thyroid disorder

[chiro]

I have been diagnosed with vitiligo and my doctor heard of corIrelation with thyroid disorders and wanted to run the test.

T3-T4 test were normal but my TSH level was 17 and normal was less than 4.  what's the possible problems?

[wouldhelptoknow]

What are the symptom of a person who has thryoid disorder.
And does anyone know if there is a connection to personality with this disorder?  Is there a doctor in the house?

[tottie]

hi like true i am new so dont know if i doing this right i had part of my thyroid removed but i feel realy bad the worst thing is tiredness & when i realy bad cant think right or cosentrait mood swings the doc said i tired cos i depressed but i say it othere way round i dont go the doc any more no point

[Truelotus]

Ooops.

OK, I see where I got posted. Sorry.

Best,
Truelotus

[Truelotus]

I'm sorry, I'm new and I can't figure out if I'm on someone's thread or if this is just about TSH.  This is my first post, so please forgive me if I'm doing this wrong.

I have had below normal T3 and T4 for around a year.  I believe each was .1 below the normal range. I have had the test taken 4 or 5 times this year. Around 6 months ago my TSH was .2.  About 2 months ago it was 1.2. Recently, I had an "anxiety attack" (for lack of a better word). I got the lab work that they took, and it states as clear as day that my TSH is 96, when 2 months ago it was 1.2. They didn't take the T3 and T4 at the ER, but they've been consistently low all year.

The problem with this, is that I feel completely fine. I exercise more than an hour every day and love it. I am losing 2lbs/ week for the last 2 months on LA Weightloss. I am in a good mood and not depressed. I'm not cold. I'm never tired. Not all year. The only kind of weird thing is I have no appetite as of around 1 month. It's really hard to eat enough food.

My family doctor has not given me any thyroid hormone because of my weird TSH, and sent me to a specialist. I just saw him today, and he said that I should be cold, miserable, with flu-like symptoms, unable to exercise and rapidly gaining weight. He has absolutely no idea why I am showing no symptoms of hypothyroid. I will say that if the lab I've been going to has been wrong for a year -  Well, that's just malpractice, isn't it?

I have searched the entire internet, and have now seen the best Endocrinologist in the city for an answer.  I will not have one until Wednesday. He also made me run up 10 flights of stairs to take my cortisol reading. I was amazed that I found the task to be very easy, without pausing even, since I never exercise on stairs or stair-steppers.

If I have posted this in the wrong place or wrong topic, then just ignore me. I'll come back and if I did it wrong, I'll try to do it right, next time.

But, if anyone wants to impress me with their knowledge of the thyroid, then answer me??? :^) I'm a Life scientist and myself and all my doctors, including my Endocrinologist are stumped.

Best,
Truelotus

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

you have hypothyroidism likely due to hashimoto's (confirm by testing antibodies).  Vitiligo and Hashimotos are auto-immune diseases (the body attacks itself).  The elevated TSH means the brain (pituitary) is asking for more T4/T3 production - would repeat TSH, T4/T3 and antibodies before committing you to treatment however.

[ShannieK]

Hi, I just wanted to tell you, that I am really sorry that you are not feeling well, and that it has been such a long journey to find the answers that you need.  I hope with the help of a neurologist now, you might find some answers.  I too, have wondered why bad things happen to good people, and all those bad ones out there, seem to feel just fine.  I agree that it is not fair.  I however have always told myself that whatever does not kill me will only make me stronger.  You have got to be a real strong person with everything that you have been through in your life, but I also believe you have been an inspiration to many others.  I have read your posts on here and on other forums, and because of your own experiences you have been such a great help to so many people out there with no answers.  Your experience through everything is making you extremely knowledgeable, and appreciate all the help you have given to all of us, and I know, that you soon will find what's going on.  It's been such a long time, and one of these tests is going to show something, even sounds like they might be getting closer, sounds like they are looking into something alittle more specific this time.  Take care, and keep us posted.  I hope the doc sees your post and responds.  Shannon

[tnt406]

