CT scan with contrast (NOT of thyroid though....)

[DumbBlonde]

Hello all (again) :o)

After a 2 month wait following a chest X-ray showing a (hilar?) shadow, i went to the referred appointment with a Respiratory Consultant. I won't bore you with all the details (3 hours at the hospital and no real outcome) but as part of the - thorough, admittedly - tests, I did get a new CXR and then also a CT scan.

It's still not really clear to me whether there is a shadow but that it means nothing - or there is NOT a shadow: Because I am so dumb that it's not worth explaining anything to me ---- when I looked the CT scan on his monitor and asked if the white lines were the blood vessels - highlighted by the contrast - he looked me sideways and said, "That's your BODY" *ho hum*.

I had been referred by the Endocrinology Cons (i.e. diabetes - which I do not(?) have) to him back in June (ref. date, the appt was last week 16/9) following the CXR that the GP suggested I have because ONE of the symptoms that I have is being short of breath on minimal exertion (alongside every other issue that I have listed in my posts on here - but of course, the GP told me that it is ALL attributable to anxiety, depression :o/), I categorically - according to them - do NOT have a thyroid issue.

(All bloods are "NORMAL "- even the low ferritin and rising TSH and top of range cholesterol......with no dietary reason.)

Anyway - my point/question:

Wow, that contrast surging through every blood vessels sure focuses on your thyroid - proving that it is the engine and portal for everything else. It was as though I had a ball off fire in my throat. It soon passed - and relocated itself somewhere else let's say. Not nice really.

Later that day - DESPITE the duration and outcome at the hospital - I felt rather energised, despite having eaten only a Twix all day. I went walking to my "usual" spot - even managed a few strides of "running". Part of it was I think due to the pent-up frustration of yet ANOTHER medical appointment being an exercise in humiliation and there being no answer found (the usual reluctant, "Why do you want them? Could YOU understand them? They are all BLACK, if they weren't normal, they would be RED" --- again the sideways look, when I asked for copies of the test results (bloods, breathing etc) that had been done.

BUT - since then (and some rather serious "family"/emotional issues aside - although they have resulted in me asking the GP - on the phone, really diligent on their part (not) - for sleeping tablets; and getting them, despite some notable contraindications), I have felt worse by the day; Same old shortness of breath, ballooning "weight"/fluid retention? - especially, ahem, certain areas - cannot sleep, cannot think, cannot eat and paranoia has fully set in.

The short question though - haha - is, could the iodine in the contrast have had a 1/beneficial effect - and 2/ a consequent detrimental affect? I know the half-life is short and it gets peed out - but I am trying to find out if that might be behind the terrible symptoms I am now experiencing??

I AM sorry for the ramble again. This post might seem that I have my brain in gear - but, trust me, it has almost taken days to to write; I really do feel like death :o( - please don't let the waffling length of this post fool you.

Any response and input would me so welcome. Hugs to all on here :o)

xx

[Clutter]

DB, if there is iodine in the contrast it can cause a surge in thyroid hormone. Some hypo & Hashi patients report feeling quite rough for a couple of weeks after a contrast dye as it seemingly destabilises their thyroid levels temporarily.

[DumbBlonde in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter - thank you for that info.

I assume that a person would have that feeling in the thyroid area whether or not they were hypothyroid? :o/

I would say that "feeling rough" is putting it mildly; I feel like death on legs -- but hopefully it will pass.

x

[Clutter in reply to DumbBlonde]

DB, it's hypothyroid patients who have felt it, but I don't see why it wouldn't similarly affect anyone sensitive to the dye.

[DumbBlonde in reply to Clutter]

Hmm - yes, it's not as though it would be a definitive sign of hypothyroidism (when no other symptom has been believed). The Consultant had already dismissed the shortness of breath as being a symptom of hypoTH, mainly because - even though HE brought it up - " we aren't here to talk about that" :o/ (Thank God, I say, when he noted that the increasing TSH - from 1.5 to 2 - on his screen - showing as over 3 at a lunchtime reading in ?March meant "absolutely nothing".)

Funnily enough I have now received the hard to get copy of the letter that has been set to the (not, "my") GP - and his "diagnosis" is:

1. Shortness of breath on exertion

2. Depression and anxiety - well, THERE'S a shock :o/

3. Ex-smoker

4. FEV1 of 2.28,82% predicted

None of this looks like a diagnosis to me; the rest of the letter just stated the obvious, including that I had not taken the anti-depressants that I had been prescribed (in 2012?).

