Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Choking feeling

[Joni686]

For a couple of months now swelling would come and go in my neck.  The best way to describe the area is (if I had an adams apple it would right under it).  In the last 3 weeks it has been swollen and hasn't gone down and I almost constantly feel like I am going to choke or my airway is being cut off a bit.  I googled and found an article about thyroid nodules and Hashimotos Disease and it describes EXACTLY what I have been going through.  I was also dx'd last week with hypothyroidism.  Is there anyone out there that can tell me if they have this and if they feel like they are choking?  Is this dangerous?  I have lupus and have been in a flare with two hospital visits this year regarding the lupus attaking my heart.  I am wondering now if it isn't also attacking my thyroid.  Does anyone have any experience with Hashimotos or thyroiditis?
Thanks,
Joni

[PPNCHER69]

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS AS ALL OF YOU AND IT REALLY IS DRIVING ME OUT OF MY MIND, I AM SO SCARED AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE. MY PROBLEMS BEGAN AFTER I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES, AND COPD, AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, AND A RARE FORM OF CANCER THAT IS STAGE 1 AND HAS NOT PROGRESSED IN 20 YRS SINCE I WAS DIAGNOSED, AND SINCE I LOST THE ABILITY TO LOSE EVEN A SINGLE POUND, REGARDLESS OF WHAT I DO OR HOW HARD I TRY.

ALL THOSE DIAGNOSIS'S WERE DIAGNOSED 2008 AND 2009, THEN IN 2011 MY WEIGHT SPIRELED OUT OF CONTROLL, I HAD BEEN HOLDING AT AROUND 220 LB TO 240 LB FOR THE OAST 10 YRS, I AM ONLY 5 FT TALL. BUT BEGINING 2011 I JUMPED TO 280 AND 290, I WAS ABOLE TO LOSE SOME OF IT WHEN I WENT ON BYETTA FOR DIABETES FOR 2 MONTHS I LOST AND WENT BACK TO 260, THEM IN 2011, THE OTHER STUFF STARTED ,BESIDES WEIGHT GAIN, THERE WAS IRRATABILITY, TIREDNESS, DRY SKIN DRY HAIR, SLEEPING PROBLEMS, BODY ACHES, LEGS ACHING, ALL FINGERS ON BOTH HANDS(BUT RA TEST IS NEGATIVE) CONSTAPATION AND DIAHRREA ETC, I CALLED MY DOCTOR WHO IS AN ENDOCTRONOLOGIST AND ASKED HIM TO CHECK MY THYROID, FOR HYPOTHROIDISM, HE SAID IT HAD BEEM CHECKED AND WAS FINE AND I ASKED HIM WHEN, HE SAID THE YEAR BEFORE , AS IT TURNED OUT IT WAS 2 YRS BEFORE.  HE DID THE TESTS AND CALLED TO TELL ME THAT I INDEED HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY THYROID HOWEVER IT WASNT WHAT I THOUGHT, IT WAS IN FACT HYPERTHYROIDISM, HE AT THAT POINT DID AN ULTRASOUND OF MY THYROID IN HIS OFFICE, THERE WERE NODULES, HE DID NOT FEEL A BIOPSY WAS NECESSARY PER THE RESULTS OF THE BLOOD WORK AND THE ULTRASOUND, HE DID A IODINE SWEEP/SCAN AND GAVE ME AN OPTION OF IODINE ABLATION OR SURGERY, I WAS SCARED OF THE SURGERY SO WE DID THE IODINE ABLATION, FOR A WEEK I GLOWED AND THEN WE DID BLOODWORK A MONTH LATER AT MY INSISTANCE, MY TEST CAME BACK NORMAL, THAT WAS SHORT LIVED WHEN WE RETESTED 3 MONTHS LATER IT CAME BACK HYPOTHYROID, (HE SAID JUST SLIGHTLY HYPO) WHICH WAS TO BE EXPECTED WITH THE IODINE ABLATION, HE PUT ME ON LEVOXITRIN WHICH WAS A TABLET AND I RESEARCHED AND FOUND TIROSINT, SAME STUFF BUT A JELL CAP, NEW ON THE MARKET, AFTER PLAYING WITH THE DOSES I GOT HIM TO DO THE DOSE OF 100MIC, HE DIDNT THINK I NEEDED IT THAT STRONG BUT GAVE ME WHAT I WANTED ANYWAY, WE RETEST A MONTH LATER AND THYROID RESULTS WERE NORMAL, I STILL FELT ALL THE SYMPTOMS AND MY BREATH, WELL EFFECT OF LIKE HAVING A HARD TIME BREATHING OR CATCHING MY BREATH OR NECK PRESSURE HAD STARTED AND NOW 6 MONTHS LATER I STARTED HAVINGACHY PAIN IN AND AROUND THE RIGHT SIDE AND CENTER OF NECK, THIS WEEK I THOUGHT I WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACH AND RAN TO THE ER, EKG, NORMAL, OXYGON LEVEL FOR THE MOST PART 96, 97, AND SOMETIMES 98, HEART ENZIME TEST NORMAL, AND ALL BLOOD WORK NORMAL I HAD THE DOCTOR FEEL MY NECK, SHE SAID MY THYROID FEELS SWOLLEN, GEE WHAT A SHOCKER,WHEN I HAD CALLED MY DR BEFORE I WENT TO THE ER, HE SIAD HE DOUBTED IT WAS MY THYROID OR THAT IT WAS SWOLLEN, AGAIN HE WAS WRONG. IM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS. AND I JUST NOTICED THAT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS BREATHING PROBLEM WHEN I WALK OR STAND UP, MAY BE RELATED, IN FACT THE PRESSURE I FEEL THE ACHY FEELING I FEEL SEEMS TO ALL BUILD UP FROM THE NECT AREA AND THE AREA RIGHT AT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE FRONT OF MY CLAVICLE/CHEST AREA. WHE I SIT IT PRETTY MUCH GOES AWAY. ALSO, MY GERD HAS BEEN ACTING UP ALOT AND SUPPOSEDLY I HAVE A HIATAL HERNIA, THE DR SAYS HE FEELS IT BUT NO TEST FOR IT YET...OH YEAH I ALSO SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE WHEN I GO TO SWOLLOW FOOD , CERTAIN KINDS OFD FOOD IT APPEARS IT MIGHT GET STUCK SO I CHOKE IT OUT, AND ALSO I HAVE ALOT OF MUCUS AT BACK OF THROAT AND ITS DIFFICULT TO CLEAR AT TIMES... I JUST GET THIS FEELING IF THE THYROID WAS REMOVED ALOT OF MY EXISTING PROBLEMS WOULD GO AWAY . ANY THOUGHTS?

