Thyroid

It is autoimmune and it causes weight gain and a whole host of problems. You need to see an endocrinologist NOW. What is wrong with your GP? I've had and underactive thyroid for 20 years and since my surgeries 3 ears ago it has been hard to control. Before then the medication dosage rarely changed. I've been loosing my hair etc. My GI specialist at Mayo has been very concerned as it affects pouch function, it affects our entire body's metabolism. Your thyroid gland sounds swollen which means your condition is probably worse and might require surgery or radiation and total hormone replacement medication. I know people that have had both surgery and the radiation which is some sort of pill. I'm not sure how it worked but he joked about how he was radioactive. Bless your heart, you must really be pushing yourself.

I don't know what blood testing they do in France. Here the normal range is .3 to 4.0 and in June 2012 I was at .03 at Mayo when my GI just shook his head. My internist had been adjusting my medication every 6 weeks to 3 months and I was still super low. I was back to over 4.0 not too long ago and then to in the normal range for a while. I was in the normal range at Mayo this year in July and 3 months later down to .22, too low again. I asked to be retested as my hair was falling out again!

So please please get past your stupid GP to at least an Internist tomorrow! Your friend is right.

Thanks TE,
Internest or endocrinologist?
Don't know what an internest would do? My GP only has a walk-in no appt office and I do not have 4hrs to waste....cannot make an appt with anyone unless I see him first and I am out of town for work for the next 3 weekends and working like a fiend all week for the next 3 months....is it important or urgent?
Know nothing about this stuff except that I look like I just put on 20lbs and am swollen around the neck and throat.
Could it have anything to do with the Lymphoma?
Sharon

Endocrinologist - this can't wait weeks and months Sharon and I don't know if it's related to your lymphoma or not. Since your friend thinks it's thyroid and the symptoms sound like thyroid that is why I'm thinking thyroid. In any event an endocrinologist would know the difference. It is already interfering with your swallowing and is probably not going to quit growing or go away. Hasn't it be there for a while? You need to be seen now and I'm not sure if you shouldn't just go to the ER instead of waiting for the GP. Don't you prefer one hospital over another? I don't know how that crazy system works but get to the best care you can in the quickest fashion. It's not I cut my arm off emergency but it's pretty damn close! Please go today!

Sharon, could you call your GP and ask for screening bloodwork for thyroid function, and tell him about the swelling and symptoms? You could have him add some other routine screening for kidney, liver, and bone marrow function too.

Once you have lab results, then he could refer you to an endocrinologist. I wouldn't think you'd need to be seen again, since he's already documented the enlarged thyroid gland. This does not seem like an emergency, since you've been dealing with it for a while. However, if you do need to be seen by your GP first, you need to decide how to free up a day for it. If you do let it go long enough that you do wind up in the ER, that would take far longer than 4 hours.

Take care!

Jan

Jan, her GP has already ignored it. Please see above. I think they have to go to their neighborhood GP's and wait to be seen first come first seen. Is that right Sharon? That's why I suggested the ER at the hospital she chooses to go to. She had to do some special maneuvering to get her husband there vs the one in their district or whatever when he was ill. Everyone thinks socialized medicine is great but I think Sharon might have a few negative stories about that in France.

I think she said she did not have time for a drop in visit at her GP to check and refer on this. Wait times in an ER are much longer than 4 hours if you don't have a life or death situation. That is why I suggested calling for some orders for screening labs. That way, once she does do the drop in appointment, he would have what he needed to refer her.
http://www.endocrine.niddk.nih...pubs/hypothyroidism/

She could spend all day waiting at the ER and they could tell her to go to her primary doctor.

Jan

Oh, and Sharon, I failed to answer about this being urgent. While it is not an emergency, you need to get this treated reasonably soon. I would not wait the 3 months that you say you are working like crazy.

It would seem that things have progressed quite a bit since you were at your GP for other more pressing issues. The fact that you have difficulty swallowing and your thyroid is swollen and tender means that there has been significant changes. This could even be cancer, so I would not ignore it. Spend the time you need to so this can be diagnosed.

