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Intermittent Swelling of Thyroid
Dear Doc,
I am so frustrated and I dont' think I am asking the right questions to get the help I need. I was a beautiful, fit and very health conscious woman. I stayed thin and active all of my life. It all changed when I married and wanted a family. We had eight miscarriages and one still born child and then everything with my body changed. It took me three years to get the diagnosis, I have PCOS and Hashimoto's. It took me five doctors to finally have someone who believed me and took me seriously about the symptoms. I had explained I was concerned about the choking and sudden truncal weight gain. I went from being 120 pounds to 172 in only a few months without eating irresponsibly. I had to endure the comments like put the fork down, go exercise. I starved myself out of fear of becoming obese. To add to this trouble, I am also a military wife, we move frequently and now I have lost my wonderful Endocrinologist who closely monitored the condition, TOOK ME SERIOUSLY, and LISTENED. He told me that my thyroid would have to be removed. It swells, and the swelling comes and goes. Its quite uncomfortable and makes me crazy. Its like having a very tight collar on. It is great when it goes down. We were changed to a new duty station. This time I have a doctor who is not listening to me. He seems to feel that because I am a nurse, my head is loaded with extra information and does not take my concerns serious. I hate this swelling. Its so uncomfortable. I want the thing out so I can live normally. Additionally, the levothyroxine is not working. I am exhausted all the time, forgetful, if allowed to, I would sleep 12-14 hours, I have strange joint pain stiffness, have dark spots above my upper lip and most importantly to me, my sex drive is gone, and for a marriage that can be trouble, despite not eating, except for once per day and running around 12 hour shifts at work, no weight is being lost around my waist. The primary has since put me on provigil so that I can perform my duties at work, awake. What can I do to get help? I hate this so much. I get very anxious and frustrated whenver I go into any doctor's office now. I just want the swelling to go down and to have "my old self" back again. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I am so frustrated and I dont' think I am asking the right questions to get the help I need. I was a beautiful, fit and very health conscious woman. I stayed thin and active all of my life. It all changed when I married and wanted a family. We had eight miscarriages and one still born child and then everything with my body changed. It took me three years to get the diagnosis, I have PCOS and Hashimoto's. It took me five doctors to finally have someone who believed me and took me seriously about the symptoms. I had explained I was concerned about the choking and sudden truncal weight gain. I went from being 120 pounds to 172 in only a few months without eating irresponsibly. I had to endure the comments like put the fork down, go exercise. I starved myself out of fear of becoming obese. To add to this trouble, I am also a military wife, we move frequently and now I have lost my wonderful Endocrinologist who closely monitored the condition, TOOK ME SERIOUSLY, and LISTENED. He told me that my thyroid would have to be removed. It swells, and the swelling comes and goes. Its quite uncomfortable and makes me crazy. Its like having a very tight collar on. It is great when it goes down. We were changed to a new duty station. This time I have a doctor who is not listening to me. He seems to feel that because I am a nurse, my head is loaded with extra information and does not take my concerns serious. I hate this swelling. Its so uncomfortable. I want the thing out so I can live normally. Additionally, the levothyroxine is not working. I am exhausted all the time, forgetful, if allowed to, I would sleep 12-14 hours, I have strange joint pain stiffness, have dark spots above my upper lip and most importantly to me, my sex drive is gone, and for a marriage that can be trouble, despite not eating, except for once per day and running around 12 hour shifts at work, no weight is being lost around my waist. The primary has since put me on provigil so that I can perform my duties at work, awake. What can I do to get help? I hate this so much. I get very anxious and frustrated whenver I go into any doctor's office now. I just want the swelling to go down and to have "my old self" back again. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Travel to a good doctor if that's an option and get your thyroid removed. Persist! It's not in your head like some docs may imply. Also, incase get your parathyroid level and blood calcium level check. I say this because some of what you described sounds like it may also be that. Don't take most doctor's word for it on the parathyroid and don't trust them on any surgical advise/intervention. Trust me! Check your lab tests on parathyroid/calcium tests with Norman Parathyroid Center's Website. Diagnosis of that is tricky, so go right to their site for best information. Rule it in or out. If you have it get a bone density scan. Also the only test to maybe view the parathyroid's is the sestamibi scan. All other tests are worthless for that. Check first whether that test can make the thyroid act up any worse than it already is as I'm unsure of that. Best to you in the future.
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