Severe ankle stiffness/pain with Hypothyroidism

[Just4kikzzz]

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism 4 months ago. TSH was over 150 so I started off on Levothyroxin .100. After 6 weeks my TSH went down to 10 after an increase to .112. The thing is that I feel better energy wise, but I now have severe ankle and joint pain. It is BAD especially when I haven’t moved in a while. My dose was just increased to .125 and the pain is even worse. What could be causing this? I can’t see a doctor for another month but I feel like it’s really affecting my joints. Also, my dose was increased because my TSH went up to 11 after another 6 weeks. I’m still losing hair, and have some really bad days with a lot of fatigue. Did anyone experience this before? How did it get better? I understand my TSH is still not optimal but it doesn’t make sense for my joints to get worse.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Just4kikzzz It would be a good idea to get nutrients tested. Ask for

Vit D

B12

Folate

Ferritin

Come back with results (include reference ranges) and we can see if you have any low levels or deficiencies.

Some people experience joint pain with low Vit D. I had severe Vit D deficiency but didn't get pain, although my ankles would be sort of 'locked' when I got up in the morning and I had to shuffle along when I got out of bed, it eased off after a while, but I had it every morning. I don't get it now that my Vit D is at optimal level.

[Just4kikzzz in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank-you! This gives me hope that I can eventually feel better. My joint pain is worse right after getting up out of bed. Once I get going it eases up until I stop moving again. I definitely plan on getting my vitamins checked as someone else replied the same thing, especially the Vit D. I might just start taking Vit D now and see if I notice a difference. It’s very hard being in pain and losing so much hair as I wait for results.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Just4kikzzz]

Just4kikzzz Please don't start supplementing Vit D without testing. You need to know your level so that you can supplement with the correct dose, D3 is fat soluble so excess doesn't get excreted, it gets stored and can build up to toxicity level.

Also, there are important cofactors needed when taking D3.

You can do a quick and easy fingerprick blood spot test, which will be back in a couple of days (quicker than your surgery)

vitamindtest.org.uk/index.html

Post the result when you have it for suggestions for dose and information about the cofactors needed.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Do you know if you have high antibodies, i.e. Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease

Ask GP to test TPO Thyroid antibodies if not been tested

Do you have any FT4 or FT3 blood test results (and ranges)

Would suspect low vitamins, especially D

But you could also have low FT3 trouble is NHS very rarely tests this

If you can't get full thyroid and vitamin testing from GP

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw or

All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH and most consistent results

[Just4kikzzz in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank-you for your reply. I am now waiting for the lab results for antibodies. So far, I just know that my T4 is in the normal range. I don’t know about T3. Thank-you for your advice, I didn’t know that I should delay Levo before labs. I looked up Vitamin D deficiency symptoms and I hope that it is that, as my doctor is testing for RA. It’s just so difficult to be in limbo as I wait for results.

[ITYFIALMCTT in reply to Just4kikzzz]

It is important to test for vitamin D levels as Seaside Susie says.

I was evaluated for RA - and it's now diagnosed as a different inflammatory arthritis - Psoriatic Arthritis. However, as low vitamin D is common to both, it might seem odd that vitamin D might make a difference to you but it can.

For various reasons, even with supplementation, I don't move out of the severely deficient category of results - but, possibly because I can be what I think of as "very severely deficient", my joints can feel remarkably better if I manage to work up to "moderately severe deficiency" - I'm still categorised as "severely deficient" by the blood test results but those few points can sometimes make a tremendous difference to me.

It might not be the same difference for someone who is a bit more 'replete' than I am but that is my experience as someone who is "severely deficient".

ETA: plantar fasciitis is common with psoriatic arthritis and some other 'flavours' of inflammatory arthritis.

[humanbean]

I had severe ankle stiffness in the morning and pain in my heels when I first got out of bed. It is caused by a condition called plantar fasciitis :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant...

In my own case it was caused by one or other or both of :

1) Low T3

2) Low nutrients - B vitamins, iron and ferritin, vitamin D

Personally, I think in my own case that I had to fix all of these and bring them up to optimal before the foot/ankle problems disappeared, which thankfully they did.

Most treatment of plantar fasciitis is based on trying to manage the symptoms, for example with shoe inserts and supports, and foot/ankle exercises. I didn't need to do any of these - fixing the cause did the job.

[ShirleyTemple]

All doctors can do is paper over the cause with hormones, and if that doesn't work, then they increase the dosage, and if that doesn't work, then they increase the dosage, until you get a mass of other problems. To address the core issue, which is autoimmune disease, change what you eat - many "everyday" foods are toxic to many individuals and create anti-bodies, which in turn attack the organs. The Paleo Diet Solution is where you begin to unravel all of this, and take your life back.