Help with Thyroid Disorder!!!

[LilyStar]

Hello everyone

I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroid disease today. I have a thyroid uptake ultrasound scheduled for monday. I am nervous because I seem to have ALL the symptoms of HYPOthyroid rather than HYPER. The Endocrinologist I saw today wasn't very helpful at all. I will be looking for a new Endo this weekend. He said my symptoms weren't related to thyroid and everything I read seems to be the opposite.

My TSH is .01 and my T4 is 3.1 which clearly indicates HYPER. However I have the symptoms of Hypo which include weight gain, severe water retention in my ankles and feet, arthritic aches and pains in my joints, decreased libido etc. I am very concerned that the Endo didn't even think this was odd nor did he try to explain it to me.

The worst thing that happened at my appt. is that he prescribed a drug called Inderol which is for high blood pressure, saying it would help with heart palipitations. However, my blood pressure is normal and I have only minor palipitations. Just an increased heart rate every now and then, when running up stairs or something to that nature. My uncle who is a nurse flipped out when I told him about the Inderol. He said it can really screw up your body if you don't need it and you often have to wean yourself off of it. I am very nervous now.

Has anyone ever heard of the opposite symptoms or anything? Does anyone have a history of thyroid disease that could offer any advice?

Thank you!

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Hi--i dont know if i can answer your specific questions-but i will try..i started having thyroid trouble (tumors actually) when i was 8...between the ages of 8 and 15, i had 3 or 4 surgeries to remove the tumors, both half of my thyroid, and scar tissue..
I am on synthroid..
I get heart palpitations when my levels are too high, so this could be a sign for hyper..
i get very tired, which is hypo--they cant quite get it right..
Definitely look into getting a new endo--i am in the process of doing that now...
if you have any specific questions, let me know..ill do my best to answer them!
good luck

 

[JennInTN]

Hi, LilyStar.

For ME, Inderol helped. When I was first diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (Graves Disease) my doctor prescribed it and the heart palpitations subsided. The thyroid condition was discovered because I thought I was having a heart attack. I stayed on the inderol for about 6 months. The doctor gradually stepped the dosage down. I never had a problem.

Prior to my diagnosis, I did lose weight, froze in warm rooms, wanted to sleep every waking moment but felt like my insides were running AT LEAST 7000 miles/hour, lots of hair loss. I made the decision to treat it with radioactive iodine. The doctor and his nurse specifically told me that the disease has the opposite effect of other people.

Let's just say that I was crazy as a chicken before.

Remember, this was my experience. But I hope this helps calms your nerves and concerns!

 

[LilyStar]

Thank you for your responses. I am glad to know that Inderol helped. I don't think I need that type of med yet. I am not having those kinds of symptoms at all. Other than occasional fast heart rate but that goes away in 5 minutes.

I had like no rapport with that doctor at all. I am having trouble finding a good Endo referral in the Orlando area. My weekend will be spent looking on the internet!

There is a swelling in my throat area now in the thyroid area so I'm anxious to see what the Thyroid Uptake scan will turn out to be. I just want to get this under control because I feel like I am falling apart. The aches and pains are enough to send me over the edge.

Will post with my results when I get them.

 

[golfgal]

One thing with thyroid issues, they take a while to sort out. It isn't going to get better after taking the first pill, just to prepare you. It took a year and a half to get my dosage for my synthroid right. Seeing a doctor today vs next week isn't going to make that much difference in your outcome. As far as chronic health issues go, a malfunctioning thyroid is pretty easy to take care of.

 

[Kitty 34]

I'm experiencing a lot of these symptoms but unfortunetly mine is all symptoms of menopause according to my gyno.

Good luck to you and I sure hope you get to feeling better soon.

 

[Christine]

I had thyroid cancer so my issues are a bit different than yours. BUT, as a thyroid cancer patient they like to keep my TSH suppressed. Apparently, if they keep your TSH low, then it stops any "hiding" cancer cells from growing as TSH is a "stimulator" for any kind of thyroid cells (normal or cancerous). So, they LOVE it when my TSH goes down to where yours is at .01. However, I cannot tolerate that level. I feel just as you do: extremely exhausted/fatigued. I get most of the symptoms of HYPOthyroidism rather than HYPER. But, I have also been extremely hypo and there is a bit of a difference. Is your hair falling out? Is your menstrual cycle very long and heavy? Are you constipated? The other "hallmark" of hypothyroidsim is that your heart rate can go VERY low. Believe me, if you were hypo, your heart rate would not increase when you go up the stairs! My resting heart rate, while hypo, got very close to 50 bpms which scared the crap out of me. My doctor also told me that the "funny" thing about hyperthyroidism is that many patients actually gain weight because their appetite is so increased that their metabolism, as fast as it is, cannot keep up with the calorie intake. I know that when the raise my thyroid meds, I feel like I'm eating everything in sight and cannot stop. It's awful.

I have been given Indural too. I don't know why your uncle freaked out about it. It is a fairly benign medication that has been around for ever. It is a beta blocker which can lower blood pressure and reduce heart rate. Most notably, it is used by entertainers for stage fright because it will slow down all those "stage fright" feelings and allow them to perform without shaking or choking up or whatever they do. The only time it could be dangerous is if you truly don't need it. It should never be given to someone who already has low blood pressure or a slow heartbeat. I am assuming that your doctor checked you for this and felt it was okay to give you the Inderal.

Now, as to what you have. You could have Graves' Disease which is an autoimmune disorder. You could have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which is also an immune disorder. This disorder could cause you to alternate between hyper and hypothyroidsim because of the nature of the disease overproducing and then underproducing. You could also have nodules that are "hot" meaning that they are lumps that are producing too much thyroid hormone. There are many different treatments depending on what you have and hopefully you are with a good endocrinologist who will figure out a way to get it under control.