Dr just called with blood results

[swazza]

Went to see GP last week as I have been having problems swallowing food and feeling like something like cattargh or a flap of skin is partially blocking my throat.

Have also been getting lots of indigestion/chest pain.

She ran a load of bloods.

They just called and asked me to go in this week as my Thyroid is showing underactive.

A bit of a surprise to me. No idea if this can be related to my throat symptoms??? I know nothing about thyroid/under active thyroid so would appreciate any advice or tips or anything I should ask about when I go in. My appointment is for Thursday.

A bit of my history:

Last Spring I had very low ferritin (level6) - which I was told was the reason for my tiredness, fuzzy head, aches and pains, trembling, hair loss,blurred vision/focusing issues, severe fatigue etc etc. I have been on Ferrous Sulphate ever since (played havoc with my digestion and am on Omeprazole now because of the heart burn the Ferrous Sulphte gives me). My ferritin levels were fine at Xmas and I am guessing now (as not mentioned when the Dr called). However, I still have achey ankles and legs, a bit of head fuzziness and occassional disorientation, focusing/blurring issues etc but I have kind of just got used to it all as its been ongoing so long and I have been kind of pretending its not there because I am just so fed up of going back to the Dr with such vague symptoms. Can these be Thyroid symptoms too? Am trying to avoid Dr Google for now as all symptoms on there usually = immiment death

So - can anyone tell me anything I should be asking about/know about for Thursday please. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thats OK! For a moment I was confused!

Thank you. You are very understanding.

Weirdly though, I have also been on Omeprazole recently, to take before Naproxen for a slipped disc.

And yes, step away from Dr Google .... but do go to your appointment

If your thyroid is underactive you may have thyroiditis which is inflammation of the thyroid gland. This could be causing your throat symptoms.

Thanks helzapoppin2. I will mention that to the Dr on Thursday and see what she thinks.

I have seen some threads on here before about Thyroid levels (am confused as hell) - these mean nothing to me but should I ask for my exact results and then google when I get home - or is that a bad idea?

This all sounds like pretty standard thyroid stuff to be honest, the difficulty swallowing, the heartburn, the fatigue and the low ferritin. If ferrous sulphate doesn’t agree with you, you need to ask your doc to swap it for something less harsh, like ferrous fumarate. Omeprazole is a very bad idea long term as it prevents you absorbing vitamins and minerals from your food, which suppresses your thyroid function and so it goes on in a vicious circle.

It’s a good idea to get a print out of your test results, with the reference ranges, and do this every time, so that you have your own record of what is going on. Also if you are hypothyroid, you need to get your vitamin D, vitamin B12 and folate tested, as well as keeping an eye on that ferritin. The difficulty in swallowing might merit an ultrasound to see if you have a goitre.

It’s also worth having a look at the Thyroid UK website and their forum on www.healthunlocked.com. You’ll get lots of sensible advice there without being threatened with imminent death!

Thank you pleasemrstweedie. Yes - I have had a year/18 months of lots of things not being quite right with no real answers. In a way I am hoping this is the cause and that I wll get some treatment and I may one day feel normal and like I used to, again.

I take B12 alongside the Ferrous Sulphate so hopefully no deficiencey there, and I have just bought another 4 months supply to keep me going. I will ask about my Vit D levels though.

Yes lots of those are thyroid symptoms. A lump in the throat feeling is very common. Post your levels here and you will get more detailed advice, there are lots of posters with thyroid problems (including me).

Thanks SirVix - I will report back after my visit on Thursday.

I have found the British thyroid foundation very helpful and am a member.

The book by Dr a toft on thyroid disease (BMA published) is also a good place to start.

It takes time and lots of tweaking of meds to get better. It's worth starting to keep a record of your blood test results and how you feel - although the 'range' is 0.3-4.5 or similar, most people need to be below 2 or less to feel well, as clearly stated in toft book so handy to wave at a gp. (Tsh). T4 and t3 results are better but can vary during the day hence tend not to be taken.

Thank you Clarella,

I have no understanding of the T4 and T3 thing so have a lot to learn.

I second tweaking meds - and also doing your research regarding acceptable levels. I have had a real battle to convince my GP not to take me straight off once my TSH level got to 1 - I felt the best I had in months! obviously there is a fine line between over and underactive but I've found that the Americans seem to have a better understanding of what TSH level a patient should aim for rather than GPs here.

also I had a lot of the same symptoms as you.

Ponty girl, good reason to get the book mentioned below to show gp!!! As its a BMA one it is 'kosher'!

Regarding meds, (can't see if I posted this below) sometimes you really have to tweak a lot - I've had to have 150 thyroxine one day, 125 the next to get the right balance. It's weight related dose wise; when I'm half a stone lighter I personally seem to drop that 12.5 need.

I also believe it's muscle mass related too, improve muscle mass (when on good dose) and it improves the way it works, though obviously this needs to be sustained.

Well I have been. Drs computer not playing ball so Dr going to print off my results for me next week.

More bloods ordered - full detailed Thyroid bloods booked for Monday. Get results next Thursday all going well.

I am just so confused - brain fogginess makes it really hard to understand and absorb what I was being told but something about my thyroid hormone and although something is low it could actually mean I have an overactive thyroid. Something about my body sending the thyroid false information????? was how it was explained but I left fully confused. I think I am too fat to be overactive!

Booked in for a scan of my thyroid gland as well - just need to wait for a date now.

Also referred to gastro because of my swallowing issues. So waiting for an appointment with them now as well.

I will hopefully know more next week. I am rather worried tbh. More worried now than I was before I went in. Dr seemed rather concerned and said its important to get to the bottom of what is going on because something isnt right.

Am trying my best to not worry and just turn up as and when I need to for all these various tests.

Hugs - try not to worry as it will be fixable. There's not much you can do till test results come back - I know it's not easy. You are right that brain fog won't be helping. Try to distract as much as possible crap TV etc

Thank you for the support