I have a goitre but GP says I don't... Please help with understanding my blood test results...

[Kitsune]

Hello all I have been lurking on this forum, and you ladies {&gentlemen?} seem very knowledgable & supportive. I am glad I found it!

I was also near the fallout zone when Chernobyl happened so maybe that caused my goitre? I am paranoid about cancer, my friend died from leukaemia when he was 12 .. But the GP stood behind me and pressed hard on my throat and said he can't feel it. But I can even see it, it's bulgy and it moves when I swallow. I also get sharp jaw pains sometimes but I don't know if that's related to my thyroid.

Other symptoms are feeling sleepy in the day, waking up at 4AM and not being able to sleep again, itching all over, twitching muscles randomly, twitching eye, my head/neck jerks randomly, heart racing sometimes when I am not doing anything.... memory problems too waking up many times in the night to wee, night sweats.... but when I got my blood results from the GP, I noticed he put as my symptoms only "fatigue & pains"

Here are my blood test results, they are a mystery to me, I would really appreciate it if anyone could shed some light?

Full blood count:

Haemoglobin concentration - 142g/L (115.0 - 165.0)

Total white blood count - 12.0 10*9/L (4.0 - 11.0) Above high reference limit

Nucleated red blood cell count - 0.0 10*9/L (<0.1)

Platelet count - observation - 267 10*9L (150.0 - 450.0)

Red blood cell count - 4.64 10*12/L (3.8 - 5.8)

Haematocrit - 0.439 (0.35 - 0.47)

Mean cell volume - 94.6 fL (76.0 - 100.0)

Mean cell haemoglobin level - 30.6 pg (27.0 - 32.0)

Mean cell haemoglobin concentration 323 g/L (310.0 - 360.0)

Differential white blood cell count:

Neutrophil count - 7.5 10*9/L (2.0 - 7.5)

Lymphocyte count - 3.5 10*9/L (1.3 - 3.5)

Monocyte count - observation - 0.9 10*9/L (0.2 - 0.8) Above high reference limit

Eosinophil count - observation - 0.1 10*9/L (0.0 - 0.4)

Basophil count - 0.0 10*9/L (0.0 - 0.3)

Thyroid function test:

Serum free T4 level - 20.8 pmol/L (12.0 - 22.0)

Serum TSH level - 2.33 mu/L (0.3 - 4.2)

Vit D, 25OH, Total, Serum:

Serum vitamin D level - 35 nmol/L (50.0 - 120.0) Below low reference limit

Bone profile:

Serum calcium level - 2.52 mmol/L (2.15 - 2.55)

Corrected serum calcium level - 2.26 mmol/L (2.15 - 2.55)

Serum inorganic phosphate level - 1.55 mmol/L (0.81 - 1.45) Above high reference limit

Serum alkaline phosphatase level - 55 iu/L (35.0 - 104.0)

Serum total protein level - 80g/L (66.0 - 87.0)

Serum albumin level - 53g/L (35.0 - 52.0) Above high reference limit

Serum globulin level - 27g/L (18.0 - 36.0)

Serum urea leve - 4.2 mmol/L (1.7 - 8.3)

C-Reactive protein (S):

Serum C reactive protein level - 0.9mg/L (0.0 - 5.0)

Urea and electrolytes:

Serum sodium level - 139 mmol/L (136.0 - 145.0)

Serum potassium level - 3.9 mmol/L (3.2 - 5.1)

Serum creatinine level - 61 umol/L (44.0 - 80.0)

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate: 5mm/h (0.0 - 15.0)

Plasma glucose level - 5.5 mmol/L (3.2 - 11.0)

Liver function tests:

Serum total bilirubin level - <3 umol/L (3.2 - 11.0)

Serum alanine aminotransferase level - 8 iu/L (0.0 - 33.0)

Serum lipid levels:

Serum total cholesterol level - 8.7 mmol/L (2.8 - 5.0) Above high reference limit

Serum HDL cholesterol level - 1.6 mmol/L (1.2 - 9999.0)

Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio - 5.4

Urinary microscopy, culture and sensitivities:

