Hashimoto's and Lymph nodes swelling: For months... - Thyroid UK

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Hashimoto's and Lymph nodes swelling

angelharley profile image
37 Replies

For months now my nodes in my neck have been up, they tend to go down for a couple of days then swell again. Now the ones in my shoulder are up, as well as neck. They are causing pain and on my left side only. Anyone have any ideas? Off to the Dr this afternoon.

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angelharley profile image
angelharley
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37 Replies
ravenhex profile image
ravenhex

I have this. My tonsils havebeen enlarged for 4 years, my lymph nodes neck and armpits and thyroid have been up and enlarged for over a year now. My cartoid veins are squeezed and the lymphs are swollen so it looks like I have ridges raised going up my neck to my ears over my jaw bone.

My left side is also my worse. My go up and down slightly but I have a massive lyph sweeling onthe right that doesn't bother me unlike the smaller one running along my jaw line to the left.

At the minimum your Dr should do an Xray to check if the lymph are up under the chest bones. Xray to see if you have any boney sprus on you neck vetrbra. An ultrasound too to check the thyroid for nodules, swellling and the lymph nodes also needs to listen to the cartoid veins, running either side of the neck to the brain to check for restrictions.

A blood test to check for the markers for the C word hould also be done along side the normal full thyroid blood and iron test.

angelharley profile image
angelharley in reply to ravenhex

Hiya,

I've never had a ultrasound of my throid even thou my endo said i have a small goiter.

I am having a gastroscopy on Thursday, as I've got gastric parietal antibodies, as well thyroid antibodies of >500.

I think my spleen maybe enlarged to as when my lymph nodes swell, I also have this pain just below my ribs on the left side of my stomach.

Not sure if you can see the thyroid gland with the camera down the throat?

Will ask on Thursday.

I think most people worry when there lymph nodes swell and as you know, Hypo's temp are normally on the low side but when i visited the Doc last thursday, I had a temp of 37.9.

He took more blood test results, seem to have full blood cont done every month lately, lymphocytes on last one were high but he put it down to virus.

I will get results back on Tuesday.

Thank you for replying, as it is a worry.

Natalie x

DebraM profile image
DebraM

I have had Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue for about 10 years now with a few years remission. It was characterized by swollen lymph nodes throughout my upper chest, breasts, under my arms, shoulders and blades, neck and arms. My health symptoms deteriorated over the last 5 years and apart from the constant pain, I developed Hashimotos and a heart condition. I began researching natural methods to help and began using Serenity natural progesterone cream which stopped all the lymph node inflammation in my chest (but not the breasts). A few months into using the progesterone I changed the product and it took me over a month to get all the lumps down. Won't do that again. A few months ago, I was diagnosed by my local doctor with Hashimotos. Having always had an overactive Thyroid, I was devastated. I began researching again before I saw the specialist and I began using Lugols Iodine patches on the skin, topping it up each time it disappeared, and 3 tablespoons a day of Organic Coconut Oil, known to reverse Hashimotos, which I added to my nightly green smoothies and my partner smothered it onto my skin once or twice a week. About 3 weeks into using these, I saw the Endo who confirmed the Hashimotos and told me I need Oroxine. I told him I wanted a new blood test to confirm. He looked me straight in the eye and said "Look you have an Auto immune Thryoid Disease. There is no reversal, you will have it for the rest of your life." I insisted and he finally agreed to give me a retest. I told him I was using Iodine and he berated it severely and told me to stop taking it. I refused. A week later, forgetting I was the patient using Iodine, he rang me with my results. "It would appear you are only borderline but that's ok, just increase the Oroxine." I told him I wasn't taking his medication I was using Iodine and Coconut Oil. He was flabbergasted and stuttered and stammered before telling me I didn't need the medication anyway so it didn't matter. Last week, which is about 3 months after the Endo appointment, I retested my bloods. I had a perfectly functioning Thyroid function but I had to ask the doctor 3 times to tell me what the results showed. They don't want us to believe we can heal ourselves. They don't make any money that way. I got my antibodies checked and although they are still high at 600, its decreased from the previous, over 1000. We can heal ourselves. Iodine will also heal goitre. It also heals Fibrocystic Breast Disorder which is lumps in the breast. Mine have all cleared up now. I continue to use Organic Coconut Oil daily and I now drink 2 drops of Iodine in a mouthful of juice a day as I finished my loading dose. It is a Godsend.

Heather75 profile image
Heather75 in reply to DebraM

Hi Debra, I've had swollen lymph nodes on the side of my neck that flare up as well lately under my armpits and feel my breasts are tender. I'm waiting on a mammogram and a neck ultrasound. But my bloodwork looks ok but wondering if it's my hashimotos acting up ?

