Thyroid/auto-immune/menopause or just bad luck....?

[wanttowakeup]

Hey! I've had a whole collection of different symptoms building over the last couple of years. I'm wondering if they could be connected or if I'm just unlucky!
I'm finding it really hard via NHS GP - I battle for a short appointment, am asked to stick to talking about one, and then tests show 'normal', including thryoid, menopause etc. I'm 43 and pretty sure I'm perimenopausal but feel there could be other stuff going on too.

Any thoughts or similar experiences would be welcome. I'm going to try private but wondering whether to request any specific tests.

• Hair loss - thinning on head and disappearing from parts of body
• Diagnosed nerve-conduction issues - which mean I've always got numbness/coordination in my hands, and also feet now.
• With exertion (e.g. long flight of stairs), my leg muscles kind of 'seize' after a while, and feel completely like stones, never had this before
• Fatigue (but I do have 2 small kids!)
• put on a couple of stone in 2 years (though my diet is better than ever)
• sweating much more than I used to - in day, and night
• ferritin seems borderline to me (31) - though seen as normal by GP, and my free T4 also on the low side (11), though again, 'normal'.
• one of my joints has randomly swollen - looks like an apricot has got inside! and it's painful.

Thanks for reading :)

Hey Op, we are exactly same age and I could have written this myself! Same symptoms apart from my thyroid is normal, but I have big nodules, that is probably giving me some of the symptoms. If you can afford it pay private to see a female menopause specialist (I’m booked in soon) all my friends have done this and all perimenopausal, they all have been put on low doses. You most likely are peri or just completely burnt out/ stressed. My doctors are adamant no female is menopausal, until past 50 years old!.

ive had symptoms since 2016 but apart from thyroid I’ve not got to the bottom of it.

thanks for the rec - I will give that a shot! Can't do any harm to explore and it sounds like it might cover some of it.
I'm sorry to hear you've been struggling with similar symptoms - and thyroid nodules. Good luck with your menopause appt!

hey op sorry I forgot to add I have had very low b12 and folate- you just need to get all your bloods checked. Could be anything, we are getting old I feel like I’m 80 lol. Hope you get to the bottom of it, and please update if you can.