Forgive me if this is long...
About 6 yrs ago I was told I had "early" Hasimoto's thyroiditis. The dr at the time did not want to give me meds "yet". Well, he retired and I slacked and never found another dr. At the time, my thyroid levels always came back at a normal level. And, they still do to this day. I asked my old RD to check my thyroid levels, and he said they came back "normal". Well, I just (finally) got ahold of my labs and he never even checked my thyroid. So all of you with thyriod disease, or some experience with it, I'd love to hear your imput.
I have not been diagosed with RA or anything at this point. I KNOW something is not right with my body. I'm 36 and I've lost my energy to go go go! I'm tired physically and mentally. I'm a hairdresser, and at the end of the day, I'm wiped out. I sit on the sofa with a heating pad on my feet/hands. I cannot get out of bed some mornings. I admit, some days are better than others. I just force myself to get moving. I look good, and healthy...I just don't "feel" it!!
I'm sure many of you can relate to how I'm feeling, I just wanted some imput.
TIA~Debbie
Debbie;
I was dx'ed with RA without positive blood work more than 14 years ago. I've been treated for it ever since with pretty good results.
Recently though after seeing several different doctors I was tested for B12 & just last week Vitamin D deficency. These are both simple blood test that no one had ever done before to my knowledge. Both of mine are low.
The more I read about these vitamin deficencies the more I'm starting to wonder if these things could be responsible for a number of my problems over the years. Both deficencies can cause numerous problems that mimic AI diseases. No ones saying I don't have RA....but now one will be happier than me to start taking the suppliments only to discover they make a world of difference. Only Rx doses will work, not OTC vitamins. They aren't strong enough.
I think everyone should encourage their doctors to do these test.....especially those who have been around and around and around with doctors and still getting no where. For whatever reason these are not blood test that are in the normal routine of test. Why not? I have no idea. From all I've read lately these should be standard test that should be done upon your first visit when you present with "Stiffness, pain, fatigue, over all ill feeling"
Just something to think about.....or research.
Debbie, My daughter has Hasimotos and I have hypo. thyroid. My md found out about about my thyroid. She sent me to and endowcronologist (mispelled). And for a very long time I knew my daughter who is 27 was not feeling the way she should. So I finaliy convinced her to go see him. Long story short she has hasimotos. She is now up to 75mgs of sythroid. It's taken a tole on her. She has a 3yr old. They say that just because you are in the normal range, dosn't mean your thyroid is ok that have to look at the bigger pictureGood thought ,Lovie
a-nut
I guess what I was wondering was if with thyroid disease you can get joint pain and fatigue as symptoms? Am I on the wrong path totally?
Thyroid disease is in my family. Mom, Aunt, and grandmother all had/have it.
I don't have much experince with it at all....but I don't think you are totally off track thinking that Deb. My Aunt has thyroid problems (can't remember what it's called) as well as B12 deficency. Before they were discovered and treated she was having a horrible time! Multiple problems that she almost couldn't explain. She was just feeling horrible.
Yew with your thyroid level off it can make your joints and body ache besied making you exhausted beyond belief. Do they have you on synthroid and how a bout a bery good vitamin?
I kind of begin thinking maybe I was just completely losing my mind. My anxiety increased horribly, to the point it was almost unbearable. I kept taking the antidepressants faithfully...then my hair started coming out again. Not in clumps, just like tons & tons of strands all the time. I noticed my neck felt... thick I guess. I was completely exhausted, and... totally depressed... ironic, huh?
My mom found out she had hypothryroidism in the meantime, and finally convinced me to give one last doctor a shot... I totally felt like he probably just thought I was lazy, etc. Anyway, his bloodwork came back, and it showed I had the antibodies that go along with Hashis. He started me on Synthroid & did a sonogram of my neck, and I am beginning to feel actually normal again. Hashimotos patients do have normal thyroid levels alot of times. IF I understand correctly, they have to test for the antibodies. I am not trying to bore you with "my story" but I am certainly not an expert so it's the easiest way for me to explain. There are many informative websites also. Basically, I just wasn't "me" anymore. I was always going, didn't have a weight problem, happy, healthy, confident... and as my mom says-she began to see a steady decline. Sometimes I still wake up with swollen hands & feet, etc., but in general, I am beginning to feel better.
Good luck to you, and if you have any questions, just let me know. I will do my best to answer them.
apeanut~Thank you for sharing your story. I think my first rd thought I was a hypocondriac! Like I said before, I know something is up with my body. I'm way to young to feel this way. I do loose alot of hair, as my hair gets longer (I just got it cut and I have to admit, it looks awewome, LOL). I do get the "full" feeling in my neck now and then, kinda feels like a snug turtle neck...weird...I've had the sonogram of my thyroid, way back, and it wasn't normal. The doc I had was very old fashioned and did alot of feeling around on my thyroid, and knew it wasn't right. After the sonogram, he told me that my thyroid had no growths or anything but it is supposed to be a smooth organ and it had a funny looking texture, kinda like ripples in the water. But, my levels weren't too bad, yet, and he didn't want to medicate me just then. Well that was many years ago, and he's since retired. So here I go again. I'm hoping this doc can run all the tests that he feels necessary and hopefully he'll test my thyroid, upon my request.
