Thyroid Problems

[wilem008]

Hi,

Im just wondering if anyone has or has had any problems with their thyroid?

Im december 2007 I was diagnosed with an 'over-active thyroid' - Hyperthyroidism. I was re-tested in Feb 2008 and everything was pretty much normal...

But Im wondering if I now have Hypothyroidism - Under-active thyroid? I have so many of the symtpoms: Including:

Poor muscle tone

Fatigue

Cold intolerance, increased sensitivity to cold

Depression

Muscle cramps and joint pain

decreased sweating

Dry, itchy skin

Weight gain and water retention

Constipation

Hmm, Im going to make a doctors appoinment to get get this looked at...but my real question is:

For those who have had problems with their thyroid....what symptoms did you have? And more specifically, did you have any physical symptoms in your throat?

The reason I ask is: For the last few years on and off (and constantly for the last week), I have had problems with my throat...

Its not like having a sore throat...I feel pressure at the front of my throat, just above my collar bone (at the base of my neck). It feels like there is a lump stuck in my throat...its hard to describe!

Can anyone relate to this?

[Roda]

You need to get a full thyroid panel done that includes a tsh, t3, t4, free t3, free t4, and blood test for thyroid antibodies. You could have hashimoto's disease. A lot of doctors don't like to treat for thyroid problems if the lab range is upper normal for ie tsh. Endocrinologists have accepted that the level for tsh is more narrow. I don't have the actual numbers. I was diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroid in Dec. 1999 but was not treated until Feb. 2000 after two miscarriages. My symptoms were general malaise, no energy, weight gain, and cold intolerance. I started levothyroxine in Feb. 2000 after my second miscarriage that required a d & c. May of 2000 I became pregnant and went on to deliver my first son in Feb. 2001. During my pregnancy is when I was diagnosed with hashimoto's disease. I do believe the two miscarriages were related to my untreated thyroid problem. The funny thing is that around 1998ish, my friend that I worked with at the time, was an ultrasound tech in the x-ray dept. where we worked. We were having a demo for new ultrasound machines and they needed patients to examine different parts. She did my thyroid and said it looked funny and pulled out a text book and said it looked just like the ultrasound picture of a thyroid with hashimotos. So I lied and went to the doctor and said I was having symptoms and he ordered thyroid tests. I was told they were normal. At that time I was really young in the medical profession so I did not question it. When I was given the diagnosis in 2000 I had to chuckle and proceded to tell the story. I was told by the endocrinologist that it was not uncommon and until then my thyroid had been compensating. Now that I have been gluten free for six months I am absorbing my meds better and I have been, for the first time had to have my level of levothyroxine lowered. I am currently taking 112 mcg of levothyroxine and 5 mcg of cytomel(T 3) twice a day. Recently I have been skipping my second dose of the cytomel until I can get some of my symptoms of overmedication relieved.

[nasalady]

Hi,

Im just wondering if anyone has or has had any problems with their thyroid?

Im december 2007 I was diagnosed with an 'over-active thyroid' - Hyperthyroidism. I was re-tested in Feb 2008 and everything was pretty much normal...

But Im wondering if I now have Hypothyroidism - Under-active thyroid? I have so many of the symtpoms: Including:

Poor muscle tone

Fatigue

Cold intolerance, increased sensitivity to cold

Depression

Muscle cramps and joint pain

decreased sweating

Dry, itchy skin

Weight gain and water retention

Constipation

Hmm, Im going to make a doctors appoinment to get get this looked at...but my real question is:

For those who have had problems with their thyroid....what symptoms did you have? And more specifically, did you have any physical symptoms in your throat?

The reason I ask is: For the last few years on and off (and constantly for the last week), I have had problems with my throat...

Its not like having a sore throat...I feel pressure at the front of my throat, just above my collar bone (at the base of my neck). It feels like there is a lump stuck in my throat...its hard to describe!

Can anyone relate to this?

I'm glad you're going to see a doctor! Please do so as soon as possible, these are serious symptoms! The previous poster is correct about the blood tests that should be run and that you may have Hashimoto's.

