I've been experiencing hypothyroid symptoms for a couple of years now. My TSH has been steadily creeping up, but so far has remained in the "normal" range when checked in my local surgery, around 3.4. I had some private tests done and my TSH was shown as 4.4 (June) and 5.9 (August). My second test also showed free T4 at 17.5 pmol/L and free T3 at 3.3 pmol/L. I'm thinking maybe I'm not converting T4 to T3 efficiently. My antibodies came back negative.
Has any of you been diagnosed with hypothyroidism with similar lab results? I keep getting fobbed off by my GPs but I know there's something wrong and I want to do something about it before its tool late.
To complicate things, I'm also menopausal and I know there's an overlap between thyroid symptoms and menopause symptoms. Many of my menopause symptoms have improved on HRT, so I'm thinking the ones that didn't could be thyroid related, such as:
- sensitivity to both hot and cold temperatures (I get really cold hands and feet even if the temperature drops just a little bit, but I can also easily get overheated, so problem with temperature control and circulation.
- widely fluctuating blood pressure - it can be as low as 106/66 one day and then a few days/weeks later as high as 170/100. I doesn't fluctuate on a daily basis but there are definitely random periods when it gets high for a while before settling down again. I'm on Ramipril 2.5 mg but I don't think it does anything to prevent the periodic highs. I don't know what causes these highs? Stress definitely can be a factor, but sometimes I'm totally stress-free and still have these episodes.
- tinnitus, which is more intense during the high blood pressure periods, but still happens when my blood pressure is low/normal.
- digestive issues/sluggish guts - chronic constipation despite a relatively good diet. The constipation even led me to develop SIBO last year. I can avoid the SIBO symptoms (stomach gurgling, excessive gas) by taking laxatives every other day to get things moving. Not ideal, but that's the only thing that works. Without using laxatives, I would have developed major bowel issues by now, I'm sure. This has been going on over a year now. Interestingly, my constipation improved temporarily when I started HRT, but now it's back to how it was before.
- eye floaters with flashes of light in my peripheral vision in dark conditions (possible PVD) - I had this checked out twice and they couldn't find anything - my vision is fine. Sometimes when I close my eyes I can see all sorts of patterns move around - it's very weird - could be a neurological problem?
As of late, I've also got oedema in my left leg - despite walking 5-6 miles almost every day. I've read somewhere that could also be a hypothyroid symptom.
Apart from these worrying symptoms, I've also had some negative blood test results that my GPs don't seem to be concerned about: abnormally high B12 levels (which could be attributed to either over supplementation or malabsorption), high MCH/MCV levels which could indicate macrocytic anemia (large blood cells) due to folate/B12 deficiency, high morning cortisol levels (632 nmol/L), rising LDL cholesterol despite a fibre-rich diet.
I also had blood sugar issues (frequent blood sugar crashes following blood sugar spikes) but these seem to have improved on HRT. I no longer have these crashes. I also used to feel nauseous after eating, but I no longer do.
I'm a healthy weight and most of the time I have plenty of energy to exercise daily (I walk a lot) - but sometimes when I overdo it, my energy levels crash and I have to lie down for a bit. It takes me a couple of hours to recover but then I perk up again. This makes me think adrenal issues, perhaps? I literally run out of energy.
Sorry for the long post - you can see why GPs don't have time to listen to us and I can't convince them that I am hypothyroid. Does anyone recognise these symptoms as hypothyroidism? Are there any supplements you would recommend that could help me? I'm already taking methylated form of vitamins and Q10, magnesium, pro-biotics, fish-oil with extra vitamin D and collagen. What else can I take that's available OTC?
Thanks for reading if you got this far!
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