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to Heather75

Hi Heather75,

I can't say for sure that the lumps you're getting are the same as what mine were but I would advise against having a mammogram as studies have shown that mammograms will often read false negative which is then also treated as malignancies. In effect, due to high levels of radiation, they can cause more cancer than they help. If you can change to having an ultrasound done, this will show if your lumps are cysts. I had my breasts ultrasounded about 18 months ago due to 10mm and 4mm lumps my doctor was convinced were tumours. I flatly refused the mammogram and opted for the ultrasound. He was so disappointed when he learnt I had breast cysts. A few months into the Iodine and they disappeared completely. I recently increased my dosage of iodine again to stop Thyroid swelling and its worked. I'm back to taking 7-8 drops a day in a little coconut water and I get no more swelling or lumps anywhere, unless I'm exposed to mobile phones which seem to trigger the Fibromyalgia. I'm researching this presently as 80% of Fibromyalgia is actually Lyme Disease which holds a component of emf sensitivity. Whatever it is, I'm determined to fix it. I can't recommend the Iodine enough, taken with Selenium. They cure so many things. Have you looked into what Fibromyalgia is Heather? One of the symptoms are lumps throughout the Lymph nodes.

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to DebraM

I would just like to update some of my information here. I was using the Iodine/Selenium/Zinc/Magnesium/and Coconut Oil and seemed to keep needing more and more to stay in the normal range for my Thyroid. I kept getting the swelling, especially on the left side of my Thyroid but I was still normal. A few months ago, I listened to Dr Amy Yasko's talks on Helicobacter Pylori. She talked about the hidden symptoms, namely how it shuts the Thyroid and the Liver detoxification pathways down. I immediately went to get checked but my Doctor refused to test me as I had no common symptoms. I argued and she finally tested. Two days later I was called in and she apologised profusely because I had it very severely. I have had to do 2 treatments and am now waiting to be retested again to see if its gone. Since doing the treatments, my Thyroid has come back online 100%. My energy has skyrocketed and all the swelling my neck went down. I'm walking and running 5 days a week and there's been no lymph node swelling unless I'm exposed to mobile phones. This bug drills holes in the intestinal lining causing ulceration and permeability, eventually leading to Gastric Cancer. 75% of the population has it and doesn't know. I would like to encourage everyone to get a breath test done to see if you have this bug, sometimes the causes of our illnesses are something we would think is totally unrelated. When the Liver can't detox the toxins, they build up in Lymph nodes. When toxins circulate in the blood, they can cause problems anywhere in the body.

Canyonk8 profile image
Canyonk8 in reply to DebraM

What treatments did you do?

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to Canyonk8

Hi Canyon8, you mean for the H.Pylori? I used Mastic Gum initially and went really hard on them which caused severe detox reactions and inflamed Colon. My Dr was pressuring me due to the high levels of Pylori in my results. On retesting after this intense treatment, I had only reduced the levels down by 1000 and still had 2000 to reduce. I had to agree to do the antibiotic triple therapy which worked. I avoid antibiotics like the plague normally and especially as I had read that there was a 75% rate of reinfection using them alone. Once a year now though, I will redo the Mastic Gum treatment to make sure it stays away. My sister had it too and she did Matula Tea and Mastic Gum and eradicated it really effectively without antibiotics. Biofase enzymes are also known to eliminate it and I'm about to try these for Viruses and Mold.

sandysnow profile image
sandysnow in reply to DebraM

I hope you can give me some advice. I was put on levo three years ago, but started with few symptoms that gathered as time went on. Cut this v long story short went to see Dr Durrant Peatfield, and he advised adrenal fatigue and tried to see if I could do without. I think my thyroid went to sleep as my energy levels left me breathless going up hills and falling asleep all the time. Now two years later, I am on Thyroid-s and my energy levels are ok but my neck glands go and down and I get a tightening feeling in my jaw. I am thinkng of going the iodine route but have read there can be problems. My antibodies from a blood test done earlier this year are high and indicate hashimotos. This was not the case when I first started out. So wish I had never taken those hormones as I am sure there was a natural solution. Please let me have any help or guidance re the Lugols.

Ann

sandysnow profile image
sandysnow in reply to DebraM

Hi - are you able to tell me if you are seeing a practitioner while taking iodine. My swollen glands are really weighting me down and I am at my wits end with this bloody hashimotos. I take a natural thyroid replacement and would dearly love to get off it. Wish I had never gone down this path and sought a natural alternative but didn't fully understand the implications od levo thyroxine.

