Hi.
I'm 55, female, perimenopausal.
I was diagnosed with Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in 2016 aged 46. No radiotherapy/chemo but lots of surgery.
In the middle of this, I had a thyroid goitre appear, seemingly from nowhere.
It was reviewed on US as slightly swollen thyroid lobes with multi nodular goitre partly cystic tissue with peripheral halo and perinodular vascularity.
At the time my TSH was 0.46 (0.2-4.5l
T4 - 13 (9-24) no further testing done.
I've been fatigued since then with increasing tiredness, weakness, anxiety, poor sleep, pee'ing constantly etc. In recent years my heart rate has been elevated.
It was assumed that my symptoms were perimenopausal and as I was trying to avoid HRT there didn't seem much to be done.
My TSH has been tested annually since and it has remained close to the bottom of the ref range but always within it. The goitre disappeared in a few months.
From January this year I felt worse and worse, the fatigue, anxiety and overwhelm were such that I was close to giving up work.
In desperation I started HRT at the end of May. I had 7 glorious weeks where I felt fantastic and the majority of my symptoms resolved. I had energy!
Then many but not all of the symptoms returned. I'm reasonably sure I'm absorbing the oestrogen and the level is OK. There are improvements and some symptoms have reduced but the fatigue, elevated heartrate returned as did the thyroid goitre in August.
It started off being left-sided again but has continued to grow and there is now swelling on the right.
This was reviewed on US last week, I'm awaiting the report but again it sounds similar, multi nodular goitre with cystic tissue and vascularity. Nothing sinister seen.
The ENT specialist isn't interested in thyroid function. He did though say that he thought there might be an autoimmune element and potentially the tissue in the nodes is producing thyroid hormone.
THS early September- 0.27 (0.27-4.2)
T4 late September - 17 (12-22)
(Can't get T3 tested)
So, sorry for the long history, I've tried not to miss anything
I was thinking that my symptoms are consistent with hyperthyroidism? But then I read about Hashimoto's and that all looks very familiar but seems to point at hypo?
Having read this forum (thank you!) and some advice on a meno forum, I'm going to do the Medichecks Advanced Thyroid panel with vitamins and antibodies and see what that shows.
I've found a decent GP who has said that once we were clear that the goitre was benign they she'll do an endo referral.
I'm so confused and would value any insight anyone might have or advice on how to move forward. I really want to feel better.
Thanks