RBC <5 x10*6/L

WBC 52 x 10*6/L

Bacteria -

Epithelial Cells +

Culture - no significant growth

Sorry it's so long... Here is a photo of my neck also, I don't understand how the GP can't see it... Am I crazy? postimg.org/image/j6ax2bir5/

[Duchy82]

Well what definitely stands out is you have low vitamin d which can definitely explain some of your symptoms. Also did you have a cold or some sort of infection when you had your bloodtest taken as your blood test shows something going on with your white bloodcells and as they are high out this could indicate infection gps are usually inclined to retest after 2 weeks to see if they are still raised.cholesterol is also high which can be a symptom of hypothyroidism but your tsh and t4 look pretty good.

I would definitely supplement vit d if the gp hasn't told you to do this already as this might help your symptoms.

I had a goitre and mine didnt move when i swallowed and i don't want you to take it the wrong way but are you sure it isnt your windpipe you can see moving when you swallow?

I dont know much about any of the other tests i hope someone else could shed some light on them for you.

[Kitsune in reply to Duchy82]

Thank you yes, I have been taking Vit D and magnesium foot baths & iodine on my throat. The GP didn't mention my white blood cells, just the vitamin D and then I got the results to see for myself and noticed the other stuff...

I didn't have a cold or anything that I know of, but I am also scared that I might have Lyme disease because I got bitten by ticks when I was younger but I didn't know anything about catching disease from them I wonder if that's what it would look like on the blood test?

Hmmm do you think from that picture that it's my windpipe? LOL I am so confused. Everybody else's neck that I look at doesn't have that bulge...

[Duchy82 in reply to Kitsune]

Sorry i didn't spot the link to the pic before but couldn't say you definitely have a goitre but its always worth asking for it to be double checked via ultrasound like others have suggested they maybe more willing to refer you if you say you'll go private although it is bad if it would have to come to that.

Have you asked the gp to check for lyme disease they usually don't think of it themselves.

I would have put a pic of what my neck used to look like up so you could have a bit of a comparison, mine was spotted by a gp, but i only have internet access through my phone at the moment and have no idea how to load a pic up on here with the stupid thing, im not that techno savvy.

[Kitsune in reply to Duchy82]

I did mention lyme disease to him but this doctor just brushes everything I say off... Twice I asked him about my goitre and he didn't look at it from the front but he pressed from the back and insist he can't feel it, or the permanently swollen right lymph node. Reading about lyme online, it seems even more complicated to get a diagnosis grrrrr

I just uploaded my photo on postimage.org but I am not sure it works on phones. I'm obsessed with necks lol I looked at thousands on google!

[Clutter]

Kitsune,

I can't honestly tell whether that is a goiter or not. What I would suggest is you ask for a 2nd opinion from another GP at the practice to allay your not unreasonable fears of thyroid cancer. You should also ask for a prescription for vitamin D. My sister was prescribed 20,000 units twice a week to correct her vitD which was 45. Correcting my deficient vitD resolved muscle and joint pain and lifted my low mood and I continue to supplement with 5,000iu daily as maintenance.

I had surgery for thyroid cancer in Dec 2011. It is probably the easiest cancer to treat and prognosis for a healthy life is pretty much as good as the rest of the population.

[Kitsune in reply to Clutter]

Hey Clutter

I am not very lucky with doctors and I got dismissed last year with anti-depressants when I told them about my physical symptoms & insomnia... But I will try to go again! GP just told me to take 400IU D, but I found online 10.000 IU D3 and have been taking that with coconut oil everyday. I wonder if D3 hormone has anything to do with melatonin which regulates sleep?

I'm sorry to hear you had to have surgery, that must've been so scary I wonder if 100 years ago people used to get so many of these problems? I wonder if it's related to the lack of minerals in soil & radiation from nuclear stuff.... How did you get diagnosed, if you don't mind me asking? Did you also have a bulgy throat? Do you know what caused it?

[Clutter in reply to Kitsune]

The importance of vitD seems to grow daily. I've linked to the Vitamin D Council below.

