I'm new. Need help PLEASE! : I was just in the... - Thyroid UK

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I'm new. Need help PLEASE!

Hey1975 profile image
19 Replies

I was just in the emergency room with terrible back pain similar to a kidney infection but without the infection. Terrible pain!! I am also having severe pain on the right side of my neck that's shooting pain up my jaw & ear & through out my head. I was told my TSH reflex was 29.277 and I have a mass in the area of my neck pain. So I'm told I have hypothyroidism but could anyone explain what is going on and what I'm looking at. I was given thyroid medication and started it this morning. This pain is overwhelming right now is that going to get better with this medicine? They gave me toradol for pain but told me to not be taking any nsaids so that's confusing. Toradol is an nsaid. Thank you so very much for any help & information. God bless.

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Hey1975
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Regenallotment profile image
Regenallotment

Goodness what a morning you have had, sounds very uncomfortable.

Other than the pain, could you describe other symptoms? Have you been suffering with fatigue?

It sounds like you need a full thyroid panel blood test (TSH, T4 and T3 to get a good view of what is going on).

Lumps can be goitres - so that might suggest Hashimoto's or autoimmune thyroid disease which can present as a very sore neck/thyroiditis. This is what I have.

You can request 'antibodies' to be tested on your blood test - if you have these then its a positive diagnosis of Hashimoto's. This really helped me get the right treatment and alter lifestyle and diet to improve my health.

Are you in the UK?

If so, take a look at Monitor My Health or Blue Horizon blood test websites, they will give you more info. You can have their doctor interpret your results too which can be helpful. These are a finger prick blood test you send off in the post. I have found them really valuable in understanding my condition.

Back pain - could be your adrenals - if this continues go back to A&E and mention adrenals as there are some nasty conditions that require hospital treatment linked to this and you'll need to be in the best place for those tests to be done. I'm no expert, this is just info I picked up while trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

Wishing you well, 🦋💚🦋

Hey1975 profile image
Hey1975 in reply to Regenallotment

Hi thank you so much for your reply. I've been to the ER 2 times this week alone. (No medical insurance) this visit was different my pain level was unbearable.. They sent me home 3 days prior with gastritis which wasn't even my issue. I'm just grateful for the help I was given finally. I've struggled with hypothyroidism since I was a teenager but had no idea what it was until recently. I've ALL the Hallmark symptoms but it's been a mix bag bc I also at times seem to have hyper symptoms as well. There's several autoimmune illnesses in my family but Thyroid issues are not one of them. So this is very new for me and I'm trying to learn with what little mush my brain still has after the major brain fog & forgetful memory issues. I'm from Texas but I've been reading posts from this community for a little while & many helpful folks it seems. (Just like you.) Thank you again. I've never actually posted anything before bc until midnight last night I hadn't been given any solid information. I'm trying to get medical assistance and go to a doctor. My life as of June 2022 changed in a blink of an eye. After 22 years together my husband walked out of our marriage and my life hasn't been the same & never will be. So for the last 5 months my life has been turned upside down. It's devastating and I'm so sick in every possible way right now. This is the first time I've actually said it out loud & I still can't wrap my brain around it. I'm sorry if I detoured from my original post. But I believe I'm actually more sick with all of this going on in my life. I'm completely alone. I don't have a support system or close friends in my life. I dedicated my whole life to my husband and my children. I didn't go out or do things outside of my family and home. If you hung around this long, I appreciate your time. I hope I didn't ruin your day & I hope your having a wonderful day. Thanks again.

Regenallotment profile image
Regenallotment in reply to Hey1975

Sending hugs, hopefully some of our lovely members from US will pitch in with local advice. We are a friendly bunch here.

Stress can be a trigger too.

Keep strong, rest up and ask what help you can get without insurance.

What a wonderful person to devote your life to your family, it sounds like it’s now your time to look after you.

Send more results when you get them back. Numbers and ranges.

🦋💚🦋

Brightness14 profile image
Brightness14 in reply to Hey1975

You are not alone you have all the helpful people on this site OK

Lulu2607 profile image
Lulu2607 in reply to Hey1975

Hi Hey1975. As others have said here, it's true that stress is a trigger for conditions that particularly have a genetic component and/or are autoimmune. It will take some time to identify and resolve your medical issues and maybe you can get some support for the emotional trauma you are feeling. People on here are incredibly supportive so never feel you are alone with your problems. Hope you feel better soon both medically and emotionally and hopefully some of the knowledgeable people on here will advise specifically on your thyroid problems. Take care.

Hey1975 profile image
Hey1975 in reply to Lulu2607

Y'all are incredible 💞 I am wiped out!! I'm overwhelmed!! Thank you so very much!!! XOXO Blessings

JerseyMiller profile image
JerseyMiller in reply to Regenallotment

Hi thereYou mentioned a link with adrenals, I've had similar pain the last few weeks which has so far not been explained with any tests. Can you give any more info on this/any links to read? I have an endo appointment Tuesday so might be worth me mentioning?

