dont no what to think

[chrissykay]

hiya im 54 years old from the uk im over the menopause i think haha ive been a non smoker now for 14 months but i have been quite breathless and was borderline c o p d this was in january i have been taking my in haler but i seem to have got worse even bathing is a effort so i returned back to doctors and was given another inhaler that didnt seem to make much difference out of the blue i mentioned to the doctor that i thought it was more upper in my throat area that i was short of breath so ive just been this afternoon for a scan on my thyroid i asked if they could see anything and the doctor who done it said there was noduals and a fluid filled cyst but nothinf significant huh dose this mean im all rite my results will be at the practioners in a fortnicht i am also waitinng to see a ear nose and throat in june for that appointment dont no wat to think

[chrissykay]

thx for the advice i have swapped my white bread for wholemeal i did this a while ago i think i have copd and thyroid desease the menopause ect do any of you ache and feel tender under both sides of ribs im starting to feel slightly sick i have a cronic cough whitch ive always had i have started to take omega 3 do you think it will do me any good i just wish it was next week so i can learn one way or another what is wrong with me my next stop is ear nose and throat that appointment is june wonder why im going to see them or are they to do with thyroid has well ?

[TamraW]

One way the Hashi patient can give herself/himself medical care without going to a doctor is to give up gluten. The molecular structure of gluten is similar to that of the thyroid gland. After years of eating gluten and maybe dairy, corn, soy, yeast...our stomachs bloat and eventually we get leaky gut syndrome. Then gluten escapes through the lining of the gut and into the bloodstream. Antibodies attack the gluten. Eventually, they confuse our thyroids for gluten. New research indicates Hashi patients need to remove gluten from their diets. Read the book: www.thyroidbook.com

Some doctors are now jumping on the bandwagon and having their Hashi patients eliminate gluten. It is said that the gut will calm down after this and you will be able to convert thyroid hormone better.

I can personally tell you that giving up gluten has changed my life for the better. I no longer get thyroid swelling (maybe minimal) and I've had to cut back on my thyroid hormone pills by 1/4. My body is now converting thyroid hormone. I am currently on the 21 day detox for my gut. I will let everyone know how I feel after this. Maybe I'll need even less thyroid hormone.

:) Tamra

[Barb135]

I stopped smoking 3 yrs ago and I have mild to moderate COPD. I'm on an inhaler called spireva.  It works very well, but the thing I don't like about it, is the price because as of this point, there is no generic and for that reason, my insurance company only pays a very small portion.  I have not looked into any of the natural treatments that allmymarbles mentioned; it might be worth it, if they work, although I do already take B vitamins and a hefty dose of vitamin C every day.

Hypothyroidism can cause some shortness of breath, so that might be a factor with you, as well.  Additionally, if you have swelling/inflammation in the thyroid area that might make you feel like you are having a harder time breathing.  Tamra mentioned that you should get the antibody testing done and I agree with that.  You can have "normal" thyroid labs and still have Hashimoto's.  In addition to that, it's possible that the lab's "normal" range isn't "normal" for your body; it's possible that you need to have your levels higher/lower even though they may fall into the lab's designated normal range.

When my thyroid gets inflamed, I feel like I am choking; like someone has a thumb pressed against my neck all the time.  I've had this quite badly for the past couple of months.  

If you have Hashimoto's, the antibodies are gradually "killing" off your thyroid, so it will produce less and less hormone as time goes on.  At some point you will be hypothyroid and will need the replacement meds in order to live.  Some, but certainly not all, doctors will go ahead and treat Hashimoto's with a therapeutic dose of thyroid replacement med.

[allmymarbles]

I have news for you, we are just numbers here too. To get personal attention from a doctor I go to a private one and pay him out of my own pocket (over and above, of course, the health taxes I pay). But perhaps Americans do more research than do the British. There is a growing lack of trust for the medical profession in general so we tend to learn as much as we can on our own. And when a doctor says something stupid I do not reply, "Yes, Massa." One quack tried to get me to take Lipitor when my cholesterol was only vaguely above the normal range (this year's normal range, that is). Lipitor is nasty stuff and never once did el quacko  suggest a change in my diet.

