Thyroid Problem?

[JSegura226]

About 2 weeks ago I started having what can only be explained as heart palpatations. Since experiencing these I have been noticing a HUGE drop in energy levels, shaky hands, pressure in my throat ( I can feel every single pulse beat in my throat), tired if I dont eat large meals, Insomnia (staying up 20+ hours), anxiety, Very itchy and dry scalp, random bouts of naseau, weight loss and a few other random symptoms.. I have done countless searching which has led me to believe something is going on with my thyroid.

Since going gluten free in March (6 Months ago), most of my celiac symptoms have subsided. Night sweats, daily vomiting, constant naseau and dhiarea are all gone. I still have some bouts of bloating and side pain but I think that's the name of the game when it comes to healing, especially after being undiagnosed for 26 years. I even managed to put on some weight which has all be lost again this last 2 weeks =(.

I read that underlying autoimmune diseases such as graves can go hand in hand with celiac and that many times the graves symptoms will only come out when your body is under stress or sick. About a month ago I had some depression sinking in and I think it possibly triggered this thyroid issue. I am going to make a doctors appointment this week and wanted to know if somebody with similar problems could give me some advice on what I should tell him and tests I should ask for. Any help would be appreciated.

EDIT: Also forgot to mention my pulse rate is about 110+ beats per minute while resting.

[mushroom]

Yes, I would agree that you need a full thyroid workup, which consists of:

The complete thyroid blood test assesses the following:

• Hypersensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
• free thyroxine (fT4)
• free triiodothyronine (fT3)
• reverse T3 (rT3)
• anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-TG)
• anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO)
• fT4/fT3
• fT3/rT3

A pulse rate of 110 is waay too high. Yes, you would be feeling your pulse beat at these rates. Get thee to a doctor

[pricklypear1971]

In addition to the above, if you aren't already taking a good multivitamin add it now. Add a cal/mag/vit d in addition.

I have had the same heart thing - which was helped by gluten-free. Comes and goes regardless of type of thyroid med; helped by supplements, specifically when I added more vit d and iron, which I am very deficient in. I also take a good amountvof b vitamin (although I can't take sublingual).

[Reba32]

I had Grave's Disease (in remission now for 2+ years) and your symptoms are all the same as mine, plus I had extreme aversion to heat, and would sweat even if the temp was cold to everybody else around me. I was standing in front of the A/C in February! Get to the doctor quick for those tests, Grave's and hyperthyroid can be quite dangerous, and with your resting heart rate so high, it's very concerning.

[GFinDC]

I have read that people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis can have swings between hypo and hyper thyroid episodes. It could be you have Hashi's and are alternating between them.

I think it is helpful to write down your symptoms before hand and give them to the doc. That way you are less likely to forget telling them something.

[Skylark]

Yes that sounds like thyroid. Either Graves' or an overactive Hashimoto's episode. You need a thyroid workup, particularly TSH, and all three thyroid antibodies Ravenwoodglass mentioned. The various T3 and T4 levels are nice to have but most doctors won't order them until they find an abnormal TSH or antibodies.

[Ponyski123]

About 2 weeks ago I started having what can only be explained as heart palpatations. Since experiencing these I have been noticing a HUGE drop in energy levels, shaky hands, pressure in my throat ( I can feel every single pulse beat in my throat), tired if I dont eat large meals, Insomnia (staying up 20+ hours), anxiety, Very itchy and dry scalp, random bouts of naseau, weight loss and a few other random symptoms.. I have done countless searching which has led me to believe something is going on with my thyroid.

Since going gluten free in March (6 Months ago), most of my celiac symptoms have subsided. Night sweats, daily vomiting, constant naseau and dhiarea are all gone. I still have some bouts of bloating and side pain but I think that's the name of the game when it comes to healing, especially after being undiagnosed for 26 years. I even managed to put on some weight which has all be lost again this last 2 weeks =(.

I read that underlying autoimmune diseases such as graves can go hand in hand with celiac and that many times the graves symptoms will only come out when your body is under stress or sick. About a month ago I had some depression sinking in and I think it possibly triggered this thyroid issue. I am going to make a doctors appointment this week and wanted to know if somebody with similar problems could give me some advice on what I should tell him and tests I should ask for. Any help would be appreciated.

EDIT: Also forgot to mention my pulse rate is about 110+ beats per minute while resting.

I have Hashimoto and for me it does flip between hyperthyroidism to hypothyroidism. I have found that gluten is linked to all my episodes. Sometimes, (before gluten-free) I would sweat under any amount of stress (couldn't play poker:)) and would have heart palpitations with feelings anxiety and very irritable. other times I would gain weight no matter how much I exercise and have no energy and was hard to concentrate because my thought process was so cloudy...i grew up blaming dyslexia.

