Is this how hyperthyroidism is?

[TurboMark]

I have never had problems before, although I always knew four of my relatives have hyperthyroidism. I'm 18. One day I suddenly felt my heart race and I began to sweat, and I went to the toilet 3-4 times that night, my metabolism was skyrocketing. I performed all the tests for the heart but they all came back normal except the high rate. I first performed a blood test the next day, and it was 26, with a range of 11-24 in that laboratory.

The symptoms lasted for 1 month, then they disappeared and now my latest blood test shows 15, with a range of 11-24 so it's normal. However, the only thing tha that has not disappeared is the racing heart, which is at like 90 bpm or more.

Any thoughts? Was it a thyroid storm? Was it thyroid at all?

[TurboMark]

26, that was the fT4. Sorry for not adding that.

[Heloise]

It certainly sounds as if your thyroid suddenly pushed out more thyroid hormone than usual. Maybe some information here about Graves and hyperthyroidism.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/g...

[greygoose]

If you were hyper, and now you're hypo, sounds like Hashi's.

You need to get your antibodies tested : TPOab and TgAB.

[TurboMark in reply to greygoose]

Not hypo now

[greygoose in reply to TurboMark]

OK, well, if you were hyper and now you're euthyroid, it sounds like Hashi's...

But, I have to say, an FT4 of 16 with a range of 11 - 24 does sound rather low... How do you feel now?

[TurboMark in reply to greygoose]

When I had 26.4 with a range of 11-24, I felt terrible and had a racing heart. Now when I have 15 with a range of 11-24, I feel good, but I still have a racing heart.

[shaws in reply to TurboMark]

Doctor should check for thyroid antibodies. I will give you a link which might be helpful:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

[TurboMark in reply to shaws]

They did check Anti TPO and that was fine.

[greygoose in reply to TurboMark]

Sorry to insist, but did you have the actual figures? Or just your doctors opinion?

Even if the antibodies were low on that particular test, it doesn't altogether rule out Hashi's because the antibodies fluctuate.

There has to be something that made your FT4 go so high, and if you Don't have Graves, then it must be Hashi's.

[TurboMark in reply to greygoose]

I thought Hashi's was when fT4 and heart rate is low?

Anyway, here are the results:

Anti-TPO 33 kU/L <100

fT3 5.6 pmol/L 3.5-6.5

fT4 26.4 pmol/L 11-23

TSH 1.4 mU/L 0.5-4.6

[helvella in reply to TurboMark]

Hashimoto's is primarily the autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland which at times can increase thyroid hormone levels, at other times reduce them. End result - no working thyroid.

It is absolutely NOT a state defined by levels of thyroid hormone or heart rate - those both will likely be affected by the disease. Sometimes one way, sometimes the other.

[greygoose in reply to TurboMark]

Not necessarily. Bloods can be perfectly in range, but you still have symptoms because of the antibodies.

And it doesn't necessarily affect the heart rate. There isn't a fixed list of symptoms, it can be anything.

Eventually, you will become hypo, with low FT4 and FT3 - although the TSH might not rise much - as the antibodies destroy your gland.

But, before that happens, one can swing from hyper to normal to hypo and back again - swings are very personal, so can't be predicted. But, as you were hyper at one point, and now you aren't, that makes me suspicious.

If I were you, I would keep a close eye on things, and get tested at least every six months - more if you have more symptoms.

[humanbean]

Severe iron deficiency can cause a racing heart. It would be worth asking to be tested. And while you are doing that, also ask for vitamin D, vitamin B12 and folate testing as well. People who are hyperthyroid use up nutrients very quickly, and people who are hypothyroid tend not to absorb nutrients from food very well, so it is important to keep a check on them.

[TurboMark]

Only Anti TPO, and it was good... I don't see why you would say Hashimotos, is not that when thyroid level is low? Mine is high.

[TurboMark]

Hmmm, interesting. I mean, I have never had problems before... and I don't really ever feel that my fT4 is lower than normal, because that would give me a slower heartbeat, and mine has not gone down from 90-100 bpm for months.