Hashimotos symptoms

[Kersten]

Hi Everyone-

I posted previously about Hashimotos symptoms.  I have on and off neck pain under the right jawline up into the ear/teeth area.  It appears the lymph nodes are swollen in the neck on the right side, and also have a sore throat.  This will appear for about a week, and then go down for a couple and surface again.  Thoughts?  I've also had slight muscle twitches(no one else notices, but me) that come and go, muscle joint pains/aches in my fingers wrists, feet/ankles and tingling in hands/feet.

I had my thyroid checked the other day and the TSH was 3.8.  I'm currently on 150mcg. of Levothroid.  My cholesteral was good, but the LDL was 100 and the HDL was 50.  My LDL was higher than my good Cholesteral.  Overall total cholesteral was 166.

Could all this be contributing to symptoms and a simple dosage adjustment may be needed?  I'm finally going to an endo. tomorrow.  In the past has just had it managed through the Physician's assistant, but it just hasn't been going well.  Thoughts????

[Craniac3]

Forgive me if someone already told you this, but soy interferes with the absorption of your thyroid meds as well as being a goitrogen. You may get some more information about this if you look through the home page of your particular med. I know the Synthroid page mentions it.

[kvogel5]

Thanks for your advice.  I'm going to see an endo for the first time, although I can't get in to see him for a few months.  Will ask to be put on a low dosage of meds and hope for improvement!  It's all very frustrating.  It takes a lot of time to find a Dr. who will listen and care.  But I'm working on it.  Thanks again!

[LJ39]

Everything that I have read has said that you can have normal thyroid blood panel and still have thyroid disorder.You have elevated antibodies which I think is a huge indicator for thyroid problems.If you have a good GP or Endo they should put you on a trial of thyroid med's for 3 months and see how you feel.Also monitor your blood work every  6 week's.I am on lowest level of synthroid on a trial basis right now even though my blood work was in normal range .I have been on it for a few months and no significant improvement.I have heard it can take a long time to feel better even up to a year .If your Doc won't put you on med's find another Doc or Naturopathe. who will .Your family history is very telling as well.I would not give up on it.Good luck.


LJ39  

[kvogel5]

Hi all - I have a question for all you Hashimoto's sufferers.    Does anyone know if it's possible to have Hashimoto's disease even with a "normal" (less than 5) level of TSH?  

Both my mother and my grandmother have Hashimoto's, and both have been on synthroid for years.  When I complained of being so tired and of various other annoying health problems, they told me to get my thyroid checked.  My TSH was normal, but the antibody level was quite elevated.  However, the Dr. told me I didn't need meds since my TSH was below 5.  I've done some reading, and I think there are cases where people are suffering from low thyroid symptoms even though they test within the "normal" TSH range.  Should I just ask to be put on a low level of synthroid to see if that helps (if the Dr. would even agree to that)??  

[Kersten]

Thanks everyone!  It's very interesting about Soy.  Well, I had my ultrasound down on the thyroid as well as the soft tissues in the neck on Tuesday and it's now Friday and haven't heard anything.  I'm hoping no news is good news.  I would think if they found something that needed a biopsy or something else more serious I would have been notified already.  Who knows.  Thoughts?  I've been on the increased thyroid dosage for almost a week now.  My throat is not swollen and as sore anymore, so I'm hoping all is from thryroiditis and will settle down soon.  

[Newbee2000]

I also have hypo/hashi and suffer from tingling and numbness. Tingling started in my feet at the same time as other hypo symptoms. It later developed in my body. My tsh is down to 5.3 (from 11 in April), and body tingling seems to have stopped (for the most oart), but I still having tingling in my feet and numbness in hands (carpal tunnel). I'v been through numerous tests, and nothing else is wrong with me!!! I've been searching this forum and web for thyroid and tingling issues since April, and found others with thyroid problems who have neuropathy symptoms with no other disease/cause other than thyroid. While I strongly suggest that you take whatever scans and tests and labs your MD suggests, don't be surprised if like me (and others here) you discover than nothing else is wrong with you besides thyroid. Let us know what happens. Good luck!!!!!!

[danie17075rm]

Oh yeah.. just to mention something.  I stopped soy and all processed foods, and my goiter is SHRINKING.  I can actually breathe now.

