So scared

[nygrl]

Hi. I have made several posts lately about what I thought were panic attacks. Now I'm not so sure .I've had several episodes now where I get uncontrollable shaking and almost shivers and have a horrible time sleeping over the last week.  I just start to doze off and I startle awake or my muscles tense up. My Dr did blood work and my TSH came back at 8. Back in August I was at .3.  I dont' know about t3 or t4, but she ordered another test because I insisted there must be some mixup.  She also felt a goiter in my thyroid...I don't know what she's talking about, since I don't feel my thyroid often.  I have an ultrasound today. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos about 10 years ago and my thyroid has been pretty stable since then. I don't understand what is going on..I feel like I have hyperthyroid symptoms with the anxiety and shaking, yet with my TSH being high that seems impossible.My periods have suddenly gotten irregular..one month 25 day cycle and the next was a 30 day cycle. I am concerned that maybe its a pituitary tumor or something. Does anyone have any ideas on what could be going on ? Is it possible for thyroid to suddenly fluctuate like that?  Is it possible to have anxiety and by hypo?  I feel like I'm dying here. I'm so scared, so tired, have no idea what I'm going to do. My Dr. wanted to just put me on antidepressants but I feel like I need to figure out what's wrong with me.  Any thoughts?

[nygrl]

Thanks for all your input goolarra. I'm at least convinced that I'm not gonna die today. :) I requested a referral to a endo today. I really hope that my Dr. will cooperate. She obviously has no idea what to do and will probably be glad to get rid of me. What does a Dr do to resolve the situation if they are unwilling to add in T3?  Just let it go? Or do they continue boosting your Synthroid dose?  So, adding additional Synthroid can't cause hyper symptoms right?  My Doc said thats why I should go back to the 150 ...because I can't sleep, but if my body is low on T3, that seems unlikely. I know I have so many questions. I just really need to feel like I understand all of this. I wish I knew why I feel so jumpy and shaky...I mean if its just my thyroid situation causing all this, or just anxiety, or the MAJOR lack of sleep over the last week.  Thank God for people like you that have been through all of this and are willing to take the time to explain it all to those of us that haven't and basically have no one to ask. I really regret not having an endo for the past 5 years or so. I didn't think I needed one anymore..LOL. Lesson learned.

[goolarra]

Sorry, I didn't see your second comment until I'd already posted my response.

Maybe your drink wasn't such a bad thing???  Mild depressants (like alcohol) actually flood the brain with T3 making us less depressed.  Yes, it's complicated, and we have to try to make it as simple as possible.  Otherwise, we drive ourselves nuts.  

I have absolutely NO medical background...just got put through the wringer with my own Hashi's, so it's become a bit of an obsession with me...we all have our little quirks!  

[goolarra]

There you go...a traumatic event.  Coincidental that the night you had your first shaking episode was when you started the second antibiotic?  I don't think so.

Yes, a frenzy can actually mess with thyroid.  Stress is the one biggest precipitating factor in exacerbting Hashi's.  

Antidepressants aren't necessarily the answer.  In fact, they can make depression worse if the root cause is thyroid.

I don't see anything to panic over.  Stress could be causing it all, and it might be self-correcting.  

I think you could take two courses of action.  1) Continue with your current dose and see if this resolves spontaneously (especially if the stressor has resolved).  2) Ask your doctor about adding a little T3 (Cytomel) to your meds.  Your T3 is very low, and T3 correlates best with symptoms.  Be aware that many doctors don't like to prescribe T3, and if your doctor is one of those, you may have to find a new doctor or try to educate this one.  

Relax and have a good night's sleep.  You are not dying...we've all felt like we were when we were hypo.  

[nygrl]

Goolarra. One add. I did recently start a calcium supplement and have basically cut out all alcohol , most sugar , pretty much everything that could aggravate anxiety. I usually have a drink every nights. I wonder if I am going thru some kind of withdrawal or something. The human body and mind are so complicated. I wish I understood it better.  You must have some medical background to have the understanding that you do

[nygrl]

Omg. Thank you so much for your reply. It's so nice to feel like someone cares. In regards to your question about trauma... I moved here over the summer and I guess we are in the process of adjusting. As irrational as it is I started a huge stressful period right before thanksgiving when I had what I think was an allergic reaction to antibiotics. It really scared me.  A week later I switched to another kind and was terrified of having it happen again. The night I had my first shaking episode was the night I started my second antibiotic. I hadn't eaten. Went to a party. Had 4 or 5 drinks with no food.  I came home and went to bed late and it started in bed. I just assumed it was a panic attack for some reason. I had several more after that   I've had a few days with nothing after the rare nights that I slept well. I know I have kind of worked myself into a frenzy over one thing or another over the past few weeks. . Can that actually mess with my thyroid ?  The worrying about all this hasn't helped either. It's a ugly viscous cycle and I don't necessarily think that antidepressants are the answer right now.  So you don't see anything that sounds horribly worrisome?  Do you think it's the stress causing all of it?  Maybe I can sleep tonite if I don't have to worry about my thyroid.  You think I should stay on the 175 ?  Thanks.

[goolarra]

Your TT4 is at 44% of range.  T4 should be around 50% of range, so it's a little on the low side.  TT3 is VERY LOW...it's just about on the floor of the range.  TSH is elevated.  So, everything...FT3, FT4 and TSH...says you're hypo, not hyper.  Also, T3 should be higher in its range (as a percentage of range) than T4 is in its.  Yours is the other way round (FT4=44%, FT3=5%), and that indicates that you are not converting well.  I don't think a decrease is going to make you feel any better.  It looks like you might have to add some T3 to your meds.

Hashimoto's encephalitis is EXTREMELY rare...  I can almost guarantee you don't have it.  You are panicking, and that's why you're jerking awake, and the shaking is adrenalin talking.

So, why are you not converting well?  Sometimes that just happens.  Is there anything (ANYTHING, even if you think it's totally indignificant) you've done differently lately?  Lifestyle change?  New meds or supplements (even brand name changes)?  Significant weight gain/loss?  Stress?  Other medical issues?  Trauma?

Your labs perfectly explain how you feel.  You're a little hypo.  TSH, TT3 and TT4 are all consistent, which doesn't indicate a pituitary issue.  You simply need a change of meds.