Shin and foot pains?

[Pinebunny]

Anyone had shooting, burning pains in their shins and feet with pins and needles? Not sure if it's connected to me being on reduced meds?

[Jazzw]

Your doctor is a complete sadist. (Just been reading your previous posts - can’t believe your doctor is being such an idiot...)

Anyway, yes - best guess is that after being off meds for 4 weeks and now only being allowed to have 25mcg, that will indeed be causing all sorts of aches and pains. It’s possible too that you have low Vit B12 (has it ever been tested?)

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Burning feet can be a symptom of hypothyroidism (burning feet syndrome).

What are your vitamin and mineral levels like? Pins and needles can indicate low B12.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Pins and needles can be low B12, common when hypo

Peripheral neuropathy too can be low B12

Plantar fasciitis causes sharp heel pain, especially when first get up in morning, is well known hypothyroid symptom. Low FT3 may be cause

[ffranny in reply to SlowDragon]

I had plantar fasciitis years back when just taking levo. It lasted a couple of years and really prevented me taking exercise.

No doctor linked it to my underactive thyroid. I wish they would.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to ffranny]

Yes my previous GP thought it bonkers to suggest it was anything to do with thyroid.

It faded quickly soon after starting T3

[ffranny in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes, well I am now noticing that the agonising hip pain that was making me walk with a stick and cry myself to sleep at night with pain, faded away when I started on T3 a few months ago. It hasnt gone away totally, I suspect it is arthritis but it is way better...how can doctors not take notice of so may ailments that get better with proper thyroid treatment ie t3!

[jgelliss in reply to SlowDragon]

SlowDragon ,

OH SO TRUE ! T3 MAKES SUCH A DIFFERANCE ! Every part of our body benefits from T3 .

[Pinebunny]

I managed to get full bloods and second opinion. I'm on 75mcg now.

My B12 is in range but vitamin D was out of range, as was something else that indicated inflammation? ? GP said it would be allergies? It wasn't something I had heard of before.

[greygoose in reply to Pinebunny]

In-range is often not good enough. Do you know the exact number and range?

Was it CRP that indicated inflammation? GP sounds like a bit of an idiot.

[Pinebunny in reply to greygoose]

Yes.. got a print out. B12 says 419ng/L (110-914.0)

Vit D 35 nmo/l (60-150.0)

Eosinophil above range 0.44 10*9/l (0.04-0.4) outside reference range.

Means nothing to me. Help appreciated!

[greygoose in reply to Pinebunny]

Well, your B12 isn't deficient, but could be higher. Best at least over 500, better still towards the top of the range.

Your vit d is dire. Should be up around 100. Are you supplementing that?

Eosinophils are white blood cells. But it's only very slightly out of range, so I wouldn't worry about it.

[Pinebunny in reply to greygoose]

Funnily enough I've a friend who is like a mother hen and she worries about me. About a month ago she nagged me to start on vitamin D because I was getting lots of coughs and colds. So yes, I take a vit D3 I got at all Health food shop ..not sure how long it takes to get it increased?

[greygoose in reply to Pinebunny]

Depends how much your taking. How much are you taking? Is it vit D3?

[Pinebunny in reply to greygoose]

Yes d3. It says one tablet per day.

[greygoose in reply to Pinebunny]

And, one tablet contains how much? In mcg?

[Pinebunny in reply to greygoose]

It says 25ug?

[greygoose in reply to Pinebunny]

That's a very, very small dose. That won't raise your level in a million years! I'm not very good with vit D, so I suggest your post a new question, asking just that, and giving your result for vit D.

[Jazzw in reply to greygoose]

It’s 1000iu. So Pinebunny , you probably need to be taking 5x 25mcg Vit D a day for a while to get those levels up.

So glad to hear you got your levo dose raised. That’s something, anyway...

