Chronic, ongoing muscle pain and joint stiffness....Is it hypothyroidism??
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi all
I'll try to keep this brief!
I noticed stiffness a few years ago. I'm 45 and put it down to ageing. Last year I developed a muscle ache in my flank and rib age area. I've been scanned and tested with no real answers. Possibly chronic myofascial pain syndrome? Now I'm experiencing a dull ache below my shoulder blade and the stiffness continues to be bothersome. It can be a struggle to get out of a chair, up and down stairs etc. My mind is willing but my body isn't. I don't seem to have any flexibility. My fingers can be stiff and a lot of areas on my body can feel bruised/tender to touch. I'm searching desperately for a 'diagnosis' but it occurred to me today that perhaps these are symptoms of my hypo? No doctor has ever suggested it but is it possible? I've been on 75mcg Levo for 2 years. Does anyone else have these symptoms? I'd be very interested as I am a big worrier and have spent so long looking for answers!! Thanks all xx
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patricia20016 mrspinkrat
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Too can't get up off the settee and have trouble both going up and down the steps so much so I have got a blue badge I'm that bad I'm under the endocrine doctors now a professor but I have also been to see a neurologist to out rule MS and also had long needles put into my muscles to see if there is any muscle wastage with electrodes put into them but it was clear funny enough I'm back seeing neurologist tomorrow afternoon but I think she will discharge me as I'm waiting now to see rheumatoid consultant but a long waiting list I'm sure they will find something this is not Normal as I could walk properly before I had the operation. Sound like me totally
Trish
katejo11 patricia20016
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LAHs mrspinkrat
Posted
So there you are, three possiblilities.
The thing that cured me was to change to a Natural Dessicated Thyroid (NDT), Armour to be specific. You may not be able to get this on the NHS but at least ask your doctor for a prescripttion and then "shop around". You can buy it from the manufacturer via the internet with a prescription. It cured me of all of those symptoms within half an hour of my first pill. After a while I got aches in my thighs creeping back so I upped my dose a little, by 1/4 grain, from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2)grains.
If you experiment with doses, only give it two months to work. Do not keep going for years feeling ill, if things haven't changed in two months then they will probably not. You will have to be a real pest with your doctor, we all are, it takes a lot of energy and tenacity on the part of the patient to get to feeling well.
mrspinkrat LAHs
Posted
I think it's unlikely my doctor will give me the go ahead but would really like to give this a try. I'm not very pushy though...
Thank you!!
LAHs mrspinkrat
Posted
Now, you are supposed to start low and gradually work up the dose until you feel well. 60mg(1 grain) of NDT is about 100mcgs of Levo so you might want to start out on 1/2 grain, this would be a little lower than what you are taking now (75mcg Levo) but you will also be getting T3 along with the T4 which Levo has been supplying you with. See how you feel and increase to 1 1/4 grains after a couple of weeks.
As far as being pushy is concerned, I wasn't either until I almost died doing what my doc told me to do. I was so mad I went knocking on doors of my medical insurers office demanding a doc who knew what they were talking about! Be careful, many Endocrinologists are known as "good" because they are good at diabetes, they are hopeless, however, with thyroid. Those of us who have crawled out of this black hole have changed doctors many times and sometimes have to travel a long way to find a good doc for thyroid problems. It is a bit awkward to do this but you get to a point where anger overcomes embarrasment, and then your health starts to improve.
There is a list of doctors in the UK who are aware of this scandalous situation and you can find it in an organisation called TPAUK.
barbara98940 LAHs
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patricia20016 mrspinkrat
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Hi I've been on Levo for 3 years and I had a total thyroid ectomy 3 years ago since then I have been in agony with pain all over my body but mainly in legs they are shocking feel like lead weights and I
Too can't get up off the settee and have trouble both going up and down the steps so much so I have got a blue badge I'm that bad I'm under the endocrine doctors now a professor but I have also been to see a neurologist to out rule MS and also had long needles put into my muscles to see if there is any muscle wastage with electrodes put into them but it was clear funny enough I'm back seeing neurologist tomorrow afternoon but I think she will discharge me as I'm waiting now to see rheumatoid consultant but a long waiting list I'm sure they will find something this is not Normal as I could walk properly before I had the operation. Sound like me totally
Trish
mrspinkrat patricia20016
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shellyC19 mrspinkrat
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My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA. I have Hashimoto's since 1987.
Many people who have thyroid pain do have muscle aches and pains. It is been known to happen and some people bruise badly, having no contact with anything. Sometimes the thyroid dose has to be changed if the TSH is bad. Other symptoms are feeling cold, sleepy, brain foggy, constipation, brittle nails, low body temp, weight gain, low heart rate.
You could have what they call Polymyalgia which means Mutliple muscle pain. Now the treatment would be steriods or muscle relaxants. The bad thing is steriods can cause brittle bones.
You can take a Non-steriodal medication like Naporoxen Sodium, and take it 2 times a day. Make sure your TSH, T4 and T3 levels are okay. Vit D is also a factor if it is low, it can make muscles hurt badly.
See a Rheumatologist who knows Arthritis and have that checked out. It has been known to develop in the middle age years of 40 to 65.
I do have some Arthritis Osteo type and I am 54. You can be tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis by a blood test.
Keep us posted on how you do,
Shelly
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