bloods taken

[mandy72]

just had bloods done for thyroid.......i hate the fasting ones as need a coffee allthough decaff to kick start me in the mornings

mentioned to nurse about my breathing and she pretty much told me its my awn fault as i smoke...........yes i know that and have tried several times to quit she allso said its not easy to give up

asked for lung function test and had to make appointment with respitory nurse next week where we will discuss champix again and apparently she will be able to offer more help

i was reading up on levo and difficulty breathing this morning and it can be a side affect so going to discuss with dr on wednesday about maybe changing my meds

anyone else experiancing shortness of breath on levo?

my legs are killing me from the walk this morning and its literally a 5 minute walk from my house to the dr's......feels like ive climed mount everest

[Joyia]

Oh dear Mandy, the brutal truth has to be that smoking is very detrimental to one's health no matter how many excuses are made. It is well documented that a side effect of smoking affects the circulation. Of course there could be other explanations to your tired legs but without doubt giving up smoking is of primary importance. As a long ago ex smoker, personally I found going cold turkey the best way forward, patches etc. still become part of the addictive scenario which accompanies smoking and the whole issues surrounding the habit need to be addressed. I found cutting up bowls of non fattening crudités i.e. celery, apple, carrots etc. very helpful, every time I had the urge to reach for a cigarette I dipped into the bowl, it also helps to have a goal for the money saved, something you really would very much like or like to do. It will be one of the best things you ever do for yourself, you will feel and smell cleaner, as will your home and surroundings and your lung function will improve massively. Unless you eliminate smoking you will never know the truth to your questions. I do hope this encourages, it can be done, you will be less stressed and fidgety as you will not be thinking of your next fix. Good luck x

[anbuma]

I am sure now I haven't had thyroid tests done as I haven't been asked to fast before

having blood tests done.if I have then dr didn't tell me what tehy were for -as seems normal with everythign these days

[RedApple in reply to anbuma]

It is not usual to fast before a thyroid blood test. Only if the doctor has also requested other tests that require you to have fasted, will the blood for the thyroid test be taken at the same time.

[Hidden]

The medical profession will blame everything on smoking from ingrown toenails to the common cold, because its an easy target, saves them from looking elsewhere for the reason. I am not a smoker and of course I am not promoting it and of course it may help your breathing.

I experienced shortness of breath and severe muscle pain when walking whilst on levo, but it turned out I was low in B12/folate and supplementation has vastly improved it. My iron/ferritin was fine but it could be that this may need checking as well (if you have not already done so).

[mandy72]

i know that smoking is not helping me at all and im giving 6 weeks from the start of champix to binning everything and if i give up before hand then its a bonus....hubby quit cold turkey using cherry tomatoes

the dr did say about checking me for diabeties as i said about being really thirsty........it gets so bad that my throat feels like it has one of them things that suck up every last bit of moisture and its affecting my sleep as im waking so thirsty i drink which then leads to night of peeing

[Stourie in reply to mandy72]

It really isn't easy to stop smoking. I did manage two and a half years ago but that was with patches, chewing gum and I also went to get hypnotised and that was what I needed on top of the others to finally stop. I still had to fight it though, plus my partner chain smokes, but I still managed to stay off them. Woo Hoo. Hope the champix works for you this time.

Jo xx

[mandy72 in reply to Stourie]

i know what your saying Joanna ive had the patches gum lozengers inhalators and champix.....i did have an ecig and did really well with that and was down to 1 cig a day but then it came to mums first anniversary and bam 20+ smoked that day.....champix does help but i tend to get the nasty nightmares and have to half the dose and then it dont seem to help this time ill cope with the dreams and kick the habit

[Ruby1 in reply to Stourie]

Well done. I was heavily addicted and gave up almost 30years ago when there weren't the same aids. I adopted every idea I could, but for me the real deal breaker was my attitude. When I 'failed' and had a cigarette, instead of thinking I'd failed, I adopted the attitude of ' ok I've had 1, but I haven't had the usual 20 (or however many)', and kept at it. Eventually my slip ups stopped altogether. It takes grit to give up -especially for you with a partner that smoked!

[Ruby1]

Hmm i think its fairly well documented that smoking affects your breathing, and there are plenty of people that have had limbs amputated due to poor circulation. It's a no brainer to me. You do need to give up. (Also see my reply to Jo above).

Having said that, I have recently been feeling breathless (and I'm on 100micrograms of levo). My doc ordered various blood tests and an ECG. All have come out normal apart from high cholesterol and a low heart rate. I'm waiting to see what he suggests, but I am planning on improving my diet and more exercise. I'm also thinking I may have had a virus. My GP is also hypo so he's pretty helpful

[Lindsay]

I do get shortness of breath (I don't smoke), but I have assumed that is a symptom of hypo rather than a side affect of levo.