What is going on with my body? Is it Thyroid or am I just losing the plot!

[Mutleybear]

Hi I am a newbie here and I've been following this page for the last week or so reading a lot of posts in hope I may find some answers and it has been very helpful. I wanted to share what I am experiencing and feeling with people who will understand whilst I am waiting for my diagnosis on if I have Thyroid Issues.

I will promise to try keep this short and readable. When I was a young I was quite a sickly child and anything going around i would catch it but as I got older it evened out until I got to 15 yrs old when I caught Glandular Fever. When I was 18 yrs old I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and hospitalised many times on high dosages of steriods but thankfully have had long periods of remission. 14 yrs ago I caught Glandular Fever but this time it had affected my liver and was hosptialised and treated. Since then anytime I am a little under the weather my glands in my neck become the size of footballs and its very uncomfortable but just put it down to feeling out of sorts.

The last year I out of nowhere I experienced my first panic attack (it was the worst feeling). I have had a couple since then but not recently, what i have been experiencing recently though is very bad heart palpitations which has got worse over time and the unwelcome addition of dizzy spells (having to stop and keep still while waiting for the room to stop spinning). This did worry me but thought i may go away and put it down to being tired and stress with a wedding to plan.

I got married on 29th April this year, it was a beautiful day and had a lovely honeymoon in Mexico. The palpitations have not gone away neither the dizzy spells, I'm feeling more tired, been getting aches and shooting pains in my arms, legs hand and feet (mainly my left arm and hand) i have also been getting numbness and tingling in my hands (mainly left hand) and feet with ringing in ears which caused me concern and with the palpitations really thought I was heading for a heart attack but again tried to ignore it but worrying on the inside.

The clincher for me to get my self checked out is working on a recent project, now in my role I have always been clear headed, take directions, focused and good communicator which is why I was asked to work on a big project with a colleague. Oh my, I have no idea what happened to my thinking process or concentration levels, focus or memory but the girl they and I knew well changed into a mess. The conversations with my manager "but Mutelybear we discussed this yesterday and we agreed you would do this" I'm like "Did we?" I for the life of me could not remember, I mean I remember us talking but I did not remember that. Well there were many conversation like that with my colleagues or talking to some that i have know for years but couldnt remember their name, or simple words I struggle to get out and noticed a little stammer aswell.....that's it I am going mad! It is a scary feeling and left me very tearful and emotional but mostly frustrated because that is not me!

So I made the appointment with my GP armed with my list of symptoms, he check my BP which was slightly high and rechecked 5 minutes later with the same reading, he ordered me blood tests to check my Thyroid and an ECG, I also asked to check my estrogen levels as worried I maybe going through an early menopause at 42.

While I am waiting for the results I thought I would do a big of research on Thyroid as I had no idea about this or the symptoms and can relate to many of them including

Feeling the cold, my hair has turned from thick to thin and wispy over the last two years, very tired and my colitis over the last couple of months has gone from many trips a day to the toilet to once (for me that is constipation) moody, emotional, on occasion i have woken up with night sweats, dry eyes and blurry vision, getting shot of breath sometimes even just by talking, Loss of libido, shorter but very heavy painful periods and headaches.

Some days it just feels like my body is being poisoned if that makes sense, I just feel complete pants!

I really do hope I can get some answers from my Doctor and not hear those words your results come back negative dont get me wrong I really dont want to be ill, I just want some answers to the way I'm feeling so that I can treat it and get on with it. I dont want to feel like I am going crazy or its all in my mind. I work with a great colleague but she is hinting the maybe I am suffering with depression or stress...grrrr!! I know that it is more than that.

I apologise it was not that short (I did say i would try lol). Thank you for reading, I have a wonderful supportive husband but we are both just as confused as to the way I am feeling the way I am and it is good to be able to share with those who may understand what I am going through.

[Nanaedake]

I'm sorry you're feeling so unwell. Some of your symptoms sound like low vitamin B12, for example the tinnitis and numbness and tingling in legs, hands, feet. Low vitamin D can also cause pain so in addition to thyroid tests, I hope you can get vitamin levels tested. B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D. When you have all the results then post them here along with the laboratory ranges and people will help.

[Mutleybear in reply to Nanaedake]

Thank you Nanaedake, I will post my results and speak to my GP about getting a vitamin levels test

[shaws Administrator]

Did you have your blood test for thyroid hormones at the very earliest time, fasting (you can drink water). If you were taking thyroid hormone replacements you'd miss this until after the test. All of those symptoms above sound very familiar and tick off the ones you have on the link below:-

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

Get a print-out of your latest thyroid blood tests with the ranges and put them on a new post. If GP hasn't tested antibodies you can get them done next time.

Members will respond when you put your results on a new post when you get them from the surgery.

[magsyh]

If I were you Ok would forget the estrogen and check the progesterone. You may find your gp a waste of time on this one as they only talk about estrogen and in uk will only hand out a combination of both. I fought over this for years. A lot of your symptoms sound like mine. Are you using birth control? If so it could be causing a lot of your problems. My body almost gave up functioning i thought i had ms and it was all down to a bad reaction to a progestin. If you are taking contraceptives they shut down your bodies production of progesterone this also affects your thyroid badly. It will also up your blood pressure and steal your b vitamins. Younger women have no idea the damage these plastic hormones cause to our bodies and then later in life they are given plastic hrt to cover all the damage it did and then it causes breast cancer etc. Our gps have a lot to answer for their ignorance. Get a saliva hormone test kit. They cost £80 and will tell you progesterone and estrogen as well as ratio which is important. Have your vitamins and minerals checked too. X