Thanks in advance

Regenallotment profile image
Regenallotment in reply to JerseyMiller

they are situated just above the kidneys, could be what’s causing the pain 🦋

humanbean profile image
humanbean

They gave me toradol for pain but told me to not be taking any nsaids so that's confusing. Toradol is an nsaid.

There is a limit to the number of NSAIDs that someone can take. Presumably you have been prescribed maximum dose and taking other over-the-counter NSAIDs on top would be dangerous.

There are a lot of drugs classified as NSAIDs, including aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. You can find a list here. I doubt it is complete. Also remember that drugs often have several names and the name used in particular circumstances may depend on where you live. :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonst...

Toradol (which I'd never heard of before) is also known as Ketorolac :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketor...

Please note that some (or all?) NSAIDs may cause major gut problems. I took ibuprofen in my 20s, didn't know I should be taking a PPI to protect my gut and ended up with a duodenal ulcer and gastritis. Aspirin and naproxen can do the same.

Please note that according to that link above :

Ketorolac is used for short-term management of moderate to severe pain.[1] It is usually not prescribed for longer than five days,[8][9][10][11]: 291  due to its potential to cause kidney damage.[11]: 280 

I hope you were given a Patient Information Leaflet by the hospital. If you weren't you can find one here :

medicines.org.uk/emc/files/...

humanbean profile image
humanbean

I was just in the emergency room with terrible back pain similar to a kidney infection but without the infection.

An obvious question, but I assume that you were checked for kidney stones?

...

I was told my TSH reflex was 29.277

TSH Reflex is a form of thyroid testing that saves the NHS money.

The lab tests the TSH. Depending on the level of TSH they may decide to test Free T4. Then depending on the result of Free T4, they may test Free T3.

So a complete Thyroid Function Test includes TSH, Free T4, and Free T3, but the labs have given themselves rules that allows them to test as few of them as possible. This is a "TSH Reflex" test.

...

With a TSH of nearly 30 there is no doubt that at the time of the test you were very hypothyroid.

A healthy person with a healthy thyroid would normally have a TSH of between 0.5 and 1.5, possibly a tiny bit higher. Doctors often work on the assumption that a high result could be just a blip due to a virus or some other temporary health problem so they may make patients wait to have a second TSH test in three months. But in your case perhaps the doctors decided there was no doubt and gave you a prescription for Levothyroxine.

...

What did the doctors say you should expect to happen in the next few weeks? Will they be doing biopsies of the mass in your neck, or checking your kidneys further?

...

humanbean profile image
humanbean in reply to humanbean

I've just realised you are in the USA not the UK. I don't think anything I've said only applies in the UK. If anything is confusing please let me know.

Welcome to the forum.

Hey1975 profile image
Hey1975 in reply to humanbean

Hi I'm sorry I have never posted before and I don't know how to check messages on here or anything. And I just posted basically the same question I think. I'm sorry. I am going to see another doctor this week in a few days so he told me to restart the levothyroxine right. He said my back pain could be from the high TSH it can affect the kidneys and other organs. So until next week I'm not sure really. I was taken off levothyroxine on Oct 22, 2022 bc my TSH was 1.7 and was having hyper symptoms. I didn't think it could go up that high in 26 days. They said it would take over 30 Days for the over medicated feeling to go away so I'm afraid something isn't right. But I don't know anything about this so that's why I'm here. Thank you for your help and your time. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

1tuppence profile image
1tuppence

Hello Hey1975

First and foremost, please know you are not alone.

You have found this forum, and we are your friends.

Sending love and hugs xxx

Hey1975 profile image
Hey1975 in reply to 1tuppence

Thank you so very much.

1tuppence profile image
1tuppence

Should you feel you'd like to Chat, please know you are welcome to do that. I live in the UK so time differences will affect response times.

Us Thyroid Folk walk this journey to well-ness hand in hand ...and we understand. xx

Hey1975 profile image
Hey1975 in reply to 1tuppence

I would very much like that. I appreciate it. I totally forgot about the time zone difference. Sorry. I hope I'm not disturbing you. I don't know what the time difference is where you are. Thank you.

1tuppence profile image
1tuppence in reply to Hey1975

No, you're not disturbing me.....I'd gone to bed, when you replied, and want you to know you can Chat whenever you feel the need/want...it's just that with time differences, I may not Chat back for a while :-) so, Good Morning.

Hey1975 profile image
Hey1975 in reply to 1tuppence

I completely understand. I hope you have a wonderful day., 😊

1tuppence profile image
1tuppence in reply to Hey1975

Thank you. I hope your day is going well, and you feel comforted to have found this oh so helpful forum. xx

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