[gimel]

Glad to have you on the Forum.  We do our best to provide good info and support to members.  I'm sure you have read many times here about the importance of testing Free T3 and Free T4, along with Vitamin D, B12, ferritin, and a full iron test panel.  You should also be aware of what a good thyroid doctor will do for you.

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  You can get some good insight into clinical treatment from this letter written by a good thyroid doctor for patients that he sometimes consults with after initial tests and evaluation.  The letter is then sent to the participating doctor of the patient to help guide treatment.  In the letter, please note the statement, "the ultimate
criterion for dose adjustment must always be the clinical response of the patient."

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf

[LLM2526]

I have the nodulars  I mean 10 on one side and 6 on the other. I went to a doctor who was a THYROID doctor at the Cleveland clinic in Florida. I had moved to Pa and tried to get my records for 2 years meanwhile the "Doctor"
I began to see in Pa said to me You have a problem with your thyroids. I said how do you know I can tell by your eyes and throat. I told him I was told I had only 2 nodulars He was suppose to refer me to another thyroid doctor but forget and every time I reminded him he said yea yeah. I switched doctors to Hershey Medical in Central Pa. 2 days after I saw her I was schelduled for a Ultrasound they found the goiter with nodulars all over my enlarged thyroid, I am choking on my food which I was blaming the MS I have I was tired all the time which I blamed my heart problems I had high cholesterol  low vitamin D I had high normal TSH and T4 I have high sugar one day and low the next. I just found this link and you have no idea how excited I am t know it's not my imagination. It took Neurologist 15 year to diagnose me with MS I have lesions in brain they are there but they were only looking at my spine not my brain and they told me it was in my head my imagination. Well it was, Now I finally know what is going on and we need this type of communications because Doctors dont know everything and they wont think about checking into this. Thank you for being here

[gimel]

How are you sure that the 125 mcg of T4 is the right med and dose for you?  Please post your thyroid related test results and their reference ranges shown on the lab report.

[Hashimoto73]

I understand completely.  I don't even like to where a t-shirt unless it is v-neck now and no more necklaces.  I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 2004.  I have been taking synthroid every morning religiously since then and I have been at 125 micrograms for the last 6 years (even with a pregnancy in there, my daughter is 3).  I have recently started the choking thing again, I feel like my throat is swollen but not from allergies or a cold.  My wonderful endo, no longer practicing :0( unfortunately, told me that flare-ups of swelling of the intestinal track often occurs with hashimoto's causing especially during stress or adjusting to new med dosage.  This causes choking, acid reflux, gall bladder flare-up and in liver swelling.  I have had the liver swelling, reflux, and choking due to throat swelling.  Silly as it may sound Benadryl helps greatly for me.  I have awakened in the night twice in the last two weeks and I took a benadryl and with in 30 minutes I was able to breath and sleep, I didn't have flem (sp?) just swelling.

[ceedeekay]

someone please tell me that if you find a good doctor who will treat you, the choking feeling will go away.

I've had this since 2001 and NO DOCTOR will listen to me! I've been to TONS of endocrinologists in the Buffalo NY area to no avail. I have all symptoms and new ones are now appearing such as hair falling out worse than before and my heart racing.

I even had one endo read a blood test wrong and put me on synthroid which made the choking feeling worse.

I've had an ultrasound which showed an slightly enlarged thyroid and nodules. Don't know how many because I cannot get a copy of the ultrasound AND biopsy because the endo did both and won't release them.

I't's been almost 10 years and I would really really like to not have this feeling on my neck, be able to wear my necklaces again AND not to be preoccupied with if a shirt touches my skin around my thyroid or not.