Concerning new blood test
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hello,
I'm 20 years old, male. I've come to this forum before for anxiety and stomach problems, but a new blood test revealed something a bit strange. I took a hormone test because I always felt anxious, cold, short of breath, the like, and I got my results back as abnormal. My doctor seems to think I'm hyperthyroid. Here's the weird thing, I have very bad digestion issues. Some days are worse than others, but my metabolism is absolutely potato. I'm always cold, feeling anxious and sickly. I never really had problems with my thyroid and literally no one in my family has hyperthyroidism, but I do get a fast heart rate after eating(body seems to struggle to digest things). Occasionally, the shortness of breath is hard to cope with and my anxiety keeps me up which in turn makes me feel worse and gives me panic attacks and whatnot. I live a sedentary lifestyle as a programmer, so digestion and I don't get along very well. I never feel hungry either. Since the blood test I've learned of one more new thing to be concerned about: Thyroid storm. I saw that suddenly feeling hot is a symptom and boy oh boy did I feel hot almost immediately after reading that. Anxiety really knows how to mess with you.
Here's what the report itself read:
T4, FREE - 1.5 ng/dL (Normal Range: 0.8-1.4)
TSH W/REFLEX TO FT4 - 4.93 mIU/L (Normal Range: 0.4-4.5)
Alright, so I freaked out mildly, managed not to immediately have a mental breakdown. I asked what my GP thought and he said he thought I had hyperthyroidism, but it could also be hypothyroidism somehow. But he was betting on hyperthyroidism. No medications, requested I do another check in 6 weeks. Now I'm just praying I don't have a thyroid storm or something during those 6 weeks. Should I immediately book an endocrinologist? The doctor didn't seem awfully concerned about this, but if it can kill me, I definitely want it taken care of. Argh! I don't know what to do! I give myself panic attacks pretty easily and they go on to trigger later panic attacks and keep me up which makes things even worse...
Being stressed about health all the time really is the worst.
0 likes, 15 replies
deedee63350 DMile10
Posted
DMile10 deedee63350
Posted
It's just my anxiety that makes things so bad. When I thought my anxiety came from hormones, I of course found a reason to freak out and I haven't had much sleep or anything the last few days. I immediately went to an urgent care clinic to get checked out, but they checked my thyroid carefully and told me to go back home. I called in the endo and they said my TSH was high(hypothyroidism) and my T4 was low enough that it's virtually normal. Told me to take an anti-body test later to rule everything out, but man, I'm already freaking out...
cindy48885 deedee63350
Posted
i just had blood work completed for my annual visit to the doctor, my tsh was 0.024 last year it was 1.8 . i have been hypothyroid for 30 plus years . OF course I am concerned with this test result . I have been on a strict diet the last 4 months and have lost 30 pounds , sorta of keto only eating one meal a day. Do you think this could cause my thyroid to flip out ? I have been taking 112 synthyroid daily my doctor is decreasing to 100 synthyroid daily. HAs anybody heard of thyroid going from HYpo to Hyper?
Mike61308 DMile10
Posted
DMile10 Mike61308
Posted
Apparently I'm very borderline right now. I don't know if it's safe to wait or not, but I called an endocrinologist and he seems to think that waiting a couple weeks won't kill me. My anxiety already got the better of me and I've already panicked more times than I should have. The endo also said I was wrong, it was hypothyroidism. I was very borderline, so he told me not to worry.