On the one hand, it looks on paper like a clean bill of health - all blood tests done were, of course, NORMAL - but, in reality, a different matter.

:o(

[Clutter in reply to DumbBlonde]

DB, well it's not a clean bill of health, it's simply saying x, y & z is not abnormal. If your TSH was 3 at mid day it will have been considerably higher early in the morning. Thyroid symptoms can precede abnormal bloods for years. You might consider self medicating to see whether the breathless eases when you have some hormone.

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK]

Hi DumbBlonde,

May I ask how you are now? Have the symptoms abated? Some people do really badly on contrast dyes so your symptoms may actually be down to adverse events.

[DumbBlonde in reply to lynmynott]

Hi Lyn --- well, I would say that I feel better than I DID at the time I posted the question, so maybe I did react badly to the contrast.

I feel less bad, shall we say..... still many symptoms of thyroid issues but, as we all know, they are usually attributable to ANYTHING but thyroid, e.g. I am now on record as having asthma (after a hurried appointment with a respiratory nurse back in April), which means that the Surgery summoned me for a flu vaccination, which I duly attended..... BP was taken at this time and was 137/95 and 145/90. This can NOT be diet related - but I know for sure that nothing will be done about it (last time I mentioned it to a GP, she told me that it must be hereditary, which is laughable as my one-lunged 73 year old mother has lower BP and cholesterol than me), and nor am I sure that I would WANT treatment - but it seems that all my best efforts to help myself are failing if those BP readings (and the numbers on the scales) are anything to go by :o/

But yes, the short answer is that I DO feel better than I did and I have concluded that the contrast did not agree with me. I do wish that I had been warned as I would not have had it done, especially as the Consultant said that it was to be done to "put my mind at rest" - which could translate to "shut me up". (Paranoid? Moi?)

xx

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK]

Glad to hear you are feeling better than you were. I have a lady who was very poorly for a long time (and still is, I think) from the contrast dye and she was concerned for you.

Have you seen our "Getting a Diagnosis" document? It gives some options about testing and treatment...

[DumbBlonde in reply to lynmynott]

Hi Lynn - that's awful for her.... I hope she is feeling better and I really appreciate her concern for me - I would be interested to know of the effect on her; I am not entirely sure if I am quite "right" now but I feel so unhealthy generally, it's hard to know of any true cause. But I do feel a better than I did when i first posted, that's for sure (and even then, I posted some time after the scan...).

I wonder just how much of a problem with the contrast is attributable to a thyroid condition - and IF they should avoid the contrast if there is ANY suspicion (let alone an outright diagnosis) of a thyroid condition? As I said before, the feeling of the chemical (whatever it is - iodine??) heading straight to and through that area of my neck was incredibly strange. At the time, I thought it was a "good" thing :o/

As far as getting diagnosed, I should look at the article, as I have got nowhere (to the point of having given up completely on the medical profession and being literally afraid to raise any concerns with ----- well, anyone; moving surgery is not totally practical and I am afraid of going from frying pan to frying pan :o( ) but feel that my symptoms are blatant to anyone with half an eye or half a brain.

I read here a lot and both astounded and grateful for the wealth of information and support but sometimes I read so much that I am overwhelmed by the varying cases and methods of treatment and symptoms and the overarching theme of lack of assistance from the professionals out there and find my brain pretty much shutting down. But every contribution is so important and (sadly) much needed.

xx

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK in reply to DumbBlonde]

Hi DumbBlonde

There is a lot of research on adverse effects of contrast dye, I think, so it's not just thyroid people. The lady is going to write an article for us on this.

I can send you an article by email if you send an email to [e-mail]

I know what you mean about the forum. I try to use a step by step approach for people so if you want to send me your test results by email, perhaps I can help.

Lyn x

[DumbBlonde in reply to lynmynott]

Thank you Lyn, it will be very interesting to read - and I am also now interested to know what the research might uncover.

It has felt that my life has gone down the drain in recent years, and however much I want to help myself, I get stonewalled by any medical person that i turn to. The (almost) last straw is to be debilitated by something that is meant to "help" - or at least make you feel that they are actually trying to do something (or shut you up). I am getting so bitter about it all - it doesn't help that I have never been a sick person (or at least never looked it - those rosy cheeks!), so any- and every- thing is classed a hypochondria or a mental health issue, depending how they feel on the day.

I will send you my email address separately, thank you so much :o)

x