[chrissykay]

thx for your information your medical care is different to the uk you seem to get more information off yourdoctors i will have to wait now another week then go to doctors he will tell me what i really already no but will he say no further action or will i have to have more tests see this is what the n h s in uk is all about cos we dont pay we are just numbers and i couldnt afford private we are way behind the times that is why this site is good

[TamraW]

My thyroid tests were 'normal', too. The doctor had initially tested my TSH and FT4. TSH was 2.69 and 2.74. Ft4 was 1.3.

With Hashimoto's , our TSH, a pituitary hormone that should NEVER be used to diagnose thyroid disease, and our FT4 can swing.

The only way to really know if you have thyroid disease are the antibody tests. TSI for Graves; hyper, weight loss, shaky, heart palps, anxiety, diarrhea

and  the Tgab and TPOab for Hashimoto's. Hashi can have all of the above symptoms plus fatigue, constipation, weight gain, depression, dry skin, hair loss, dry eyes, GERD, reflux, leg pain, foot pain,

also, a thyroid ultrasound revealing nodules/goiter can determine thryoid disease. You've already had that, which is why I would pursue the antibody tests.

And, yes, marbles is right about adrenals. Unfortunately, hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto's can also cause the adrenal fatigue, so you could have a double whammy there. The 24 hour saliva test is the most accurate. You'll waste your time on the outdated blood cortisol test. Great adrenal resource: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info/

Great thryoid resource: www.thyroidbook.com

:) Tamra
:) Tamra

[allmymarbles]

Look at the names on the inhalers and check them out on the internet. A good site will tell you exactly what you are taking. Don't go to the maker's site. That is a waste of time. You might also google "side effects" for the given preparation.

My COPD appears to be stable, but my overall health and activity are much improved since I stopped taking the prescribed poison. I was taking Advair. This may have a different name in the UK. One of the components was salmeterol and the other was fluticasone. After I got off this I tried another steroid inhaler that did not have salmeterol with the same dreadful results. Then I went natural. It is cheaper, there are no side effects and it is more efficacious. I have better things to do than support a drug company that does not care for my health or safety.

[chrissykay]

yooohoo how are you is your copd any worse  i am on a blue inhaler and a brown one i dont no which is steroid as i am new to this medication i am hoping its not copd and the doctor will give me a pill and make me feel well again lol im hope in its a under active thyroid the thing that bothers me is these noduals and cyst and the doctor saying nothing specific and when ive read up on tttthe diagnosis it dosnt look to good they have to biopsie them ?unless its a different procedure in the u k

[chrissykay]

hiya the only hair loss is a patch of pubic hair but i put that down to menopause i am depressed i dont think my blood test showed it was my thyroid i will have to wait to see my doctor for the results i dont understand the noduals and cyst and there not being anything significant surely them showing up on the scan are

[allmymarbles]

Is your inhaler a steroid inhaler? If so, you may be developing adrenal fatigue. Steroid inhalers should not be used for mild COPD. Actually I don't think they should be used at all. They almost killed me - literally. To ease your lung condition you might want to try taking 500 mg of vitamin B5 daily, a moderate amount of vitamin C, and mullein extract. These are all natural anti-inflammatories and B5 is, in addition, a mucus thinner. You could add N-acetyl-cisteine to those. All are great for the lungs and there are no side effects. I have moderate COPD and do better on the natural stuff than I did on prescription medicine. By the way I do use albuterol and take an anti-histamine. A good albuterol inhaler is Maxair autohaler. It delivers a measured dose.

[TamraW]

You could have an auto-immune thyroid disease. Any fatigue, constipation, depression, dry skin, muscle soreness, low vitamins, anxiety, diarrhea, heart palps, hair loss, pain in eyes and ears?

:) Tamra