I’m wondering if anyone can help or share some of their wisdom. I’m currently diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disorder, I take 175 of levothyroxine daily.
Of late I have been getting random flushing approx 20-30 minutes after eating . I would feel shaky, very cold and need to lie down. Sometimes these episodes last 20 minutes sometimes longer . I contacted my doctor who checked my blood sugar, thyroid, full blood profile all is norma). When I asked for Readings and ranges I the receptionist said I didn’t know how to read so why did I want them ( tbh I was slightly taken aback so I didn’t ask anymore questions ) . The thing is it’s not getting any better I’m feeling constantly cold, my hands and feet are always cold and on Saturday I ate a ham salad sandwich and within 20 minutes I started feeling shaky, very flushed in the face , out of breath , cold and I needed to take a drink of cordial and lie down .
I have put on weight during lockdown, I still go out walking and I am active but despite eating less calories my weight is still increasing.
I have been trying to keep a record of the foods I’m eating and the common thread appears to be when I eat a heavy carb meal , eg pasta, risotto, potatoes or bread the flushed face, shaking is worse.
Any advice would be great , this is getting me very down especially when I constantly told I can’t be cold or put more layers on or it’s the change 😓.
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Hamer5
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When I asked for Readings and ranges I the receptionist said I didn’t know how to read so why did I want them
That is absolutely none of her business! How dare she ask such a question! And, the answer is: because they are mine and the law says I'm entitled to have them. Plus, you do know how to interpret them - at least, you will when the people here have explained them to you - probably better than your doctor. Doctors have very little idea how to interpret blood test results, anyway.
But, if you don't want to get into all that, just say that you want them for your own records. Don't allow her attitude to put you off.
you might be interested in this post ... at least so you know it's 'not just you' healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... .... i had a similar 'cold after eating' thing for years , but unfortunately i don't yet know what caused it , or why it stopped.
Re. the receptionist... how very dare she .
You have a right to see your blood test results. as long as a Doctor has seen them first. and that 's all there is to it. The easiest answer is " for my records", but actually they should not even ask for information like that.. (something to do with not being allowed to collect information without recording it.)
Please don't let that attitude put you off calmly continuing to ask for the information you require.. i suspect that 's exactly why some of them do that.... they know it puts you off continuing.
There is absolutely no need for that attitude of superiority, you are just as capable of understanding them as the Doctor, it's really not rocket science.
Obviously, there IS a sensible reason for them being told not to give results out before a Dr has seen them, ie. you don't want them telling people they've got something terminal before the doctor has discussed it with the patient, and so i do understand why some receptionist's are probably scared of getting this wrong, when they themselves don't understand the results they are looking at.... but that is really not relevant in a situation where routine monitoring of thyroid blood results are concerned and where someone simply wishes to take an informed role in joint decisions about their care. ( just as diabetics do every day)
So ask again, and if you get the same attitude just ask to speak to someone in charge, they usually back down and suddenly 'remember' that they are allowed to give you your results once they realise you are sure of your fact's.
It helps your confidence if you understand exactly what you are asking for, so in case you aren't already clear i'll put a list :-
Thyroid Function Tests (TFT's )
Test ..................................................................result [range]
TSH ( Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) .... 0.0 [?-?]............ always done, its a signal from the pituitary to the thyroid , to ask for more/less thyroid hormone. (higher number = more please)
fT4 (free T4/ free thyroxine).....................0.0 [?-?] ......... sometimes done, T4 is they storage form of thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid , and also what Levothyroxine gives you.
fT3 (free T3 )...................................................0.0 [?-?] ........... unlikely to have been done , but ask. T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone, produced by the thyroid, and also converted in the body from T4.
TPOab (Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies).... 0.0 [<?] ..... Used to diagnose the cause of hypothyroidism as Autoimmune . often only done once, at diagnosis. Rarely repeated.
TGab ( Throglubulin antibodies)... 0.0 [<?]...... Occasionally used instead of TPOab
Thanks, as a rule I tend to stay away from bread, white rice, pasta etc but of course I thought I wasn’t overdoing it just having two slices of bread ! However, I really felt unwell I was out walking with my husband when it started to happen and I suppose I felt scared and wanted home. I was clammy , flushed yet freezing and shaking.
This has happened before on several occasions one notable time was when I ate red pepper risotto. I don’t take dairy so there was no butter, cheese or cream added, basically garlic, red pepper, vegetable stock and arborio rice. I remember having to excuse my self from the table and go into the lounge because the inside of my body was shaking and I felt sick.
I have put on a lot of weight from lockdown (5 stone) and my diet hasn’t changed that much other than not attending the gym on a daily basis. However , I go out walking twice a day.
