Goiter/normal thyroid function/hypothyroid symptoms

[marisb12]

Hey everyone!
Is it possible to still have hypothyroid while having normal TSH, Free T4 and Total T3 levels? A little history: about a year and a half ago I was getting reoccurring sinus infections. Lots of pressure and pain in my face/head/neck. I went to an ENT and they found a goiter/enlarged thyroid. Did a scan and determined it was okay. I followed up with an endocrinologist and he stated "You have a big thyroid, ya know, like how some people have big noses. You have a big thyroid." Ummm, what? How does that make any sense? I never had an enlarged thyroid, and now all of a sudden I do...obviously there is an issue there. But I digress...so all of this occurred a year and a half ago. During this year and a half I have been getting migraines, anxiety attacks, depressed, no energy at all (I go to bed at 10:30pm and wake at 7:00am), brain fog, feeling 'out of it', always run down, irritable, constipated etc. I can be here all day naming my symptoms. I went to multiple doctors and had multiple tests done. All coming back 'normal. Now, over the past few months my symptoms have been getting worse and now I am having difficulty breathing/swallowing. So, my question is....is it possible to have hypothyroidism with normal lab results? Any one else experience this? It is impossible to get an appointment with an endocrinologist where I live, my appointment is April 9th and this is the earliest they had! All other doctors were booking appointments in May :-(

Thank you for reading!

-Marisa

[goolarra]

I sent your U/S report to another of our members, 898_1, who knows imaging much better than I.  He posted above quite a while ago.  

I contacted him because I was confused.  How can you have a diagnosis of "nontoxic uninodular goiter" and go on to say that everything is "normal in size"?  How can you have one nodule with no nodule described?  That's a contradiction in terms.

So, here's 898_1's comment:

"This report shows no abnormalities. Period. (Its size is about 7ml )
What probably happened,her doctor suspected nodule during palpation.
so he or she  wrote the request for ultrasound due to POSSIBLE goiter (nodule).
In addidtion, some people are having prominent voice box/peritracheal fascia that make them look like they are having goiter.
The false negative or positive rate for manual thyroid exam (palpation) is 30%. nodules less than 1cm are not normally detected by palpation; only ultrasound or MRI can reliably detect them
the voice box undergoes calcification and bone transformation process (with age) it causes it to be larger on the outside (more than 80 years ago mostly men had this, but now variable data shows that many women are having this as well) It normally starts after 40 years of age, but can start even in late teens; in most cases the voice does not change."

So, it seems that you never did have a goiter; that was just the possible diagnosis provided by your doctor when he referred you for U/S.  The U/S did not corroborate his findings. As 898_1 pointed out, palpation has a very high false positive and false negative rate.  U/S is much more accurate.

So, while I think it's still a good idea to follow up with another U/S, if for no other reason than your peace of mind, I suspect that the U/S will not give you the answer to your breathing/swallowing difficulties.  

[marisb12]

Since we are semi on topic, I also like to point out that I do not consume any dairy products and try to stay away from gluten. Dairy tends to bloat me so by choice I stay away (not lactose intolerant), I can consume without any issues just works as an inflammatory for me. I also avoid soy, as directed previously by my nutritionist.

[marisb12]

Oh! My apologies....I thought you were asking if I currently take any supplements, which I do not. However, at the time of my blood work I was taking Inositol (a form of vitamin B) as directed by my nutritionist. So that was most likely a contributing factor to why my Vit B was so high.

[Red_Star]

Okay well this is a quote from Chris Kresser's article: What Everyone (Especially Vegetarians) Should Know About B12 Deficiency...

"Also, be aware that a high serum B12 does not necessarily rule out functional/active B12 deficiency. In fact, I have come to view a high serum B12 in the absence of supplementation as a potential red flag for active B12 deficiency."

[marisb12]

Not at all! As you said, the default for new members say male! Plus I didn't have a pic :-) haha

I have been researching Iron/Ferritin and saw the healthy ranges. What boggles my mind is that why do labs say 'normal' ranges are between 10 - 154 for ferritin! Now this is all starting to make so much sense, forgive me if I'm being too graphic or personal here but I notice all of my symptoms are exacerbated a few days before, during and a few days after mensuration. While all other times of the month I'm able to push myself, but during that time I am practically paralyzed.

Yes, that is the entire U/S report. I will be calling my doctor tomorrow to schedule another U/S.

[goolarra]

Oh, see now, you've posted a picture, and everyone who reads this thread is going to think I'm out of my mind!  LOL  I can just hear it now...she had to ASK if she was male or female!

Okay, so, I believe if you research iron, you will find that 70 is the extreme lower end of the range for menstruating women.  Your iron level is much lower than it appears using your lab range that includes the entire population (including men and post-menopausal women).  Ferritin is the protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion.  So, low ferritin levels indicate iron deficiency anemia.

I hope I'm helping.  It's a tough world out there to navigate in.  

That's the entire U/S report, correct?