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Iron or Hashimoto's Adjusted??
I’m on 45 mg of iron every day with the generic thyroid of 75mcg. I’m currently experiencing mood swings, migraine headaches (not a new problem), ear problems, muscle spasms, insomnia, and throat pain. My questions are as follows. Are there any other conditions associated with Hashimoto's? Should I be tested for these conditions? Are these symptoms signs that my medicine need adjusted and nothing more than that?
Thanks. I didn't wait a year. It'll be 6 months this time. Endo has me going 2,4, then at 6 month interval till he figured it out. These were just the only information I could find last night. I'll ask my general doctor to perform these tests in Oct/Nov when I go, I can't afford anything right now.
One of these doctors retired and I'm hoping to see another. The anemia issue was that the size of the blood cells is small, but my doctor said," Well they've always been on the small size. That's just normal for you." But this was the same doctor who didn't know when I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism that a 3mm cyst was on my thyroid. In 6 years of seeing her, she never did a neck exam or ordered a follow-up ultrasound, only the TSH test. And said that there was no reason for my thyroid issues, she had never heard of Hash's till the endo diagnosed. Just told me to lose weight.
Thanks.
One of these doctors retired and I'm hoping to see another. The anemia issue was that the size of the blood cells is small, but my doctor said," Well they've always been on the small size. That's just normal for you." But this was the same doctor who didn't know when I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism that a 3mm cyst was on my thyroid. In 6 years of seeing her, she never did a neck exam or ordered a follow-up ultrasound, only the TSH test. And said that there was no reason for my thyroid issues, she had never heard of Hash's till the endo diagnosed. Just told me to lose weight.
Thanks.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Well, your TSH was a bit high; your FT4 was about fairly low in the range; Total T3 is considered an obsolete test and is of very little use. You need to get Free T3 instead as that is the active thyroid hormone that the body uses directly. FT4 must be converted to FT3 prior to use.
The antibodies and goiter would provide the basis for the Hashi's dx.
After all of that, I really can't say much more, because those tests were done so long ago; things could be/most likely are, way different now. If you can't get the thyroid tests from your doctor, there are online sites from which you can order them; one in particular provides the lab order via e-mail, you go get the blood drawn and the report is sent to you in a couple of days. This would tell you where your thyroid levels are at and you could then contact your doctor for treatment.
A year is way too long to wait between thyroid tests; particularly when you aren't getting the proper tests, which in turn could mean that you aren't getting the proper treatment AND you have symptoms. The whole point of the treatment is to adjust your medication in such a way as to keep your FT3 and FT4 at levels that alleviate the symptoms.
As to the anemia - your friend is right about the cell size, but that's not the only thing. RDW is the test that shows the width of your red blood cells. If larger than normal, this could indicate vitamin B12 deficiency; however, there are other things that can cause RDW to be high, as well. I had that for years and no one looked at it, until I got to the point where I was exhausted all the time, had lots of tingling, numbness in my hands, feet, legs, etc. My pcp finally sent me for a B12 test, which came back very low (298 with a range of 200-1100). I was dx'd with pernicious anemia, put on B12 shots and so long as I don't forget to give myself the shots, I do fine, except when my thyroid levels go haywire. .
You would do well, to get both B12 and iron tested. There is such a thing as getting too much iron, although I'm not very familiar with the symptoms, etc. You might want to research that.
There are a lot of other tests you can get done; however, they can be expensive, so it makes sense to confirm/rule out the more obvious issues, first; which, in my opinion, the most obvious would be retesting thyroid (TSH, FT3, FT4), iron and B12, then go from there.
The antibodies and goiter would provide the basis for the Hashi's dx.
After all of that, I really can't say much more, because those tests were done so long ago; things could be/most likely are, way different now. If you can't get the thyroid tests from your doctor, there are online sites from which you can order them; one in particular provides the lab order via e-mail, you go get the blood drawn and the report is sent to you in a couple of days. This would tell you where your thyroid levels are at and you could then contact your doctor for treatment.
A year is way too long to wait between thyroid tests; particularly when you aren't getting the proper tests, which in turn could mean that you aren't getting the proper treatment AND you have symptoms. The whole point of the treatment is to adjust your medication in such a way as to keep your FT3 and FT4 at levels that alleviate the symptoms.
As to the anemia - your friend is right about the cell size, but that's not the only thing. RDW is the test that shows the width of your red blood cells. If larger than normal, this could indicate vitamin B12 deficiency; however, there are other things that can cause RDW to be high, as well. I had that for years and no one looked at it, until I got to the point where I was exhausted all the time, had lots of tingling, numbness in my hands, feet, legs, etc. My pcp finally sent me for a B12 test, which came back very low (298 with a range of 200-1100). I was dx'd with pernicious anemia, put on B12 shots and so long as I don't forget to give myself the shots, I do fine, except when my thyroid levels go haywire. .
You would do well, to get both B12 and iron tested. There is such a thing as getting too much iron, although I'm not very familiar with the symptoms, etc. You might want to research that.
There are a lot of other tests you can get done; however, they can be expensive, so it makes sense to confirm/rule out the more obvious issues, first; which, in my opinion, the most obvious would be retesting thyroid (TSH, FT3, FT4), iron and B12, then go from there.
