Possible thyroid issues.: Ok where to begin. For... - Thyroid UK

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Possible thyroid issues.

Gre3nVine profile image
15 Replies

Ok where to begin. For the past 4 years ive been having some strange things happen to my body. im a male in my mid 20s and ive had brittle, painful hair on my scape and face. it gets so bad that it simply hurts shaving or getting a hair cut. Its not following a pattern but simply thinning and sheds like a cat. Ive been to a few different doctors and they test tsh and say everything looks ok and youre young so your fine. Ive also had low vit d but that seems to be the only clue. Iam very constipated all of the time and for some strange reason i have a hard time sweating. Other symptoms have been colds hands especially my right hand, very cranky even mad if i dont eat, and slightly swollen looking face that is extremely dry. I don't know if this makes any sense to anyone on here but i want to get my life back and solve this mystery.

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Gre3nVine
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Clutter profile image
Clutter

Welcome to the forum, Gre3nvine.

The TSH range is very broad and 0.4 and 5.0 can both be 'normal' so it is always a good idea to ask for a printout of blood test results with the lab ref ranges (figures in brackets after your results).

TSH testing is helpful in indicating primary hypothyroidism but if it is the only test done it can completely miss secondary hypothyroidism which is indicated by low-normal TSH and low/below range FT4.

If you can't persuade your GP to test FT4 perhaps you could order a thyroid profile from Blue Horizon or Genova via thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

How low was your vitD and are you supplementing D3?

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/diagno...

Gre3nVine profile image
Gre3nVine in reply to Clutter

My vitamin d was a level 10 i think. The bare minimum for that test is a 30.

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to Gre3nVine

Gr3envine, if that is a UK measurement nmol/L it is very deficient. My GP prescribed vitD3 40,000iu daily x 2 weeks followed by 2,000iu daily x 8 weeks which restored vitD to >100.

Spareribs profile image
Spareribs

Hi there

Not sure about painful hair (although I have had painful scalp).

You could get printouts of your test results and post them here for folk to help, the TSH test has to be over 10 before most GPs will take notice & treat.

Your other signs are classic low Thyroid i.e.

Thinning hair (also could be low ferritin and biotin)

Constipation (digestion slows also vitamin D needed for calcium absorption, & check B12 & folate too)

Coldness esp hands & feet - check your basal temperature when first waking.

Dry skin & swelling (non-pitting).

Non-sweating can be low iodine (which can cause HypT & goitre) don't supplement before testing 'tho it can make things worse if you have autoimmune 'Hashimotos'.

It took me 3 months supplementing 4000iu D3 before I felt any improvement.

Good luck! J :D

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Spareribs

Non-sweating could also be due to low testosterone, which could be caused by low thyroid - it usually comes back to the thyroid.

The swollen face could be due to low cortisol - low cortisone + low testosterone = could be fatigued adrenals - which they very well could be if you have low thyroid.

Try and get testosterone, DHEA, cortisol tested.

Gre3nVine profile image
Gre3nVine in reply to greygoose

I thought that one of my tests came back with normal range testosterone. another thing is that i feel less virile. Embarasing to bring up.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Gre3nVine

Yes, but... what does 'normal' mean? If it just means 'in range', then that's not always good enough. It's where in the range it falls. If a doctor says 'normal', what he means is 'in range', and that's not always the same thing. And by the sound of it, although your result was 'in range', it wasn't high enough for you. Did you get a copy of the result (with ranges, of course).

Please Don't be embarrased, we're all in the same boat! And we talk about all sorts of things here without embarasment. Things you wouldn't talk about over the dinner table. But here it's alright. If you said 'hands up all those that have a strong sex drive!' I doubt you'd see many hands. lol It's just part of the disease.

Gre3nVine profile image
Gre3nVine in reply to Spareribs

I havent been tested for iodine as of yet. Th only key has been vit d.

Hello Gre3nvine,

It is horrid feeling so ill and not having a doctor who will listen. Hypothyroidism presents in many different ways and could certainly account for a lot of your problems.

As explained above it is so important to get TSH, T4 and T3 checked in order to establish if you have a thyroid problem and if so, how it presents.

Also ask for antibodies TPOAb and TGAb to be tested in ordered to establish the presence of Hashimotos Thyroiditis auto immune disease which is prevalent in many people with thyroid issues, as are deficiencies in Vit B12, Vit D, Folate and Ferritin. If deficiencies occur, then possible future thyroid meds may not work properly.

Good luck.

eeng profile image
eeng

Can you find out what your thyroid test results were, with the lab ranges (numbers in brackets). Many doctors are told not to diagnose hypothyroidism until the TSH number is well over range. Most healthy people have a TSH reading of under 2, but the 'normal' range is something like 0.3-5.5, and some doctors won't diagnose till you reach 10. We have a right to our test results and the best reason to give is 'for my records'.

Heloise profile image
Heloise

Hi Gre, I hope you respond to some of the comments below if you relate to them. It does seem to be hormonal unless you've been poisoned. Are you taking huge doses of anything? I would just add that if iodine deficiency is one of the problems, that can come about because receptors are being suppressed by other halides and fooled the thyroid. These halides are fluoride, which you probably have in your water and toothpaste (bad) and bromine, sometimes in breads and in your car definitely. I'm sorry you have to look out for your own health and be aware these companies are the least bit concerned about their unhealthy practices.

humanbean profile image
humanbean

Gre3nVine, to explain what "normal" means to a doctor : Imagine you got some substance measured through a blood test and the results came back as 20 nmol/L. If the reference range was 20 - 200 nmol/L then your doctor would declare you to be "normal".

You might not feel at your best until the substance being tested was in the middle of the range or in the top quarter of the range or in the top third. Sometimes being low in range is best. It depends on what is being measured where the optimal range is.

Gre3nVine profile image
Gre3nVine in reply to humanbean

I guess that im ised to these doctors trying to decide what is best for me. That has to Endm the only problem is that they get really pushy and if you have an opinion of your health they feel insulted.

Gre3nVine profile image
Gre3nVine

Update. A couple of months ago my gp ran a vitamin d test and concluded that my levels were really low 19. I was put on some perscription strength vit d 50000 inits. At first i felt great but now its th 5th week in and i was asked to tak one pill weekly for 8 weeks. Yesterday it felt like someone was poking a stick into one side of my throat man did it hurt. Its been doing this on and off since i started the medication. Im thinking about stopping it short. Has anyone else had this issue before?

Gre3nVine profile image
Gre3nVine

In addition to this ive been having trouble sleeping since the last dosage. I wake up in the middle of the night sweating and sometimes heart pounding.

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