Hi, I am post menopausal, 58 yrs old. For the last 18 months I have been struggling with pain in my neck/throat, left hand side, centred on thyroid area but radiates up into throat even ears and down into chest, so it has been hard to locate. Have been checked over by ENT and also had an endoscopy which ruled out problems with oesophagus etc. I have tried all sorts of solutions... have been prescribed antacids for GERD (didnt work), have tried antihystamines and changed bed clothes/diet in case of allergies (didn't work), drink lots of water, taken over the counter pain killers. Nothing touches it. However I am starting to wonder whether it might be thyroid related because of a whole range of other symptoms that appeared at the same time that I have been trying to manage separately and assumed were just 'growing-old-kind-of-stuff'. Most notably ... 1. HAIR - My hair dried/frizzed almost overnight, can't do anything with it, had to get it cut short in order to manage it. Itchy, tender scalp. A bit of hair loss around the edges. 2. EYES - sore puffy eyes, had endless visits to blepharitis specialist who cured low grade bleph (at a cost!) but eyes still sore and puffy 3. WATER RETENTION - in particularly legs, ankles 4. INSOMNIA Waking several times a night . And recently ... 5. CONSTIPATION - Gone from regular and loose to irregular and not loose. (sorry, too much info!) And there's all the 'usual' aching etc. Asked doctor to check thyroid levels and he did reluctantly but only TSH level which came out in 'normal' range (2.3)... Doctors all treat me like I'm an idiot/hyperchondriac and can't face hassling them further. Can't really afford to go privately so not sure what to do/where to go for a second opinion. Would happily buy over the counter NDT if it helped but not sure what brand/where to get it? Does anyone have any helpful advice? Forgot to say, my sister has hypothyroidism... and I suspect my mum might have been but was never tested.
Hypo symptoms but doctors unsympathetic - Thyroid UK
Hypo symptoms but doctors unsympathetic
Welcome to the forum menochar
So we can offer better advice, can you share blood test results (with ranges in brackets) for:
TSH
FT3
FT4
Plus any antibody and key vitamin tests (ferritin, folate, vitamins D and B12)
If your GP is unable to complete all the above (eg if TSH is within range, some surgeries may not be able to access FT4 and FT3 tests), you could look to do this privately, as many forum members do, for a better picture of your thyroid health:
thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...
Hi there, and thanks for replying so quickly. They didn't test for any of the above I don't think but I did have a (rather terse) conversation with my GP on Friday and she agreed to test my T4 levels. TSH was 2.4 I think. As I changed GPs recently haven't yet been able to get onto patient access so can't access the other results yet. Sorry, not very helpful
TSH should be under 2, but GPs will not offer any medication until it rises higher over repeated tests. Next time you test, ensure bloods taken before 9am, when TSH at highest. If you have family members with hypothyroidism, highly likely this is auto immune, so I would test for this. It is recommended to test key thyroid vitamins, as these support thyroid health; please don’t supplement without testing first.
Hm maybe I should get private blood tests then as I can't cope with the GP put downs tbh. Can you recommend any particular company for this from the many on your website? And the autoimmune thing makes sense as I have other autoimmune issues...
Thank you for taking the time to answer on this
In my first reply there is a link to private testing. Medichecks advances thyroid test/ Blue Horizon are popular choices. I always test my levels privately x 2 year using the finger prick test as this ensures I can monitor my thyroid bloods and key vitamins.
I have an account with medichecks so might go with them. Thank you! Just for info what sort of levels should I be looking for?
I would post the results when you get them in a new post. Even when results say normal or within range, these may not be ‘optimal’; we can then help you with ‘next steps’
Hi there. I’m not one of the experts round here by any means. But I do have something. Called Subacute Thyroiditis and it’s also known De Quervain’s Thyroiditis. You might want to look at that and consider speaking to your GP about it. I was very fortunate and caught mine quickly and then I was referred to an endocrinologist where I’m being closely monitored. If it does turn out to be that, the good news is it’s usually temporary albeit a horrible condition while you have it! Have a look into it and let me know if you have any further questions and I’ll try and help if I can.
Thank you (Joni fan I assume!)... I have read a little about that, it does seem to tie in with the pain in my neck although everything I read suggested it would go within a few months and I have had this for 18 months. I hoped when I metioned all my symptoms to the doctor(s... there have been several) that they might suggest it... am quite loath to tell doctors their job! What are the other symptoms if any of subacute...?
Big Joni fan here! Good spot. I diagnosed myself to be honest. There doesn’t seem to be too many conditions that cause pain in the thyroid. You’re right in that it does usually only last a few months but I’m on. A Facebook group for people with the condition and there are some in there in the same predicament as you. I think if I were you my next step would be to ask for an ultrasound as I think it has a particular look and could be diagnosed that way if it a still inflamed etc.. do you still have pain?
always, every day, although worse in the morning. I think I might go down the route of private blood tests first and then if something comes up go armed back to the doctor
Hi I had a similar problem and was unable to get treatment until my gp requested an antibody test which came back very high was started on Levothyroxine. I’m still struggling with some symptoms but it’s worth pushing your gp for this .
I’m not an expert but no this was a different to the serum test . It was Thyroid peroxidase antibody lev or TPO test .
Hi - I'm new to the forum but just a side note - have they checked your blood pressure? I'm early in my journey but I also had some ankle swelling and they checked my blood pressure and it was high (180/100). It was a total surprise to me. If you can't face going back to the GP, the home monitors are quite reasonable (I picked up an Omron for c. £50 but there are cheaper ones).
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested
Also both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once to see if your hypothyroidism is autoimmune
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum
Low vitamin levels are extremely common when hypothyroid, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease
About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease, usually diagnosed by high TPO and/or high TG thyroid antibodies
Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s
Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis.
Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.
Significant minority of Hashimoto’s patients only have high TG antibodies (thyroglobulin)
20% of autoimmune thyroid patients never have high thyroid antibodies and ultrasound scan of thyroid can get diagnosis
In U.K. medics hardly ever refer to autoimmune thyroid disease as Hashimoto’s (or Ord’s thyroiditis)
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test
This gives highest TSH and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
Post all about what time of day to test
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Testing options and includes money off codes for private testing
Medichecks Thyroid plus BOTH TPO and TG antibodies and vitamins
medichecks.com/products/adv...
Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes BOTH TPO and TG antibodies, cortisol and vitamins
bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...
Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.
Link about thyroid blood tests
thyroiduk.org/testing/thyro...
Link about Hashimoto’s
thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...
Symptoms of hypothyroidism
thyroiduk.org/signs-and-sym...
Tips on how to do DIY finger prick test
support.medichecks.com/hc/e...
Medichecks and BH also offer private blood draw at clinic near you, or private nurse to your own home…..for an extra fee
Come back with new post once you get results
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