Hypothyroidism affecting legs

[Eshep]

I was wondering if anyone else out there experiences a swelling sensation in the tissue or feeling of fullness in their calves and back of thighs when their thyroid is unstable or with a med increase or decrease? Sometimes it even feels like a slight fever or warm feeling on the back of my legs. Seems to correlate to thyroid changes or hormonal changes. It is always equal in both legs and there is no visible edema.

[trelemorele]

I have had bad swelling in my lower legs, especially right one (my right side is more affected looks like and my right eye is swelled up more than the left one) if I'm hypo. And that's been going on for more than 10 years.

When I squat I can feel the pressure and pain and it's hard in touch.

Levothyroxine (all sorts of dosage) never resolved that issue for me. Doctor never resolved that issue either. I tried herbal remedies- no help here. I tried diuretics - no help.

I went t3 only 4 weeks ago and I've noticed massive improvement. My eyes are still swollen but calves virtually are swelling free.

I also had fluid/inflammation in my knees, very painful to kneel down - that is gone now as well.

[stig5882 in reply to trelemorele]

I also found that the muscles pain in my legs stopped when I stopped taking Levo and am now on T3 only.

[sue_b in reply to stig5882]

wow, you have just given me hope!

I was on levo for several years, switched myself to NDT 2 years ago but all that seems to have done is suppress everything, not just my TSH and increase my anti-bodies. The problems in my legs have been so bad (cramps only started during onset of menapause) that I developed a dvt which went to my lungs and post treatment with blood thinners I got another clot in my lungs, so I'm now on blood thinners for life, which is affecting my liver, which I have never had problems with! And they say that varicose veins don't cause problems! From what you and trelemorele say it may all be down to not enough T3 for many years.

2 months ago I started taking Levo again with T3 added and I am about to get bloods done before increasing my t3, as I still have energy issues. I have noticed that I don't seem to be as reliant on taking magnesium although its a bit early to say for sure.

Fingers crossed

[SilverAvocado]

I get stuff in the back of my calves, but a bit different from how you describe. The muscles get very tense, and nothing I do can relax them. Is especially bad when trying to sleep, when they can get so tensed it hurts.

The only part of your description that is similar is feeling hot to the touch, they also feel quite hard to the touch.

I treated this with megnesium spray, that helped a bit and allowed me to sleep. On NDT it's reduced a lot.

[ChrisCh]

I would get something similar before I started on ndt. On occasion the backs of my knees would really hurt and I just wanted to lay down to make it pass. It would last a few days. But now I don’t get it at all. I take about 50 mg of ndt. It’s been several years. Good luck.

[sue_b]

Hi, I responded to your post because I have had problems with my calves and ankles for over 20 years. Cramp, restless leg, heavy feeling, swollen ankle ( old injury has made the swelling focus there, I believe) so I can't squat or kneel as its just too painful. I have varicose veins and dodgy valves high up so it effects the whole of the leg lower down. I am post-menopausal.

None of my issues sound like yours though. If it was just one leg I would have said see your GP, maybe a DVT but both legs together... I can't come up with anything I'm afraid. The only thing I can think of is whether the swelling feeling goes away if you elevate your legs above your heart for a while, which would ordinarily help swelling go down. Also, when you wake up, do they feel like that, or is it after you've been up a while/ on your feet? The other thing that might help narrow down possible causes would be if you wore some medium weight support tights during the day when you are having these symptoms and see if that makes a difference.

I too use magnesium to control my leg issues and previously, I used to drink tonic water for the quinine, which also did the job.

See if any of that helps

[CSmithLadd]

"Myxedema, which is the retention of mucin, can also occur when the tissues do not properly process and utilize thyroid hormone. (Myx is the Greek word for "mucin," and edema means "swelling.") ... In fact, the medical term for "hypothyroidism" used to be myxedema."

townsendletter.com/Dec2008/...

This type of swelling can happen anywhere in the body -- and even everywhere, as I have experienced at my worst times. Usually, it becomes especially prevalent in the face and neck, as well as the upper body in general. Even around the midsection and hips. Mucin is terrible. But it is there to tell us that we're not on the optimal thyroid hormone therapy we should be -- or that thyroid hormone conversion is a problem.

Hypothyroidism wreaks havoc in any part of the body. This is due to the lack of T3 that must be in the cells in ample quantities to keep all functions of the body performing properly and without disorder (such as the sluggishness that hypothyroidism causes). The T3 deficiency is most often caused by nutrient deficiencies that go unchecked by the "within reference range" mentality and protocol of conventional medicine. Without ample nutrients to facilitate thyroid hormone conversion of T4 (Thyroxine) into Triiodothyronine (T3), we become more and more hypothyroid and more symptomatic of illness.

An interesting article below. It really is a great snapshot of what can happen when the thyroid isn't looked at as being what it really is: the regulator of the entire body.

Any symptoms are possible when the active thyroid hormone T3 is lacking in the cells of the body.

hypothyroidmom.com/86-year-...

Nutritional deficiencies cause symptoms of their own (and thus set off those that are recognized to indicate hypothyroidism). But they are not quite the same. They are so tied together it's hard to discern the difference as to which came first. The confusion results in most doctors never looking at nutrient deficiencies at all. Without at least adequate nutritional levels, hypothyroidism will continue unless ample quantities of T3 are introduced.