Jan

She can explain it Jan. I wish it was as easy as here to get tests run there but it's not.

How are you doing Sharon?

Whatever works Sharon. But, you do need to take the time it takes to deal with it.

Jan

This is getting a bit scarry...now that I know that something is there, I can feel it more, or at least put a name to it...hubby says that I make a funny noise when I swallow or try to swallow pills...kind of like a cartoon noise 'gloooopps'...not sure if I did that before...but I really feel it when eating or drinking and I look like I have one of those 'thick, old lady necks'...I just thought that it was this weight gain.
Jan, What is Goiter?
I cannot go to ER with this, they will not treat me here because it is not and emergency but I will try to call him and see if he can prepare a script for bloodwork for me...along with a lettre for a colleague to get it looked at...
Do thyroid problems cause joint pain? Is it all part of the same auto immune disease?
Sharon

Sharon you need to look at the link Jan posted. I guess ER wasn't a good suggestion but I'm worried about that big growth in your throat. A goiter is what my mother had to have her thyroid operated on for. Your problem could be that but it could be other things. When your friend said you were low was she looking at a TSH blood test result? If she was what was that result and how long ago was the test? Please read Jan's link it is a good one.

If your thyroid is out of whack it can explain a lot of your health problems. It affects every cell in our bodies in one way or the other.

Take care!

Goiter is just an enlarged thyroid. It does not tell you what the cause is. Could be any number of things. I don't mean to scare you, but you need to address this. I have a friend that had thyroid cancer found almost incidentally. You have signs and symptoms of thyroid disease.

Jan

Ok, so I got off of my proverbial ass and called my Doc between 2 classes...he will give me a script for bloodwork and an ultrasound of the thyroid.
You have successfully scared me enough to become pro-active about this...let's see if I can make an appt for the ultrasound now. (not til next week)
TE, when she said that it was 'low' she meant the visual appearence of the thyroid...large and low down in the throat. I haven't had the blood work done yet.
Sharon

Well, if scaring you gets you off your duff and paying attention, then so be it!

But seriously, getting the labs done right away is a good start. Ultrasound should be quick and easy. If you are lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it), there will be enough evidence for your primary doc to refer you without having to make you sit around his waiting room again. I hate wasting my time too (especially when he already has seen it)...

So, good luck, and fingers crossed this is the simple fix thing (pop some pills and you are OK)

Jan

Way to be proactive, might be a little late but you are leaping forward now! I'm glad Jan's plan worked and you have fast forwarded. Hopefully you will be feeling better soon! Please let us know what you find out.

Thanks for the link Jan,
Sounds like it could be autoimmune...not a shock for me but what can you do?
I go tomorrow to pick up the script and will work on the bloodwork and ultrasound forthwith...
Seems to me that the discription of Hasimodo's is about on target...neck swelling, difficulty swallowing and pain...
Here's hoping for the best.
Sharon

Treatment should set you right again. Probably will help you with your other ongoing symptoms.

Cheers!

Jan

Ok, I got my rear in gear (not usually an easy thing to do these days...) and poped into the Doc's for the script and then booted it to the lab for the bloodwork then saw the Osteopath who confirmed that I have one really enlarged thyroid (he is talking removal...I am hoping for meds...) won't be able to have the ultrasound done til next week when I get back from work out-of-town...but I will have my dosages by Tuesday...here's hoping that it is only a med based problem...
By the way, stupid quesiton time: can the iodine injections for the scan have an effect on the thyroid? Can a sudden shock or trauma?
Just curious?
I can date the hormonal changes to last Jan when I said that I was getting that pregnant feeling, gaining weight, throwing up and generally feeling mid-puberecent...am still getting those 'feelings'...wondering if those are all part of it or is there something else going wrong inside of me?
Sharon

Not really. The whole point of the iodine injections is so that the thyroid concentrates the isotope, since there is an affinity for iodine (that is, of course, if your thyroid is functioning enough to concentrate the iodine!). The isotope is if you are having a thyroid scan. But, it does not shock or traumatize the gland. The isotope is in very small quantities. If you are just having an ultrasound, there is no injection. So, are you having both an ultrasound and a nuclear scan?

