Continued..is it hyperthyroidism?

[Odwalla]

I have difficulty going to sleep, I feel more depressed because of the anxiety/nervous feelings I get everyday. I was always so happy and now after this has struck, i just haven't been myself lately. I just went to the dr to have my blood drawn for thyroid tests and will find out on Friday.  I don't have an enlarged goiter but I seem to have all the symptoms of hyperthyroidism because i have been feeling "off" the past few weeks. Please advise, I'm really scared.

[Muse1961]

I was doing a web search and I tell you I was just so comforted to find that the symptoms that have just hit me like a brick wall are common with Hashimotos. I did recently have a blood test and my antibodies are through the roof. I have this incredible dizziness and fatigue, the whole shibang.. bowel disturbance, heart palps blah blah blah. The dizziness and fatique are the ones that are disturbing me.. I was like near passing out at times. I am taking armour and I know I am undermedicated but the doc and I are taking it slow. My problem is with this autoimmune element that I have quite severe reactions to many medications. Anyways this is just the pits!

[whitwhit]

I was diagnosed with Grave's disease approx. 5 yrs ago. I was prescribed PTU as well as Toprol XL to take some of the stress away from my heart. My thyroid levels, which at the time were dangerously high, have been relatively maintained over the last couple of years, however, in the past couple of months I have noticed some severe changes. Although I have always had a small goiter, over the last month or so it has gotten a great deal bigger even impairing my ability to swallow normal amounts of food. I have grown very weak and tired and unable to perform the simplest daily functions w/o feeling overwhelmed. The problem that has me most concerned, however, is that through the duration of the last 3 weeks or so, I have been suffering from severe insomnia, during the night my sleep has been disrupted by the inability to breathe deeply or hardly at all(it feels as though my lungs are feeled with fluids), I have had a sore throat and been wheezing, and on each occasion I shortly thereafter have had a fever up to 102 degrees. My fever gradually tapers off and I return to normal with the exception of a fast heart rate, usually averaging 130 bpm. I have had RADICAL mood swings, abdominal cramping and severe abdominal swelling. After doing some research I have found that my symptoms run close to that of a thyroid storm. I was wondering if any of you have experienced this and if so I would appreciate your comments b/c now knowing that could be the case I am also having panic attacks. It just goes on and on... My b/f has shrugged it off as an allergic reaction to my PTU, which I admit I don't take as regularly as I should, but it all seems somewhat severe and knowing the severity and possible fatality of a thyroid storm I am terrified. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

[christine01]

See a new doctor! Even though your TSH looks good, you can have antibodies that is causing you all these problems. If you read some of the other posts, a lot are the same story as yours. Good numbers, but have antibodies. Doctors are very uneducated or just dont care when it comes to the thyroid and I have come to find even the Endo's. The first response is always your crazy see a shrink, well BS I dont need a shrink, I need a good doctor.

[troublesome]

Much like the most recent postings I'm having similiar experiences. I have Hashimoto's but have been told I haven't gone hypo or hyper yet. About two month's ago I started to get dizzy. It then went into episodes of dizziness,chest pains,palps and then anxiety. They would last for several hours, I was left with chest pain and anxiety. I felt really weird and disoriented. They got worse.  The last major one lasted over twenty for hours. I thought I was going to die,  The chest pain lasted overnight into the next day. I took myself to the Er(I don't know how).  They didn't find anything but gave me antibiotics for a cough I can't get rid of. I could barely take care of my daughter and had me Mom come get us a few days later.  I felt disoriented, spacey, couldn't eat, couldn't stand the heat etc.  Itwas about a week until I felt better but I still fell dizzy, out of it and have pains on and off. I insisted on thyroid panel. My TSH is .83 down from 1.67 in May. It has always stayed around 1.75.  My T4 is high 12.9 up from 11.8 in May. I was sure this was it but my Endo "so called" expert said to see a psychiatrist for panic attacks ASAP. I already did and see said this isn't a panic attack. In this less than two month period I have lost over 20lbs.  Anybody have any input or suggestions?

[Odwalla]

Also, if you had the same experience as me, how come you have Hashimotos? The symptoms for that are the opposite of what i've been going through

[Odwalla]

Thanks.. can you explain ur experience?  I'm worried that this may just be anxiety and nothing else? That i'm anxious about having another panic attacks?

[ShannieK]

