Thyroid Problems?

[KittyMow]

I know I have a Thyroid nodule, but can it cause some of these symptoms? Is there a way to fix these or do I just have to deal with them?

Night sweats

Increased sensitivity to hot (which is very relevant considering i Was Always cold before all of this)

Irregular menstrual period (record is 152 days without one)

Trouble swallowing (food and pills get stuck for a while at the base of my neck then slowly travel through.

Tight throat

Clicking sound when swallowing

Lump in throat

Constipation

Feeling full after a sip of water

Thin hair easily falls out

Acne (sometimes popping 3 pimples a day)

Keep in Mind that I am 22. I have one 2 year old. I get enough exercise. I have had surgery to remove a cyst on my ovary when I was 13 and have had my gull bladder removed.

I think I have covered it all. Let me know anything else you want to know.

[tenorvell]

Hi KittyMow,

I don't know why no one has replied to you before now. Perhaps this is not a very active site.

I do not live in the UK but I am a Thyroid Cancer Survivor (specifically Hurthle Cell Carcinoma). I live in a small town in Alaska, USA. I had a total thyroidectomy in 2005. The surgery was followed up by 2 rounds of Iodine 131 radiation treatment. I have been cancer free since 2006 and will be on lifetime Levothyroxine replacements.

I hope you have gone to a doctor by now and have some answers. Most specifically you need to see a specialist in Endocrinology (AKA Endos) and a good Integrative Medicine Doctor is a great addition to your healthcare team! A General Practitioner is just that, "general" and will rarely have the expertise needed to properly evaluate and treat thryoid diseases of which there are many.

People in general and unfortunately many many doctors (even some Endos) are unaware of the role that the thyroid plays in our physical and mental health and the vast number of complications/symptoms that can come from and be connected to a malfunctioning thyroid or in my case a no longer existing thyroid.

ALL of the symptoms you have noted can be manifested by thyroid disease. Prior to being diagnosed with cancer I had Hashimoto's thyroiditis which is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. Many of the symptoms you describe were ones I had, curiously they were very similar with the cancer.

One of the most pervasive and personally disturbing symptom for me is the rapid mood swings. Up one minute and flying off the handle with anger the next. Very much like what I imagine Bi-polar disorder to be like. It makes me wonder how many people who are being treated for B-polar disease are misdiagnosed and actually have a thyroid issue!

At any rate, if you get this, and you have not sought medical attention with an Endocrinologist please do so. Ask him/her to test you for "free T3 and T4" as well as TSH and for heaven sakes find someone who will check out that nodule in your thyroid!

I hope you find some answers and begin to feel better real soon!

TE Norvell