borderline hypothyroidism

[oskybosky4]

symptoms. exhaustion, breathlessness, cough, feeling my heart beating at night, sometimes it beats really fast, patches of my hair are really dry, dry patches on my skin. Having to take naps in an afternoon despite getting up later and going to bed earlier. weight gain, I have put on almost a stone in 6 weeks.

Went to doctors 4 weeks ago and had a blood test, result borderline hypothyroidism. I have to have another blood test in 2 weeks. I also have to see her this week as she want to know if the cough and breathlessness have improved, if not she will send me for a heart test?

This morning, both eyes bloodshot, one more than the other, yellow looking tinge, and sorry if this is TMI yellow looking poo.

I also have psoriatic arthritis [an autoimmune disorder] which I have to take Leflunamide [immume suppressing drug].

Last summer I felt the best I have ever been, lost 2 1/2 stone, learned to swim, went to water aerobics classes and joined an art group.

I am 64 but feel about 94 most of the time.

Help anyone - the new eye symptoms are really bothering me.

Sounds like you have a lot going on, osky. It can be hard to disentangle, can't it, and it's worrying until you do.

Just to pick up on your eye symptoms... The most likely explanation is simply that you have an eye infection/conjunctivitis. However, one possible side effect of lefunamine can be problems with liver function, and this is also associated with hypothyroidism - and poor liver function or jaundice could cause yellow eyes - so you should def get your GP to check out your liver function. It's a simple blood test.

Thanks I am going to see doctor on Friday. I have to have regular blood tests, every 3 months, because I take Leflunamide. The last one was in December and liver function must have been ok then, but I will definitely mention this to doctor. I also have appointment with rheumatology consultant next week so will also mention the other symptoms as well. I think I am falling apart.

I know that feeling. I'm only 48 but I'm riddled with arthritis and I'm having a hip replacement in a couple of months. :( Hope you get sorted.

Flow, I had a hip replacement in September 2012, and before that 2 knee replacements, one 12 years ago the other 4 years ago. I have had arthritis since I was 40. Good luck with your hip replacement, its an easier recovery [physio] than the knee ones.

The 'normal' range for thyroid function is so broad and I find that at one end of the normal range I feel shockingly bad and at the other I feel fine. Borderline should still be treated to bring you to at least the middle of the normal range, but preferably wherever you need to be to get rid of the symptoms.

Don't let them fob you off, if necessary take someone with you to help you push for a trial of levothyroxine. In small doses and within normal range it won't do any harm and could make a huge difference to you.

I wouldn't wait until Friday for your appointment if you can get one sooner. Liver problems should be investigated ASAP.

Thanks osky. :)
I agree you should try to get an appointment sooner than Friday if possible.

My eyes improved over the week and I couldn't get earlier appointment anyway, so its just as well. Doctor looked at them today and said they were ok and just to use some eye drops when they get dry and itchy.

She has also prescribed me thyroxin, a low dose to start with as my blood tests showed borderline but my symptoms are numerous so she is treating the symptoms and I have to go back in 8 weeks to see how I am getting on and have another blood tests.

I hope things improve with this.

Depending on how low the thyroxine dose is, you may feel worse before you get better, but hold your nerve and stick with it. The biggest problem with thyroxine is that people don't take enough of it.

Try to get into the habit of asking for a copy of your test results with the reference ranges and then you can see where you're going.

Thanks Rockin, I will stick with it, I surely can't feel any worse than I have done of late. I will try to remember to ask for copy of test results though I may have to come on here to find out what they mean.

I'm borderline too - my doctor doesn't want to start me on drugs yet .

Not sure of what the levels mean/are but was 2.5 last year and now I'm 7.5 ????

Am going to quiz him as to why - I've had the breathlessness, tired, hair loss, dry skin patches but I'm also severely anaemic (come on very sudden as gave blood end jan and was fine then) he suggested that these symptoms where my anaemia not thyroid.

If you are outside your local reference range - where I live in the UK it's 0.35 -6 - you are not 'borderline' (there's no point in having a range if doctors then ignore it) and if your TSH is 7.5 you are definitely hypo. I've never come across a lab range that goes that far and in Europe and the USA they treat at 2.5 or 3.

You're another one who needs to get a copy of all test results for say the last two years, or as long as your GP has been testing your thyroid, so you can see where you sit in relation to the lab range. Then you can ask the question "Why won't you treat me when I'm clearly outside the lab range?"

You are almost certainly out of the reference range now, so as well as TSH there should be a FT4 result, which is even more enlightening.

There is cross over between thyroid symptoms and the symptoms of anaemia, B12 deficiency, folate deficiency and vitamin D deficiency, so if your thyroid is being investigated these should be tested as well and any defaults rectified.

Thank you, will go and see him next week and rattle a few cages.

I think it depends on which doctor you see, 2 other doctors in the practice put my tiredness down to my arthritis, my age and low iron levels. Iron tablets didn't make me feel any better. I only went back to the doctors a few weeks ago because the breathlessness, pounding heart and cough were bothering me and I saw a lady doctor this time and when she heard all my other numerous symptoms she questioned me a bit more and sent me for a thyriod blood test. This came back as borderline but she did intend to send me for another one in a couple of weeks but in the meantime she wanted to see me about my cough and breathlessness.

I took a list with me of all my ailments as above, in case I forgot something when I was there, have been having a lot of fuzzy head lateley, she asked if I would like to try a low dose of thyroxin and see her again in 8 weeks. I didn't have to ask her or pressure her or anything, so at the end of the day I could have had this condition quite a while but the other doctors just didn't listen and I had no idea that this condition even existed.

I was like that too, feeling rotten for years, exhausted after very little effort, weepy for no reason, dry skin, hair coming out, racing heart & pounding pulse, my brain felt like fog. Thought it was just as I was just my age, forties approaching menopause, knew nothing about thyroid problems. My GP at the time never picked it up despite blood tests for various things.
It was only when I landed up in hospital following collapsing because the same GP had put me on wrong drugs for a different complaint that the hospital doctor noticed & wrote to the GP that I was prescribed thyroxine. It took over a year to get the dosage right, increased several times, but once it was I began to feel human again. So it's worth persevering.

Thanks Aquelven, its good to know that in time I will get to feel better, I won't say normal, I just don't know what 'normal' is anymore.

When I was talking to doctor, she asked me what sort of things I wasn't doing that I did before, I said things like ironing among other housework type things, but its also things like going out, phoning people, its like I can't be bothered, its too much effort and too tiring. Writing it down it sounds like depression, but its not, I am happy enough at home for now. We went out for a walk and lunch on Saturday and I enjoyed it but felt exhausted for the rest of the day.

Is this 'can't be botheredness' part of this condition, and more importantly will it go away with the thyroxine treatment.