Here's my story:

As a teenager, then a young adult, I was always the coldest person in the room....EXCEPT for a brief period in my twenties when my heart rate shot up to 120 beats per minute and I felt much warmer than usual. I went to the ER and they said I was hyperthyroid but they looked at me skeptically because I was overweight. The ER docs couldn't figure it out.

Things seemed to normalize after a few weeks, and I went back to feeling cold, tired, having dry skin, being unable to lose weight, etc., etc. But I thought this was normal!

I had gone back to college in my late twenties, and I was in the middle of final exams one semester when my thyroid swelled up suddenly, and started pressing on my windpipe. The pressure was so intense it became hard to breathe, and I was frightened so I went to the ER again. I was also scared because I was experiencing extreme fatigue for the first time...I was falling asleep in the middle of the morning, and I was in the middle of finals!!

The ER doctor told me that my TSH was over 90 (normal is less than 5, my normal now is less than 1). TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, produced by the pituitary gland. I had Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and my thyroid had basically died under the constant attack of my own immune system, but my pituitary gland was trying to "resurrect" it by pouring more and more TSH into my blood stream until the level was 100 times the optimal amount. This had caused the thyroid to swell up.

It is typical in Hashimoto's Syndrome to go through one or more periods of hyperthyroidism, until the thyroid starts to burn out, at that point the final descent into hypothyroidism begins.

My niece has Graves Disease, which is the OTHER thyroid autoimmune disease; she is generally hyperthyroid, but her doctor said that if she doesn't take her medication she could become hypothyroid.

Those of us with celiac disease are much more susceptible to developing other autoimmune diseases and both Hashimoto's and Graves have been linked to celiac disease by medical researchers.

I now take 200 mcg of Unithroid per day. And probably will for the rest of my life.

I hope you do see a doctor...and that you start to feel better very soon!

JoAnn

[Gemini]

Hi,

Im just wondering if anyone has or has had any problems with their thyroid?

Im december 2007 I was diagnosed with an 'over-active thyroid' - Hyperthyroidism. I was re-tested in Feb 2008 and everything was pretty much normal...

But Im wondering if I now have Hypothyroidism - Under-active thyroid? I have so many of the symtpoms: Including:

Poor muscle tone

Fatigue

Cold intolerance, increased sensitivity to cold

Depression

Muscle cramps and joint pain

decreased sweating

Dry, itchy skin

Weight gain and water retention

Constipation

Hmm, Im going to make a doctors appoinment to get get this looked at...but my real question is:

For those who have had problems with their thyroid....what symptoms did you have? And more specifically, did you have any physical symptoms in your throat?

The reason I ask is: For the last few years on and off (and constantly for the last week), I have had problems with my throat...

Its not like having a sore throat...I feel pressure at the front of my throat, just above my collar bone (at the base of my neck). It feels like there is a lump stuck in my throat...its hard to describe!

Can anyone relate to this?

I have had Hashi's for about 15 years. The throat symptoms are common for Hashi's and are caused by the enlargement of the gland when it is overworked/under attack by the immune system. A good thyroid doctor will be able to get things under control but it can take awhile.

Do not worry about this as, once the problem has been corrected with meds, the thyroid responds well and may start working better. Once I went gluten-free for about 4 years, I was able to half my Levoxyl dose and may be able to stop it completely. The gluten free diet will help tremendously as it will calm your immune system down and this benefits the thyroid.

The throat "lump" as you call it is still there, though. I have gotten used to it and it is no big deal anymore. Just eat your food in smaller bites to make swallowing easier. Most people with Hashi's or Graves will have an enlarged gland but it doesn't necessarily mean anything serious. Not to worry.....this is all fixable!

[Jamie1763]

I have Hypothyroid as well....and yes sometimes i feel like someone is pushing on the front of my throat....Once treated you will feel much better......symptoms go away rather quickly. Good luck!

[mamaw]

I've been on both sides of the thyroid hyper & hypo. Thyroid storm put me in ICU for Two weeks.... I had RAI two years ago. I didn't do it without kicking & screaming! NOw I have grave's , symptoms of both hyper & hypo & 1 1/2 ago dx'd with dysthyroid orbitopathy.. I just keep adding on auto-immune diseases......not fun at all....