[danie17075rm]

STOP the soy!  Its in everything by the way, so we consume so much that we do not know of.  I was a vegetarian since i was 13 (i'm now 28) and I strongly believe soy contributed to my large multi-nodular goiter and hashimotos.  There are numerous people that have also had this problem.  Soy is one of the top genetically modified foods, and I have to wonder how much they really tested that stuff.  Soy is a goitrogen, and can deplete iodine from your body.  It also has a big hormone effect on people.

[LJ39]

Yes I have heard of this.You might want to try to cut it out of your diet for a few months and see how you feel.Let me know how your results were from your scan.Waiting is hard .I remember waiting for mri results and I thought I was going to lose my mind!!hang in there.

LJ39

[Kersten]

Thanks for the words of encouragement LJ39!  I had my scan yesterday (8/21) so I'm just waiting for the results now.  I guess we will see what happens.  I think the waiting is the worst part.  I don't know if anyone has heard this, but I have been eating soy products on an off lately.  I read that it can cause tissue swelling in the mouth, throat, etc if you have an allergy.  If they don't find anything medically wrong, I'm wondering if I have a soy allergy.  Anyone heard of this?

[LJ39]

I have heard that thyroiditis can cause fluctuating swelling of your thyroid gland.Try not to stress  80% of what we worry about is for nothing.(that is an actual stat) I have a client that has suffered from thyroiditis and suffers pain and swelling and Dr. could not feel any nodules but detected them with scan.Hang in there.You will be O.K. don't freak out you will make yourself sick.When do you have your scan??

LJ39( Leanne )

[Kersten]

Thanks all for your information.  It's good to hear I'm not alone with how I feel.  I saw an Endocrinologist last Friday and am worried.  She said she didn't feel any nodules in my thyroid, but is still sending me for a Thyroid ultrasound as well as an ultrasound of the soft tissues in the neck due to the fact that I have pain under my jaw bone.  Sometimes, I think I feel something there, but I'm not sure if it is a swollen lymph node or a growth, etc.  Of course I'm freaking out now!  My whole neck is just swollen and I feel like I have to lead weights on both sides of my neck.  It's weird, because it will feel terrible, and then later in the day seem like it is going down, etc.  She did increase my Levothroid dosage to 168mcg. so maybe I will see some relief.  She truely believed I was suffering from thryroiditis from the delivery of my baby in February, but wanted to ensure we are not missing anything so we are running those tests.  I'm more nervous about the Soft Tissue ultrasound.  Can Thyroiditis cause swelling, pain and inflammation in the neck area?  Thoughts anyone?

- Kersten

[LJ39]

I just wanted to mention that your tsh is still pretty high,you will probably need to be closer to .1 or .2 I know people that have not felt better until levels were at the very low end of normal range.5 to .1 larger dose of synthroid would probably be really beneficial.

LJ39

[LJ39]

I was treated for hyperfunctioning large toxic nodule on my thyroid in Jan of this year,with rai therapy and I became slightly hypothyroid .I have all the same symptoms you have but I also have burning sometimes and ulnar nerve pain around elbows tingling numbness in hands and feet EVERY DAY horrible pain for six months.am on Armour now for 2 months and my levels are completely normal .1 tsh and hoping symptoms will improve.Best of luck to you I can sympathize with all these weird sensations!!
LJ39

[Nurseynurse714]

P.S.- my TSH just this week prior to starting the synthroid was 3.75. I'll be curious to see the sx resolve as he adjusts my synthroid.....

[Nurseynurse714]

Hi Kersten,
I as well have Hashimoto's...... just started synthroid 2 days ago (75 mcgs). I have had every single symptom you mention plus recurrent pain behind the eyes that usually presents w/ the ear/teeth pain thing. Like you, these symptoms are there for a few days and then go away only to return. The joint pain typically comes and goes as well in various locations--- all except the thumb joints..... that pain is constant and doesn't go away. I asked the endo just this week if these sx were related to the Hashi's or the goiter and he says could be, but not the eye pain. A lot of the other Hashi-related posts on here mention the exact same symptoms so I am thinking it must be related. One post mentioned that the sx subsided once the woman was on therapeutic doses of synthroid.....Maybe you do just need your dose tweaked upward. Here's to hoping that that is the case! Let us know what comes out of your endo visit. Take care ~