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What Kind of Doctor/Specialist Should I See For Chronic Fatigue
I'm under the care of an Endocrinologist for months now, due to my hypothyroidism. I also mentioned her my unusual feelings I'm encountering. From there she diagnosed me of Chronic Fatigue, but she's referring me to a pulmo. Is it a good choice? (by the way, im 33, if that could help)
Aside from these common symptoms of chronic fatigue:
(mayoclinic.com)
-Sore throat
-Unexplained muscle pain
-Pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness
-Unrefreshing sleep
-Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise
I always feel these to go along also, its like always a "package":
-Nausea
-Dizziness
-Sometimes shortness of breath
-Tingling in the arms & hands
-IBS, spasms
-not much appetite
-sometimes slight fever
-ocassional chest pain, tightness
..Some docs werent able to answer my question. anybody here could help me?
I really need to do something about this, because its hindering me to do normal things, whereas normal people wont easily feel weak & sick, it makes me unproductive and sometimes skips the things I need to do.
thanks...
Aside from these common symptoms of chronic fatigue:
(mayoclinic.com)
-Sore throat
-Unexplained muscle pain
-Pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness
-Unrefreshing sleep
-Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise
I always feel these to go along also, its like always a "package":
-Nausea
-Dizziness
-Sometimes shortness of breath
-Tingling in the arms & hands
-IBS, spasms
-not much appetite
-sometimes slight fever
-ocassional chest pain, tightness
..Some docs werent able to answer my question. anybody here could help me?
I really need to do something about this, because its hindering me to do normal things, whereas normal people wont easily feel weak & sick, it makes me unproductive and sometimes skips the things I need to do.
thanks...
Second opinions are always a good thing! I always try to speak with my doctors - and provoke them to explain how things can be inter-related. They have mondays and slow days too =)
yup, i already did some blood tests, and it seems my doctor (endocrinologist) didnt pay much attention to them except for the thyroid test which is more of her area...i guess that an endocrinologist should solve it, maybe its just so happened that i need someone better /second opinion...
Sounds like Fibromyalgia to me. See a Rheumatologist. He/she would know about Chronic Fatigue, Lupus, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and other such diseases. Fibromyalgia symptoms include IBS, fatigue, migraine, dizziness, muscle spasms and a plethora of other symptoms.
Some with hypothyroidism can have issues with there lungs and he is probably walking on the cautious side and just wanting to rule out issues, and check for the following possibilities:
Depressed ventilatory drive — Some patients with hypothyroidism have alveolar hypoventilation.
Respiratory muscle weakness — Skeletal muscle myopathy occurs with hypothyroidism. Respiratory muscle strength is reduced in patients with hypothyroidism, and improves with treatment; the reduction is caused by both a myopathy and neuropathy.
Pulmonary function — Carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) may be low and increase during treatment; in one study, the mean value was 63 percent of the predicted value before and 93 percent during.
I have Hashimoto's and (numerous other health issues) just so you know the thyroid, whether hyper or hypo affect your body more than most people realize! It isn't just a weight gain or weight loss thing! Don't I wish! Lol! It affects the body's ability to regulate temperature such as an intolerance to heat or cold, I am cold all the time! It can affect your heart rate, fertility, and so much more! The thing is you can have hypothyroidism and have symptoms for hyperthyroidism. and there are diseases like Graves and Hashimoto's that are also factors in how it affects your body.