This is a good book to read and is packed with a lot of useful info for people with thyroid issues and gluten intolerance..."Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?" by Dr. Kharrazian. He emphasizes on the importance to getting the correct tests done and diagnosed thoroughly and correctly, so you can take the right corrective measures that fit your personal issues.

Now that I am gluten free...I cant describe how much better I feel.

[JSegura226]

Thanks for the advice everybody! I wrote down all the tests I should ask for and will tell my doctor I need them done asap. I setup a doctors appointment and will have to get a referral to an endocrinologist from what they told me over the phone. I seem to be doing a bit better today. Not so shaky and my pulse rate is down around 80 at resting. Still having some issues sleeping though.

This whole thing is really scary to me because one of my best friends was just diagnosed with Graves and is undergoing radiated iodone therapy or something along those lines and he said it is beating the hell out of him. I do not want to have to go through that too =(

As for supplements. I have been taking cal/mag+boron, daily multivitamin, Carlsons Cod liver oil (non flavored), and Solgar sublingual b12 daily since being diagnosed with celiac back in April. My house is also very strict gluten free. My wife and Dogs are all gluten free. We dont eat any processed foods. Just lots of Brown Rice, Veggies, fruit, nuts, and Meat or Fish (all organic from whole foods). So I dont think CC is a problem since I really have not had these symptoms since going gluten-free 6+ months ago. I think stress had alot to do with this bout of thyroid problems... Right before these symptoms started up 2 weeks ago, I was really stressed about getting back to work and not being so damn usless to my family. I have a very supportive wife and I started to feel as though I am just a big bane on her.

[mushroom]

I was really stressed about getting back to work and not being so damn usless to my family. I have a very supportive wife and I started to feel as though I am just a big bane on her.

Ahhh, this is not really productive thinking You are not useless and are doing your best to be your best. Your wife is supportive. She knows that as soon as you are able you will be out there being productive again. Do not waste your energies stressing - put them into healing Good luck with your testing and your problem-solving.

[Reba32]

if it makes you feel any better, not everyone with Grave's ends up needing the radio active iodine treatment. I didn't. Mine went into full remission after 18 months on methimazole. It's rare, but it does happen!

[Skylark]

if it makes you feel any better, not everyone with Grave's ends up needing the radio active iodine treatment. I didn't. Mine went into full remission after 18 months on methimazole. It's rare, but it does happen!

Not rare at all. It's like 1 in 5 go into remission. Can't remember where I read it but it surprised me.

[Reba32]

I was told that the chance of remission is 25%, and the chance of recurrence after remission is 75%.

[JSegura226]

Well that's good. I hope all I need is meds to control it...

I went to my doctor finally and got my blood test done and should be in on Monday. Whatever is happening to me, it sure is kicking my A**. I am up for like 20 hours+ then sleep for 12 hours and when I wake up I cannot walk 20 feet to the kitchen without my heart beating out of my chest and feeling like I just ran a mile. I also stopped taking my multivitamin a few days ago. I linked it to the panic attacks I was experiencing. Seems like clockwork but when I was taking my Multivitamin, About 2 to 3 hours later I felt like I was going crazy! My heart was beating out of my chest and my mind was racing so fast I thought I was gonna die. My friend who has graves said it was probably the potassium iodide in the vitamin making my thyroid go into overdrive. So I cut out high Iodine containing foods and seem to be doing a little better than I was a few days ago. Still really really tired all the time though.

Had another question for you HYPERthyroids out there. Does really low cholesterol have anything to do with hyperthyroidism? I had blood tests done in July and the only thing they told me was my cholesterol was really low and I should change my diet accordingly..I didnt understand this because I adopted an extremely balanced diet since going gluten free and it just didnt make any sense to me.

[Skylark]

Yes, the more thyroid hormone, the lower the cholesterol. Low cholesterol is another symptom of Graves' disease. High cholesterol is a sign of HYPOthyroidism.

Keep us posted!

[JSegura226]

Yes, the more thyroid hormone, the lower the cholesterol. Low cholesterol is another symptom of Graves' disease. High cholesterol is a sign of HYPOthyroidism.

Keep us posted!

ughh this doesnt look good . Ill keep updating as things change. Thanks again for all the help everyone.

[JSegura226]

Symptoms have drastically faded today. Was still a bit rough this morning but as the day progressed I felt better. I pretty much cut out any foods containing high amounts of iodine including iodized salt for the last 2 days and I seem to be getting much better. Even have some energy to clean the house a little today. So wierd how these symptoms can come and go like this. Hopefully I will have some answers on Tuesday when my results come in.

