood test ranges, rather than symptoms. However, NICE guidelines (if you are in the UK) state that doctors can prescribe levo to someone who is within range, but symptomatic of under active thyroid, for an experimental period of time to see if symptoms are relieved. I have been in the same position as you, whereby doctors are obsessed with finding other reasons for symptoms and refuse to believe that thyroid could be the problem. It's a kind of collective denial by the medical profession. Keep a diary of your symptoms and blood test results.