Symptoms Of Under-active Thyroid (Hypothyroidism)
Fatigue and exhaustion, as though unable to get enough sleep; need to take daytime naps
Depression, sadness
Sensitivity to cold; feel chilly in rooms of normal temperature when others do not
Difficulty losing weight despite rigid adherence to a low-grain diet (especially common for women)
Inappropriate weight gain; difficulty losing weight despite proper diet and exercise
Impaired memory
Constipation
Difficulty sweating; perspiration may be decreased or absent even during heavy exercise and hot weather
Hair is dry or tangly
Hair loss, particularly from outer part of eyebrows
Brittle nails that split or break easily
Skin is dry, cold, rough and scaly
Symptoms Of Overactive Thyroid (Hyperthyroidism)
Heart feels like it’s pounding out of your chest (very common)
Feel hot and sweaty
Fine tremor
Nervousness
Rapid weight loss
Clammy skin
Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism share many of the same symptoms. These symptoms may include:
hand tremors
weight loss
intolerance to heat
fatigue
nervousness
irritability
muscle weakness
goiter (swelling in the thyroid gland)
diarrhea or increased frequency in bowel movements
difficulty sleeping
The following is information from the mayo clinic on Hashimoto's:
Hashimoto's disease does not have unique signs and symptoms. The disease typically progresses slowly over a number of years and causes chronic thyroid damage, leading to a drop in thyroid hormone levels in your blood. The signs and symptoms are mainly those of an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism vary widely, depending on the severity of hormone deficiency. At first, you may barely notice any symptoms, such as fatigue and sluggishness, or you may simply attribute them to getting older. But as the disease progresses, you may develop more-obvious signs and symptoms. Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include:
Fatigue and sluggishness
Increased sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Pale, dry skin
A puffy face
Hoarse voice
An elevated blood cholesterol level
Unexplained weight gain — occurring infrequently and rarely exceeding 10 to 20 pounds, most of which is fluid
Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness, especially in your shoulders and hips
Pain and stiffness in your joints and swelling in your knees or the small joints in your hands and feet
Muscle weakness, especially in your lower extremities
Excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
Depression
Without treatment, signs and symptoms gradually become more severe and your thyroid gland may become enlarged (goiter). In addition, you may become more forgetful, your thought processes may slow or you may feel depressed.
You could also have sleep apnea which may be compounding issues, I know that was making issues worse for me! I know there is a lot of info on here to absorb! there was a lot for me but my endo was great about explain for me! I unfortunately had tumors all over my thyroid and had to have mine removed. The thyroid itself was fine! Go figure! But one of my tumors was hypo but was causing me to have symptoms for both, my problem was I couldn't gain weight and kept losing. My sister had thyroid cancer so they insisted I have mine removed. It was closing off my airway when he got in there to remove it, said there were so many tumors on the back side of it he couldn't believe it! Said I was precancerous! Scared me to death! But they got it all! The endo sat down with me and explained how important my meds were to keeping me alive. He explained that although most people don't realize the thyroid while small, is an important organ in that the hormones it produces helps the body regulate so many different things, heart rate, body temperature, regulates moods also even absorbing vitamins our body needs! That's why it's so important to make sure that you are getting your blood tested to assure your levels are correct, especially women, because it can affect fertility in women and cause anemia in some. I hope I haven't scared you to death! I got off on a tangent there and didn't mean to! Lol! But please make sure you are taking your medication the way you are supposed to and one thing some endo's forget to check for sometimes is vitamin D deficiency! I was having really weird symptoms some similar to you and my endo said part of the problem was that my vitamin D was probably low, sure enough it was! He keeps a very close eye on that and my calcium. I have a bone scan done once a year because people with thyroid issues should be taking calcium also, and having bone scans done due to the higher risk of bone loss in people with thyroid issues. I hope this helps! and didn't just raise more questions! Lol! I have been dealing with this for a long time now and have gotten to where I can just about tell when my meds need to be adjusted! :) I will be praying that all goes well and that you get the answers and help you need!
Depressed ventilatory drive — Some patients with hypothyroidism have alveolar hypoventilation.
Respiratory muscle weakness — Skeletal muscle myopathy occurs with hypothyroidism. Respiratory muscle strength is reduced in patients with hypothyroidism, and improves with treatment; the reduction is caused by both a myopathy and neuropathy.
Pulmonary function — Carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) may be low and increase during treatment; in one study, the mean value was 63 percent of the predicted value before and 93 percent during.
I have Hashimoto's and (numerous other health issues) just so you know the thyroid, whether hyper or hypo affect your body more than most people realize! It isn't just a weight gain or weight loss thing! Don't I wish! Lol! It affects the body's ability to regulate temperature such as an intolerance to heat or cold, I am cold all the time! It can affect your heart rate, fertility, and so much more! The thing is you can have hypothyroidism and have symptoms for hyperthyroidism. and there are diseases like Graves and Hashimoto's that are also factors in how it affects your body.