200 hundred years ago most of us would have been confined to asylums having gone physchotic due to untreated hypothyroidism. Iodine deficiency was the main culprit. Oklahoma is known as the Goiter Belt for that reason. Environmental factors are probably responsible for triggering Hashimoto's and other autoimmune diseases and cancer.

I'd been ill for a year or more spiralling between hypo and hyper and had increasing difficulty swallowing and breathing and my voice was very hoarse. I finally saw my GP when a lump appeared on the left side of my neck and thought it was Graves as my mother and sister had it. TSH, FT4 and FT3 were normal. Ultrascan showed a solitary nodule compressing my windpipe and gullet and further tests showed autoimmune antibodies (Hashimoto's). FNA testing for cancer was inconclusive. I wasn't frightened because there was only a 2% chance of it being cancer. Surgery was scheduled to remove the left thyroid lobe to remove pressure on the windpipe. Histopathology was positive for Hurthle Cell Carcinoma. The right lobe was removed 3 months later and was clear of cancer. Impossible to say what caused it, I quit smoking 5 years earlier, had a serious car accident and two bereavments in 2010, could have been anything.

vitamindcouncil.org/vitamin...

[Kitsune in reply to Clutter]

Thank you for the link! I am not sure doctors pay attention to all these guidelines :-S

I've been educating myself on vitamins & minerals, it's quite fascinating, I never knew you can even get dementia from lack of B vitamins! Found on youtube lots of doctor videos talking about all kinds of nutritional preventative measures to take against ill health, so much to learn. I used to live on nesquick sometimes, I thought it was good because of added vitamins LOL I never really learned about food & how to take care of myself until now, and I just turned 30... I came across Weston Price and his writings about nutrition in tribal people and how their health degenerated when they didn't have their traditional diets any longer.

Ugh I still come across medical training manuals that advise doctors to investigate unresolved psychologic issues such as having been abused when patients present with IBS symptoms (merckmanuals.com/profession...

Oh dear Clutter, it sounds like you were going through a lot and maybe your immune system was overwhelmed (hugs)

[Joy333]

Hi Kitsune,

I have a large multi nodular goitre which is visible and like you moves up and down each time I swallow. If you're concerned, get a second opinion like clutter suggests and ask for a scan.

[Kitsune in reply to Joy333]

Hey Joy, thank you most kindly, I definitely will ask, I just hope they let me get scanned. I see it costs ~ £150 to have an ultrasound privately in London, I live in Brighton. Even the private place asks for a referral though!

Just wondered whether you also have a swollen lymph node under the jaw? I have that on one side, since forever and it doesn't go away. Maybe that's not thyroid related though.

[Hidden]

Sorting out the low Vitamin D is a good start (I use biocare drops) then look to probable other nutrient deficiencies - iron, ferritin, folate, B12 - also magnesium & selenium help.

I had a single 'plum sized' nodule (I couldn't see it and only realised the pressure when swallowing was that when it had gone!) - 1 doc said 'my Mum has one' and most folks are walking round with one. But 18 months later they were concerned - FNA inconclusive but dodgy so I had right half a thyroid removed.

Please push for an ultrasound scan or FNA for peace of mind. Jane

[Kitsune in reply to Hidden]

Hi Jane

Ooh yes, I am trying to get it all in balance, biophix 10000 IU D3. The doctor said to take 400 IU pffff... found some fancy B vitamin mouth spray to try next. Eating a couple of brazil nuts a day takes care of the selenium, I hope! And I made a magnesium oil spray

LOL his Mum has one!! Doctors are so funny, I've heard similar pearls...

Thank you Jane, I am getting the courage to be more persistent at the GP (I pretend I'm Xena the warrior princess)

[denvajade]

Hi I looked at your photo and it certainly looks like a lump there, what I did notice was the two lines around your throat , I have heard that is a thyroid symptom??? dont know if that is correct. wishing you well

[Hidden in reply to denvajade]

I noticed that too and heard it mentioned before somewhere - anyone got a reference to 2 lines round neck? I have them too, plus a rather large smiley at the base of neck now

[Ritaritarita in reply to Hidden]

Ya know when I first thought something was wrong with me the first thing I noticed were those two lines, I didn't have them before and I also have a multi nodual goitre. Would be interesting if it were a symptom.