Hopefully, this is just a case of goiter due to insufficient thyroid hormone (the gland enlarges to try to compensate). Hormone supplementation should take care of that. However, there are many causes.... so don't assume it is the "easy" fix. As a group, we tend to be more complicated than less complicated. But, who knows? Maybe you are lucky this time! You can't have crap for luck all the time, right?

Oh, almost forgot. Yes, those other symptoms could easily be attributed to thyroid dysfunction. But, that does not mean there could not be other things going on.

Jan

Ok,
I am going to invest in a lottery ticket hoping that all of my bad luck will go there ...
I figure at some point in time I am going to catch a break and either be told it is an easy fix, there is Nothing else wrong with me or I am going to win the lotttery...can't lose at everything...that is just not possible.
For now, I am going off to give a speach and conference for 3 days in another country...and pray that I don't have any problems other than the audio-visual equipment falling apart on me!
Will have the reports when I get back...should I be eating iodine rich foods while away?
Sharon
ps...nothing to worry about while I am gone, is there?

It sounds like you should be good to go or the doctor would have slapped you in the hospital when s/he saw you! Enjoy the conference and pretend you don't know about your thyroid until it's over. This has been going on since January so I think a few more days should be ok. You are one tough little lady

Thanks TE,
Am giving myself a treat (the schools is paying...) with a hotel that has a swimming pool...hopefully I will be able to get some time to swim and unknot the muscles in my back and hips...wonder if there is a jacuzzi???? Doubt it but at least a few hours in the pool should help...
I am taking a research assistant with me to help with the production and the film...etc...I think that I will be grateful for the help...not sure if I would have the strength and energy to do this all on my own other wise...I am finally learning to accept that I need help.
Sharon

Years and years ago....before ulcerative colitis reared its ugly head.....I had a hyperactive thyroid. Wondered why I felt so great! Energetic beyond words, etc. Not for long, though. Radioactive iodine took care of my malfunctioning thyroid gland and I've been on thyroid medication since then....cheap and no problem. That was that! My husband noticed the problem initially by looking at my neck in a school picture. He had me see an endocrinologist right away. I missed all the energy!

Darn your husband CeeeeCeeee! I'd like to have that kind of thyroid problem for a little while! Well no, an over active thyroid isn't good for you either.

Just got back from 4 days at a conference in Belgium (never been to the town before but really cute and pictoresque)...I was terrified of my pouch and what it was going to do to me, even more terrified that my thyroid was going to send me into hybernation and I was going to 'sloth around' the university and not make it up the stairs to all of the lectures...well, good news...my pouch behaved like a trooper...serious, strict and honest...not a problem (those classy handicapped bathrooms on the campus really helped)...then I got taken to Ypers where the biggest battles of WWI took place and we went for a trudge through the trenches (litterally!) in the rain and snow...walk through the cemetary and spent a 'bathroomless' afternoon without the possiblility of finding a WC in the area...didn't find one til I was on the train back home 8hrs later...Wow! I survived without messing anything up or killing my pouch....the conference was great, no one threw tomatoes at me and I did not have a leak or a gurgle...even ate at the teacher's cafeteria without a hitch.
3 cheers for my pouch!
Sharon

Sounds fantastic! It sounds like you had a great time taking in history while there too. My grandfather served in Europe during WWI. I should know for sure but I think he was in France. Hopefully you are not going to crash too bad after all of your exertion

Thank TE,
I am pretty tired today but managed to get the house cleaned, 2 loads of laundry done and make lunch...now to the expense accounts if I really want to get reimbursed....I am seriously wondering if my thryroid has flipped from hypo to hyper and if that is even possible????? And am I going to crash and burn by the weekend and need to sleep for 4 days?
For now, I am going with the flow and praying that it lasts...I pick up the blood work results today and will know about where it stands...if it shows that I am hyperthyroid, do I really have to get it fixed?
Sharon

You are something else! I guess that's your decision but if it were me I'd want to see why I had a big growth around my neck! See what your test results are, lol.