THANK YOU MR.JIMLOW,FOR YOUR KIND WORDS.I GUESS I AM JUST HAVING A HARD TIME EXCEPTING ALL OF THIS.MY DADDYS PASSING AND THEN ME HAVING A STROKE.I KNOW THAT MY LIFE HERE ON THIS EARTH IS GOING TO BE SHORT.MY DADDY WAS 89 YEARS OLD WHEN HE PASSED AWAY.I WANT SEE MY 89th BIRTHDAY.I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I WILL GET TO SEE MY GRANDCHILDREN.ALL OF THIS JUST SEEMS SO UNFAIR TO ME,I HAVE NEVER HURT ANY ONE.I AM NOT A MURDERER OR CHILD MOLESTER.BUT THEY ARE THE ONES WITH THE GOOD HEALTHY BODIES.I KNOW I SHOULDN'T TALK LIKE THIS AND I AM SORRY.I AM ANGRY AND MAD.I JUST WANT EVERY THING TO BE A BAD DREAM AND I'LL WAKE UP FROM IT.OH GOD PLEASE LET ME WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHT MARE I AM HAVING.THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION ON THE PARATHYROID GLANDS.I DIDN'T KNOW THEY WHERE CLOSE TO THE THYROID.I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE ASKING MANY QUESTIONS YESTERDAY WHEN I SAW MY NEUROLOGIST.I KNOW THAT WAS PROBABLY STUPID ON MY PART,BUT I JUST WANTED TO GET BACK HOME.I WAS TIRED.I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.GOD BLESS YOU MR.JIMLOW AND YOUR WIFE.BECKY

[tnt406]

THANK YOU SHANNON FOR YOUR KIND WORDS.I HOPE THESE TESTS THEY ARE DOING GET TO THE BOTTOM,OF A LOT OF MY PROBLEMS.MY HUSBAND IS STARTING TO GET FRUSTRATED NOW,BECAUSE HE IS WATCHING ME SUFFER.THE STROKE I HAD HAS CAUSED NEURALAGIA PAIN IN MY RIGHT ARM,HAND,RIGHT LEG,AND RIGHT FOOT.I HAVE NOW NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY BOTTOM IS NUMB.IT IS MORE HARDER TO HAVE A BOWEL MOVEMENT NOW.I AM AT HOME ALONE RIGHT NOW,BUT HE GIVES ME THE PHONE INCASE I NEED TO CALL FOR HELP.HE DRIVES OUR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL,BECAUSE OF ALL THE STUFF THAT GOES ON ,ON THE BUSES NOW ADAYS.I AM USUALLY ALONE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF BUT TODAY MY CHILDREN HAD DENTIST A APPOINTMENT SO I WILL BE ALONE LONGER.MY MOMA WILL BE IN SOON THOUGH,AND SHE WILL COME DOWN AND CHECK ON ME.SHE DOESN'T LIEVE VERY FAR AWAY,JUST ABOUT 30 OR 40 YARDS.I WANT TO START FEELING BETTER BEFORE THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS THOUGH.I LOVE TO COOK,AND DECORATE FOR THE HOLIDAYS.MY HUSBAND ENJOYS IT TOO,HE ENJOYS THE COOKING PART,TASTE TESTING AS HE CALLS IT GIGGLE...GIGGLE.SORRY I MADE MY SELF LAUGH WHEN I THINK OF MY HUSBAND AND MY CHILDREN THEY ALL WAYS GET ME TICKLED I GUESS ITS BECAUSE THERE SO SILLY,LIKE I USE TO BE.I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.TAKE CARE OF YOUR UNTIL THEN.GOD BLESS YOU SHANNON,GODS ANGELS ARE SMILING DOWN ON YOU TODAY.TNT406.

[joneliz]

Hi- I am just wondering if this is the shanney I know- in Olathe, KS? If it is, this is Joni- Eddie's mom :) I posted this on another thread, but did not hear if it was you.
I am trying to get to the bottom of some medical concerns and this has been a great website. Just curious if this is the shanney I know because I had heard from Lynda that you have had some thyroid problems, which is what I think I may have going on as well. It is never ending, trying to find answers, isn't it...

