does this sound like a thyroid problem? THANK YOU

[clearwater520]

please help me find out what is wrong. i've been dealing with the following symptoms in the last 14 months or so and they are all still present unless noted otherwise:

1.pain/inflammation in both hands and wrists for 8 months- used to have tingling/shooting nerve pain but this subsided by not using hands as much to type- typing currently very painful- gets worse the more i use hands- if i use them too much tingling/ "shooting" pain returns- fingers/ wrists currently feel hot, swollen, and inflamed. this is my most bothersome symptom by far.
2. deep shoulder aches- worse if i don't work out- im thinking rotator cuff rips because the stronger i get the less these hurt
3. deep hip ache- this never bothers me- only noticeable when i push on hip joint and realize i have soreness all the time there
4. right knee swollen a couple time for a day or so, not sure why.
5. once time right big toe swelled for one day, no obvious reason
5. neck/trap/pec muscles tight- 6 months- physical therapy resolved this and tingling went away unless i overuse hands- tingling could also have gone away just due to rest
6. irregular periods- entire life
7. clear/milky nipple discharge from both breasts- 13 months
8. coughing phlem up after eating big meal and then sleeping
9. sleeping a lot- 8-12 hours
10. anxiety- recent panic attacks over all this
11. lots of stress
12. general ill feeling
13. low grade fever
14. becoming more "sensitive"- allergic to certain spices/honey i used for years and body products now which i never was before- broke out in painful/itchy rash on neck/check from a soap once which went away within 1 hr with high doses benadryl
15. had tinea versicolor rash on neck when hand pain started 8 months ago- this went away with cream
16. sometimes my eyes hurt slightly when i move them,. my overall vision seems to be getting worse, currently use reading glasses.
17.sometimes i have ringing in ears, but not for long and its not really bothersome
18, sometimes breast bone is sore but its not too bothersome to me
19. small, painless, pale ulcer in mouth
20. small, flesh colored bumps on back of arm
22. gas after eating
23. mild acne on face/back
24.skin bruises easily
25. low energy
26. fast resting heart rate- around 75
27. low sex drive
28. this month period was super short for me, 3 days, and then restarted week and a half later and was fairly light, this has never happened before.

lab work:
1.slightly elevated glucose- 101- over the years this has constantly been in this slightly elevated range (highest 107)- diabetes runs in family
2. high protein in urine- 21 (normal 15)- none found 8 months ago
3.slightly low creatine serum- .56
4. prolactin- 12.5
5. vit d was low at 25- took 6 months of supp and sun to get it to 37
6. ra factor 7.8 - 6 months ago


ive had all normal xrays on joints, and other normal blood work that is too much to list here. been diagnosed with thoracic outlet but not sure if this is correct and evn the dr. does not seem confident in the diagnosis. he mentioned lupus/ra maybe in future.

on shoulder xray which showed lungs a little i noticed what appears to be prominent bronchial markings but dr didnt say anything

thanks for your help. i have no idea whats wrong with me. i feel like my body is breaking down on me and i really think something is wrong. sorry this was so long. take care and i wish you well.

[clearwater520]

thank you for the information!

[Red_Star]

Bumps on the back of arms (due to poor conversion from beta carotene to vitamin A), and nipple discharge (due to high prolactin) are listed possible symptoms of hypothyroidism. Overall, a thyroid condition doesn't really look the most likely diagnosis.

A common symptom of vitamin A deficiency is rough, dry skin which often first appears as rough, raised bumps called keratosis pilaris (also called chicken skin).  The conversion of beta carotene into vitamin A is dependent on several factors: protein status, thyroid hormone, zinc and vitamin C.

Creatinine is produced through the processing of protein and low levels of protein means the body will be making less creatinine. Celiac disease is one of the conditions listed under protein losing enteropathy. When testing for Celiac disease, gluten needs to be eaten to avoid a false negative.

[clearwater520]

Also my symptoms don't seem to travel or flare up biweekly or monthly. They are pretty constant. Annoyingly so. Haha.

[clearwater520]

Yes. Exactly.  I also do not care what is wrong with me. Just please, someone, tell me what it is. Not knowing is much worse.

I do remember seeing a weird mark on my leg one night after a shower. Of course, I ignored it, did not take a picture, and it went away. A month later I saw a pic of a Lyme rash and I think that was what i had but I'm not sure. Maybe it was just a dream? I really can't be sure. I had no idea about Lyme disease rashes when I think I saw it. My fiancé told me I'm crazy and I didn't have that. I eventually forgot about it until now. I'll ask for a Lyme test, evn though it will prob be neg.

Thanks for bringing this possibility up.

Also, I have not eaten gluten in 2 days and I do not feel bloated like I normally do and my hand swelling is less. Of course, it's too early to tell if gluten is causing any of my problems but I'm giving it a try. Easier than a dr. Apt. I'll keep you posted on my progress. If you have swelling problems with your joints, someone in a different post kindly recommended cherry extract to me, I'm going to try that too.

