Hi. Wondering if anyone has ever had this? Saw GP Weds & did bloods as pain on right side of thyroid & when swallowing and felt really unwell. GP called me in yesterday morning - TSH 0.02 and FT4 26.6 White blood cell count high too. They called hospital & was sent over to their A&E. kept in all day under observation - ecg, more bloods, a beating rate monitor, BP, temp & oxygen sats. Felt so systemically unwell.
I (of course) read the GPS referral letter to the consultant and they had suggested I was having a “thyroid storm”. And (again, of course) I googled it, and the first result said it was more often fatal! This may not have helped my HR!
They then started treatment of prednisone & propranolol (beta blockers) and I started to feel better.
They let me come home at about 6pm, but open door policy while on these meds (about 6 weeks).
This morning I feel awful - shaky & heart racing - so waiting for meds to kick in again.
My previous history has been for years that my FT4 is low, and my TSH is also low - I have been querying this for a while but GPs saying not in treatable range.
So them saying I have hyperthyroidism was a complete shock. I don’t feel how I guess I assumed that would feel. Apart from today the shakiness & the HR. I am still exhausted. Overweight. Sleep like a bear.
Anyone been through this or know more? I keep bumping up against results online for subacute Thyroiditis and other types, but acute being more bacterial. Anyway - I’m just hoping I’ll start to feel better. Tbh I thought the meds yesterday would have meant today I was ok. Hahaha. I’m clearly not thinking this through!
Edited to add ranges. TSH range 0.3 - 4.2mU/L
FT4 range 12.0 - 22.0 pmol/L
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KayS68
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OK, so that is not thyroid storm! lol Your FT4 is slightly raised, but looks rather like a Hashi's result. So, next step should be to get your antibodies tested.
Thank you. It was seeing that on the referral letter that made me so anxious (I have MH shit that means I can tip into huge anxiety), but instinctively I didn’t *think* it was this.
I’ll look on Thyroid UK for info on Hashi’s - a friend has it, but I only know a little.
I’ll push to see all the results too. Got a GP appt for Weds (for other issue) so I’ll ask to go through this. Strangely, GP hasn’t uploaded the results online, so I can’t access them as normal - I found them on referral print out. I think, knowing my MH being quite labile currently, they didn’t want me to worry.
Thank you again for replying with your experience!
Anxiety is an EXTREMELY Common symptom of hashimoto’s and being hypothyroid.
Medics tend to only associate it with Hyperthyroidism
With hashimoto’s your own body is attacking your thyroid. As the thyroid cells break down, large amounts of thyroid hormone can get released....causing temporary hyperthyroid test results. This is known as a hashimoto’s flare
After each of these flairs....the thyroid becomes more damaged and more hypothyroid
The rapid swings from being hypo to hyper can cause multiple symptoms.....anxiety frequently one of these
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's or Graves’ disease) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Ask GP to test vitamin levels and thyroid antibodies
Your results sound more like Hashimoto’s (Hypothyroid....but frequently starts with transient hyperthyroid phases) ....
but medics are assuming Graves’ disease (hyperthyroid)
So you also need TSI and/or Trab antibodies tested for Graves Disease
We see many early stage Hashimoto’s patients misdiagnosed as Graves’ disease
You may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or vitamin levels
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 special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random
If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3 £29 (via NHS private service )
Thank you so much. They were checking all these vitamin levels previously as all low - but this week all increased (I’d been supplementing). I was so out of it yesterday & on my own, so I didn’t find out the things I should have.
Yes, they were all indicative as you say - but GP refused to listen. They said yesterday they had spoken to the endocrinology team & they agreed the treatment the emergency docs proposed & the follow up testing in 4-6 weeks. They did more bloods, but I honestly can’t remember what they said they were for.
Seeing GP Weds, so I’ll ask for all the results & what hospital test results were too. I got discharge letter either.
A thyroid storm is not always fatal and it is a rare occurrence. I had one last year and though it was scary and unpleasant I did survive it. I did feel like I was having a heart attack and when I was admitted to A & E the nurses had to hold me down because I was shaking so much and they could not take an ecg. The ecg revealed my heart was normal just beating extremely fast which was making me shake, sweat and raising my blood pressure. They didn't give me any medication and eventually it stopped so I was discharged. When I got home I started to have another one and I had to call an ambulance luckily that one didn't last long but it was very frightening. If I have another one I will try not to panic because I think that can make it worse.
I can imagine that’s very scary. I had fast HR & felt dizzy & wobbly, but no shakes. It was the pain in my thyroid that was most annoying. And feeling like I had flu or some virus.
That doesn't sound like what happened to me but I can imagine it was scary. I actually thought I was dying and phoned my daughter to say goodbye to her ... that is how ill I felt.
I see ... I was told by another UK site I had Hashimoto's but I was told by an experienced Consultant who did a ultrasound on my goitre it was definitely not Hashimoto's because she had seen hundreds and mine looked nothing like someone suffering from it. A lot of symptoms of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid are very similar imho. When I was under active my hair dropped out and my nails lifted off their beds and when I over active the same thing happened. After 12 years of suffering with thyroid disease every day I learn something new and I don't think I will ever fully understand this disease. I am not medically trained but I continue to research everything I can about thyroid disease and I have been a member of different sites here in the UK and in the USA. I am just adding that I have Thyroiditis stated on my record records when I was first diagnosed.
Just realised this post was months ago now I had really bad post partum thyroiditis yet mine didn't start till almost 7 months after I delivered my little boy my ft4 was 89 I was admitted and they were really worried about thyroid storm don't think people realise how serious thyroid issues can be I've been told no more children under any circumstances xxx
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