[ShannieK]

Hi there, i don't think we are one in the same.  I am here in Oregon, but yes have some thyroid problems, you mentioned you do as well?  What kind of symptoms are you experiencing?  Anything we can all help you with?  Thanks for commenting.  Shannon

[tnt406]

GOOD AFTER NOON MR.JIMLOW,HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR WIFE DOING?I WAS WANTING TO KNOW,IF YOU KNEW ANY THING ABOUT THE PARATHYROIDS?THE DOCTOR I AM SEEING NOW,WANTS ME TO SEE MY NEUROLOGIST BECAUSE OF THE STROKE,I HAD.MY NEUROLOGIST HAS ORDERED BLOOD WORK FOR MY THYROID AND PARATHYROID.SHE IS THINKING HYPERPARATHYROIDISM.I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT.SHE SAID THERE IS ALL SO HYPOPARATHYROIDISM.I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE PARATHYROID IS.DO YOU?SHE IS ALL SO DOING OTHER BLOOD WORK AS WELL,A WHOLE PANEL OF STUFF.THE FIRST THING SHE SAID TO ME WAS THAT I WAS LUCKY IT DIDN'T HAPPEN WHERE MY BLOOD CLOT WAS.BECAUSE MY STROKE WAS ON MY LEFT SIDE OF MY BRAIN WHERE THE BLOOD CLOT IS.I SEE HER AGAIN OCTOBER 11th.IN THE MEAN TIME I AM SUPPOSE TO STAY CALM,AND NOT GET UP SET.NO BENDING OVER,AND NO HITTING MY HEAD.SHE ALL SO NOTICED MY LYMHP NODES WHERE SWOLLEN,I TOLD HER THEY HAD BEEN FOR A LONG TIME.I HAVE TAKEN,DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANTIBIOTICS.AMOXICILIN 1000MGS AUGMENTIN 2000MGS AMOXICILIN 2000MGS.THE SWELLING NEVER GOES AWAY,JUST GETS WORST.I STAY COLD MORE NOW,I WRAP UP IN MY HOUSE COAT THAT IS THICK AND WARM.I HAVE ALL SO BEEN USING MY HEATING PAD.I HAVE NOTICED MY SISTER HAS PULLED AWAY FROM ME SINCE I HAD MY STROKE.IT MAKES ME FEEL BAD,I KNOW IT'S BECAUSE SHE CAN'T UNDERSTAND MY WORDS REAL GOOD.AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE CUTTING UP,BECAUSE I KEEP A HEADACHE ALL THE TIME NOW.MY HUSBAND HAS TO HELP IN AND OUT OF THE BATH TUB,AND IN AND OUT OF BED.I FEEL LIKE A BURDEN TO HIM NOW.I AM ONLY 33 YEARS OLD,I SHOULD BE UP OUT SIDE PLAYING WITH MY CHILDREN.THIS TIME LAST YEAR I WAS WORKING,I WAS A TEACHER.NOW I AM A PERSON WHO CAN NOT CARE FOR MY FAMILY.YESTERDAY I WAS TALKING ABOUT GIVING UP,MY HUSBAND TOLD ME MY DADDY WOULD SEND ME BACK,BECAUSE IT WASN'T MY TIME.I AM JUST SO TIRED OF TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG.I HAVE HAD A HEART ATTACK, A STROKE,AND I HAVE A BLOOD CLOT ON MY BRAIN THAT CAN TAKE MY LIFE AT ANY MINUTE.I KNOW I AM COMPLAINING BUT I CAN NOT HELP IT,I AM JUST SO TIRED.I WANT MY OLD BODY BACK,AND I JUST DON'T SEE IT COMING BACK.I USE TO DANCE ALL THE TIME,I CAN'T DO THAT NO MORE.I USE TO PLAY BALL WITH MY CHILDREN I CAN'T DO THAT NO MORE.I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THE THINGS I USE TO DO.ME AND MY HUSBAND LARRY WOULD GO FOR LONG WALKS,AND TALK WE CAN'T DO THAT NO MORE.EVERY I LOVED HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM ME.EVEN MY DADDY.SORRY TO BE SO DOWN IN THE DUMPS,IF YOU KNOW ANY THING ABOUT THE PARATHYROID,LET ME KNOW.GOD BLESS YOU MR.JIMLOW AND YOUR WIFE.BECKY AND LARRY.

