Hi, I've been Hypothyroid for nearly 10 years and I'm 22. I have been feeling very ill and collapsed last Friday. I'm also aneamic (my blood score was 4 last year) I have been having problems with going dizzy and light headed, tiredness, chest pain and feeling incredibly stressed after collapsing. I've also been craving sugar really badly, I used to only have 1/2 teaspoon in tea and now need 2 or I feel worse but this is becoming less effective.
Could it be that I'm diabetic or my thyroid (25 mg levothyroxine once a day) or aneamia (I'm on ferrous sulphate 3 times a day) are playing me up. I'm also losing weight despite eating loads. Waiting for a DR's appointment after A&E on Friday :-(.
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Ellouise2007
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Ferrous sulphate is not the most effective iron supplement. Ask your doctor for ferrous fumarate. But also he needs to do comprehensive tests because its fairly unlikely to all be due to the thyroid too.
Sugar cravings are a symptom of adrenal problems, and also of systemic candida. But suddenly increased cravings suggest something else might be going on, especially given your weight loss. Do not allow the doctor to shrug and leave you to suffer. Keep being a nuisance until he refers you to someone who can do the necessary investigations.
Thanks Unfortunately my doctor just tells me whether I'm find or need more I don't actually see the results. I can drink loads compared to normal and basically starving most the time and have no energy.
It seems to be getting a lot worse ATM but collapsing worries me to death as I collapsed three and a half years ago and ended up in a Coma. Hoping the doctors will listen as it needs sorting. Work are terrified of something happening (I was down the horses on Friday).
Doctors don't tend to give patients their results, because they think we wouldn't understand them! You have to ask for a printout. It's your legal right to have one, under the 1998 Data Protection Act. And it's a really good thing to keep your own records.
Are you taking 25mcg Levothyroxine, which is a very small "starter" dose? Or 250mcg (25mg) which is a very large, above average dose?
What are your recent Thyroid blood test results?
Do you have any test results to check levels of vitamin d, b12, folate and ferratin. These all need to at good (not just average) levels for thyroid hormones (our own or replacement ones) to work in our cells
Also have you had thyroid antibodies checked? There are two sorts TPO Ab and TG Ab. (Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin) Both need checking, if either, or both are high this means autoimmune thyroid - called Hashimoto's the most common cause in UK of being hypo.
(NHS rarely checks TPO and almost never checks TG. NHS believes it is impossible to have negative TPO and raised TG. It's rare, but not impossible, there are a few members on here that have this.)
ALWAYS Make sure you get the actual figures from tests (including ranges - figures in brackets). You are entitled to copies of your own results. Some surgeries make nominal charge for printing out. Alternatively you can now ask for online access to your own medical records. Though not all surgeries can do this yet, or may not have blood test results available yet online.
If you have not been tested on all these and can not get GP to do these tests, then like many of us, you can get them done privately
Blue Horizon - Thyroid plus eleven tests all these. £99
This is an easy to do fingerprick test you do at home, post back and they email results to you couple of days later.
Usual advice on ALL thyroid tests, (home one or on NHS) is to do early in morning, ideally before 9am. No food or drink beforehand (other than water) If you are taking Levo, then don't take it in 24 hours before (take straight after). This way your tests are always consistent, and it will show highest TSH, and as this is mainly all the medics decide dose on, best idea is to keep result as high as possible
If you have raised antibodies, then you have Hashimoto's - you may find adopting 100% gluten free diet can help reduce symptoms, and lower antibodies too. Selenium supplements can help reduce antibodies and improve conversion too
Lastly do you always take Levo on an empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after.
Some of us find taking Levo at bedtime more effective that taking early morning.
I'll try and request the other tests. I only moved to this doctors after problems with my other one I was only diagnosed with anaemia by an external doctor when my blood score was 4.
Yeah I started taking it night several hours after tea as my anaemia medication interfered and has to be taken at tea time.
If you are in the UK you are legally entitled to your results.
Demand a referral if your doctor won't help. Probably initially to a general physician. No-one should collapse without a definitive cause being sought.
If you drink a lot, but lose weight, then one possibility is type 1 diabetes. They must surely have tested for that? You never know nowadays because everyone is under so much pressure it is easy to miss something out.
What cause did they give for your collapse three years ago?
Not tested for diabetes. I wasn't given any answers at all 3 years ago. School even tried to help me find out but they wouldn't say anything. Its the not knowing which worries me the most. If I have loads of sugar I seem to be better but its getting well too much. I've been light headed and had problems for years but been managing without collapsing too many times. This was the eigth time I've collapsed within 2 months.
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