I really appreciate the info you have given me. Thank mom for sending you my way
All this talk of thyroid has really got me thinking that I've been going in the wrong direction all along!
Thanks again, Debbie
Deb - I was diagnosed in 1991 with Hashimoto's. It is considered a localized autoimmune disease, as opposed to RA, which is systemic. I have used the word "canary" to describe my thyroid disease being the first symptom of my developing MCTD disease process.
I had to have a total thyroidectomy in 2002 as I was choking. I had switched from under active to over active and the endo didn't seem to think that was remarkable. I had gone down to a .016 TSH level (told that was normal), but it was finally discovered I had a goiter that had grown, pushing into my feeding tube causing a "shelf" and interferring with my swallowing, and another part of it had wrapped around my breathing tube, but I wasn't experiencing any symptoms yet. I always thought goiters were out the front of your throat and visible.
Both my parents had low thyroid and were on Synthroid. Cathy
[QUOTE=justsaynoemore]I had to have a total thyroidectomy in 2002 as I was choking. Both my parents had low thyroid and were on Synthroid. Cathy
[/QUOTE] Oh my gosh. Did you have a hard time convincing them that something didn't feel right in there? I know some people can wake up on day, and suddenly have a goiter there. I have a long neck that has always been a bit puffy. I think it's my nature. It actually looks just like mom's and she has thyroid disease. My mother never took sythroid or anything. Only Inderal to keep her heartrate normal. She didn't "believe" in taking the meds, so every 5-10 years her weight changes dramatically.Deb, I think it also helped my daughter to talk to someone. It's been a rough road to know something was wroug with her. After awhile I think she gave up and tryed to except this ,was what her life was going to be like. As her mother I could see her going down hill. For a very long time I thought she might have FM. I could just tell something was'nt right. Try not to put this on the back burner it dos'nt get better with out treatmeant. Your much to young to think your (crazy) make the doctors listen. This can effect your life in ways that you don't realize. Take care were always here to listen.
a-nut & daughter
Deb, if it's going to go wrong, it's always with me. It took a very long time to get diagnosed with the Hashimotos, and even longer to get the goiter diagnosed. The first endo started out immediately with a needle biopsy because the thyroid was enlarged, to rule out cancer. She was a total flake, and I mean a flake.
I was still choking, so I had just gotten married, and my husband's insurance company wouldn't cover Cleveland Clinic (a fight, my loss), so I had to start with a new internist. He sent me everywhere - ENT, pulmonary testing (I guess I was having breathing problems), and finally my mammogram showed a left breast nodule, which I have one which was biopsed when I was like 21 (it's a rheumatoid nodule). When they pointed out where it was located in my breast, he said I had to have a biopsy. So here I am hanging upside down for the sterotatic (sp) breast biopsy, where they shoot you with a gun, and the durn thing misfired or they missed the nodule THREE TIMES, and finally got it right the fourth time ("this has never happened before" - my mantra). Anyway, all I could think of while I am hanging down, choking and trying to breathe (guess I was having breathing problems) was how TYPICAL to go to a man for choking and he ends up looking at your breasts. It turned out to be the SAME nodule, they just approached it from a different angle - and benign, again. They left a clip in this time to mark it.
I tried another endo who told me everything was fine with my thyroid. I finally got the internist to send me for an endoscopy and the GI doctor had to dilitate (open up with pressure) my throat, and he said he thought it was a goiter. So, off to another endo, and was in surgery in about two days. So yes, it was a slight problem in getting it diagnosed.
Then I had what was called a "weird reaction" after the surgery - ran a fever, had to go to ER with breathing problems, and developed a terrible rash at the incision site - I bet it was from my developing RA, lupus and scleroderma, all wrapped up into one surgery.
The end. Oh, except the endo's nurse called after the surgery and upped my Synthroid (made sense). Then she called a week later as if we had never talked and said the doctor said to stay on the same dose as pre-removal. I said, honey, you called in a higher script last week, what's the problem? She stutterered around, and I could hear the paper flipping in the chart and she said she would look into it. She called back a half hour later and said the doctor said to stay at the higher level. I hadn't seen him since the surgery, so I asked her to have him call me to confirm my script, and never heard another word nor did he schedule a post-op appointment. One more endo gone. Oh, and the biopsy of the removed thyroid confirmed the Hashimoto's.
The very end.
Hi Deb
Fatigue is what underactive thyroid is about, basically, everything slows down, physically and mentally. It is very common in women. Once diagnosed it is easily fixed with thyroxin with a marked improvement within days, Equally, RA is tiring. Also, have you had your iron level checked?
Fatique is also seen in Hyper/Thyroid ( Graves Disease ) Also Muscle weakness. Trembling,Twitches, hot flashes.heart palps etc and a feeling of being sickThank you all for your insight. There is alot of things I'll have to consider when seeing the new RD. I will have him address the possiblity of RA and Thyriod. I will have to stress to him the thyroid history in my family. I still have my labs from 6 years ago and I will bring them along with me when I see him. The last RD didn't even look at them.
I will also have him check my iron and see if I have a vitamin defficiancy. (I read that somewhere here as well)
Thanks again everyone. You don't realize how helpful you've been.
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