[Kitsune in reply to Ritaritarita]

I think mine appeared when I was a teenager and I also had my goitre since then I wonder if they are a symptom or my neck was just old before its time.

[Kitsune in reply to Hidden]

Just googled it and there seems to be some correlation between the thyroid enlargement and neck lines, don't know what it means... Hehe a smiley on your neck is cute

[nightingale-56 in reply to Hidden]

I've got the same as you Jane, and would be interested to know about the two lines as well. Certainly never knew they were connected to Thyroid problems. Thought they were just wrinkles as can't say I noticed them when younger. Janet.

[Kitsune in reply to denvajade]

Hi Jade, thank you so much, I am glad you don't think I'm crazy lol & those icky lines I've had since I was a teenager or maybe forever! I keep seeing them in other thyroid photos also, but my doctor is seriously clueless about most things I ask. I might have compile a medical training manual for him lol

Thank you and hope you are having a wonderful day

[Hidden]

I have a multi nodular goiter. I actually felt it coming - sharp pain under my right ear and then a rush of something which I assume was fluid. I have looked at your blood test and cannot see if your anti bodies were tested. When I went to my GP, I had a full blood test as well as thyroid tests. I see your TSH has been tested but I certainly had a fuller one. I was also referred for an ultrasound and had this within 2 days. Was told then I had the multi nodular goiter. Then referred to an ENT Consultant and had a camera examine area. Then an Endo. All had up to date blood tests and I am now monitored 6 monthly. At my request, I have different areas tested as advised on this board. The last test I had peroxidase checked again just to see if my regime was in any way improving the figure. Sadly not and lab wrote again on results I must have 6 monthly tests to ensure thyroid was OK. GP phoned me at home to make sure that I booked that test.

I have looked at your picture but cannot offer any assistance as it does not look like mine. The right side of my neck seems to be larger although all medical staff have told me that both sides of neck have nodules. Mine fluctuates in size and seems to be larger when I get out of bed. It is still manageable and I have been told to refer myself if it causes problems breathing, gets too big and I want it removed for cosmetic reasons. I shall cope with it as long as I can and keep trying to have a healthy lifestyle with lots of exercise too ensure that I do not have to take thyroxine. I am aware of the differing arguments about taking thyroxine to protect the thyroid which is being attacked by my auto immune system. The thought of having to take medication for the rest of my life is awful so I will persevere as long as I can.

[Kitsune in reply to Hidden]

wow-eee Holby, your GP sounds very good and cooperative! Maybe my goitre isn't big enough to worry my doctor. I will look into private testing for antibodies if it's affordable. I heard about adrenal testing as well, that it might be relevant...

I am just reading about the natural desiccated thyroid, I wonder if I just eat chicken thyroid maybe I can fix it myself! Wish it would be that simples... hope you are having a healthy day!

[Clutter in reply to Kitsune]

Put down the chicken thyroid. It won't help you and you might sprout feathers. You need pig or cow thyroid. Check out Blue Horizon and Genova on thyroiduk.org for tests and rates.

[Hidden in reply to Kitsune]

Mine is not big (hopefully it will not grow). Indeed it was not noticeable when I first visited the GP but I went because of there was a tiny bump. He immediately said "thyroid". The Endo said that noone can predict what size it will grow which is not very helpful. I am very conscious of it as my neck was scrawny before it arrived although all tell me it is not overly noticeable.

I must assume your doctor checked your neck. If you have a goiter then antibodies are checked as a matter of routine to determine whether it is an autoimmune disorder or indeed Euthyroid .

I think my GP was following led down procedure regarding thyroid problems and goiter. Interesting when blood test results are received the amount of assistance to GPs from Lab when any result is out of range. My Esophil (spelling?) count was above range once and it was recommended a further blood test, referral to haemotologist, possible parasitic disease (I had just got back from Middle East).

By the way, I am of mature years and have never once had a blood test (never been in hospital or suffered any ailments) until goiter arrived. I now have them 6 monthly.