Aa
Hyperthyroid and diarrhea
So I've had bowel issues for a little over a year, and I'm trying to determine how/if being hyperthyroid is related.
I don't know how long I've been hyper, for sure. I was tested in October of 2013 and my results seem to point to being hypo at that time. In Dec of 2013 I first became ill, and the diarrhea has been constant since Jan 2014. I only felt my neck to be tender and swollen last month, and was tested hyper then.
The diarrhea pattern has waxed and waned over the last year+. Right now, it's pretty severe, to the point of waking me from sleep again, which had stopped for several months.
I see an Endo next week, and I just had a colonoscopy last week (my 2nd). Everything looks good in the colon. I follow up with GI in May. I'm just wondering if anyone here has any ideas.
TIA
I don't know how long I've been hyper, for sure. I was tested in October of 2013 and my results seem to point to being hypo at that time. In Dec of 2013 I first became ill, and the diarrhea has been constant since Jan 2014. I only felt my neck to be tender and swollen last month, and was tested hyper then.
The diarrhea pattern has waxed and waned over the last year+. Right now, it's pretty severe, to the point of waking me from sleep again, which had stopped for several months.
I see an Endo next week, and I just had a colonoscopy last week (my 2nd). Everything looks good in the colon. I follow up with GI in May. I'm just wondering if anyone here has any ideas.
TIA
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hmmm --- your TPOab is still below range, but since it's climbing, and you're thyroid hormone levels are in the basement, I'm going for Hashimoto's and your antibodies just haven't ramped yet.
It's not the least unusual for symptoms to show up long before labs indicate issues and Hashimoto's is notorious for presenting hyper periods before/alternating with hypo.
Knowing what I know now, I believe I alternated between hyper and hypo for about 20 yrs before finally settling into permanent hypo.
Right now, you need to be on replacement thyroid hormones, but that doesn't mean permanently - yet... When I was going through my swings, I wasn't being tested for thyroid hormones and it was only after the fact that I figured out what I'd gone through. During all those years, I was also deficient in Vitamin B-12, so that was really throwing a curve ball into the whole thing and none of my doctors were testing that either... It wasn't until 2007 that I was, finally, diagnosed with Pernicious Anemia (autoimmune inability to absorb vitamin B-12) and once started on B-12 injections, that was supposed to solve all my problems, but when it didn't, my doctor started getting irate and actually labeled me a hypochondriac. He "offered" a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, which is, basically, nothing and I refused. I insisted that we keep looking for what was wrong.
A few months later I started putting on weight like there was no tomorrow and insisted that they test my thyroid.... My TSH was 55+ and my FT4 was 0.6 (range 0.8-1.8) - no wonder I felt like crap...
We all have to start somewhere and it looks like you've started down the path a lot of us have taken. We've been there, done that, so we know the territory; we'll walk along with you.
It's not the least unusual for symptoms to show up long before labs indicate issues and Hashimoto's is notorious for presenting hyper periods before/alternating with hypo.
Knowing what I know now, I believe I alternated between hyper and hypo for about 20 yrs before finally settling into permanent hypo.
Right now, you need to be on replacement thyroid hormones, but that doesn't mean permanently - yet... When I was going through my swings, I wasn't being tested for thyroid hormones and it was only after the fact that I figured out what I'd gone through. During all those years, I was also deficient in Vitamin B-12, so that was really throwing a curve ball into the whole thing and none of my doctors were testing that either... It wasn't until 2007 that I was, finally, diagnosed with Pernicious Anemia (autoimmune inability to absorb vitamin B-12) and once started on B-12 injections, that was supposed to solve all my problems, but when it didn't, my doctor started getting irate and actually labeled me a hypochondriac. He "offered" a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, which is, basically, nothing and I refused. I insisted that we keep looking for what was wrong.
A few months later I started putting on weight like there was no tomorrow and insisted that they test my thyroid.... My TSH was 55+ and my FT4 was 0.6 (range 0.8-1.8) - no wonder I felt like crap...
We all have to start somewhere and it looks like you've started down the path a lot of us have taken. We've been there, done that, so we know the territory; we'll walk along with you.
So it seems the outstanding result was for thyroid antibodies. My thyroglobulin antibody is still <1, but TPO antibodies have gone from <28 (on 3/19/15), to 45 today (range is <60).
I'm not sure why she's testing the way she is. I think there might be one more test pending, though. If so, I'll post when I get it.
I guess I'll call the office tomorrow and make sure they read these results, and not sit on them for a few days (not they mean to, they just get busy).
I guess I'll call the office tomorrow and make sure they read these results, and not sit on them for a few days (not they mean to, they just get busy).
COMMUNITY LEADER
You've flipped completely to hypo... Your TSH is too high and your FT4 is actually below range.
Why isn't your doctor ordering Free T3 instead of Total T3? Total T3 is pretty useless and obsolete, so is Total T4. Even so, both TT4 and TT3 are at the very bottom of their ranges. You need to be on thyroid replacement med. Sub-acute thyroiditis often becomes permanently hypo.
Why isn't your doctor ordering Free T3 instead of Total T3? Total T3 is pretty useless and obsolete, so is Total T4. Even so, both TT4 and TT3 are at the very bottom of their ranges. You need to be on thyroid replacement med. Sub-acute thyroiditis often becomes permanently hypo.
Been a week and a half, and we ran tests again today. Symptoms are mostly exhaustion, brain fog (getting so bad the kids are teasing me as I drift off mid-sentence, forgetting where I was going), and gained 2 more pounds (ugh).
TSH: 6.16 (0.34-5.6)
T4: 4 (4-11)
Total T3: 60 (60-181)
Free T4: 0.58 (0.89-1.76)
TSH: 6.16 (0.34-5.6)
T4: 4 (4-11)
Total T3: 60 (60-181)
Free T4: 0.58 (0.89-1.76)
Latest test results, I am more and more positive it's subacute thyroiditis, and that my thyroid has just dumped all the T4/T3 and now there's very little left. I have gained 2 lbs this week.
TSH: 0.03 (0.34 - 5.6)
T4: 7 (4 - 11)
Total T3: 92 (60 - 181)
Free T4: 0.95 (0.89-1.76)
Has anyone had any experience w/subacute? I've heard that it's one of the more "rare" causes (leave that to me!). Did your thyroid ever get back to full functioning? If you were hypothyroid, how long did that last (I've read varying studies)
TSH: 0.03 (0.34 - 5.6)
T4: 7 (4 - 11)
Total T3: 92 (60 - 181)
Free T4: 0.95 (0.89-1.76)
Has anyone had any experience w/subacute? I've heard that it's one of the more "rare" causes (leave that to me!). Did your thyroid ever get back to full functioning? If you were hypothyroid, how long did that last (I've read varying studies)
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