I had my breakfast today @ 7 which was a greek fat free fage yoghurt ( natural), I had a cup of green tea at break around 11am and at 12:15 I could feel the shakes starting again. I wasn’t hungry but I new I had to eat something if that makes sense, but I’m scared thinking if I eat is this going to happen again.. so I had a chicken salad no dressing at 1pm. It’s now 2:15pm and the shaking has stopped and I feel clearer ( I sound crazy but it’s like I get irritable and brain fog.🤷♀️
I would ask the doctor to test your fasting insulin and glucose to see if there’s any signs of insulin resistance - quite possible if your weight is on the higher side.
Another thing to consider is a continuous glucose monitor which tracks your sugars - about £70 for 2 weeks. Cheaper to get a finger prick glucose monitor and use it before and after eating to see how your blood sugars are after eating different things.
You could ask to be referred to a diabetes clinic for further investigations, you may have to tell your GP how difficult the symptoms are and how they disrupt your life.
In the past I ate a high carb diet I would often fall asleep during the middle of meetings at work - I was not in any way sleep deprived. Doctors suspected sleep apnea, but it was simply too much carbs in my diet.
Hi Hamer I get the same - maybe not as bad as you (light palps and feel flushed after heavy meals, need a 20 min lie down) . I feel it's related to how much Thyroxin and Natural Desiccated Thyroid I've been taking. (I self medicate and normally run pretty high levels). Maybe drop down 50mcg for a few days and see if it helps. If that dosnt work, go up 25 and see if it gets worse - just for a few days. Thyroid very much regulates your temp. Not enough I get cold, even with 3 blankets on and my temp will actually be 34.5 -35C. Too much and I get flushes, clammy cold feet and weird tingles, particularity on Thyroxin.
The blummin cheek of that receptionist! How can she know what you can and can't interpret? Stand your ground being polite but firm and always get a print out, not numbers scribbled down that risk omitting important info.
Could your reactions be due to gluten or dairy?
Also, being under medicated can inflame our immune responses. For instance too much histamine can induce weird reactions. If you get your results, post with ranges (numbers in brackets) for members to comment.
I have something similar happen to me after I’ve eaten carbs, I think it’s the drop in blood sugar but I’ve not asked the dr regarding it. I bought a blood sugar monitor but I’ve never been able to get a reading, it always say not enough hemocrit or something similar. I’m not sure of your age or if male or female but my symptoms have come on since being menopausal, have you noticed anything similar?
I had something like that along with what felt like mild pins and needles in my stomach. I thought it might be caffeine but, looking at a couple of the other replies, it could be carbs. I'll monitor it a bit more.
I have had the same after eating, always related to digestion being compromised by my Hashimoto's /thyroid disease.
Proteins seem to be a big trigger, proteins with carbohydrates even more so.
Much improved from being gluten free, optimally medicated (hard to achieve all the time)Have a look at Chris Kresser website and his take on Thyroid/Gut /Immune axis, if any one of these is out of alignment then the other two are effected.
The game changer for me was checking my B12 levels were high end of the range (see Paul Robinson site) that i take a small amount of Betaine and a small amount of Digestive Enzymes.
When it happened or happens to me 20 -30 mins after a food is consumed, i know that either im not optimally medicated or my Betaine, Enzymes or B12 are out of balance, and that my stomach bag and small intestines are not happy about this.
Sometimes i would feel hot, or cold, or shaky with a whizzy head.
Keeping a diary of times and foods helped, also have ended up using the FODMAP protocol mostly, the original work from Stanford research Australia which you can print off for free.
I know its not a pleasant feeling and other people cant understand how the sensation pops up so quickly after eating,try not to be afraid and view it as your body is protecting you and giving you information that needs addressing.
Thank you to everyone who has replied, I’ve called the doctors to ask for an appointment, I will get a call on Thursday morning as they are booked out from now until then. Fingers crossed this won’t happen again although it did today ( see post reply to Gcart). I’m scared to eat in case of a reaction. 🤦♀️
Why not just reduce your carbs for now and eat more healthy stuff like veg and salad with a little protein. One piece of bread instead of 2, or more veg but less rice/pasta.
I say that because it’s better to bring your sugar and insulin down naturally rather than resort to drugs like metformin and their side effects. Ultimately doctors will prescribe drugs but if you can manage without them then that’s better.
Hi Hamer5Did you ever sort this out? I've been having a hot flush 1.5 hours after eating. Only lasts a minute or so but wondered if it was a blood sugar peak, apparently it peaks 90mins after food. Our endocrine system is out of wack with being hypothyroid so just wondering if this has something to do with the flushing.
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