Falling apart

[Geordi]

I know we are in the throws of a pandemic and gp’s are only doing telephone consults but can someone please advise me what I should do!

For years now I have suffered from hypothyroidism and also have 3 monthly B12 injections (ouch).

Since before lockdown I have had a cough the is evil at times, had xrays blood tests galore but my symptoms don’t end there. Bth I feel like I’m ready for the glue factory.

I have lost a stone in weight, not much appetite, spasms in the ankles, loss of strength in my thumbs and so painful when I try to open jars etc, struggle to swallow my food, constant banging headache, tingling (ants under my skin) in my right shoulder up my neck and face to my ear, bruises that make me look like a victim of abuse, tiny red spots on my torso, if I scratch an itch it turns into a big red blood spot, tiredness like in early pregnancy daren’t stop or I fall asleep, night sweats (not menopause), faint wobbly moments where I’m drenched in sweat and trembling (don’t generally sweat at all) and lastly struggle to focus (wear glasses).

Ok so now you all agree just shoot me, the problem is when I try to address everything with my gp I get told that we can only deal with one thing at a time - well best book a weeks worth of appointments then.

My recent blood works came back abnormal for white blood count (high 37) sedimentation no result assess after chest X-ray - when I addressed it gp said don’t worry about it .

Beside having hypothyroidism and B12, approx 5 yrs ago I had major neck (C5/6) disk replacement and 2 years ago I had malignant melanoma skin cancer which was removed no other treatment. I am also awaiting cataract surgery the lid lifts on both eyes.

I just don’t know if all these symptoms are related Or how to get it looked into I feel overwhelmed by it all and like a right hypochondriac but I’m not even 60, still working and child minding grandkids etc so not quite ready to turn up my toes.

Please can anyone offer any advice, help or guidance, my body is making me miserable sorry for the long post

[WhyAmISoTired]

HI Geordi, since you mention the cough - do you think you may have had Covid? The so-called "Covid long-haulers" have a long list of weird symptoms, lasting for months. I have had a cough for some 5 months and my x-rays didn't show any lung damage.

[Geordi in reply to WhyAmISoTired]

Yeah I had the test twice now negative both times

[WhyAmISoTired in reply to Geordi]

Hm, that doesn't necessarily mean you didn't have it. The test is only positive at the beginning of the infection. Symptoms may last for a long time after that.

[RedApple Administrator]

Geordi, It's possible that the symptoms you describe could be related to inappropriate thyroid hormone levels. What thyroid medication are you taking? And when did you last have a test to check your thyroid hormone levels?

[Geordi in reply to RedApple]

I am on levothyroxine and have been for years my T4 and TSH levels are fine they were tested last week, again

[StitchFairy in reply to Geordi]

If you're sure your thyroid levels are fine, why are you posting for help on this forum? If you want advice, get your latest thyroid test results and post them here for people to comment on.

[Geordi in reply to StitchFairy]

I posted it here as I wondered if anyone else with thyroid problems had similar other stuff going on - wondered if it could all be auto immune related

[Lora7again]

Have you ever had a ultrasound of your thyroid? The reason I ask is because I have multinodular goiter which makes me cough at night. Last night was particularly bad and I think mine might be slightly swollen at the moment.

[lizhut]

This could be a variety/combination of things - poor absorption, some sort of chronic infection, toxin exposure. I would start by REALLY cleaning up your diet and lifestyle. The usual suspects. Make sure you eat no bread, sugar, dairy or refined foods. Eat only whole food and a LOT of veg. Have food that is as easy to absorb as possible - vegetables juices (homemade), smoothies, homemade soups such as vegetable, tomato, watercress etc. Have a tablesp of apple cider vinegar in a half a glass of water before main meals to stimulate stomach acid - and thus help absorption.

Optimise circadian rhythm by avoiding screens before bed, eating your last meal at least 3 hours before bed, getting exposure to light within half an hour of waking (eg by a walk outdoors for 20-30 mins), take gentle exercise outdoors as often as you can in the day, even if only a walk in the garden or down the street.

Chew food very thoroughly before swallowing, eat sitting down, don't eat between meals and be in a rested state when eating - as far as possible. I know it's not easy with young kids!

Whatever it is, it sounds chronic. The only way to help a chronic condition long term is to totally tune up lifestyle and diet long term. There is no quick fix - I know from experience, both my own and my clients. It take determination, commitment and time. At the very least, doing all the above will get you in the best possible place to move forward. By eliminating dairy, sugar, bread and other refined foods you will have lowered your toxic burden, balanced your gut microbes, helped absorption, reduced inflammation and improved elimination. It can't help but make you feel better.

Once you have done this for a couple of months if you still have some symptoms you could do further testing - probably not on the NHS as you'd be looking for testing on things like mould and chronic infections which they don't test for.

[lizhut]

PS - and drink at least 2l of good quality filtered water :). If you want tea or coffee, stick to a max of 2/day (combined) and use something like Oatly Barista in place of milk. It's the best milk substitute I know for tea or coffee.

[NWA6]

Hey Geordi. Oh my goodness you are dealing with a lot. Ofcourse we aren’t medically trained on this forum and even if some are we can’t offer ‘advice’ and as much as I hate to agree with doctors they are right in that they can only deal with one thing at a time. The process of elimination does take time and can be incredibly frustrating.

Having said all that we can offer experience and support. You say you’re on Levo and have TSH and FT4 that are ‘fine’ well experience says that mostly fine means ‘in range’ and for many of us hypos ‘in range’ just isn’t optimal. So can you post your latest test results?

Also you’re going to have to ask your GP for a FT3 blood test and if they won’t agree to that you’ll have to get it done privately.

So you have pernicious anaemia too? It would be best to keep getting Vit D, ferritin, folate tested too to check that they are optimal also.

[Partner20]

I sympathise with anyone like you who suffers from myriad issues that may or may not be connected. You are right that GPs tell us they only have time to address one or two of them during a consultation. However, we have found that putting things in writing can really help, even just by ensuring that they are then in your records for all to see. GPs actually have a fair time at their disposal now because their schedule of telephone appointments takes up less time than those done face-to-face. I would list all your symptoms separately and clearly, together with the effect each one has on your life. Then ask for the GP's suggestions for possible causes. This can be done either in letter or email format, as long as clear and concise. This approachmay not necessarily work for you, but at least it should result in a response, and ensure that these concerns are noted on your file for future reference. Good luck!