[Catastrophia]

They are two great books that address the parathyroid issue.I found "Thyroid Power" at the library.I bought "Living Well With Autoimmune Disease".Both are books that explain the connection between the thyroid and parathyroid glands.I'm beginning to wonder about my parathyroid glands and going to get a real adrenal gland insufficiency test taken. My family dr. did a simple cortisol test and said everything is fine.I don't feel fine. But I do feel better when he switched me from Synthroid to  Armour Thyroid. But still had to lower the  dosage because I was having some hyperthyroid symptoms like heart palpatations, insomnia, and profuse sweating.These have decreased, but I still have alot of body pain.I don't know what's going on. Maybe I'm replacement sensitive like the dr. on this forum suggested, because I went from a 20 down to a 2 on just 75 mcg. of Synthroid. But you might want to check out those books for future reference. I responded on the other forum about my son, under your last comment and advice you gave me. Thanks.Talk later.
Cat

[Jimlow]

Hi TNT,
I'm sorry things are in such disarray in your life due to your illness but try to be patient because a good Dr. now on the trail of this thing can make all the difference in the world. Once you get the proper treatment for your illness, you might gain back a lot more of your former life than you realize. I agree with you and your husband, in faith, that this will happen!
The parathyroids are located behind the thyroid gland. They are 4 pea sized glands ("para" meaning along-side-of). These glands job, is to regulate your calcium levels. Your bones kind of renew themselves continually, so have calcium coming out of them and new calcium going into them continuously. The parathyroids regulate this, so that the same amount coming out, is also going in. If the glands produce too much calcium, the levels become too high in the blood stream, causing symptoms, some of which can be serious. Symptoms include ones affecting your nervous system but it can also cause gastric problems and severe acid reflux. If not treated, it can cause bone loss and fractures. Usually it is caused by a tumor on one of the  glands. I believe I heard it is very rare for there to be tumors affecting more than one gland. Sometimes they correct it with surgery and other times with meds. I was concerned about having this disorder myself, when my thyroid med was not working but my blood tests indicated normal calcium levels. They suspect the disease when your calcium is elevated in the blood stream or when it is too low in the blood stream (hypo-parathyroidism). Both hyper & hypo parathyroid conditions cause serious symptoms and can cause severe muscle spasms and seizures. Let us know your test results on this and the thyroid ones too.  God Bless You, Your Husband and Family.
(your Sister is probably having a hard time knowing how to react to all this, give her time, she'll come around too.)

[ShannieK]

Hi, What other symptoms do you have?  I'm just curious.  your TSH is pretty high, the normal level now is 0.3-3.0, but don't let this alarm you, many of us on this forum even have had extremely high TSH levels, and with treatment the levels return to normal, sometimes it just takes awhile, and often it takes awhile just to find proper dosage.  Just curious, have you had your thyroid anitobdies tested?  They are called the perioxidase AB and the thyroglobin AB tests, these tests check for auto immune thyroiditis, such as Hshimoto's.  The reason i'm wondering about this, is you mention the vitiligo, which in nature is an auto immune disorder.  Often people with one auto immune disorder will have others as well.  You TSH shows me definately that you are hypothyroid, but it is important in my opinion that you get your antibodies tested as well, this may shed more light on what is going on in your body.  Just a thought.  when you got your results back on your TSH did your doc start you on replacement therapy for your thyroid?  Hope some of this helps  Shannon

[tnt406]

HI I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN ANSWER,THIS OR NOT.MY NEUROLOGIST IS CHECKING MY PARATHYROID ALONG WITH MY THYROID.SHE IS THINKING I MIGHT HAVE HYPERPARATHYRIODISM,I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS.SHE IS THINKING THAT IS WHY I HAD MY STROKE.SHE SAID SOME THING ABOUT CALCIUM BUILD UP.WHAT DOES CALCIUM BUILD UP MEAN AND WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?MY BLOOD CLOTTING AGENTS HAVE BEEN CHECKED AND THEY WHERE ALL NORMAL.THAT IS WHY SHE IS DOING ANOTHER THYROID AND PARTHYROID BLOOD TEST.SHE ALL SO SAID MY LYMHP NODES WHERE SWOLLEN,THEY HAVE BEEN SWOLLEN SINECE LAST YEAR.I HAVE TAKEN 1000MGs AMOXICILLION,2000MGs AUGMENTIN,AND 2000MGs AMOXILLION,A LONG WITH PREDNIZONE TO MAKE THE SWELLING GO DOWN IN MY LYMHP NODES,IT WANT GO AWAY.THEY ARE ALL SO VERY SORE TO TOUCH.CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME INFORMATION ON THE PARATHYROID,I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT DOES.THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.TNT406