[cahill]

Yes that sounds like thyroid. Either Graves' or an overactive Hashimoto's episode. You need a thyroid workup, particularly TSH, and all three thyroid antibodies Ravenwoodglass mentioned. The various T3 and T4 levels are nice to have but most doctors won't order them until they find an abnormal TSH or antibodies.

With hashimoto's can you have hyper episodes???

How can you balance that when your on meds ??? Or do you just ride it out??

I have taken meds for hypothyroid for about 20 years, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's this past May. My endocrinologist said the hashimoto's antibodys are destroying my thyroid . The past week or so I have had trouble sleeping, heart racing,I am anxious and jumpy( for lack of a better word).I had TSH testing in Aug that was in a good range, I am due for testing again in Nov.

But now I am wondering about hyper or (insert scared icon here) graves

[Skylark]

Sleep trouble and jumpiness can be hypo as well as hyper. Supposedly the way you tell is if your resting heart rate falls to normal (or low) you're hypo. If it stays elevated all the time, even when you first wake up, you're hyper.

[cahill]

Sleep trouble and jumpiness can be hypo as well as hyper. Supposedly the way you tell is if your resting heart rate falls to normal (or low) you're hypo. If it stays elevated all the time, even when you first wake up, you're hyper.

Thanks Skylark,, I will try to wait it out. As long as I dont start dropping or gaining weight to quickly I will wait and talk to her in Nov. when I go back for testing.

[Skylark]

Oh, did I mention that I know the sleep trouble and jumpiness are hypo as well as hyper because it happened to ME this spring? I thought I must be hyper and read like crazy. I ran across some stuff by Dr. Derry on thyroid.about.com

Open Original Shared Link

See where he talks about anxiety and hypo? I totally had that sudden increase in pulse he was talking about.

It's not fun at all. I felt much better on more thyroid and the jumpiness went away. I think the thyroid inflammation with the Hashi's also makes us feel unwell. I hope you do OK until November. I know how awful that jumpiness is!

[JSegura226]

Well doctor called me and gave me the brush off i believe. They called me and left me a message saying my TSH came back normal and I had a clean bill of health... WTH?!?! I have palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, shaky hands, clamminess and I am eating more than I have been in the last 4 months and continuing to lose weight this last 2 weeks?!?! But there is nothing wrong??!! Hell, 2 months ago all I was eating was salads and veggies for a while and was still maintaining/gaining weight.. this doesnt make sense..

I asked him to run all the tests you specified and he said they would check but looking at my lab bill its looking like they just ran TSH and CBC... I am so frustrated right now!!!

[cahill]

Well doctor called me and gave me the brush off i believe. They called me and left me a message saying my TSH came back normal and I had a clean bill of health... WTH?!?! I have palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, shaky hands, clamminess and I am eating more than I have been in the last 4 months and continuing to lose weight this last 2 weeks?!?! But there is nothing wrong??!! Hell, 2 months ago all I was eating was salads and veggies for a while and was still maintaining/gaining weight.. this doesnt make sense..

I asked him to run all the tests you specified and he said they would check but looking at my lab bill its looking like they just ran TSH and CBC... I am so frustrated right now!!!

I am sorry this is happening for you ,, This is one of the reasons that I am not in a hurry to call my doc. As good as my endocrinologist is, unless it shows up in my blood work she does not change my meds. I may have to STRESS to her that even though my blood work is "within range" ( I HATE that phrase) I am having symptoms that indicate a med dosage change may be in order.

I just wish they would JUST LISTEN TO US

[Reba32]

a lot of times PCPs/GPs will only run the TSH and not check the T3 and T4 levels. But by only running the TSH, they're not getting the whole picture obviously. I had the problem that when they looked at my TSH and saw that it was (dangerously) low, my PA said "oh well, your TSH is really low, so you're hypOthyroid, you must be freezing all the time!" I said "um, no, quite the opposite, I'm sweating all the time". She had no clue what the TSH actually meant. Luckily, she sent me to a marginally competent endo

[JSegura226]

I am getting a referral to see an endo as soon as I can. I can deal with the majority of these symptoms for now but the only thing that is really bothering me is the weightloss. I was underweight to begin with and I just seem to continue shedding pounds. It is really starting to scare me.

[Gemini]

Yes, the more thyroid hormone, the lower the cholesterol. Low cholesterol is another symptom of Graves' disease. High cholesterol is a sign of HYPOthyroidism.

Keep us posted!

You can still have low cholesterol from hypothyroidism....I do. I think it was so low because I was not absorbing fats. I still have low cholesterol because I do not eat a diet conducive to higher cholesterol but I still have Hashi's. I think the Celiac still trumps the Hashi's influence on that!