Thyroid worries

[phoebe10]

I I am new to this site but have had so many concerns about this I feel I need some advice promto. When I was pregnant with my daughter 14 yrs ago I was under an endocrine team as my tsh levels were off, because I was obviously pregnant they didn't do anything major at the time but since I have had yrs of awful weird symptoms and think it could be mt thyroid. I have terrible palpatations, racing heartbeat out of nowhere, panic, anxiety, hair loss, weight around the middle, cannot sleep etc etc, too numerous to mention them all, I have had blood tests over the yrs and they always come back with the tsh level within normal range(so the doc says anyway) but these heart things are really worrying. There must have been something wrong all those yrs ago or they wouldn't have sent them to them, it was never really followed up after I had my daughter(my own fault as well as the hospitals ) does anybody else think It might be tyhroid related?,oh and I also get fluttering feelings in my neck and throat and feel as though I cannot take a deep breath in, it's awful.....thanks very much for reading this.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum Pheobe10 and I am pretty sure your pregnancy probably caused your symptoms as some mothers get hypothyroid for the first time after delivery.

I'll give you a link which will explain in more detail and it deals with fertility and pregnancy and this is an excerpt from one and I should think it fits you to a tee:-

A point that Dr. Lazarus makes is well worth emphasizing: Some women with postpartum thyroiditis suffer from hypothyroid symptoms even when their TSH, T3, and T4 levels are "normal." If the patient's thyroid gland is damaged by thyroiditis, however, the thyroglobulin level in the blood and the iodine level in the urine may be increased. So if the postpartum patient with hypothyroid symptoms has "normal" TSH, T3, and T4 levels, she should ask her doctor to test her thyroglobulin blood level and urinary iodine concentration.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

In my own views, I think it is a crime that a patient who presents with clear hypo symptoms are disregarded if their TSH doesn't reach 10. It is not your fault but the hospitals/doctors as they are supposed to be the experienced and qualified, not us who don't know one thyroid hormone from another. They don't take much notice of the FT4 and FT3 and if our FT3 is lower in the range we don't function properly.

Make a new appointment for a blood test with your GP and ask for a Full Thyriod Function Test, TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and antibodies. B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.

The blood test should be the very earliest possible and fasting (you can drink water). If you were on thyroid hormones (levothyroxine usually) you'd allow 24 hours gap between dose and blood test and take afterwards.

Some labs wont do what GPs request. Some GPs wont do them all. If you can afford it you can have a blood test from a recommended lab who do tests often for thyroid gland.

Your symptoms do sound hypo.

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

You can tell your GP due to your long-term clinical symptoms you have been advised (I am not medically qualified but have hypo) by the NHS Choices for advice on dysfuntions of the thyroid Gland (Thyroiduk.org.uk) to get a full thyroid function test as well as your vitamins and minerals.

Get a print-out of your results and post on a new question for comments.

Ask for this test too:-

thyroglobulin blood level and urinary iodine concentration