Is it possible to 'LOOK' like you NEED a thyroid blood test???

[MUM23ASD]

i have just been to have blood tested for loads of things....and all i told the nurse was that i's be glad in a weird way if there was something wrong as then i could get better with treatment.

no mention of thyroid by me.

she then glanced through my bloods form and said

"well, they're checking the thyroid...."

now i am aware that some people with thyroid have a swollen neck...and as i don't seem to have much neck anymore...maybe thats it....though i feel swollen above adams apple...below jaw....and all the pictures i've seen show swelling lower in the neck.

For an overactive thyroid, a fast heart rate can be the first signs, later signs might be slightly protuding eyes and a goitre, but not all get this.

Underactive is usually extreme tiredness, dry skin, weight gain.

Yes, very puffy eyes. I can always tell when my levels are low because my eyes puff up, in fact, my whole face starts to look round. Dry hair and skin is also a sign as is a general look of depression. When I was at my worst I couldn't raise a smile for anyone. My jowls were dragging along the floor

yes what symptoms did you present with? TBh I think GP's quite often check for thyroid probs when doing bloods.

Thyroid tests are pretty much always done in any set of tests. Know what you mean about the "glad...something wrong". Been in that position in the past.

...well i'm overwieght, pale,could agree with the puffy eyes/face...can't see my top eyelids and today i feel like my cheeks are swollen and causing pressure under my eyes- feel that 'pregnancy' type tiredness all the time- no matter how much i sleep i am tired!
i also am very unfit-as have no energy- cat 22 situation... pulse 68bpm- hungry all the time....and 40!!! had my gallbladder out last year- large stones. heavy periods-3 days clotting-bleed lasting 7-9 days- used to be approx 50 day cycle now 26+ days...no regularity- though never longer than 45 day cycles now.
lots of headaches- sinusus feel congested constantly and dizzy spells!!!!

now you can see why i hadthe bloodtests...the poor doctor didn't know where to start!!!

i am aware that thyroid is often suspected cos it affects so much....

i just want to stop measuring my days as to how tired i feel- or whether i managed to get through the day without sleeping.

I also had heavy periods, terrible constipation weight I couldn't shift, so very very tired all the time, aching, heavy muscles and debilitating depression. It was the tiredness and depression I hated most.

i feel like i could hibernate. the house is a mess- i have no energy to do anything about it- the aches are awful- i honestly feel like my whole body has shut down...my body temp is aways below 36.8...and with my slow pulse i feel i am turning into a tortoise...and could then hibernate!!!!!

That is just how I felt, like everything was shutting down. I also felt so cold, even in the summer I would be the one wearing a cardiagn. Even now though, on the correct dose, I still feel the cold, apart from when I'm having a hot flush that is but, thats another story

MUM23ASD, all sounds very familiar! I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid in January. HAd taken my 6 month old daughter to see her cranial osteopath and he took one look at me and suggested I go for blood tests as my thyroid was swollen!

I honestly would have had no idea, was putting the aches and tiredness down to having new baby and had not noticed the swelling.

Just been diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease and am now on 100mcg of thyroxine, still get terrible aches but am still waiting for drugs to take full effect.

Let us know how you get on.

Thyroid function is usually 'thrown in' with the other blood tests, it's simple to do, and requires no extra sample, (it's done out of one of the other bottles) if you present with tiredness I think that they'd check thyroid first anyway.

Anaemia causes me some similar problems too but that also makes me breathless.