Freezing cold again and humming in ears

[jojojowilts43]

I'm freezing cold again and I also have humming / drone type sound in ears/head... I've had ear humming since may/June 2015 on and off... Today I'm freezing cold ... Does anybody else have this?. I also have a sliding hiatus hernia / acid reflux... I'm hyothyroid .last tsh was at 5.5 (( 0.3- 6)) .. Something like that anyway... Can anybody relate to this??? Any idea ????

[puncturedbicycle]

Are you on thyroid meds? If so, you need a higher dose, if not you need to be on meds (but if your tsh hovers around the 5 mark you may have trouble getting them). You won't feel especially well w such a high tsh.

[jojojowilts43 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Hi, yes I'm taking 125mcg levothyroxine. I'm meant to really be taking 150mcg but when I upped to that I didn't feel too fab so I'm on 125.. and cos I'm now classed as beinf within the "range" my doc now says that any issues I have can't b due to thyroid... but I keep hearing it's better when tsh is around 3 or under. Is 5.5 classed as too high still then? If so who says this?? As docs seem to say otherwise..

[puncturedbicycle in reply to jojojowilts43]

The only doctors who say this (that high in range is ok) are not well-informed. If you're on meds your tsh should be low in range, closer to 1 (some people only feel well when it is under 1).

When my tests showed a tsh of 5ish the gp I saw asked if I was being treated. When I said yes she immediately raised my levo and told me that they use a different calibration if you're on treatment.

There is also the matter that you're not well. If you still have symptoms that can't be attributed to anything else it's safe to say your meds aren't yet quite right.

[greygoose]

If your TSH was 5.5, then you are severely under-medicated. Once you are on thyroid hormone replacement, it should come down to one or under. So, that would explain your symptoms. What are you taking, and how much? When did you have your last test? Sounds like it's time for a new test and an increase in dose.

When you go for your next test, make the appointment for early morning, and fast over-night. Leave 24 hours between your last dose and the test. That way you will get your TSH at its highest.

Are you taking anything for your acid reflux? Omeprazole, or something like that? Because your acid reflux is more likely to be low stomach acid, as you're hypo, rather than high acid, and omeprazole will just make things worse.

The humming in the ears could be due to low thyroid, or it could be low magnesium. Have you tried taking magnesium? No need to test it because most people are deficient.

Being cold is just down to your low thyroid hormones.

[jojojowilts43 in reply to greygoose]

Really?? Severely under medicated? According to my doctor I am now classed as ok as I'm withing range. All be it I'm at the top end of it... I did say this to her but she didn't take much notice and just saidd it's fine.. I don't get the cold issue as I'm not like it all the time. It seems to come over now and again... I have to also add that I AM in early menopause as I had a total hysterectomy in 2012... I take hrt patches for that for years now. They also don't test my hormone levels instead they say they go by symptoms. I'm taking 125mcg levothyroxine. But I admit I don't take it regularly as in at same time each day, and sometimes i don't bother taking it ( missed a day or two before).. I also don't take it on a complete empty stomach. I take it about half hour/hour after my morning coffee.... last blood test for tsh was June/July .can't recall. But it wasn't too long ago and they say that I'm ok cz it's at 5 just over. I'm not taking anything for the stomach issue as since I had an endoscopy done in July. Weirdly I've not had so many issues with stomach ... but I was given omprazole..

No I don't take any magnesium...

[greygoose in reply to jojojowilts43]

5 is too high for someone on thyroid hormone replacement, it should be more like one or under. But, taking your levo the way you do, you are not under-medicated, you are non-compliant.

How do you expect it to work for you if you don't take it correctly and regularly? You absolutely need to take it every day, and you need to take it on an empty stomach, with a large glass of water, one hour before eating or drinking anything other than water. Or, two hours after eating or drinking coffee. Otherwise, you just will not absorb it properly. And, that is showing in your symptoms.

And it's not surprising that your symptoms are erratic, because your dosing is erratic. Try taking it correctly for the next six weeks, and see how you feel. Then get a blood test - if I were you - and if you can - I would get a private test, because that way, you will get a complete picture of what's going on. You need :

TSH

FT4

FT3

TPOab

TgAB

vit D

vit B12

folate

ferritin

The nutrients are very important because they are very likely low with your stomach problems, and they need to be optimal for your body to be able to use the hormone you're giving it.

Post your results on here, with the ranges, and let's see what's going on. But, you must take your levo properly for the six weeks before the test, otherwise, there's no point in doing it.

Details of private testing on TUK main page.

[jojojowilts43 in reply to greygoose]

Hi thanks you for the reply... Yes I wil start taking it properly.. I recent!y had a fasting blood test and they tested my vitamin b12 as well and I think the folate etc but they didn't tell me the resultd for it ,just said they all came back as OK no action. I did ask my doc my b12 levels result and think she said it was at 270 or sometinf and said thats fine.. Between 200-900 or I could b wrong... Don't knows the other results...I just go by what they tell me and if they say my results r fine then off I go. But when u hear from people something different to t doctors tell u then it gets complicated...

