approx 12 yrs my thyroid was removed and since then I have taken 150mg levroxine 4 days and 170mg on three days.
I suffer with numbness /‘pins and needles in my feet, and can relate this to having started some months after thyroid removal. Started with my toes, now affect both feet
I have had circulation checks in the past and all is good, just wondering if this is a by product of removal?
I request yearly blood tests, and am told all is ok, but I wouldn’t know what it should be as I wasn’t tested prior to removal.
My thyroid was removed as it was enlarged, whilst I was living in France .
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Little-biker
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So it reads as though you had a goitre, do you remember if you became hyperthyroid and told you have Graves Disease, or was it more a question of your breathing and eating becoming compromised ?
It reads as though you are being dosed and monitored on the yearly thyroid function test which is usually just a TSH reading and if you are in range no other blood test is run.
T4 - Levothyroxine is a storage hormone and needs to be converted by your body into T3 which is the active hormone that runs the body :
Your ability to convert T4 into T3 can be compromised by low levels of vitamins and minerals, especially those of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D, plus inflammation and any physiological stress ( emotionally or physically ) dieting, depression and ageing.
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you daily basis with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin plus a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg plus a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg.
Some people can get by on T4 only :
Some people find that T4 seems to not work as well as it once did and need the addition of T3 - to replace that lost by loosing their thyroid - making a T3/ T4 combo of medications :
Some people can't tolerate T4 an need to take T3 - Liothyronine only :
Whilst other people find their health better restored taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones of that of the human gland and derived from pig thyroids dried and ground down into tablets referred to as grains.
All these options were available on the NHS until around 20 odd years ago when options became whittled down, basically due to costs, and now your doctor can only prescribe T4 monotherapy and a referral to an endocrinologist is required if you wish to try an alternative treatment option.
Dosing and monitoring on just a TSH reading is not appropriate especially since you haven't a working thyroid and the next best thing you can do is arrange for full thyroid blood panel to include TSH, T3, T4, antibodies, inflammation, plus ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D .
If your doctor can't run these blood test for you there are companies who can and these are listed on the Thyroid UK website who are the charity who support this forum. and when you have the results you simply start a new post with the results and ranges and forum members will talk you through what it all means and of your next best step back to better health.
thyroiduk.org - where you can read around all things thyroid as well reading the posts on this amazing forum.
I'm with Graves Disease and had RAI thyroid ablation in 2005 and became seriously unwell around 8 years later and found myself on this site looking for advice and now try and give back where I can, as I'm truly grateful for the support I received and all I've learnt.
I was living in France, the local GP said I had an enlarged thyroid with polyps, his boating collgue was a specialist and decided to remove my thyroid, polyps were no cancerous, interestingly four other English ladies in the village had their thyroids removed, one was cancerous.I did not have any symptoms associated to my thyroid prior to my operation.
It's certainly not. Living in France, well it's one of the top Health Systems in the World. Same or next day appointments with the GP which always last around 20/30 minutes, wonderful.
I live in France and my thyroid was removed back in 2015. My GP sends me for a 6 monthly blood test for TSH, FT4, FT3 and Vitamin D. I receive the results the next day online. beforethat it was by post. You need to post your results on here for answers. I am prescribed T3
Cynomel which is made here in France. My medications are free because I have no thyroid.
You need to ask your GP about your blood tests and medication too.
Yes I actually have this issue that developed not long after my thyroidectomy and went to two neurologist and offered me nothing more the diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy with no known cause … still irks me.
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