Possibe thyroid disorder but blood tests are fine?!

[ShinyJabberwocky]

I've been having a few issues ever since November 2008 with my health, and all of them seemed to have started around the same time. The first kicker was my blood pressure: normally it was around 120/80, but when I would get nervous, it would jump to around 140/90. Nowadays my blood pressure during the day is between 150/90 to 160/100 although while lying down right after waking up in the morning, I've gotten it as low as 115/65.

My body temp has dropped recently as well. My normal body temp used to be 98.6 and getting a fever was around 100. Now my body temp is between 96.6 and 97, and getting a fever is around 98.6. I am also extremely tired during the day and have some serious fatigue issues. I'm also overweight and have noticed that, while I'm normally a warm guy, I have these periods of time where I'm cold. Even being slightly cold is abnormal for me and nowadays my wife is always asking me if I'm sick because I'm cold more often.

What makes the situation more believable is that both my brother and my father have a hypothyroidism. My brother has had his for awhile now (he's 25) and my father was just diagnosed last year with his (he's 55). I've been to the Endocrinologist and my blood work came back fine apparently but no other doctor can explain what is wrong with me. My pulmonologist thought I had very slight sleep apnea (possibly due to weight-related issues) but a CPAP machine makes things extremely worse.

Is there any reason to believe that I may have something wrong with my thyroid? I saw something on that Wilson's Syndrome but from what I've read, its bogus. Any other thoughts?

[MANmom]

My levels were all normal, I still felt crappy and later found out I had nodules...then cancer.  I had hot/cold flashes, tired, weight gain, loss, blood pressure spikes, joint pain, hair falling out.  Keep at it, thyroid disease also runs in my family.  My dad and two of my brothers (so far) have Hashimotos, I had Hashi's and cancer, my sister had the same cancer, another sister has nodules and Graves and is being watched.  I hope this helps.  

[ShinyJabberwocky]

I'm sure I have the lab results somewhere and that specific doctor does not work on Fridays so those results will have to wait until I get back from vacation.

@Barb135: I've been overweight ever since high school (I'm 28 now), and I've tried to lose weight but I just can't seem to get past a certain weight regardless of what I do. I'm 5'9" and I currently weigh around 225. Normal body weight for me should be AT LEAST 180. The only time I've ever gotten close to that number was when I hit 200lbs. and that was actually when I was sick and not eating much. Other than that, it doesn't really matter what I eat; I always gain some weight, even when I'm running every day or every other day.

I'll see what I can find on my results later today. Are headaches common with fatigue from hypothyroidism? I've noticed recently that I get these headaches that come and go fairly quick, but I can't ever remember having headaches like these when I was younger. Just curious. Thanks for the info guys!

[gimel]

We really need to look at the actual results and reference ranges from your lab tests.  The reference ranges are so broad that just being within the range doesn't mean that everything is "fine".  If you don't have the info, then please get a copy and post results.  The doctor is required to provide a copy upon your request.  It is always a good idea to get a copy of lab reports and write down on them how you were feeling at the time and what meds you were taking. These then become a very valuable reference for the future.

[Barb135]

Your body temp and fatigue are certainly indicative of thyroid issues.  Even though weight gain/inability to lose is a symptom, I can't say about yours, since you didn't say if you've always been overweight or just recently so (i.e. I gained 30 lbs in about 3 months - instant red flag for me, since I've been tiny all my life).  I will say that Wilson's Syndrome is not a "medically recognized" condition/disease; however, the symptoms are certainly important in relation to diagnosing hypothyroidism, since your thyroid controls your metabolism, heart rate, body temp, etc.

That said, can you post your actual thyroid lab results, along with the lab's reference ranges for each test that was done?  These ranges vary from lab to lab, so must come from your own report.  Just because your results fall into the "normal" category on the lab report, doesn't mean those numbers are normal for your body.  For instance, if your levels are at the very bottom of a range, you might benefit from a trial dose of thyroid med.  The only way we can help determine that is to know the exact numbers from your lab report.

If your doctor didn't give you a copy, they are obligated by law to give you a copy upon request.  You should always make sure you get copies of all lab reports, written recommendations, etc, each time, so you can keep a copy for your own records.  I have copies of all my labs for about the past 10-12 yrs; about a year ago, I changed my pcp and because I had all my labs and the printed "recap"/recommendations of each visit with my previous doctor, my new doctor didn't even have to contact my old doctor for my records.  

In addition, I wonder if they did antibody testing to confirm/rule out Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack and destroy the thyroid.  It's possible to have symptoms of being hypo long before the labs reflect it.  I suspect that I've had thyroid issues for at least the past 20 yrs, if not longer, but was only diagnosed a little over 2 yrs ago, because no one would ever test for it.  

I will say:  if you don't feel right, there's a reason for it, whether or not it shows up on the labs right now.  

Hope this helps.