I'm a 30 year old female and have been diagnosed with Hashimotos. My antibodies were elevated, but my thyroid hormones were still on the low end of normal so dr. chose to not treat me. I feel like I am having hypo symptoms though...unless it's something else.
For the past few years I've been having very bad night sweats that smell horrible. My husband is very concerned because they smell so awful, he says they smell toxic. I think they smell sour and agree, toxic. The smell fills the room and will linger on clothes and sheets for days. I have to wash my pajamas and sheets every single night. I don't know if it's from my thyroid problem. I will be seeing a dr. again but in the meantime I want your opinions. This all started around the same time I started being cold intolerant, which I now figure must be my thyroid. Whenever I'd get in bed I'd need about 6 blankets on me or else I'd feel a draft coming from somewhere and couldn't sleep. Then I'd wake up drenched in sweat. But I don't understand why it smells so awful....
I sometimes have symptoms of hypoglycemia as well, but I recently had an extensive blood test done which I was told shows I don't have diabetes. Could that be causing it?
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rilec
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Hi Riley, I don't know from a thyroid perspective or smell one, but can suggest you get a T.B. (tuberculosis) test if you have not had one to rule this out.
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.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, and T3 12 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's
I’ve just ordered a kit from medichecks and am going to have blood taken at my local hospital on Monday. I’m fed up with drs not supplying the results and just saying everything is fine when obviously everything is not fine. I have chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, night sweats etc. Just wish I knew what was really the cause of it all.
Thank you for the help. I actually did have most of those tests done 4 months ago when I learned I had Hashimotos, fasting thyroid testing was done at the same time as a blood panel. Here were the results of what you mentioned...
Thyroid Peroxidase: 279 (<=36)
TSH: 1.979 (0.35-6)
Free T4: .69 (.6-2.4)
Free T3: 3.61 (2.39-6.79)
Vitamin B12 324 (180-914)
Folate 14.92 (5.21-40)
Vitamin D, 25 Hydroxy 19.68 (30-100) Have been supplementing with 5,000 IU since this test, haven't yet been retested
Ferritin 12.3 (11-307)
Iron Serum 115 (55-165)
Magnesium was also very low, 1.78 (1.7-2.8), so I've been supplementing that too. Numbers of everything else looked good.
So your FT4 is very low, almost at bottom of range
FT3 also not in top half of range.
So you are likely under medicated when this test was done. Did you get a dose increase?
Vitamin D extremely low - GP should have prescribed loading doses. Supplementing with Better You vitamin D mouth spray can work better as avoids poor gut function of Hashimoto's
Ferritin was dire. Should be at least 70. Did GP prescribe ferrous fumerate? Eating liver once a week should help improve levels
B12. In many countries anything under 500 is considered too low. Certainly many of us on Levothyroxine find we need it at high end of normal. GP unlikely to agree to testing for Pernicious Anaemia or to offer B12 injections
You can self supplement using sublingual B12 lozenge daily (Jarrow is a good make) plus adding a daily vitamin B complex with folate in not folic acid
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results
As you have Hashimoto's Are you on strictly gluten free diet?
Very very many find it helps or is essential
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
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, lowest FT4 and most consistent results
I should have clarified that I am not being treated for the Hashimotos. I was just diagnosed after this blood test, and dr. said that since my levels are within normal ranges, they don't want to treat me. They did however mention food intolerances... suggested I give up all dairy, sugar, and gluten for 3 months and then get retested. I have not found a way to make this work with my lifestyle yet. It is a surprisingly huge and difficult life change to cut out those 3 things. Not trying to make excuses but I'm not sure a strict paleo diet is really any way to live. You can't go out to eat with friends and family, etc. I did however give up gluten for 2 months. I resumed eating it after not feeling any different, and also hearing that in people who are not intolerant, giving up gluten can actually cause the body to become intolerant when/if it is reinstated. That scared me.
Dr. didn't mention anything about my Ferritin unfortunately.
I really feel I do need to be treated for my thyroid. I have brain fog every day, these night sweats, cold sensitivity, fatigue... not sure what to do. I might try a new dr who will try treating me even if my levels are technically within normal rage.
rilec, I don't blame you for not rushing down the strict dairy, gluten and sugar free diet route. The trouble is, there could be a vicious cycle going on here. Low thyroid hormone levels are quite likely to be the cause of food intolerances. But instead of treating your thyroid issue, they blame your symptoms on food intolerances and leave you to suffer.
I have bad night sweats and been on the sw diet. Cut out sugar, dairy cos my thyroid has made it taste horrible and I may have 2 slices of bread at the most. I have hypothyroidism. Symptoms no different than before I started my meds. It's so annoying
Hi, I was diagnosed as hypo a few years ago. Before I went on levo I had awful night sweats most nights, very similar to what you describe.
I constantly woke up freezing, always had a spare pair of pjs to change into in the middle of the night, was changing the bedding constantly. It did smell pretty horrid as soon as it dried, I think just because there was so much sweat, I was literally drenched. So you have my sympathy.
I used to think it was also worse around my periods but once taking levo they seemed to stop completely. I hadn’t started taking any additional vitamins at the time either. So I guess everyone is different but my thyroid almost certainly caused the night sweats.
I would wake in the early hours and the bed would be completely soaked. I haven't had night sweats for quite a while since my b12 injections but lately they've started coming back along with other B12 related symptoms. I know it sounds odd but I found that sleeping on a fleecy blanket rather than directly on the sheet really helps. I would have thought that it would make me overheat but it doesn't for some reason
Are you well hydrated? if possible, I would push for a kidney test as well as H-Pylori's just for the peace of mind. H-Pylori can cause this toxic smell and /or sometimes ammonia-like smell.
You could certainly benefit from a dose increase and a gluten-free diet as mentioned by @SlowDragon. Also adding selenium 200 mcg/day for 3-6 months. Selenium helps with the conversion of T4 into T3 and in the reduction of antibodies. B12 and Ferritin levels are really low as most with Hashimoto's and an adequate supplementation and regular testing are required.
U sound like u could be going thru menopause night sweats and smelling bad r symptoms of menopause. Some women do go thru menopause in their thirties. Labs will show if r or not.
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