To ask for advice about thyroid?

[bobstersmum]

I am 38 and have been unwell off and on for a good while now. Feel better in summer but when the weather turns I always feel cold, even sitting around the house if I move to a cooler room I feel shivery. In summer when it was baking hot I remember wondering why I wasn't sweating? I am more tired these days. I have had some heart issues mainly it racing so have had a recent ecg. Dr suggested thyroid issues but the red herring was that he expected my heart rate to be slower as everything else indicates hypothyroidism. My resting hr is usually around 60 but at times shoots up to 100 ish. My ecg results were borderline I was told. I have never really been ill but this year had a really serious chest infection and at the moment am just about recovering after a horrible sinus and ear infection. I have gp appointment in the morning I am going to ask for blood test, can anyone share their experiences of symptoms before they were diagnosed please?

I was diagnosed after the birth of me eldest. Was extremely fatigued, had slow speech, felt weak and dizzy and had a large goiter in my neck. Didn’t really need the blood test to be fair 😉. Mainly have palpations when overmedicated and hyperthyroid.

You need a blood test to determine if you have thyroid problems. That said some of your symptoms do sound thyroid related.

Thanks for replies, like I said I am asking for a blood test tomorrow, I am getting myself worked up worrying that its something even worse than thyroid. At my Dr's it's often another appointment needed for a blood test so I may be waiting another week just for it to be taken.

They check 2 levels, your thyroxine level (T4) and your thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
If it's described as borderline, it means your levels of thyroxine are in normal range. However your TSH maybe raised, which means it's having to work extra to keep the T4 in normal range,
If your t4 is low, and tsh high, you're definitely hypothyroid and will be started on meds.
However there is some disagreement about whether it should be prescribed when the TSH is raised, regardless of the t4 level.
My TSH was raised with normal t4 for a while before my t4 dropped enough for me to be started on meds. However since then it has been increased twice because of raised TSH despite the t4 levels being normal (though they had been dropping.)

I felt really awful before mine was diagnosed,I've been 125mcg for years now.

@spidey66 that sounds so confusing to me! I think I have got brain fog at the moment too although it could be from tiredness.

Shameless bump!

You need the blood tests. Also depending on what you have you could cut out gluten (I did and it helped)

Will they check a few things on request when taking the blood tests? If so, also ask for Vitamin D & B12 levels and Iron blood tests including ferritin. I'm on thyroid meds 12 years, there are often knock-on deficiencies in those other levels as well which may require attention. Ask for a copy of all your results.

my main symptoms were tiredness weight gain and headaches. I went to the GP thinking they were menopause but she tested me and I now take 125mgs like PP. Feel much better.

For me, tiredeness and itchy skin on my legs. Something that I hadn't clocked as a symptom but which dramatically improved once I was on tablets was my sense of balance - I went from falling over after 1 sec to being able to stand on one leg and put a sock on.

Just before medication needed upping, I noticed hair falling out, upping the medication put paid to that.

My symptoms

• inability to stay awake - could not stay awake for the bus trip to and from work, would book a meeting room to sleep at lunch
• excessive tiredness
• weight gain - I can gain 10kg in a month when levels are out
• cotton wool head
• very noticeable hair loss
• unable to stay warm

Thyroid and B12 deficiency seem to go together. B12 similar symptoms

• tired
• cotton wool head
• constant feeling of something crawling on my skin

These replies are helpful thanks so much, it really does all sound familiar to me so could really be onto something. I will ask if they'll check b12 etc as well, I can't see why they won't as I'm feeling so rubbish.

If it's described as borderline, it means your levels of thyroxine are in normal range. However your TSH maybe raised, which means it's having to work extra to keep the T4 in normal range

This is me at the moment! Exhausted, gained weight and struggling to lose it, I have a goiter that I can feel constantly, pick up everything going and struggle to feel normal. This has been going on for over a year! I'm also perimenopausal, so they just blame everything on that. It's driving me nuts.....

I really hope you get some answers and that your levels are bad enough to get some treatment.

@bobstersmum my doctor does a full panel - vitamins, minerals, cancer markers, plus the two thyroid markers. We may as well check it all while we're taking blood.

I went Dr's yesterday and he's ordered lots of bloods which has made me nervous, I am booked in for Tues to have them taken. However I was also sent for a chest xray which I had yesterday, because I have had a sinus infection and I keep feeling breathless, although I often feel breathless, like I'm not taking a deep enough breath. I had chest infection in March and chest xray was normal then so hoping for no bad news anywhere. I am going to try to get to a drop in blood clinic on Monday to get it all done sooner. Very nervous at the moment!

It's not medical advice, but I've been told that TSH is higher earlier in the morning and to try and get blood test done before 9am. Probably not relevant to you, but I've also been told nicotine suppresses TSH.

In my area you only get the T4 results if your TSH is out of range. It's lab protocol.

My GP also requested test of thyroid antibodies, I think it's called TPO? we're positive which meant I was likely to develop Hypothyroidism (Hashimotos) but TSH was in range so no medication.

It was another 2 years when my TSH went out of range, quite a way over, so I was started straight on medication.

I hope you get some answers and are feeling better soon.

Thanks dobbin! I will let you know as soon as I know. If I can get to the blood drop in the earliest I can go is 9am so will do that. My mil has just been telling me she thinks a lot of my symptoms relate to low iron, I've just had a read and every single symptom fits. I've had 3 babies in 4 years, youngest is 2 and still bf so I really think I'm depleted!

I struggled with feeling breathless with anaemia. Also low Vit D had me feeling exhausted and muscle aches, particularly my arms. Vitamin D is an expensive blood, so might be one to ask about if your other results don't really explain your symptoms.