Hello I have have Hashimotos and have had carpel tunnel on and off for years. I usually don't have a problem with it but lately I am getting numb/dead hands and pain (dull and heavy ache) at the back of my arms just above my elbows.
The first question is has anyone found anything that helps?
I am 3 stone overweight. Has anyone found their carpel tunnel improve with weightloss?
Would you get your thyroid hormone levels tested? My energy levels are quite good and apart from dreaded tinnitus, I am not bugged by many other Hashimotos symptoms at the moment.
Thanks in advance for reading this post : )
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Auntbessy
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The "surgery option" cures the problem, I had it done a few years ago, simple op done under local and it absolutely fixed it, I wouldn't hesitate to have the other one done if needed. Oh and no nothing else helped me.
Had it earlier in summer and fine now. Why suffer when there is a solution? Mind you, someone will have to help you with everyday tasks to start with. Good luck
I have two small children and a busy job. I am trying to think of other options before going down the surgery route. Also, I imagine the waiting list is massive at the mo, with Covid.
I was referred to hand surgeon for carpel tunnel issues but didn’t need op; symptoms improved when thyroid medication and key vitamins optimal. Saw a helpful physio who said he thought my anxiety (linked to thyroid issues) was restricting blood flow- relaxation exercises really helped alleviate pins and needles and aches to hands and arms. I’ve noticed symptoms recur if I don’t take a good B Complex or when I’m feeling anxious (sign for me that thyroid medication may need upping).
The physio I saw was great. He got me to lie backwards on one of those blow up physio balls (I bought one from a sports shop fairly cheaply) and open up my chest/ shoulders by having arms outstretched to sides. I did this daily& it helped a lot!
I agree, I had carpal tunnel a few years back and GP gave me a hand/wrist brace. However it completely disappeared once my medication was more optimal. I appreciate this is only my situation.
I started supplementing with high strength B vits from last March. My doc was a bit unhelpful around this issue, when I asked about trialling some B12 injections. Anyway, I have to say that I have noticed a massive improvement in energy and mood levels. Unfortunately though, the carpel tunnel problem has returned (about 4 months ago). I am about to order some blood tests for iron as yes I also have an iron problem and again my GP thinks I am OK because I was within range in the summer, even though I was at the bottom of it. Doing private bloods for my iron to get a full picture.
Surgery is successful but complex and has its own risks. If your carpel tunnel resolves with a higher levothyroxine dose then it is probably caused by hypothyroidism.
Had same problem but operation(s) cured it 98%. Highly recommend, very quick op under local.But they only do one hand at a time, unless you have some extremely helpful friends!
Hi Slow Dragon, thanks for replying. I am doing the following:
Take 175mg of levo everyday
I take very high strength B vits and vit D
I had to stop my iron tablets as I had a saturation problem last year and have been slack about sorting this out. The GP says I am OK in this respect after bloods revealed I am within range but at the bottom of it. About to order private bloods for iron.
So you need to see exactly where your vitamin levels are
As gluten intolerant Hashimoto’s patient you’re likely to need addition of small doses of T3 prescribed alongside levothyroxine
First step is to get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing done
Remember to stop taking any supplements that contain biotin a week before ALL BLOOD TESTS as biotin can falsely affect test results
(That includes vitamin B complex )
Do you always get same brand of levothyroxine
Which brand?
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested. Also EXTREMELY important to regularly test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
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 .
Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
If/when also on T3, make sure to take last third or quarter of daily dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
Email Thyroid UK for list of recommend thyroid specialist endocrinologists who will prescribe T3.........NHS and Private
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
The aim of levothyroxine is to increase dose upwards until Ft4 is in top third of range and Ft3 at least 50-60% through range (regardless of how low TSH is) ...
Extremely important to have optimal vitamin levels too as this helps reduce symptoms and improve how levothyroxine works
Yes I'd get my thyroid hormones tested as you have symptoms. My tinnitus is much improved now I'm on thyroid meds. I don't exactly have carpal/tarsal tunnel but I heave a soreness/weakness in both wrists and ankles when my t4 is low. Fine right now.
You could also try hugely boosting your Omega 3 with e.g. the appropriate supplement (the one I take includes Vit D3) and reducing your 6 & 9 intake; this helped mine enormously. Had already had the allowed 2 shots of cortisone in the wrist prior.
I have CTS in both wrists and was advised to have operations a few years ago. I refused because of lots of other hypo symptoms I wanted to reduce as well and started taking magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium malate (total dayly supplementing 400-600 mg). As long as I take these, I have no CTS pain/tingling. Maybe worth a try.
I seem to have developed dupuytrens syndrome in my left hand, a furring up of the tendons, as this sounds similar to CTS, could this be another result of hashimotos?
I wasn’t keen on surgery and as the symptoms seemed to ease I avoided it for several years.
however the pain at night became the most painful I’ve ever experienced (and I’ve broken my jaw, back and arm before as well as had appendicitis yet I’d rank that pain the worst)
The only thing I could do to ease the pain at night was get up and walk around the house It was so severe I was in tears rolling around, so tired, desperate for the pain to subside.
