myxedema skin pinch test

[Femme1]

Just found this info on the internet, is this accurate? I watched a vid on youtube with this guy who could pinch a small mound of flesh/skin on his arm, yet his hypo wife could not because the flesh was too firm/swollen/thick? I have tried this on my arm and cannot pinch any loose flesh or skin because the arm flesh feels to thick all over. Does anyone know if there is any truth in this? I'm going bleary eyed with all of this research lol

[Femme1]

Hmmm not sure how accurate this may be as my husband and daughter cannot achieve this too easily either, my daughter is a similar build to me 12/14 but my husband is very tall and very slim and thus not likely hypo so not sure now. Ah well, was interesting at least!

[helvella Administrator]

There is some truth.

Myxoedema is non-pitting swelling. It occurs when an excess of mucin builds up. And that occurs due to being hypothyroid.

Pressing with finger or thumb and it resists and does not take an imprint.

What you cannot do is make any assumptions about current thyroid hormone levels. It takes quite some time for mucin to build-up; it takes more time for mucin to disappear. So the thyroid hormone levels could be higher or lower than you'd expect.

Rod

[Hidden]

Previous blog here, it's extra mucin common in various connective tissue disorders & hypoT.

thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...

the skin should have elasticity....

I've just been reading Broda Barnes' book too (1976) about diagnosis before blood tests. I wonder why the obvious basal temperature test was/is ignored too, funny that, as it is so inexpensive (as we can do it ourselves). J

[Hidden]

Hi, When I first visited Dr S he pinched my wrist, I thought it was weird at the time! I can't lift any of my skin up, anywhere on my body. There is a solid pad attached to it, I know it's mucin, and I believe it can be an indicator of how long you've been bhypo.

[Femme1]

I can't be that bad then because I can pinch a small amount on my wrist, cannot get any above elbow though :/

[pinpink]

Well I asked everyone I saw today (6 people) if I could pinch their skin as part of an experiment. They all 'willingly' obliged and I could definitely tell the difference between my skin and theirs. I raised this symptom at my last endomappt and was told it was all weight related!!

[Hidden in reply to pinpink]

I'm in shock at the ignorance

[Bluewren in reply to pinpink]

I can't pinch anywhere except the tops of my hands. I am actually clinically underweight.

[pinpink]

Hi,

I couldn't believe it either! I am on 75mcg of levo and 20mcg T3 and was still complaining of symptoms but was told it's all weight related. When I said that I have tried to lose weight but can't I was told "it's not rocket science you need to consume less calories" - oh so helpful !

[Cheerfulone]

Hi pin pink

I am officially on 75 micrograms too. Sometimes I have been on 100 mcg, tend to get hyper (ish) on that. I have never been on T3 so this is interesting to me. Also I have never seen an endocrinologist ever. It is food for thought. Speaking of which, I could keep my weight within reasonable bounds until I got hypothyroid 18 years ago. Perhaps endocrinologists only operate in cities, I now live in a small town. I think there is blunting of feelings too in this condition. Stay lucky Cheerful one

[Pinchme12]

A guy actually told me he can’t pinch me anywhere. It was kinda an awkward moment the more I thought about it the more I realized I couldn’t pinch myself either, he was right . I went to a endocrinologist a few years ago and she said just loose weight exercise more because there’s nothing wrong with my thyroid. I thanked her for being more clever than Sherlock 🕵️‍♂️ Holmes. Who knows, I probably won’t find out in this lifetime.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Pinchme12]

It is good to see people reading posts from many years ago.

If you want any responses, I suggest that you write a brand new post. Responses on old posts tend to get missed!