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to sandysnow

Hi Ann,

So sorry I didn't get a notification on your replies and only just came back in to answer someone elses and noticed them. I had Hashimotos too. I managed to get my Thyroid back to normal functioning but last tests showed it was just in the normal range. I was a bit worried as my Thyroid was swollen on the left side only and I was going to get it ultrasounded again but before that happened, I discovered quite by accident that I had a severe H.Pylori infection. I had listened to Dr Amy Yasko talk on the hidden symptoms of this infection and I'd never looked into it as I didn't have the common symptoms. My Dr argued against doing the test as I didn't have symptoms but once she agreed, she rang me 2 days later to tell me I had a very severe case of it. I tried natural methods which decreased it but ended up doing Triple Therapy. H. Pylori shuts down the Thyroid and the Liver detox pathways and I knew I had these problems and that's why I demanded the test. Since eradicating H.Pylori, all the swelling in my Thyroid went down and my metabolism came back on board full swing. I lost all the inflammation in my body when I started Inclined Bed Therapy (raising the top end by 6 inches) and I went down to my ideal weight and stayed there. I'm finally tiny again with no more Chronic Fatigue. I would suggest everyone get tested for H.Pylori as 75% of the worlds population has it and its a class one carcinogen. Definitely try Iodine too, I highly recommend it. You can add it and the Selenium (and maybe even Tyrosine too) to correct Thyroid function while you're on meds and slowly decrease the meds when you're noticing a difference.

mzhairpoetry profile image
mzhairpoetry in reply to DebraM

Thank you so much for your story. I have been researching using Iodine and bumped across your post, and you are telling the truth, they want to keep you reliant on the medicines and treatments.

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to mzhairpoetry

So true. The meds don't fix the root cause though. I recently added Tyrosine as this helps the Thyroid pick the Iodine up. I cleared a severe H.Pylori infection too and this shuts the Thyroid and the Liver detox pathways down. Everyone should be tested for this bug.

jlat profile image
jlat in reply to DebraM

Hi just found this post ,my glands neck clavicle arm pit and groin go through periods of aching some times for days sometimes only hours,is this common for Hashis ? thyroid issues? I also Have Sjrogens ,just looking for little reassurance before i have myself 6 feet under :(

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to jlat

It is possible to experience swollen glands with Hashi's but you should also look into Epstein Barr Virus (Glandular Fever), you may be eating or doing something that is retriggering it. If you have the antibodies in your blood tests, it can still be active in the body. There are 6 stages it goes through. Infection is another thing that can swell glands.

Chippy10 profile image
Chippy10 in reply to DebraM

Hi,I have a toxic nodule ,and now slightly hyperthyroid. Can I ask the strength of Iodine patches you used ,also do you just melt the coconut oil.Really need some help.Thankyou.

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to Chippy10

Sorry to hear. Nodules can be hard to eliminate. I have a friend who has one and she finds red light therapy helps. I use an infrared wand that has far and near infrared light too. These are widely available. Mine is called the Anion Beauty Pen but it's amazing for pain. I've bought or recommended this for so many other people and it eliminates pain and toxicity. I have just found lumps all through my fascia and some are calcified and this wand is melting them, they get smaller every day. With the Iodine, I don't use patches, I buy Lugols Iodine, 10% potassium iodide and 5% Iodine. The milligrams is 12 mg per 3 drops. I use a cotton bud and paint it on. Coconut oil melts quite easily when you put the jar into a pot of warm water, yes for the smoothies I melt it. If I use it on the skin, the skin is warm enough to melt it.

Chippy10 profile image
Chippy10 in reply to DebraM

Thanks so much for your help and information . I will look into it a bit further and go from there.

DebraM profile image
DebraM

Ps, You do need to take Selenium (200mcg) with Iodine to convert it to Thyroid hormone. I also added Zinc at 25mg a day.

jlat profile image
jlat in reply to DebraM

Thanks so much I take ndt 15 mlgramms per day 😊do you think the iodine will hep with armpit and groin pain do you think ?

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to jlat

If the pain is caused by cysts, Iodine will certainly help clear them up and it may help with any infection too as it is antibacterial. If your glandular pain is caused by EBV, you may need antivirals like Monolaurin.

jlat profile image
jlat in reply to DebraM

Thankyou do lymph nodes get cysts ?

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to jlat

You can get cysts in lymph nodes. Have you been tested for Hashimotos?

jlat profile image
jlat in reply to DebraM

Yes but 1st time yes for antibodies border line but next test negative .my first tsh was 12 and now with ndt 2.5 .just scared cause I guess with this cagey mess in the lymph 😯

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to jlat

Yes it can be scary when you have lymph node swelling. What is ndt?

jlat profile image
jlat in reply to DebraM

I don't have swelling well tbh I don't know no lumps I can feel I'm overweight so hard to tell and ndt is natural dedicated thyroid

DebraM profile image
DebraM in reply to jlat

Oh ok. That's good that the ndt is helping to restore your Thyroid function. If you have lumps, they will be painful if they're cysts.

jlat profile image
jlat in reply to DebraM

Hmmm not painful as such just aching glands thanks so much for your advice x

angelharley profile image
angelharley

Last week I ordered coconut oil and selenium. Lets hope it starts working, I've also changed to Nature Throid and have lost over 2 stones, still some more weight to lose but going in the right direction and after 8 mths of feeling awful, I'm finally feeling a lot better than I was.