I found that the Restless Leg experienced all my life can be quelled with ample amounts of Magnesium Glycinate. It is amazing what one finds when checking symptoms against those of specific nutrient deficiencies. This goes hand-in-hand with learning how to correct the symptoms of hypothyroidism (of course, most times along with thyroid hormone replacement). No doctor ever told me about Magnesium as a sure cure for Restless Leg Syndrome, but I did the research myself as I was at a point where I couldn't believe anyone and their "protocol science." I've learned to check nutritional symptoms first, before my former knee-jerk response of increasing thyroid hormones.

That sluggishness of the thyroid means toxins will build in the body. This causes all kinds of dysfunction and pain. The longer you are hypo, the more intense the effect excess toxins have on your entire body. Everything begins to hurt because it is known that hypothyroidism exacerbates and magnifies the sensation of pain. The body is screaming for the right help to get it back in balance.

By any other name given to those dysfunctions by conventional medicine, the issues we have along with the aches and pains are all systemic mostly due to the nutrient deficiencies that have caused hypothyroidism because conversion can't take place enough to provide the body with what it needs to thrive... or we haven't been helped to replenish T3 in the cells at a pace fast enough to keep up our daily needs while correcting the overall lack of T3.

Without optimal levels of nutrients necessary to facilitate T4 to T3 conversion (not just "within range" nutrient levels as practiced by conventional medicine), the body becomes more hypothyroid even though blood tests seem to indicate all is well.

Because when sufficient T3 isn't available to the cells, priorities are made on the basis of what is most vital to life. So T3 is meted out and not every part of the body gets enough for their respective cells. Without correction, more and more symptoms of dysfunction (disorders and syndromes) throughout the body due to the lack of T3 will surface until cellular T3 is replenished.

Doctors are busy. Taking the time to truly understand what each patient is in need of to restore the body to health takes an understanding of how the body works. That lack of understanding is especially true when it comes to subject matters such as Reverse T3 and the use of both Free T3 and Free T4 for attaining stellar thyroid hormone levels and then for continued maintenance of patients' overall well-being.

To most doctors, just read TSH and be done with it. Easy, but ineffective as an indicator of thyroid function.

However, the Reverse T3 (RT3) test is extremely helpful by way of its ideal 1:1 comparison ratio to Free T3. That ratio can help ascertain whether or not unconverted T4 has turned into excessive RT3 and blocked the T3 receptors. Instead of T3 in the receptors so as to get into your cells, RT3 sits there. Thus, you may have ample quantities of Free T4 and Free T3 -- but little T3 is actually making it into the cells of your body. If a doctor is treating you for hypothyroidism, it is imperative that Free T4, Free T3 and Reverse T3 tests are performed in order to get a full picture of how the thyroid hormone protocol you're on is working -- or not working -- for you.

But most conventional doctors think this is all out of their expertise. It's not. If I can have an understanding of it, they certainly should be able to do the same. My motivation was restoring my health, so I learned what I needed to make that happen. If they want to help their patients, they can also learn how to do it. But it takes time. Lots of time to understand each individual patient. So they send you to an endocrinologist who knows more than your GP, but still hasn't quite connected all the pertinent dots.

Especially when it comes to why a patient is not converting or improving on their thyroid hormones. The Endo gives you NDT and sends you on your way. You just changed T4 for NDT... but both contain T4. If you can't convert T4, you may find that you're right where you were before -- if Reverse T3 is an issue.

When the body slows down the process of converting T4 into T3, the T4 in either Thyroxine or Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) hormone can turn into Reverse T3 (RT3). It has no where else to go. When that occurs, no matter how much thyroid hormone you continue to take, if it is not heavily weighted with T3 and very little T4 used, if any at all, until the RT3 clears, the body will otherwise become more and more hypo as T3 can't get through to the cellular level. Conventional medicine teaches that the lack of thyroid hormone conversion is caused by a rare genetic disorder. But the truth is that lack of optimal nutritional levels is the most common culprit in the lack of thyroid hormone conversion.

That lack of T3 in the cells can manifest in hundreds of different ways. Most all of those symptoms are interpreted as being from an unknown origin and then treated with medications that attempt to quell those symptoms.

So no matter what other maladies you experience while at sub-optimal levels of T3 in your cells, all those other symptoms are much more likely to be the result of insufficient T3.

We don't need thirty medicines for each of the symptoms we encounter, but what we do need is the right thyroid hormone in sufficient quantities to reverse the gross hypothyroidism the body is experiencing, and optimal nutrient levels to facilitate hormone conversion and thus keep complications of Reverse T3 from occurring.

I should know, at one time I was that person suffering a myriad of illnesses and had thirty or more different medications to take on a daily basis. None of them helped. So I ditched the medications and found out I could feel somewhat better without them. Then it was discovered I had thyroid dysfunction, Grave's Disease. I have both Hashimoto's and Grave's antibodies. Bottom line is all of it was out of the depth of conventional doctors that I saw. It became apparent that to live with any quality of life, I'd have to figure out what was needed to restore my health and go about adhering to it.

It is evident that most doctors have no clue whatsoever. We can only take so much of that before hypothyroidism overtakes us. That was me. But not any more.

The more we know about how this all works, the more we can be proactive in our own healthcare. We can help ensure our doctors are performing the right tests and that they have an excellent understanding of those tests so as to discern the treatment most likely to result in an eventual euthyroid life for the patient. This can be done with an open mind to make the best thyroid hormone choice or combination for the patient, and understanding the vital need for optimal nutritional levels.

Healing Hugs!