Abnormal blood
Posted , 3 users are following.
I have a lot of symptoms of an overactive thyroid including: shaky hands, rapid heartbeat, anxiety, weight loss but increased appetite, lighter periods, muscle ache and frequently needing the toilet.
I have had a blood test and results have come back as abnormal, so I am waiting now to see my GP next week.
I am pretty sure it is going to show I have a an overactive thyroid. I am just concerned now about what will happen next. I have read many people's experiences, and not many of them sound positive. Is it common to put on a lot of weight and lose hair? This is worrying me a lot.
0 likes, 5 replies
Guest adele27568
Posted
What will happen most likely is that your GP will suggest to start a treatment with thyroid lowering medication. In my case this was Carbimazole. It is generally well tolerated but can (rarely) have serious side effects that your doctor will explain. After a few weeks of treatment you will gradually recover and will begin to start feeling much better.
I would advise you to ask the GP for a printout of your blood tests. It is very helpful e.g. if you want to google what the tests results indicate and if you want to ask for further advise on this site. The report will also show the units of measurement and the normal range for each test.
During the initial period of your treatment you will need regular monitoring of your thyroid hormone values. This will allow your doctors to adjust your medication accordingly (so that you do not become hypothyroid due to being overmedicated).
It is likely that you will put on a little bit of weight after you start your treatment. In my case it was the weight that I lost initially due to being hyper. After my thyroid values returned to normal my weight normalised as well.
Regarding hair loss, this is more frequently associated with being hypothyroid. I will send you a link with more detailed information on the site of the British Thyroid Foundation via private message.
adele27568 Guest
Posted
I just hope I can feel more like myself again. I agree, the muscle ache and tiredness are probably the hardest things to deal with. I feel as though I want to take a week off work just to sleep. And walking is really hard as my legs hurt. I have just came back from holiday, which I think has aggrevated my legs due to the walking.
Fingers crossed to getting back on track.
Guest adele27568
Posted
Forgot to mention, I also started taking L-Carnitine after reading about this supplement on this form. I think it helped me together with the thyroid lowering medication to regain my normal muscle function.
You can have a look at previous posts on this forum, for example this one on page 19:
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/improvement-in-graves-disease-recovery-by-using-l-carnitine--258561
And as long as you are hyperthyroid it is advisable to refrain from strenuous physical activity. The muscle pain could be not just sore muscles from exercising but muscle wasting (breakdown of muscle tissue due to hyperthyroidism).
adele27568 Guest
Posted
I tried to get an appointment with at my GP's yesterday, but no one would see me. They would only do a telephone consultation.
She prescribed carbimazole, however, I don't have a clue what my blood tests are showing. How would I know if it was Grave's. Would the doctor know from looking at my blood results?
Guest adele27568
Posted
Depending on the blood tests that have been done it might be possible to say if your thyroid disorder is of autoimmune nature or not. If you are in the UK your GP will probably arrange an appointment for you to see an endocrinologist.