Hyperthyroidism experiences?

[TisButterSnacks]

I'm getting a blood test tomorrow so I should know soon either way, but I think I have symptoms of hyperthyroidism and was curious about other people's experiences.

I have a lump on my neck where one might expect a goiter to be, I am losing weight all of a sudden without any major efforts on my part, my anxiety recently shot through the roof for no specific reason, I'm sweating more lately, and my sleep is god-awful.

Apart from the lump, these symptoms could be perimenopause instead. Well, apart from mysterious weight loss as well. I do feel more tired in general, and strangely weaker - I recently took up exercise and I was expecting more improvements in stamina than I've seen. But maybe that's me getting older? Tho only in early 40s!

If you've been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, is any of this familiar? Thanks.

That'll be a different appointment 😬

Fingers crossed for you, too.

Thank you im taking some temporary medication for anxiety. I am feeling less anxious but im very scared about what they are going to find in my lump…

please keep us updated. I truly hope you get sorted soon, it’s the waiting and not knowing that gets me.

Unmumsnetty hugs 💐

Losing weight suddenly could be a very serious symptom as it could indicate cancer, especially with the combined fatigue/weakness. Plus you have a lump on (possibly?) your thyroid. Please make sure that they have ruled this out before saying it's "stress".

This might be helpful:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/unintentional-weight-loss/

good Luck and I will keep you updated on my ENT appointment hopefully it’s nothing serious.

Hi TisButter, How are you have you had any answers yet?. I did a private blood test from medicheck and everything came back normal apart from T4 was really high?. The antibody one was normal too. So not sure whats going on, hopefully will find out more on Tuesday when I get my ultrasound.

Hope you're well.

Hi TisButterSnacks, I thought I’d let you know what’s happening so far incase you have to do the same.

yesterday I went to ENT at hospital he put a camera down my nose, said it was clear which was relief. He then felt my neck and said he can feel nodules on my thyroid so he referred me to have an ultrasound scan next Friday. Handy because he said it would take 4 weeks to get an appointment, so it’s a lot sooner.

i had to rebook bloods because they don’t take notice of private results. My private results t4 was just over the line so it said I was over active.

i hope you’re well- have you seen anyone yet?

OK. My symptoms over about 4 years in a coming and going sort of way:

Light, irregular periods
Tired but wired
Heat intolerance
Inability to maintain weight
Regular gastritis like tummy upsets
Stitch on exertion

Went to the Dr twice. Once tested for anaemia and once told to moderate my 20 something lifestyle.

And then:

Stitches got worse
Starving
Lost a stone in about 6 weeks
Felt slightly trembly after about 2/3 hours without food
Short fuse
Couldn't sleep despite being shattered.
Slightly stary.

What took me to the Dr (the company's private one) was that my legs from the knee down swelled with severe pitting oedema. Like elephant legs.

Dr was concerned - my resting pulse was 140; and she did bloods.

She called me the next day to tell me the results indicated hyperthyroidism: TSH was non existent, T4 was 47 and T3 in the upper 20s. She had made an appointment for me that afternoon with a consultant endocrinologist because they were worried about my heart.

Consultant wasn't worried about my heart. Legs were unusual and I never got an answer although there is a little research now that it is a very rare symptom.

I was blind-sided. Thought I was indestructible. I was prescribed carbimazole and propranolol. The latter to deal with the symptoms. It took about three months to come under control. It was the year before I got married and I didn't want to go near radioactive iodine so had a sub total thyroidectomy that autumn.

Subsequently I took 100mcg thyroxine for about 25 years, increasing to 112.5mcg past menopause. I do suspect some miscarriages were related but have two grown up children now.

The good thing is, it's treatable and the drugs work.

PS: HRT worked really well for me for menopause problems. GP was a bit crap but I spent £300 on a gynaecologist who said I recommend x for this lady, at x dose and it needs to be prescribed for the foreseeable future.

@Pinkblanket you said your symptoms were more hypo but have hyper. Can you elaborate.

It’s looking like that might be the case for me- I want to doctor feeling exhausted and fatigued but my thyroid has come back as hyper. He wants to repeat tests in a few weeks to confirm but I’m a bit baffled!

Tired but wired sums up my hyperthyroidism perfectly.

Hi,

If I had had to list my ailments at the time of diagnosis I would have said fatigue/lack of energy, constipation, always cold in particular.
My heart rate had possibly increased slightly, but not a noticeable degree and I did not require medication (propranolol). I didn't have any rapid weightloss and as I was caring for my terminally ill mum at the time any anxiety I had at the time wasn't out of the ordinary. My nails were also a mess!
However, I was most definitely hyperthyroid.

@RosesAndHellebores Tired but wired. Spot on!
Newest symptom is feeling very shaky when without food, I feel like I'm going to fall over. Shortness of breath is also a tad worrying.

@userxx I hope you are being treated. I think the shortness of breath relates to the heart/pulse beating too fast. Propranolol should deal with that whilst the carbimazole does its work.

I'm not! My GP sent an urgent referral to the hospital for treatment by the 10th September, i chased it up but was told they are months behind. Think I'll speak to my GP again.

This is the first time I’ve seen on here people say that their symptoms are hypo but their bloods are hyper. I thought it was just me!

My T3 and T4 are in the normal range. My TSH is about 0.45 so officially normal. But I have a goitre. And I can’t get pregnant.

I haven’t found a single GP who will take any concern seriously but surely something isn’t right?

@userxx your gp should be able to start you on treatment pending an endocrinology appointment.

The British Thyroid Foundation Tesources are excellent. Please Google. @ElephantEyes they also have a pg helpline I recall.

Sadly to get sensible advice I suspect you have to pay nowadays. Actually, check, I went to the GP three times with symptoms in the late 80s. Got sorted when I was sent to the company Dr. And had BUPA.

Hi TisButterSnacks, how are you?. I can't remember what my update was but my thyroid came back normal. The scan showed benign nodules, they sent me off saying no need to see me again and I'd have to learn to live with the symptoms. I wasn't happy with that so I went back to my doctor, she's referred me to have gastroscopy next month because the lump is restricting my breathing and swallowing. She's going to help me try and get them removed or stop the symptoms.

So after chasing up the appointment I find out the waiting list is 12-18 months long 🙄.

I've looked into private. Could do without it at this minute in time but absolutely can't carry on like this.

Sadly nowadays I think it's true that one does have to pay. To be fair I was only diagnosed more than 30 years ago by seeing a private Dr after being fobbed of repeatedly by my gp.

Mine goes between very lower end of normal and hyper. Symptoms for me are losing weight, nervous energy, heart palpitations and brain fog.

I'm just discovering this post as I very recently was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism after visiting gp for a different issue. The waiting list to see a specialist is very long (scotland) however your gp can email specialist with your results and will he informed of dose of medication for you, bloods will be rechecked a few months later and emailed back to specialist. You must say to gp. Mine didn't seem to he aware of this.

This popped up on Threads I’m On so thought I’d give an update.

I did finally conceive after I found out I had stage 4 endometriosis, which was removed.

I saw a consultant endocrinologist who specialises in fertility as my TSH plummeted to 0.02 during pregnancy. He said that regardless of any reference range, TSH below 0.5 is always a concern. He actually apologised to me on behalf of the other GPs and ENT consultants who I’d had involvement with but who had always fobbed me off.

He has diagnosed me with subclinical hyperthyroidism and once I have given birth I will be taking tablets with a view to increasing TSH.

He added that as my TSH has been so low for over a decade, I am now at increased risk of osteoporosis.