Update... back from CT and specialist

[Mozartcowgirl]

Well,, I went to the gastro doc,, and he plain out told me that it is my thyroid, he ordered a Barium to rule out other things.. but told me in not so many words that the stress.. and pain alone, were causing the reflux. He felt my neck, and said my thyroid was wayyyyy swollen. I then got a call.. and I was told to head directly to CT.  I went there.. and within 20 minutes.. i got a call from my doctors office. I was told that i have a heterogeneous thyroid, that I need and ultra sound, and a biopsy.

Ok.. now i am freaked out. All this wasted time because i listened to a ENT guy who didnt take the time to rule out other things. i feel like someone is constantly choking me.. the lleft side of my throat hurts so bad i want to just cry all the time. I have no control. I have lost. biopsy? what happens????? I was told words like.. MUST be aggressive with this right NOW. Biopsy to RULE out and determine &$#*)&%.  

I am begging for advice here.  I was told by my doctor that they are stating the ultrasound.. and that things are going to "start happening"

i am a little confused. I thought that since i was hypo, my thyroid would naturally be enlarged. why does it feel like everyone is freaking out? should i be? the pain, the choking feeling, is scaring me enough.  its like.. WHAM! go go go go .  

what happens in a thyroid biopsy ? ive had an ultrasound before of the thyroid.. that was years and years ago.
This is scaring the you know what and more out of me. this pain is unlike anything i have EVER felt. its starting to affect the left side of my face, my clavicle, my jaw. whats going on? i feel like i am in the dark.

[Mozartcowgirl]

Yeah.. i had a whole work up for the shingles... confirmed through blood work. I have MOST of all the symptoms that you described... I am on westroid right now.. and its doing its job.. i just think at this point i am not getting enough T4 or T3.. wish you all were closer.. lol

[PatDeeks]

Hi again,  oh gee, I forgot to mention - I still have the mole and think I will keep it as a "pilot light"!!

[PatDeeks]

Hi there.  I also had a whirlwind experience with the diagnosis and removal of my thyroid.  I went to see the specialist about a mole just above my eyebrow that suddenly became very angry and sore - like a giant pimple.  She noticed my swollen neck, sent me for needle aspiration and scan.  From there, I was referred to a specialist with more experience in dealing with this rare form of thyroid cancer.  In 3 weeks, I've been jabbed and stabbed, prodded and pricked and had my total thyroidectomy done on 25 November.  I was diagnosed with a medullary carcinoma and the worst possible scenario was painted.  It turns out that I am so very lucky that the cancer has not spread.  The specialist that did the op said he was "amazed" and had thought that considering the size of the tumour, the cancer would have spread.  

The whole exercise was a lot worse than I had anticipated but then I generally only believe things when they actually happen. I told my family that I was going for a thyroid op (which was the truth) and also not to raise any unnecessary panic.  Three parathyroid glands were located and transplanted into my neck muscle, lymph nodes were removed from both right and left sides.  Tests came back on lymph nodes confirming negative and no spread at all.
So, in my view, nasty lump has been removed, any possible troublesome cells have been removed and from here we look forward to recovery and a healthy 2010!  
I can certainly feel that there has been some major surgery and work done on me but remain very positive and grateful that this was picked up now (albeit late) but any later would have been catastrophic.
Good luck, Cancer is not what it used to be and the medical support that is available to us nowadays is truly remarkable.  Stay positive and be determined to get rid of the bit that isn't working properly!

[TamraW]

Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disorder. It is not uncommon for a person to have more than one auto-immune disorder. I've spoken to some who have Lupus and Hashi and MS and Hashi. One auto-immunity is bad enough! I feel terrible for those who have two or more!

Make sure the doc tests you for Sjrogen's, which is common with Hashi - Dry eyes, skin, dry vaginal area. You're basically a dried up sponge on the inside, which can cause intestinal problems, so considering what you've been through, get your Sjrogen's test. Although, if your frees are low, then that could cause dryness/constipation, too. I can't wear contacts anymore because of the dry, gritty feeling in the eyes. My endo says that once my frees are up, if I still have the dryness, he will test me for Sjrogen's.

Your weakened immunity caused by the auto-immune disease(s) probably brought on the Shingles. I read all about it when I thought I had it. What a crappy disease!

You've really got it rough, girl! Get those free levels up with proper medication, so that you can have some relief. I'll be praying for you! Keep on your D vitamins. That made a huge difference for me.

My D was very low last year. Those 50,000 unit pills made me sick. I found some 1,000 unit pills at Wal-Mart. I take one of those daily. That, plus some Texas sunshine does the trick.

:) Tamra

[Mozartcowgirl]

Hi again... and yeah.. i was tested for shingles via blood... alot of what I have been diagnosed with ( Hashis, crohnes, the UC and UP, psoriasis ect) was not until I had had the EB virus. I lay in bed with a fever of 103-105... for about a  week. 2 weeks after that, i tried to get out of bed one morning, and i couldnt. i was very sureal. after that went away, i started with all these quirky things.... bleeding out my rectum even when i just sneezed, going to the bathroom every 3 minutes... the shingles.. wow...thats a hard one to talk about. I had to bind my arm , when i even touched it .. even softly, it was unbearable. I didnt find out i was D deficient until just recently. I was also told that this deficiency ,must have been occurring for quite some time.. it was simply undiagnosed. with the UC and UP, i actually had to take photos of the toilet and what was in the toilet, and the blood all over the place before my old PCP believed me.. he would always just tell me it was in my head, and that i had "panic" attacks. I have been told that I have autoimmune disorder, as well as RA.  I havent seen a specialsit for that yet.  I just had a vaginal U/s, that showed some crap too...
all what you listed... i have as well...i dont get the cold hands and feet though .. but i do get ectremmely hot hands... not sure why... my temp runs about 96.5.  I have no doubt that the EB virus did this to me, and that the ensuing hashis is continuing this.
the AV block i had way before that,
will talk later,,,, thanks so much for listening.. and for the articles, and the words of encouragment.