I had a second set of nerve conduction tests done the nerve was now damaged 5 out of 7 (I hadn’t realised that that was what this test showed)
Once the nerve damage is done it’s done
I had local surgery done on each hand with time to heal in between - home the same day - the excruciating night time pain is gone im a lot better for the surgery
I was able to manage one handed aok and the hand healed pretty quickly so I’m sure I’d be able to manage unless u have a manual job
I have hasimotos and have had carpel tunnel in the past. I say past as I had it bothering me at night mostly some years ago. Dr switched my GERD medicine from omzeprazola to ranatadine and the problem just went away. I used to wear splints at night to stop the numbness etc, I haven’t used them in over a year. I have noticed a slight issue over the last week or so but it did occur at the same time as I ran out of a multi vitamin, back on it and it seems the issue has gone away again.
I was diagnosed hypothyroid after I visited the doctor with carpal tunnel. After I was on medication it went away, I know if I need an increase because it comes back.
I've had carpal tunnel for years and also have Hashimotos. I saw a doctor who does the surgery and she told me (after having nerve conduction testing) , that my symptoms were not yet bad enough for surgery. I get pain and numbness in hand with certain activities and also a lot of numbness especially at night if my hand is in certain positions. So at her suggestion I ended up have a "guided" cortisone shot (done with ultrasound) in my wrist and it helped tremendously. I've had several cortisone shots in my shoulder which were not pleasant but the shot in wrist did hurt a lot more. However, it was worth it in the long run. I think you would need to have nerve testing done to properly assess your condition. I do take many of the vitamins mentioned and it did not help the carpal tunnel but may work for some. I also wear a wrist splint to bed and during the day when it flares up. Good luck to you.
Yes I did have one of these tests but it came back negative. I have read that they are 50% accurate though. I had another raised level in my blood to indicate I have pernicious anaemia.
Many years ago (decades!). I went to a thyroid support group where we compared symptoms which doctors at the time denied were associated with thyroid. Nearly everyone had cold shoulder and another common symptom was like a rubber band round your wrist. I don’t know much about carpal but do know that my weight loss following a minor stroke in May (I’d already lost some weight but the stroke focussed the mind) has had a very positive effect on my overall health, knees and therefore getting exercise. Instead of that vicious circle of weight meaning you get tired and achey I can walk further and longer. So whatever do try to lose weight ...slowly.
Hello. One of most important things to check when you have thyroid problems is whether you are hypochlorhydric (having low stomach acid) as it's so common. You won't be able to absorb all the essential nutrients in food or supplements with low stomach acid.
I've been suffering ME/CFS for the past 35 years. I think my hypothyroidism has only appeared and crept up on me in the last few years, and all the the intervention since
(I've been taking all the recommendations by TPAUK and Thyroid UK plus either NDT or T3)
haven't made any difference to my wellbeing.
However, there are 2 important things I've learned (after reading about low stomach acid in Dr. Peatfield's book I tested myself. It's called the burp test. Easy to do. All you need is half teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and water. Instructions online). Cubital and carpel tunnel had been getting really bad. I took betaine hcl with peptin. Within 5 days the pain and numbness had reduced by three quarters. I cancelled the 2 ops I was due to have the following month. I'm glad I did as it's more or less normal now.
The other thing I found out was after going gluten and dairy free for over 3 months. The pain and dumbness returned, so I reintroduced dairy. Within 2 days of cheese and milk I was restored! I gave up on the gluten free as well since there's been no benefit.
I had carpal tunnel release surgery on one wrist (the worst one) years ago (around 1999). Before the op the surgeon said that, he had no idea why, but sometimes having one hand treated seemed to cure the other hand. This is exactly what happened to me, so I have never needed to have the second hand treated and, should I get any symptoms, they are very slight. True, the surgery takes a while to get over, but it was worth it in my case. If you have it done, do follow the instructions for recovery and don't do too much too soon. Good luck.
Hi, carpel tunnel is something I have also suffered with on and off for years with no formal diagnosis until recently.
In regards your question about weight loss, I am not sure if it would fall into the same category or not, but when I was fit and relatively well, prior to all my Thyroid problems I went to the gym 5-7 times a week. At this point I was much bigger, both muscle and fat and my carpal tunnel was much much worse. I would wake up every night with both arms from shoulder to fingertips being completely dead, no feeling at all, not even pins and needles.
I found that as soon as I stopped training and lost a lot of weight it did improve and it is not ever night I get it now. I am about 3 and a half stone lighter than I was when I used to have it every night, but I had convinced myself it was the reduction in muscle around my arms (but this really was just my theory, it could simply be the weight loss)
i suffered with dreadful carpel tunnel syndrome and I was also, at one time, almost three stone overweight. Then I discovered that I wasn't converting my T4 (levothyroxine) and I lacked T3. Because of my very low TSH, it seems my GP thought it was OK to completely ignore my below range T3 results
It took me two years to lose the excess weight, but my carpel tunnel symptoms miraculously disappeared within days! My depression, my memory and my cognitive ability all improved after the first wonderful dose.
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