I don't have the newest data and won't be able to request it till October/November. I Do have the data from back when I was first diagnosed with last Nov. This was when I was on 25 mcg of levothyroxine, my general doctors had sent me to an endro. because I had skipped 3 periods and my testosterone levels were high. According to her nothing wrong with my thyroid levels, found out I was hypo 6 years previous after nearly fainting at ball practice. (I have these numbers somewhere, I just moved and can't find them.) Two months later these are the results the endo found.
TSH, 3rd Gen: 3.930 uIU/mL Range 0.270-4.200
Free-T4 :1.13 ng/dl Range 0.93-1.70
T3, Total:1.4 ng/mL Range 0.8-2.0
FSH : 2.7 mIU/mL
LH: 6.9 mIU/mL
Prolactin: 63.3 ng/mL Range 3.4-24.1
Thyroglobulin Antibodies: <20 Range <20 IU/mL
Thyroid Peroxidase: 67 Range <35 IU/mL
Antibodies
I know that the Prolactin and the Antibodies were high. They found two cysts, scarring, and a goiter on an ultrasound. The dosage was changed twice in 25mcg intervals up to the 75mcg of Synthyroid not Levothyroxine. The Prolactin was brought down to normal range but the doctor was really, really, really pushing for a MRI of my Pituitary Gland but my insurance was maxed for the year.
I'm now on 75mcg Levothyroxine after telling the endo that I was losing my insurance and wouldn't be back to see him. (Moved) He said that the thyroid levels were higher than they should of been. Well exact words, " We've brought you from one end of the scale to the other end." He thought switching to generic may hinder the absorption and help the levels. He also talked about birth control because of hormonal acne.
I'm worried because the endo said that the general doctor which I'm still seeing was not treating my hypothyroidism correctly. "Your doctor's been under treating you for a while." I don't have any of their data right now.
Since the endo said that I've been paranoid about this general doctor. I'm also worried that the anemia that I'm being treated for is either not iron defiency and is b12 (because of something a friend told me about cell size being common in b12 and not iron anemia).
Or that I'm taking too much iron. I do wait 4 hours between the iron and thyroid
The complete meds that I'm on daily is.
1. Levothyroxine 75mcg
2. One-a-Day Women's with 18mg iron
3. Iron Supplement 27mg
Sorry that's all I know.
TSH, 3rd Gen: 3.930 uIU/mL Range 0.270-4.200
Free-T4 :1.13 ng/dl Range 0.93-1.70
T3, Total:1.4 ng/mL Range 0.8-2.0
FSH : 2.7 mIU/mL
LH: 6.9 mIU/mL
Prolactin: 63.3 ng/mL Range 3.4-24.1
Thyroglobulin Antibodies: <20 Range <20 IU/mL
Thyroid Peroxidase: 67 Range <35 IU/mL
Antibodies
I know that the Prolactin and the Antibodies were high. They found two cysts, scarring, and a goiter on an ultrasound. The dosage was changed twice in 25mcg intervals up to the 75mcg of Synthyroid not Levothyroxine. The Prolactin was brought down to normal range but the doctor was really, really, really pushing for a MRI of my Pituitary Gland but my insurance was maxed for the year.
I'm now on 75mcg Levothyroxine after telling the endo that I was losing my insurance and wouldn't be back to see him. (Moved) He said that the thyroid levels were higher than they should of been. Well exact words, " We've brought you from one end of the scale to the other end." He thought switching to generic may hinder the absorption and help the levels. He also talked about birth control because of hormonal acne.
I'm worried because the endo said that the general doctor which I'm still seeing was not treating my hypothyroidism correctly. "Your doctor's been under treating you for a while." I don't have any of their data right now.
Since the endo said that I've been paranoid about this general doctor. I'm also worried that the anemia that I'm being treated for is either not iron defiency and is b12 (because of something a friend told me about cell size being common in b12 and not iron anemia).
Or that I'm taking too much iron. I do wait 4 hours between the iron and thyroid
The complete meds that I'm on daily is.
1. Levothyroxine 75mcg
2. One-a-Day Women's with 18mg iron
3. Iron Supplement 27mg
Sorry that's all I know.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Do you have any recent thyroid blood tests for which you could post the results and the lab's reference ranges, since these vary from lab to lab?
Without knowing what your thyroid hormone levels are, it's almost impossible to comment on your symptoms.
The most common condition connected with Hashi's is hypothyroidism, which we would think that's why you are on the levo of 75 mcg; unless your doctor is trying to treat your antibody count, in which case, you need to run fast and find a different doctor.
Please post whatever thyroid labs you have, so members can comment more fully. If you don't have a copy of your lab report, your doctor is required by law to give you one upon your request. You should always make sure you get a copy for your records. I write on mine, indicating the dosage of med I'm on and how I feel, symptoms, etc. That way, I know which levels I want to shoot for.
Without knowing what your thyroid hormone levels are, it's almost impossible to comment on your symptoms.
The most common condition connected with Hashi's is hypothyroidism, which we would think that's why you are on the levo of 75 mcg; unless your doctor is trying to treat your antibody count, in which case, you need to run fast and find a different doctor.
Please post whatever thyroid labs you have, so members can comment more fully. If you don't have a copy of your lab report, your doctor is required by law to give you one upon your request. You should always make sure you get a copy for your records. I write on mine, indicating the dosage of med I'm on and how I feel, symptoms, etc. That way, I know which levels I want to shoot for.
Hi,
Welcome to our community. I'm sure others will jump in with some answers but I wanted to stop by and say hello!
C~
Welcome to our community. I'm sure others will jump in with some answers but I wanted to stop by and say hello!
C~
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