[Pinebunny in reply to Jazzw]

Yes, very grateful to those who sent me links. I printed them off and wrote a letter. Gp phoned an endo for second opinion and was told to start at 75mcg, not 25!

[shaws Administrator in reply to Pinebunny]

Obviously your GP has no knowledge at all to deal with a hypo patient when he prescribed 25mcg. 25mcg is an incremantal dose not a starting one. Too low a dose can make us feel worse.

[Betty41]

I had awful pain in my feet and shins. After taking vitamin D they have gone.

[Pinebunny in reply to Betty41]

How much did you take Betty? I just took what the shop said was the recommended daily dose?

[Hidden]

Have exactly the same pains as you. Have upped my D3 and B12 but while the shins are improving the feet are still burning up and have pins and needles.

Di

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Suggest you get Better You Vitamin D mouth spray. It's absorbed in mouth, therefore avoids poor gut function

Comes in various strengths. Perhaps buy 3000iu and start with two sprays per day for a month, then reduce to one

Important not to take too much it's toxic in excess

Retest twice yearly via vitamindtest.org.uk £28 postal kit and aim for level around 100nmol

Magnesium and vitamin K2 Mk7 are also recommended when supplementing high dose vitamin D

Vitamin K2 help sends the higher calcium to bones

B12 is too low, likely folate is too.

A good vitamin B complex with folate in wil help.

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

endo.confex.com/endo/2016en...

endocrinenews.endocrine.org...

Ferritin needs testing too

Only start one supplement at a time and wait for two weeks before starting another

[Pinebunny in reply to SlowDragon]

Aw thanks. That's really helpful. I've found you can get b12 as a mouth spray too. Didn't know there was such a thing. Ordered some. X

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Pinebunny]

Yes vitamin D is peppermint flavour

B12 is apricot flavour. Only start with one spray of B12 ...can cause stomach ache if spray a lot first go.

I actually prefer Jarrow B12 1000mcg sublingual lozenge - one daily, plus a good vitamin B complex.

[silverfox7]

It probably is a daily dose but more of a top up than anything else! When we are low we need a booster dose to get levels up to a decent level quickly. But then drop back to a main ten ever dose. The dose you were on just won't May any difference sadly. I think somewhere in the region of 10,000 for a few weeks then drop down to 5,000. You also need to look at co factors, Vit K2 and Magnesium. K2 takes the calcium (Vit D increases calcium levels as well) out of you blood where it can cause problems like stones and muscle problems and deposits it in the bone and teeth and the Magnesium locks it in there

[ShootingStars]

I had horribly painful feet before I was diagnosed with Hashi’s. Upon diagnosis, I mentioned the foot pain and thyroid connection to several doctors and they all dismissed the connection. The pain continued until I was put on meds. Shortly there after, the pain lessened. It took another year to get my non existent thyroid hormones optimal. During that time, the pain slowly faded away and has not returned. My D was close to 100 the entire time and I was supplementing B12, do it was close to 1000.

[Countrykitten]

I had dreadful shin pain which improved after I was diagnosed hypo and my vit D levels were, in my GP's words, 'dangerously low'.

[Saffchops60]

I haven’t been tested yet. But I get exactly the same as you.

[Furface]

All good advice on here! Your Vit D is deficient and B12 is low as has been mentioned. The little dose of Vit D will only maintain the levels at the present number. Loading doses are needed eg 10,000 D3 + K2 + Magnesium and as your levels rise, you will improve. (my own level was at 17 but have it now around 170 and feel much better).

Vit B12 also needs to be optimum, rather than just barely ticking over. If you get it up to around 800+, you'll notice a difference. 'Better you' do a good one that is easy to absorb and there are sublingual lozenges available too.

Do you have headaches too? Might be worth checking out your iron.

Re your little dose of 25 Levo, goodness me, not enough for a mouse! No wonder you are struggling. Sack your Dr! Find one that will support you. (my own kept me on 50 Levo for nine months with no increase and i got worse and worse. She didnt understand why i was not feeling better when she was pleased with my TSH! And therein lies the problem, Drs havent a clue about medicating for thyroid problems.