[TamraW]

Also, I can't help but wonder if so many of your other ailments are related to Hashi. Hashi causes the stomach issues, vitamin deficiency, etc.

The deficiency in vitamin D can lead to bone problems, kidney stones, as our parathyroids increase calcium production in order to make up for the decrease in D.

You can never eliminate the antibodies, but you can help control the antibodies by taking your thyroid hormone and making sure the docs are treating your free levels. Selenium once a day has been proven to reduce antibodies 25 percent over six months in a trial study.

Do not take any vitamins within four hours of taking thyroid hormone.

:) Tamra

[TamraW]

Good article about Hashimoto's and Hives:

http://www.urticaria.thunderworksinc.com/pages/whatis.htm


Good article about Hashi and joint/muscle pain:

http://www.thyroidtalk.com/Hashimotosjoint.html


Good article about treating ALL patients with Hashimoto's:

http://thyroid.about.com/od/hypothyroidismhashimotos/a/preventative.htm

[TamraW]

Don't feel selfish. You're scared. You're sick. You have every right to complain. Many of us here have been through the same thing. We understand.

Below were my Hashi symptoms prior to getting on the right amount of thyroid hormone. Are you taking any thyroid hormone?

Shingles? Were the sores tested for a REAL confirmation? I was diagnosed with Shingles last year after the doc looked at my rash. The docs kept telling me Shingles, but after the 10th time, I said ENOUGH! Acyclovir never worked. Turns out to be a typical Hashi rash.

These symptoms slowly appeared and worsened after birthing an infant (who was also premature) and they present themselves more strongly alongside sporadic bouts of diarrhea:
Mild weight gain even while dieting
Weight loss when not dieting
Extreme fatigue/napping
GERD/Heartburn/chest pain
Mostly constipation mixed with diarrhea
Depression/anxiety/forgetfulness/brain fog
Abdomen swells for no apparent reason
Neck/jaw pain/swelling/pressure
Scratchy voice
Migraines, dizziness and back of neck/head pain
Very cold feet and hands and sometimes a feeling like ants are biting my feet
Endometriosis (2 years ago – cured after one year of birth control)
Irregular/heavy periods and menstrual-like cramping in between periods
Ear pressure/pain
Voice is sometimes hoarse
Knee/joint pains – finger swelling and pain
Rash or scaly skin on neck, head, hands, chest, chin, nose, right armpit down to waist
Dry eyes and sometimes soreness
Occasionally I have a mild hot flashes or chills
Night throbbing/pounding in ears that wakes me
Toe nails feel painful and brittle
Muscles in legs sometimes go wobbly and weak when I am standing
Tingling feet/hands/lips
Body temp ranges 97-97.5
Hair clumps in shower
Shaky hands
Blood pressure changing
Feeling like heart is beating fast
Decreased sex drive
Enlarged lymphnodes in neck and armpit
Legs feel heavy and swollen at times


:) Tamra

[Mozartcowgirl]

I feel selfish.. i apoligize. I know that there are so many out there who have been dealt such a harder blow than mine.  I am a survivor, I have been dealing with crohnes, shingles, migraine, ulcerative colitis and proctitis, interstital cystitis, 2nd degree av block, severe osteopenia and vitamin d deficiency, kidney stones, and some other, well.. other health ..... things, i can do this. i can. i guess i just feel like a bus hit me. I went from being at work, doing my job, to this.  it heaps on me. like a sickly wet blanket that i cannot shrug off. I sometimes forget that life, is sometimes  a war, and this is just another battle i have to face.  I am just afraid of the unknown.
You ever just feel like this time... you have to relent and just let go? Not like hurting yourself, but just giving in to whatever the h e double ell is going on/?

I thankyou , Tamra, for your words of hope. I can do this. I think.

[TamraW]

First of all, I'm glad that your Gastro doc is taking notice. Second, he is a gastro doc and not a thyroid doc. I have learned that doctors don't know everything, and if this is not their field of expertise, then they tend to know less. He might be freaking for no reason, so take a deep breath and relax.

Take Motrin for the pain and swelling, as well as a daily selenium. A cold wash cloth draped gently across the neck helps as well. You are panicking because your thyroid hormones are going crazy, causing you to have panic attacks. This is normal. A few months ago, I'd convinced myself I had thyroid cancer, but it turns out I just have a fat, annoying thyroid caused by Hashimoto's. Also, my isthmus is over twice the normal size, which is why I get the choking feeling. Typical.  

Many of us here are going through the same thing. We're not dying. We just have really high antibodies. My mom is 75 and still alive, dealing with Hashi.

It is good the doc is doing something about it, but remember people with Hashimoto's and Graves have messy, fat thyroids. It *****, but you'll get through this. The biopsy hurts less than a trip to the dentist. I drove myself to mine, but I recommend a friend for moral support. It takes a few days to a week for results.

If it does turn out to be cancer, then remember that thyroid cancer has the highest cure rate. There are a few on this forum who've gone through it and can attest to their success.

Take care...
:) Tamra