Hashimoto symtoms,   All of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, and than some, as if those aren't enough.   Hashimoto's can include-  Heart Palpitations, anxiety attacks, fever, enlarged thyroid gland, leaving a feeling of obstruction in your throat, disorientation, brain fog, dizziness, blurred vision, recoccurring fungal infections, urinary infections, trouble healing from a simple bruise or cut.  The list goes on, but you get the idea.  Hashi's an auto immune disease in which your own body's immune system fights off your thyroid gland.  When your body attacks your glad puts itself into defense mode, making it fight back, it does this by producing TOO MUCH thyroid hormone, giving you extreme hyper symptoms.  Someone with Hashi's will bounce back and forth between hypo and hyper symptoms.  Your body is in shock!!!!!!  you are bouncing back and forth rapidly and it leaves you feeling depressed and totally like you are loseing your mind.  When I went through this I couldn't even take care of myself and  a friend had to come pick up my 3 children during the day because I could no longer care for them.  This was so unlike me!!!!!!! This is a very scary event and when dr's don't know what is wrong or make you feel like you are ok, it get 10 times worse.  Out of the blew last October within a matter of just days I started having blurred vision, real bad dizziness to where I couldn't even stand, sore throat, weight loss, nausea, heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, no sleep, headaches, hot flashes and fever, extreme brain fog and disorientation, hair falling out, bowel problems from one extreme to the other just back and forth,  By the time I got to the doctor, I was sitting on the examinating room table in the middle of an anxiety attack, having severe heart palpitations, and the whole right side of my body went numb.  Classified now as a thyroid storm.  Basically my body was in shock from being depleted of what it needed for so long, and I didn't even know, all the symptoms came at once, before that I felt fine.  They tested my TSH and it came back 3.9, totally normal!!!!  Tested Antibodies, and it was positive.  They gave me Proranolol, which stopped my heart problems and chest pain from haveing the heart palpitations so long, it lowered my blood pressure-which during this was running around 185/115.  They started me on Synthroid 50mcg, and it's hard to believe but I went home slept wonderful, woke up the next day and felt so good.  Very Weak!!!!  from the whole episode, but on my way to recovery.  I have never been through something so terrible, and I never want to again, and I would hate to think of you not getting the help you need and getting a dr. to listen.  The dr's told me that if I would not have come into the office such a mess, they would never of even started me on medicine because my level was normal.  I think in my opinion, when the symptoms are getting this bad and are progressively getting worse and worse, you really need to get in to see someone!!!  You sound to me like you need medication soon.  I'm not a dr. and everyone is different.  This is my experience, and you are the first person on here that sounds just like me and what I went through, Please keep me posted on how you are doing and take care.  Until you get the results you need from your dr. try your best to relax as much as possible, reduce your caffeine, will help with the palpitaions, eat little small meals that are easy to digest, I found larger meals, really through my metabolism out of whack and the heart palpitations got worse.  You had asked for my story and that's it, I hope by hearing mine, it will help you somehow. Shannon

[ShannieK]

Hi, I just posted on your last question, did not notice this one til now, I read backwards.  I am glad to hear you have been to the dr.  I know everyone is different, but you almost sound exactly as I did, the symptoms are identical, the dizziness also with blurred vision.  I would have anger episodes, everything, it sounds so much the same.  I hope that you get the answers from your labs, please just make sure they did an antibody test, it's important that they check that, and sometimes just regular dr's don't, they will check your TSH and nothing else.  Sometimes that's not enough.  Please keep us posted.  don't let the dr's think you are crazy, I went through that!!!!  You are not fine, and if you feel that you need to go to the ER again, than you go, make sure you let them know right up  front, that it might be thyroid.  If you don't it takes them so much time to figure out what's going on.  good luck

[Odwalla]

wow. thanks everyone for sharing... I was just informed by my dr today via email that my TSH looks normal. oh great. I guess I do have generalized anxiety disorder. I will see him tomorrow and ask if he has tested the antibodies- if that also came out normal then, oh boy. I guess Paxil's the next step. I know a friend who had panic/anxiety attacks and she swore on paxil, that it works and all. Here's to hoping this much is true. :/

[ShannieK]

good choice, you make sure the antibodies get checked!!!!  If that comes out normal, than i'm glad you will be on the right track, Sure sounds like thyroid though, make sure you have that checked before moving on to the next step.  I don't want you to sick or be misdiagnosed, Alot of us lose alot of time due to dr's taking the easy way out.  It is a known fact that Thyroid is the most misdiagnosed diesease out there, Dr's put them on anti deppresants, and anxiety medication and treat them for depression when this isn't the source.  Just make sure you find your source first.  Good luck, keep me posted on that antibody test, I'm still wondering about Hashimoto's or Graves,  Hope not, but it sure all sounds famiiar.

[ShannieK]

Hi one more thing, what were your levels?  I know dr. said that they looked fine, but just curious, what is your TSH, I'm surprised to find what some dr's consider normal, make sure it's in the normal range, may also be the doctor you are seeing, just be in formed.  let us know

[christine01]

All this has changed me too! No, i never had panic before. When I moved where I am at now I drove 1200 miles by myself, now the thought of being in the car panics me. Mine started because I couldnt swallow or breathe and those alone are enough to make anyone panic. They tried to give me some medicine for it and I refused, because I feel it is a thyroid related problem and not an actual anxiety or depression problem. I think some of the panic honestly, at least in my case at this point, is brought on by myself. I start to worry that I am alone, what if I choke, oh god and boom panic attack. I am working on trying to control these and that is working pretty well. I breathe deep and talk myself out of it. Next time you feel that way try telling yourself I am ok and I am not going to let this control me, take deep breathes, it may not work, but at this point what do you have to lose?

[Odwalla]

also i notice when I wake up, i feel anxiety... i feel it all the time even though I'm not thinking about it. Esp when I'm sitting down. Could this be relevant?

[Odwalla]

Thanks.. I'm scared because I'm not myself lately. I've always been happy and everything, now look at me, all this has changed me thus far and I'm trying not to let it but its so hard. Did you have panic/anxiety attacks before you found out you were hypo?

[christine01]

Dont be scared. I have been dealing with thyroid issues for almost a year and I too have had panic attacks that sound exactly like yours. My last one was two days ago when I was driving for a trip. I talked to myself and tried to calm down, this did work. Friday hopefully you will have some answers. I cant really say it is hyper as opposed to hypo cause the symptoms are very similar. I am hypo and have heart flutters, panic, anxiety, etc.... Hang in there until Friday and I think some of your questions will be answered.