Swelling in neck

[Cassandra]

I am on 100 dosage of thyroxine - from time to time I notice my 'swallow' is more pronounced in my neck - does anyone know if this indicates too high or too low dosage of thyroxine

[Duchy82]

Its is really annoying but it could mean either I had a Goitre (which I'm assuming you are refferring about?) from an early age which didn't go away until I finally was considered to be underactive and was taking a decent dose of thyroxine. BUT it is also associated with an overactive thyroid so I suppose you might look at the other symptoms that you have together with the goitre and try and draw conclusions from that.

If you are not sure or you are worried it is always worth having this swelling checked out by a doctor.

[Jackie]

Hi If it persists ask for a barium swallow, gastro, I think now GP`s can arrange. Ultra sound for thyroid and scope by ENT. All different, take your pick. Personally I would start with the thyroid ultra sound, simple .This is a very common problem, my voice is terrible and a lot of things I cannot swallow. As I am quite deaf too, not much fun with communicating!

Best wishes,

Jackie

[ChooseLife]

Hi Cassandra - I am experiencing a similar thing, although I am taking only Nutri Thyroid (not prescription med). I have develeoped a goitre that is painful, feels like someone has their hand around my throat and causes me problems swallowing. My practitioner is a bit puzzled - this first happened a few months ago, but we thought it was because I jumped from 1 tablet to 3 tablets per day and this sudden leap in dose shut my thyroid down completely. I stopped taking it for a couple of months and the goitre decreased quite quickly. I then restarted at only 1 tablet per day a few weeks ago and have now got the same problem again, even though I am only taking 1 tablet per day!! I don't have any symptoms of overdose (eg. my temperature and pulse are still low) and I still have the overwhelming fatigue and all the other lovely hypo symptoms. I would love to hear if anyone else has had the same problems as Cassandra and me, and what you did (medication-wise) to resolve it. Thanks and best wishes to all xx

[ChooseLife in reply to ChooseLife]

Hi again - OK, I've now had another appt with my specialist (Dr Peatfield) and it seems that my adrenals have stopped working, which means that my body can't use T3......leading to the goitre. As you no doubt know, the adrenals need to be working in order for the thyroid to work. I to start taking some medication to support my adrenals, then once they are back online again, my body will be able to use the T3 again. So, Cassandra, I would suggest that you get your adrenal function checked out. I had tests via Genova Diagnostics, but you need someone who knows what they are talking about to interpret them (ie. someone like Dr P). Good luck xx

[Cassandra]

Hi - many thanks fore your reply. About 7 years ago I had tests with Genova Diagnostics but I couldn't tell from the results what they actually meant - as you say it takes someone like Dr P to interpret. I live in Northern Ireland so it isn't possible to go and see him. Does anyone know if you can pay his fee and send him results by post. My gp will not enter into any discussions and says my results are normal. My throat is not painful when I swallow but the front is sore to the touch. Am not sure whether to cut down to 50 thyroxine to see if things improve. Swelling seems to be getting more pronounced lately. I was mortified when a younger person at work asked if I was swallowing a frog so I have now taken to wearing polo neck jumpers.

I get very confused with some of the information I read on the boards. For the past 2 months I have been using Vagifem pressaries which are a form of hormone treatment - does anyone know if this can make a difference.

Apologies for being so lacking in knowledge but I hope someone can help.

Last results in August were

FT4 20.7 (range 12 - 24)

TSH 0.75 (range 2 - 5)

Our gps do not test FT£

[ChooseLife in reply to Cassandra]

Hi Cassandra - yes, I'm pretty sure you can consult with Dr P remotely. I would call his secretary and explain the situation, then see if you can arrange a phone appointment with him. You could send your test results in beforehand, so that he has them in front of him when you speak. The Vagifem pessaries may well be affecting things - Dr P would be able to advise. I would also highly recommend Dr P's book (type his name into Amazon and it will come up). This explains all of his reasoning and the science behind everything. Good luck - let us know how you get on. xx