DebraM profile image
DebraM

That's great progress Natalie. I found the coconut oil hard to take straight so I add it to my daily green smoothies and my partner massages me frequently and smothers my whole body in it so there are some ways to get it into the body other than taking it straight. I'm sure you'll notice a huge improvement with this and the Selenium and coconut oil is also touted as an inducer of weight loss. It is also a fantastic natural sunscreen. I've been a burner all my life in the sun but Omega 3 is a natural sunscreen and coconut oil turns you brown with no burns. Its been studied recently and at 3 tablespoons a day is showing that it reverses Thyroid issues, Alzheimer's and Epilepsy. At 4 tablespoons it reverses Parkinson's. With results like that it can only be good for you.

Yogima profile image
Yogima

I have recently been diagnosed with Hashi, but it has been going on for quite a while. Years I think. I now have swollen glands on top of everything else. Very uncomfortable. I am currently on natural supplements and have so far chosen not to take thyroid medication. Does anybody think that the medication is worth pursuing? I am in a quandary with half the people I talk to recommending it and the other half being vehemently against it, including my practitioner.

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to Yogima

Yogima it's impossible to advise you with knowing what your TSH, FT4 and FT3 results are. Can you post them with the laboratory reference ranges on a new question. Say what natural supplements and doses you are taking too.

I can tell you that most people on here are either taking medication or fighting their GP in an attempt to have medication prescribed. Most will have tried natural supplements without success or take natural supplements in addition to medication.

You should be aware that Hashimoto's is an autoimmune thyroid disease and symptoms will flare when lymphocytes attack your thyroid and subside when the attack stops. Medication and gluten-free diet can prolong the life of your thyroid but it will in all likelihood eventually be destroyed.

Yogima profile image
Yogima in reply to Clutter

My thyroid results look normal but antibodies show that it is Hashi. I take 6000 mg of vitamin D, large doses of omega 3 and also Resveratrol 500 mg twice a day and turmeric 840 mg twice a day. I also eat Brazil nuts for selenium. I have been told that medication will not help Hashi but can maybe even hurt it. Very confused at this point and feeling pretty awful most of e time.

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to Yogima

Yogima medication won't cure Hashimoto's but it is essential to treat the hypothyroid condition caused by Hashimoto's with replacement thyroid hormone.

Failure to treat hypothyroidism can lead to heart problems, osteoporosis, psychosis and death. You are feeling awful because you need thyroid hormone replacement. The longer you put off taking it the longer it will take for you to become well. Hypothyroidism is a chronic condition requiring lifetime medication.

Please post your thyroid and antibody results on a new question as this is an old thread and may be missed in Latest Activity.

TSH, FT4 and FT3 often present as normal within the popuation range used but this changes as the thyroid comes under sustained attack from lympocytes until it is destroyed. Medication can prolong the life of the thyroid but it will eventually be destroyed.

The range for treating hypothyroidism in my area is when TSH is between 0.42 and 5.0. In some areas treatment doesn't commence until TSH is 10 or 5 if the patient has Hashimoto's. In most of USA and Europe treatment commences when TSH reaches 3. Most people feel very unwell unless their TSH is just above or just below 1.

Feeling so ill indicates that you are in need of medication. It's good that you are supplementing vitD, often deficient in hypothyroid patients, but you also need to check your ferritin, B12 and folate which may also be deficient or low in range.

It is very rare that naturopathic treatment will cure Hashimoto's although it is acknowledged that it can help, as can gluten-free diet. It is more likely that there has been a period of remission when the thyroid has not been under attack and has been able to function. This won't be a permanent situation.

sandysnow profile image
sandysnow in reply to Yogima

I would try anything before going on thyroid meds. I can't believe our bodies are unable to repair this major component. Having said this, if there are any SERIOUS risks, take the meds but try to get not natural desiccated thyroid.

Keep my fingers crossed for you.

Ann

SanDiegoCa profile image
SanDiegoCa in reply to Yogima

Hi, My doctor in San Diego CA thinks it's okay to try natural supplements but recommends to do blood work to see if they are working.

Yogima profile image
Yogima

Thank you so much for your answer. I will post a more recent question as you said. But for now my TSH is 2.22, T4 is 9.9, T3 is 25 as of January. Just went for another blood draw but don't have the result yet. I am so grateful to have found this site. For the first time in years I feel understood.

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