Thyroid really hurts

[Saggyuk]

Hello

I've been on t3 only for nearly fifteen years and results seem to show I haven't produced any t4 of my own for a number of years even when undermedicated. I had to drop 10mcg of my t3 as was showing signs of hyper - sweating, memory issues, nausea, hyper reflexes, shaking etc and a feeling of toxicity every time I took more. My tsh was also slightly raised even though t3 was showing over range. After going six months of lower dose, these hyper symptoms reduced but I've become hypothyroid and have no energy and many hypo symptoms so the consultant and I decided best to add 25mcg of T4 to see if this would help. I have been taking this since thursday but my actual thyroid area has become more and more painful each day until today where the pain is now spreading to other areas (ears/jaw/neck) and am having to take pain killers as really hurting now and is also really painful to swallow. The pain is definitely originating from the thyroid area as this is the only place which hurts to press.

Has anyone else had this happen to them? Is this just because body has not had t4 for a while and just needs time to settle or should I stop taking the t4 and call the consultant?

Just wanted to see as never had this problem before??

many thanks in advance

[Bettan]

Hi there, How much t3 were you on when all the problems started?

[Saggyuk in reply to Bettan]

Hi Bettan

I was originally on 60mcg for most of those years but had to quickly drop to 40 after going gluten free - many other illnesses also cleared up around the same time. tsh and levels were pretty stable throughout with tsh around or just under 1. Remained stable for about a year on 40 until this started happening when I was reduced to 30. After three months on 30 tsh was still in range (only just) and then hypo after six.

Thank you :o)

[Bettan in reply to Saggyuk]

Why did you reduce to 30t3 when everything was ok on 40t3??

[Saggyuk in reply to Bettan]

Apologies, if I'm not being clear. Was stable on the 40 for a quite a while but then started having the major hyper symptoms I mentioned including nausea etc. Physically couldn't have stayed on the 40 as the more I took each day the worse it got. Was literally running to the toilet all the time almost vomiting when I took it and when the endo tested my reflexes, they were jumping all over the place. Plus massive memory problems and very sweaty palms etc etc. It all died down once on the 30 but that's why we didn't want to increase back up to 40 again this time.

I'm having lots of issues I can't seem to make sense of even now to be honest. Even though hypo, I'm having periods every two weeks which is the opposite to what normally happens when I'm hypo.

Sometimes, I wonder whether since going GF, maybe different parts of my body need different amounts lol??

[humanbean]

Could you have developed Hashimoto's Thyroiditis? Perhaps it is time to measure your thyroid antibodies?

[Saggyuk]

I had hashis since I was a teenager well over twenty years ago. T4 blood tests never come back with an amount, just always "<(whatever bottom range is)" even when tsh has climbed to 30-50 so had assumed it died a long time ago? Could an attack still happen?

Thanks again

[humanbean in reply to Saggyuk]

I'm on T3 only. My last Free T4 test result was 2.11 pmol/L (12 - 22). I don't think this is unusual for someone on T3 only and I don't think it is proof that the thyroid can't produce T4 any more. I'm pretty sure mine can, for example, but it will be bottom of the range or less.

However, I think the fact you don't produce T4 even with a TSH of 30 - 50 suggests your thyroid may be a wizened little lump incapable of producing T4, so the Hashi's idea I had is a complete non-starter. Sorry.

[Saggyuk in reply to humanbean]

Yes, I had imagined so. Just makes it even more confusing lol. Never actually had imagined it as a wizened little lump before though lol

[Saggyuk]

It is a little less painful today mind you but still a little sore :o)