I gave up with all the GPs at my surgery as all they did was kept me ill and prescribed even more drugs to correct the problems that were caused by being undermedicated for thyroid. See if you can find a Dr who knows what to do, a tall order, I know . . . . .

All the best, let us know how you go!

[Marymary7 in reply to Furface]

Furface do you mean you got your vit D up to 170? I was worried I've got mine too high at 117?

[Furface in reply to Marymary7]

Yes, I began to notice differences at 150, have a look and or join the vitamin deficiency Facebook group, there are charts there to guide you in both types of measures. I am definitely not going the way the GP wants which is to keep me ill. Have improved so much, hope you can too. It all seems to be multi faceted though, a bit like spinning plates and so many vitamin deficiencies can have similar symptoms. Optimising all of them has improved me and I feel better than ten years ago, hope to improve even more too.

My own test was done in nmol but i am aiming for 200 then will maintain at that number.

[BrownBella]

Yes, I suffer from pain in my feet, it hurts to stand and when I drive the car, pressing the clutch peddle, I've had this over 3 years before I was diagnosed with under active thyroid, it did ease off when I was taking dessicated thyroid with a low dose of T4, but I have it 24 hours a day now I'm just on T4 from GP. My other joints are now hurting hands, elbows and shoulders.

[LostBear]

It sounds like peripheral neuropathy. I suffer from this. Sometimes it is just a tingling sensation; other times it is so severe a burning sensation that I could cry. It is, as far as I am aware from what my consultant has said, progressive and incurable, but can be managed. I have been prescribed hydrochloroquine sulphate for Sjogren's syndrome, and this seems to help the PN, but there are side effects, the most potentially serious of which is that it can affect your sight.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to LostBear]

Peripheral neuropathy can be low B12, low B5 and low vitamin D

Improving B vitamins with a good quality vitamin B complex including folate, not folic acid. Important to supplement all B vitamins together

Perhaps may also need sublingual B12 (1000mcg) and vitamin D

drgominak.com/sleep/vitamin...

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to LostBear]

Just read you have under active thyroid. Sounds like Hashimoto's. Have you had thyroid antibodies tested?

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies. Plus vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12.

Essential to test thyroid antibodies, FT4 and FT3 plus vitamins

Private tests are available. NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies

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.

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, 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. If you have Hashimoto's then low vitamins are extremely common and also gluten intolerance. You don't need ANY gut symptoms at all.

If you have peripheral neuropathy, you likely are under medicated for thyroid and low vitamins and possibly leaky gut/gluten intolerance

Sleep apnea is also symptom of Hashimoto's

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

TSH should be around or just under one and FT4 towards top of range and FT3 at least half way in range when adequately treated with Levothyroxine. Many, many patients are left under medicated.

[LostBear in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for this info Dragon. I'm not sure whether or not my thyroid antibodies have been tested. I am due at the Dr's for a routine appointment in a couple of weeks - I will ask then.

Thyroids seem to be incredibly complex - even the experts don't seem to agree a lot of the time, and GPs seem (with the best will in the world) to be often woefully ignorant of what is a very common problem.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to LostBear]

Most Gp's are completely unaware of how connected Thyroid and gut are

If you can't get full thyroid including antibodies plus vitamins tested through NHS then would really recommend private testing

If your antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).

About 90% of all primary hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's

Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12. Always get actual results and ranges. Post results when you have them, members can advise

Hashimoto's affects the gut and very often 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

Ideally ask GP for coeliac blood test first

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

I had peripheral neuropathy- see more on my profile.

[Pinebunny in reply to SlowDragon]

I had a look at the private tests. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the info and different tests. I'm so woolly headed I can't really process...I've had some tests done but gp today was so vague and useless about my symptoms.

[Pinebunny]

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good!