[leilajax]

Awe, I totally understand the awfulness of being "undiagnosed".  Not knowing what is wrong with you is worse than the diagnosis, in my opinion.  One of my other symptoms is chronic enlarged lymph nodes.  My doctor told me over the phone that they are so big that he wants to do a lymphectomy.  "I hate to talk to you about this over the phone, but I think we are going to have to investigate the possibility of cancer."  I think I shocked him when I replied that he could investigate whatever he wanted to and that I didn't care what he found wrong with me.  "Just find something!"  Btw, US of lymph node shows texture indicative of chronic infection, not carcinoma.
Anyway, thank you so much for your well wishes and I wish you the same.  Have the tests that Barb suggested done bc the only clear diagnosis that I have is Hashimoto's and it can cause all kinds of weird and awful symptoms.  Getting tested for Lyme is not easy as false negative results are the norm.  The CDC doesn't recognize the most accurate tests, so I had to find a doctor willing to run them and will have to pay out if pocket.  Lyme is not strong, but is a possibility in your area.  Do your symptoms seem to flare up monthly/bi-weekly, come and go and "travel" throughout your body?  That is my strongest indicator.
Keep us updated and I will be thinking of you and I will let you know what my tests state and we can continue to compare notes:)

[clearwater520]

i have had an ultrasound and multiple prolactin levels done. the drs say im fine and this is normal for me. ive never been pregnant. i dont think this is normal. but im not a dr. so idk.

thanks for your comment.

[clearwater520]

i live in Southern California.  my ana was negative. i don't know if lyme is a possibility.....i havent been tested for it. i guess it is.

please let me know if the drs. find anything wrong with you. i really want to get relief.

thank you for commenting. good luck with your testing. i don't hope you have lyme but i hope you find an answer.

[leilajax]

If you don't mind me asking, where do you live?  I have Hashimoto's, but doctors are running extensive Lyme and coinfection testing tomorrow.  My symptoms sound very similar (down to the breast discharge and high normal RA factor).  That being said, I have a laundry list of odd symptoms, so I might just fit in anyone's symptom list.  Just curious, though, if Lyme might be a possibility?  My RA factor was 7.4 and my ANA was low positive, but I've been cleared by 2 rheumatologists and a neurologist for rheumatological disorders stating that my levels are much too low for the severity of my symptoms.  Rather my high normal RA and low positive ANA are consequences of a possible underlying chronic infection.  Again, I'm still undergoing extensive testing, so no clear diagnosis as of yet, just strong suspicions.

[Gibbon1]

>The nipple discharge

Also that should be worked up by someone.  Might test prolactin, that's a hormone related to latation.  I think if it's high it tends to suppress other hormones.

[clearwater520]

thanks!!

[Barb135]

The nipple discharge, bumps on arms don't fit thyroid either.  Irregular periods (BTW, your profile page says you're a male.....lol), mouth ulcers and gas, can be caused by thyroid disease; however, they can also be caused by many other things.  The bruising can be caused by Vitamin B12 deficiency. You should get that checked along with the thyroid tests I mentioned above.

Any tests done a year ago would not be valid now, because things can change quite quickly.  

You don't necessarily need an endo; you only need  a doctor who is willing to order the proper tests (not just TSH) and who will treat by symptoms as much/more than lab results.

[clearwater520]

thank you for the great information!

i thought I had RA but a rheumy ruled it out, but it may be too early to tell on the blood work. Although RA it fits the joint stuff, weird things like nipple discharge, irregular periods, acne, bumps on arms, bruising, ucler in mouth, gas, etc. don't fit. not sure if thyroid explains them. celiac disease might.

i had thyroid blood work a yr ago or so but i don't think it was very in depth. i need to make an appt. with a good endo. it's hard to get doctors to listen in the 5 minutes they give you and even harder to come out with the tests you want. but im going to try.

thank you.

[Barb135]

Your problems sound more like RA than thyroid.  Have you had any thyroid labs done?  If not, you should do so.  Ask for Free T3, Free T4, TSH (don't let them do just TSH) and antibody tests, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TGab), along with Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI).  

The Free T3 and Free T4 are actual thyroid hormones and those tests will tell whether you are producing adequate amounts, or too much.  TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, which is a pituitary hormone which stimulates the thyroid to produce the T3 and T4.  The less hormones, the thyroid produces, the higher the TSH will go, and the higher the thyroid hormone levels go, the lower TSH goes.

TPOab and TGab are antibody tests used to diagnose Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune thyroid disease in which the antibodies attack and destroy the thyroid.  Hashimoto's is typically associated with hypothyroidism, but can be characterized by periods of hyper in the beginning stages.  TSI is the definitive test for Graves Disease, which is associated with hyperactivity.