Short answer, YES!

There is a reason your thyroid is either over or under active. The reasons can vary, some relatively harmless, others deadly. But, in the long run, your body cannot tolerate high or low thyroid levels indefinitely.

Jan

Bloodwork just came in...my T4 dropped by 200 pts...it is flat-linning so I guess I really do need to get that ultrasound done...will try for tomorrow between classes.
Sharon
ps. thanks for the info Jan, will do.

I'm use to a TSH reading so I don't know the significance of dropping that far. Sorry you are having yet another health problem, hopefully this one will be easier to take care of than most.

Sending healing thoughts and vibes...

Well I definitly crashed & burned yesterday...high stress week, bad food, loads of sugar and traveling & work...little or no sleep...barely made it off of the sofa all day...Nausea, no hunger (unusual for me, I am usually hungry the night before surgery!)...finally ate some soup and mashed veggies and nearly threw it all up...probably a sign of the exhaustion. Must go for the ultrasound this week or I will drive myself nuts...just scared of the stuff that Jan mentionned...if this is something other than just an underactive thyroid with a quick fix, I am not sure if I have the strength to go through anything radical...been through enough junk...don't really need any more surgeries (although they don't scare me like they used to)...now I just want someone to tell me that it was nothing and I am ok...I am just getting back on my feet after 14 yrs and I don't want it to stop now.
Sharon

If you need goiter surgery it's not a big deal. My mom had it and she's a big baby. I can't remember for sure but think she was only in the hospital one night and that was years ago so you'd probably just do it as an out patient. I think we should assume that and don't worry about the bad things it could be just yet. She just takes one tiny pill a day now and has her blood tested periodically.

I agree, the sooner you get that ultra sound done the better!

Please get some rest today.

Thanks TE,
It is not the goiter surgery that worries me but the 'other' surgery if there is another more complex problem, like a tumor...that is the scary one because I have sworn that I will never do any sort of chemo again and I mean it...I just cannot do that any longer and won't do radiation either...had way too much in my little life and only want peace...so I am praying that this is nothing but a goiter and I can laugh it all off in a week's time.
Still have to get an apt.
Sharon

Now you are scaring me I hope you get in ASAP for that ultra-sound!

Well I just saw an Endo at Cleveland Clinic and I will repeat what he said since I have to get screened yearly for thyroid cancer since I have FAP. Thryoid cancer doesn't show up in a form of a tumor you can feel or see. He basically explained I wouldn't have many symptoms. A goiter on the other hand isn't the end of the world. My mom has one, she lost some weight and went on synthroid and it was manageable.

Fine, I am calling the Lab as soon as I finish this post...TE, you know me, I am no chicken-sh-t and do not scare easily but some days I am just too tired to keep fighting. I am up for a good fight most times if I think I have a 1% chance in winning, don't cry when the ***** and punch and push me and rarely if ever complain (except here where I know that I will find compassion and understanding)but jeeze, enough is enough! Can't I take one step forward without getting pushed 2 back?
Its my BD tomorrow and I do not want to get tested before then, I don't want to spoil the day with bad news (granted it could be very good news too but who want's to take the risk?)...I have had enough bad BD's for a lifetime and was hoping for some joy...I have been invited to speak in 4 different European countries this winter (granted all of them will be under 2feet of snow at the time and most do not have daylight for 6 months of the year) and I have enough stress dealing with my pouch and the horrors of sacroilitis to have to add more to my plate.
I guess that I need a bit of a break here. Good news and easy fixes have never been part of my life and Murphy's laws seems to rule...So, for now I am going to burry my head in the sand, go to work and pray that everything dissapears by tomorrow morning.
If not, I will deal with it all the next day.
Sharon

Happy Birthday Sharon
One day past your 39th birthday for the ultrasound then. I think vanessavy has brought forth some reliable information and you shouldn't worry! Enjoy your day and then get the test.