Prednisone....an important piece of my puzzle. But still puzzled!

[Rocksteady]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post and I'm hoping what I'm about to write will ring true with somebody.

For years and years I have presented myself to various consultants/Doctors complaining of everything from severe dry eye to hearing difficulties and tinntus to brain fog, memory loss, back pain hair loss, breathing difficulties and so on and so on.

Each time I am told that there is nothing wrong with me. A year or so ago I got my Thyroid checked but that to came back normal.

But lately the symptoms have gotten so bad that I had unintentionally withdrawn from most social settings. My two young boys were a huge chore with little joy. My movements had slowed down dramatically and my brain had mostly stopped working , unable to string even a simple sentence together. Indeed, that simple sentence was made all the harder because of the shortness of breath and the fact I could no longer project my voice above a pathetic deep squeak!

Then 3 weeks ago I took a bad reaction to an at home hair dye and my Doctor put me on a two week course of steroids. It was life changing. Instead of feeling jittery and wired like she warned me, I was ME! For the first time in years I was my old self....100%. Every symptom I suffered with on a daily basis GONE. I felt fluid, all the aches and pains were gone, my mind was sharp. My food cravings and dry mouth were gone and food tasted satisfying.

I knew then and there that there was some underlying reason causing all these symptoms. Having discovered Thyroid UK I filled out the symptom sheet and ticked nearly every box for Hypothyroidism.

BUT ....My Doctor says that a steroid would not cure this.

Please can anyone make a link to something that might be in the steroid such as cortisol that would have this life changing effect on my thyroid/body??

I was half dead and to have the lights switched on again was both jubilant and terrifying. I need to get ME back. I am desperate but determined. Thank you.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and members are very helpful. Rarely do doctors check all of the important thyroid hormones, maybe just TSH (which is from the pituitary gland) and if it is below 10 will not diagnose as hypothyroidism. In fact in other countries if TSH goes above 3+ with symptoms we will be diagnosed and given levothyroxine.

I myself was undiagnosed for a number of years and GP and A&E that you only have this or that - none of them took a blood tests for thyroid hormones. I eventually, thanks to a first aider got my own and went forward from there.

You have to request (and GP or lab may not do all) the following. You can get a private test if you wish and they are home pin-prick tests but more informative than what the GPs are instructed to request. I will give a link just in case.

You have to have a blood draw at the very earliest, fasting and if you were taking thyroid hormone replacements you'd allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose (usually taken a.m.) and take it after the test.

You need a Full Thyroid Function Test and NHS usually only do TSH and T4. We need:-

TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies. Antibodies are important as it distinguishes between hypothyroidism and an Autoimmune Thyroid Disease called Hashimoto's (hashi's).

Even if your TSH is o.k. the fact that antibodies are present you should be prescribed levothyroxine which is also called T4.

Your GP should test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. Everything has to be optimum.

Unfortunately we've found on this forum that most doctors know little other than TSH and T4. Never take 'normal' as a diagnosis and always get a print-out of your results with the ranges from the surgery for your own records and post for members' comments.

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

Blue Horizon and Medichecks are the labs and the send to you the necessary things to draw blood and make sure you are well-hydrated a couple of days before and arms/hands are warm. Medichecks has some sort of offer every Thursday.

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

[Rocksteady in reply to shaws]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. It is hard to keep hearing that everything is normal when you know it is anything but. I live in Southern Ireland and when my thyroid was checked in the past I think they only checked TSH. Now that I know that there is definitely an underlying cause to this myriad of crippling symptoms I will insist on all of the above bloodwork being checked. Thanks again.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Rocksteady

Besides getting the full thyroid and nutrient tests done, because the steroid has made such a significant difference I would be asking about investigating adrenals.

[Rocksteady in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you Suzie. I will definitely mention that. I want to be armed with as much info as possible for when I meet the Endochrinologist. Now that I have tasted life as the old me I am not going to give up until I get the answers I have been so desperately seeking.