Advice please on low T3

[Nee22]

I am very very confused and angry. My husband died last week.

We knew he had stage IV melanoma (primary ocular melanoma) with spread to the psoas muscle and lungs we were not aware of how advanced it was. He had recently been diagnosed of the spread to the heart but was referred to cardiology.

Initially they wanted to put cause of death as a Heart attack but after my insistence they carried out a post mortem and it is now been recorded as 'Disseminated Melanoma' with cardiac metastasis. Basically due to the metastasis in the heart it made his blood pressure drop and they were not able to raise it again.

We had recently been seen by the hospital and although we agreed it was in the heart, no on seemed to be overly concerned at this stage.

Due to previous treatment he also had hypothyroidism. He had been very very lethargic for a long time so I pushed for his TSH levels to be checked, including his T3!!

2 days before he died his results for T3 were very low.

<1.5 pmol/L - 2.60-5.70 pmol/L

Does anyone know if the drop in blood pressure could have been a result of the low T3. Would it be worth investigating further. I do believe because he had terminal cancer no one really wanted to look any further into other reasoning about why he was so tired and anemic.

We knew he was very poorly with cancer but not to the point he was going to die. Apart from being very very tired all the time he had a great quality of life. We had partied on the Saturday until early hours. We had watched TV and had dinner the night before he died. He took his early morning tablets and he was fine. He was dead by 11.15am

Thank you for reading this and thank you to anyone who can respond.

Neenee

[Brogi]

So sorry for your terrible loss Nee22. I hope somebody can help you and answer your questions. You have been so strong, standing up to the doctors. Don't give up.

[Nanaedake]

Dear Nee22, I'm terribly sorry to hear of your sad loss. It sounds like you shared so many lovely, happy times together with your husband. I can't answer your question but wishing you all the best.

[Rapunzel]

Neenee I am so very sorry for the loss of your clearly much-loved hubby.

I should make plain that I have no medical training, just waaay too much experience of cancer in all its awful disguises. With stage IV cancer, there is often little to do beyond pain relief, especially where the tumour can't be fully excised and where the cancer has metastasised , often even less. I do know from my experience that doctors are often no good at this particular element of sharing with their patients and their families the likely prognosis. We look to these people to cure and forget that there are situations where there is little to be done.

Can I suggest that you talk to someone at a cancer charity whom you may find more knowledgeable and better able to cope with your pressing questions? 0808 800 4040 puts you through to Cancer UK's information nurses, available 9-5. If you're not in the UK cancerresearchuk.org/about-... may help you to source assistance in your home country.

I understand your confusion and anger. Don't let this stand in the way of your grieving your man.

My best to you 🤗

[Nee22]

Hi. Thank you for your response and kind words. Eddies cancer was in his heart, lung, pancreas, stomach, liver, psoas muscle and eye. He took 2 x paracetamol 4 x a day. Codeine 30mg 2 x a day to get him through the night 'just in case' because he also had arthritis in his knee.

He had not got to the pain stage yet thank god. That is why I don't think he died of the cancer???

Thank you