I'm not awful I do take my meds mostly and it usually is after coffee an hour or two afterwards.. Its been a bit haywire when my son was off school for summer holidays and the pattern got messed up a bit... Plus I'm under a lot of stress and upset as well.. But I'll make sure I do it properly now ...

[greygoose in reply to jojojowilts43]

No, of course you aren't awful! Just a little over-whelmed. But, I can't stress enough how important to take it correctly.

Yes, it is a shock when you find out your doctors know nothing about your disease, but act as if they know it all. We are brought up to believe that they know everything, but the truth is, they just don't do thyroid in med school - or only for a couple of hours. So, they have no idea of the complexities of the disease. As soon as there is the slightest complication, they are entirely out of their depth. And endos aren't much better!

Do you know that you are legally entitled to a print out of your results? Under the 1998 Data Protection Act. They cannot refuse to give them to you, if you ask. But they will rarely just give them too you - they think patients are too stupid to understand! So, always make sure you ask for a copy, every time you have a blood test.

A B12 of 270 is not fine at all! Quite the opposite. Anything under 500 can cause irreparable neurological damage. Optimal for B12 is 1000. So, you really ought to supplement that. It will be causing you a lot of problems.

If I were you, I would take 5000 mcg sublingual methylcobalamin (B12) daily. Solgar do a good one, you can find it on Amazon. With that, you should take a B complex. Get one with methylfolate in it, rather than folic acid, because it's better absorbed.

If your B12 is low, your ferritin and vit D will probably be low, too. So, best to get those checked, if you can.

[jojojowilts43 in reply to greygoose]

Hi, I obtained a copy of my latest blood results.

Serum vitamin b12 - 275 (180-915)

Serum folate - 7.9 - ( 4.0-20)

Serum ferritin - 39 - (30-300)

eGFR-EPI - >90 - (59-9999)

I have some other results as well but God knowws what they all mean..

I've not had vitamin D checked or TPOab/TgAB

[greygoose in reply to jojojowilts43]

Vit B12, folate and ferritin are all much too low. Not surprised you're not feeling good.

For the B12, it would be a good idea to take 5000 mcg sublingual methylcobalamin (B12) daily for a few months, then drop to a maintenance dose of 1000 mcg. Optimal is 1000, but you can't over-dose on it, because it's water soluble.

With that, take a B complex with a least 400 mcg methylfolate (rather than folic acid) to bring your folate up. You can find all you need on Amazon, with makes lik Jarrow's, Solgar and Thorne.

For the ferritin, you need ferrous fumerate. And, take 1000 mg vit C with it to help absorption. Iron should be at least mid-range.

The results that are of interest to thyroid are :

TSH

FT4

FT3

TPOab

TgAB

But, you could start a new thread and post all of them. Someone will know what they mean!

[jojojowilts43 in reply to greygoose]

Hi, thanks for the info. How come though that my doctor hasn't said that those results are too low? When I look at the ferritin one its only at 39 so that's right at the low end range number..those tests u said I need...will they just do them if I ask? As I got told that cos my tsh is now within range they don't test T3 etc..

I don't get it as doctors r meant to know what they've talking about so how come u r saying that those levels are too low?? Also one of the tests has a asteroid next to it - ( lymphocytes)?? Level is at 3.03 - range ( 0.2-3.0) or something like that the range is... so it seems tthat test I am literally about above the high number.

[greygoose in reply to jojojowilts43]

I'm afraid doctors know nothing about hormones and nutrients. Break your leg or get chickenpox and your doctor will probably be brilliant. But, have a thyroid problem or a nutritional deficiency and they will just shrug, because they know nothing about it.

But, you don't have to take my word for it. Have a look at what puncturedbicycle is telling you, and read other posts on here.

And, no, your doctor will not do all those tests I mentioned - and even if he agreed to them, the lab would probably over-rule him and not do half of them - because they just do not understand the importance of all those things.

[Hidden]

Sorry to hear this. I am always cold, part of being hypothyroid. As for the humming, sounds like tinnitus to me. I have it and have had it for years, its very annoying but there are things available that help you cope with. Many on here suffer with it. See your doctor if it starts to affect your hearing, some people suffer hearing loss with it as I did.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Hidden]

Feeling cold is only part of being hypo if you're not on optimal treatment. If you're still feeling cold I'd have a look at whether or not you're on enough meds. It was the first symptom to go when I started levo. If it is lingering for you your treatment is almost certainly not adequate.

[jojojowilts43 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Hi, well I was cold before then it disappeared after a while of being on my levo.. then course weather had been hot too so dunno if that's another reason for it stopping.. but like u. That was the first symptom to stop.. so I find it odd that it's been back again.. but it could be menopause related maybe too ??

[puncturedbicycle in reply to jojojowilts43]

It's a pretty straightforward hypo symptom and is likely to indicate you're not on enough meds. I have never heard of this as a menopause symptom, quite the opposite, generally menopausal women complain of being hot all the time.

My reply was really directed toward wednesday just to say that this isn't a 'normal' thing, just something you have to put up with, but it indicates that something is wrong, usually being undermedicated or being on the wrong type of medication. It should be revealed in testing, you may see a high (or high in range) tsh, a low (or low in range) t3 and/or t4. You may also see a low body temp.