Symptoms Of Under-active Thyroid (Hypothyroidism)
Fatigue and exhaustion, as though unable to get enough sleep; need to take daytime naps
Depression, sadness
Sensitivity to cold; feel chilly in rooms of normal temperature when others do not
Difficulty losing weight despite rigid adherence to a low-grain diet (especially common for women)
Inappropriate weight gain; difficulty losing weight despite proper diet and exercise
Impaired memory
Constipation
Difficulty sweating; perspiration may be decreased or absent even during heavy exercise and hot weather
Hair is dry or tangly
Hair loss, particularly from outer part of eyebrows
Brittle nails that split or break easily
Skin is dry, cold, rough and scaly
Symptoms Of Overactive Thyroid (Hyperthyroidism)
Heart feels like it’s pounding out of your chest (very common)
Feel hot and sweaty
Fine tremor
Nervousness
Rapid weight loss
Clammy skin
Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism share many of the same symptoms. These symptoms may include:
hand tremors
weight loss
intolerance to heat
fatigue
nervousness
irritability
muscle weakness
goiter (swelling in the thyroid gland)
diarrhea or increased frequency in bowel movements
difficulty sleeping
The following is information from the mayo clinic on Hashimoto's:
Hashimoto's disease does not have unique signs and symptoms. The disease typically progresses slowly over a number of years and causes chronic thyroid damage, leading to a drop in thyroid hormone levels in your blood. The signs and symptoms are mainly those of an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism vary widely, depending on the severity of hormone deficiency. At first, you may barely notice any symptoms, such as fatigue and sluggishness, or you may simply attribute them to getting older. But as the disease progresses, you may develop more-obvious signs and symptoms. Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include:
Fatigue and sluggishness
Increased sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Pale, dry skin
A puffy face
Hoarse voice
An elevated blood cholesterol level
Unexplained weight gain — occurring infrequently and rarely exceeding 10 to 20 pounds, most of which is fluid
Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness, especially in your shoulders and hips
Pain and stiffness in your joints and swelling in your knees or the small joints in your hands and feet
Muscle weakness, especially in your lower extremities
Excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
Depression
Without treatment, signs and symptoms gradually become more severe and your thyroid gland may become enlarged (goiter). In addition, you may become more forgetful, your thought processes may slow or you may feel depressed.
You could also have sleep apnea which may be compounding issues, I know that was making issues worse for me! I know there is a lot of info on here to absorb! there was a lot for me but my endo was great about explain for me! I unfortunately had tumors all over my thyroid and had to have mine removed. The thyroid itself was fine! Go figure! But one of my tumors was hypo but was causing me to have symptoms for both, my problem was I couldn't gain weight and kept losing. My sister had thyroid cancer so they insisted I have mine removed. It was closing off my airway when he got in there to remove it, said there were so many tumors on the back side of it he couldn't believe it! Said I was precancerous! Scared me to death! But they got it all! The endo sat down with me and explained how important my meds were to keeping me alive. He explained that although most people don't realize the thyroid while small, is an important organ in that the hormones it produces helps the body regulate so many different things, heart rate, body temperature, regulates moods also even absorbing vitamins our body needs! That's why it's so important to make sure that you are getting your blood tested to assure your levels are correct, especially women, because it can affect fertility in women and cause anemia in some. I hope I haven't scared you to death! I got off on a tangent there and didn't mean to! Lol! But please make sure you are taking your medication the way you are supposed to and one thing some endo's forget to check for sometimes is vitamin D deficiency! I was having really weird symptoms some similar to you and my endo said part of the problem was that my vitamin D was probably low, sure enough it was! He keeps a very close eye on that and my calcium. I have a bone scan done once a year because people with thyroid issues should be taking calcium also, and having bone scans done due to the higher risk of bone loss in people with thyroid issues. I hope this helps! and didn't just raise more questions! Lol! I have been dealing with this for a long time now and have gotten to where I can just about tell when my meds need to be adjusted! :) I will be praying that all goes well and that you get the answers and help you need!
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I don't see any harm in going to a plumologist - however - I would be more prone to ask for your medication to be adjusted if the symptoms you listed above haven't resolved. I try to look at it this way - why clean up water on the bathroom floor if you haven't turned the tub off that's causing water to overflow?
Stay strong, be patient, and during these times - try your very best to use "mind over matter" to get through the day, and do you best to get appropriate rest.