I have only one side thyroid gland (believed to be by birth, though I am not convinced).
A recent thyroid ultrasound report stated vascular abnormalities, not expanded on.
Having read up a little often a lot of literature online says frequently relates hyperthyroid. A study revealed that often hormone bloods came back as normal with the vascular abnormalities.
Has anybody on here been found to have vascular thyroid abnormalities? If so what further tests were needed? Outcome etc? Who did you see? What scans etc?
I’m hoping others can enlighten me as I know my GP will be totally useless with this. My thoughts are I should be referred to an Endocrinologist. So far just a suggestion of standard hormone bloods which I’ve read aren’t fully appropriate and often come back as normal.
Xx
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Confused01
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Stop any supplements that contain biotin 5-7 days before any blood test
all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
List of private testing options and money off codes
I can get bloods done by a qualified best friend. On that basis which particular full testing would you recommend/suggest. Bear in mind this isn’t my forte 😬so a bit lost on sorting this. One company for all preferred.
I’ve had ultrasound and MRI, the ultrasound contradicted the MRI and I was told nothing to worry about. Despite lots of scary sounding words that didn’t google well.
In my area it’s ENT who interpret the reports for thyroid scans, maybe ask for an NHS referral to Ear Nose and Throat.
For peace of mind lots of us spend £30 a couple of times a year and do a finger prick blood test that shows up more that what the GP can do. I’ve used Medichecks and also Monitor my health both are online.
If you do that amd make a new post with the results numbers and the lab ranges people will help you learn how to interpret your own results.
Combining this with your scan information will really help you understand what is going on.
I used to have yearly nuclea scans after I was found to have one sided thyroid with the one sided thyroid discomfort and on off swelling, and a lot of other symptoms. My new GP a few years ago stopped all checks saying it’s fine. So a long time without. With a half thyroid I was told previously that regular checks are important as can be more prone to issues, changes.
I have very spasmodic episodes of feeling dreadful, brain fog, mood swings (poor partner !) daily along with chronic fatigue, eye pressure, headaches, bradycardia/fast heartbeating (cardio diagnosed) , sweating, poor sleep, gastro, and more. I can go from normal self to super fast change suffering . I wonder if it’s hormone rushes.
The thyroid vascular abnormalities just picked up on a neck us for something else.
Ah I see, so the symptoms you mention can be related to thyroid, can be other things too, many of us have complicated mix of hormone changes, and other conditions, it can be tricky unpicking it all,
I would ask the GP to do a thyroid test on you, but bear in mind they'll only test TSH and maybe T4 (that often depends on the lab or whether your TSH is out of range). The TSH is a pituitary hormone that signals the thyroid to make FT4, If its low, thyroids can make too much, making us feel jittery, if its high they can make too little making us tired and sluggish. With half a thryoid who knows what signals its getting and what it is making. If the GP is willing, ask them to do your thyroid antibodies as well, it could be you have autoimmune thyroid disease, called Hashimoto's, lots of us here have it. GP will only do TPO antibodies but there are others.
Gut health issues common in auto immune conditions, maybe talk to the GP about coeliac testing if you aren't already gluten free.
So... as your GP probably won't test properly, if it were me I'd do a private test. These are the ones I have used.
Monitor My Health thyroid check with a finger prick and send it off in the post, this company is actually an NHS lab in Devon (Exeter Hospital) and they do private work, so if the GP is snooty you can explain its still NHS, when I did this my GP put my results on the system. her end. Again this will give you TPO antibodies too. I just double checked their site, the do:
Thyroid test of TSH FT4 FT3 for £32
or
Advanced Thyroid TSH FT4 FT3 TPO Andibodies for £42.
Medichecks do a test with the TgAB antibodies so better value maybe but not an NHS lab, but a private one, they have had some bad press as one of their machines wasn't working a while back but they assured us that it is all fixed. now.
Thyroid Function Test TSH, FT4 FT3 £45
Thyroid Function with Antibodies TSH, FT4 FT3 TPO and TgAb £65
Advanced Thyroid Test (all of the above with vitamins too) £86
Both companies give discounts with the code ThyroidUK10 and if you wait till Thursday Medichecks often has a 20% off day.
Was your neck scan about soreness/throat issues? I may be off track here, but Silent Reflux is common with hypothyroidism, I had scans and a camera up my snorkel to investigate and couldn't believe it when they explained, here is a post about my most recent visit to ENT, seems like a lot of people with thyroid conditions have this too.
Post again when you have test results, it will be interesting to see if we can tie those symptoms of yours to how your thyroid is perfoming. At least you could rule that out then.
You probably already read about this, but just in case.... if you get a thyroid blood test, try and get it as early in the morning as possible (when TSH is likely to be higher) not easy in reality, the earliest one I could get recently was 10.15 and that was 2 weeks in advance, but hey ho. Don't eat breakfast beforehand, don't take any supplements that contain biotin for 3-5 days in advance.
I also have a pituitary adenoma and previously dangerously low cortisol levels. That with half a non surgically removed, half thyroid seems to make Dr’s shrink away.
Yep, GP only seem to do three hormone bloods, one is b12, where I am. Generally back as normal, but I know they aren’t enough for the full picture and as good as the second the blood is drawn (my symptoms are all over the shop tbh). They seems to have restrictions put on them by our nhs labs. Also very low knowledge about.
The recent USound was done to check saliva glands, and picked up vascular abnormalities. GP has just been asked to do some bloods, nothing else and they don’t even have the report…I will push for Endo referral.
You’re in a double bubble situation too 😲. Has your symptoms been successfully treated?
Endocrinology is a hard one to self learn about, but the more I learn the more I am unlikely to allow being fobbed off. Fobbed off being something going on for a very long time.
By following the advice here yes, I did all of what Slow Dragon advises and by monitoring my thyroid blood tests and vitamins I am much better than I was. 🌱
Frequently necessary to improve low vitamin levels
When hypothyroid we develop low stomach acid this leads to poor nutrient absorption and low vitamin levels as direct result (regardless of how good or bad your diet is)
Low vitamin levels tend to lower TSH
ALWAYS test early morning around 9am and only drink water between waking and test ….to get highest TSH
I have vascular abnormalities in my thyroid. It means the tissue has degraded from autoimmune attack. On the scan it looks like cheese holes in the tissue. if it hasn’t already then will at some point stop producing enough thyroid. You need tests, as everyone has said above, to see what your thyroid is currently producing
I've got Hashimotos disease which is an autoimmune attack on the thryoid. The symptoms are those of hypothyroidism, fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, poor kidney function, brain fog, water retention.
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