Thyroid or Arthritis?

[AmeliaB555]

I am a 21-year old woman who has been diagnosed with hypothyroid.  I have been having some strange symptoms and was wondering if any of the doctors here could offer advice.  Here are my symptoms:
-moderate-severe joint pain that is worst in the morning
-in hands and ankles, toes and knees, and shoulders
-peeling feet and peeling hands
-fatigue

Could these be thyroid related or is it more likely I have arthritis?  I am seeing a rheumatologist in about a week and am seeing an endocrinologist currently.  

[Barb135]

If it turns out that you have RA, I'd say the majority of your pain would be coming from that.  If not controlled properly, RA can be very debilitating.

Since your mother has Hashi's, you should make sure you get tested for it.  It won't change your treatment for hypothyroidism, but at least you'll know that you'll have to adjust your medications periodically, to accommodate the decline in thyroid function.

Do post your blood test results, when you get them; be sure to include the reference ranges.

[AmeliaB555]

RA is a possibility.  I have an appointment with a rhemiatologist on Wednesday and will update everyone.  My mom has Hashis.  I don't have my other thyroid results with me yet (they are in the mail).  

[Barb135]

Is that T3, free or total?  Do you have a TSH and/or Free T4 result?  

Your T3 is very low in the range and this could easily contribute to joint pain.  "Arthritis ANA is positive" -- were you tested for RF?

Since you also test positive for arthritis, your pain could actually be a combination of the low thyroid hormones and arthritis.  

I'd suggest staying on the Armour for a few weeks, then retest thyroid.  Be sure to get TSH, Free T3 and Free T4.  If your levels have not come up satisfactorily, you may have to increase your Armour dosage.  Once your levels come up, if the pain remains, you may have to be treated for the arthritis.

Do you know if you  have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?  That's an autoimmune disease in which the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it.  

Once a person has one autoimmune disease, the chances of getting another are much greater.  Has anyone mentioned Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is another autoimmune?

[AmeliaB555]

I was taking a very low dose of synthroid for a year and this is when the joint  pain started.  Now I have been taking armor at 60 mg a day for about a week and a half.  My numbers are T3 = 2.70 (ref. 2.5-3.9), Arthritis ANA is positive, Inflammation is high, SED rate = 30 (0-20 range).

Thanks for your help!

[Brucergoldberg]

I wrote this on my blog when it originally took place.  The pain was so bad in my knees and back i could hardly function.  I was in a wheelchair at work.  NO ONE could figure out why i had such bad pain.  Everyone thought it was the arthritis.  I have not felt any of this since starting thryoid hormone and now i realize it was from either from the original hashis attack OR from lack of thyroid

________________
Went to work and for some reason about an hour into my day I started to get really bad back pain.  The pain radiated from around my right shoulder blade to the front underneath my rib cage.  It hurt really bad like someone had a finger in my back.  I also had really bad knee pain.  My right knee especially.  It hurt so bad i could barely walk.  I have really bad feet so I just assumed that the knee pain was from being on my feet at my new job all day.  I could hardly make it.  At lunchtime I sat down that day and i felt like i had a knife stabbing me in my knees.   On top of everything else, I had this horrible anxiety and tremor in my hands.  I have always had a slight tremor, but for some reason, that day was worse.

[jennerfennerbenner]

All of these symtoms can be related to thyroid

[Barb135]

First off, there are no doctors on this forum; we are all fellow patients, who spend our time, trying to help others going through the same or similar circumstances that we did/are.

Your symptoms could be either, thyroid related or arthritis, since they both present similar symptoms.  

What are your current thyroid levels?  You should be getting tested, periodically, for TSH, FT3 and FT4.  Please post the levels and be sure to include reference ranges, since those vary lab to lab and must come from your own report.

Are you currently on thyroid replacement hormones?  If so, which medication, at what dose? How long have you been on the medication?

If your pain is thyroid related, and your thyroid levels are optimal (not just in a "normal" range), it should go away.