Told me to take an antibody test, though he doubts it's anything. Is it possible to have such high levels normally? What the heck?
jeanine58186 DMile10
Posted
DMile10, I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through all this at such a young age. First I would like to say that I also have anxiety and panic attacks, long before I went hyper. I thought at first that my anxiety had the best of me when I started going hyper. Day by day I got worse I ended up in the hospital because my doctor's waited so long to treat me. I spent 5 days on the cardiac floor! I feel that you should seek out an Endo as soon as possible because it might take a couple weeks to get in. I have been put on methimazole, propranolol, kolonopin, iron, and vitamin D3. They keep lowering my methimazole now I'm trending hyper again. This is an awful thing to have because when the thyroid is out of wack your body can't work correctly. I think your symptoms are from your thyroid and anxiety will go along with it. This is a horrible feeling and I know what you are going through. Please try to keep yourself calm as possible and stress will make it even worse. My symptoms were high heart rate and blood pressure. I shook in my hands and legs and felt like I had an internal vibration like my insides were jello. I sweat and my hands were warm and clamy. I was a nervous wreck and had to use the restroom alot. You sound alot like me . Don't wait 6 weeks my TSH went low in October and they did nothing by December 18th I was on the hospital. My heart rate was 177 just when I would stand up. I was a severe case because they left me go so long. If a doctor doesn't listen to you fire them and find another. You are the boss of your body and the doctors work for you. Good Luck keep us posted and you will be in my thoughts and prayers.
DMile10 jeanine58186
Posted
Oh my goodness, that's absolutely horrible! See, I'm almost always cold and have a high heart rate only sometimes. I contacted an endocrinologist immediately and they doubt that I have any serious thyroid issues, but that I do have mild hypothyroidism(what?). He told me to wait it out a bit to know for sure because my hormone levels might change and give a better picture of what's going on. My fear was that it might spiral out of control in 1 or 2 days, but apparently it takes a while. I've been a nervous wreck before my rather weird hormone results though, so I guess that hasn't changed that much... I have a hard time recovering from panic attacks. I have shortness of breath and general anxiety for a week or so. One thing that I didn't know was that hyperthyroid issues have a more constant effect on someone. I have paroxysmal fast heart rate and my symptoms fluctuate too quickly for the root cause to be hyperthyroidism apparently. My GP thought it was hyperthyroidism, but the endo thinks it's hypo. Argh, this is so scary! I'm glad that you're keeping your hyperthyroidism under control. I have had some really bad panic attacks before and I can only imagine how terrifying a thyroid storm would be.
arlea13920 DMile10
Posted
Retired Nurse
Arlea
DMile10 arlea13920
Posted
So I immediately called an endocrinologist to get their opinion and they told me that my result was borderline enough(and my thyroid gland wasn't swollen or anything) that I should wait for a new result in a couple weeks to know for sure. They said that I'm hypothyroid, not hyperthyroid. This makes a bit more sense to me judging by how cold I am most of the time, but I'm so scared that I don't even know what is what anymore. I'm just scared that my thyroid just suddenly might get worse and I might die tomorrow or the day after. Yikes, I think my anxiety is worse than the thyroid issue itself. Thank you for your care and concern. <3
Mike61308 DMile10
Posted
Hi DMile,
It's interesting that your test result showed T4 is at borderline of "hyper" and TSH at "hypo" level. Guess that's why your GD called it hyper and your endo called it "hypo" (usually endo only eye at TSH number for a sign of hyper or hypo). Your symptom of going cold constantly does imply possible hypo... But anyway, try to calm down as much as you can for the sake of not worsening your condition. Also, patience is always a good medicine, especially for this kind of long-term illness.
DMile10 Mike61308
Posted
Mike61308 DMile10
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Thyroid storm would most likely come in the form of cardio disorder due to a hyper condition. You worry too much and over that, in turn, make you over anxious... Too many "if"s can cost you lot of sleep and peace and gain no/little help. Assumption deserves no definite answer. Hope you rest, physically and mentally, until next appointment.
DMile10 Mike61308
Posted
Apparently thyroid storms generally happen to long standing hyperthyroidism that's not been managed at all. Thankfully I don't have any major hyper symptoms, but man, the anxiety is so bad. Endo thinks my levels are skewed from my panic attacks which can apparently mess with my levels a small amount. Thank you for your kind words. I just need someone to tell me things will be okay.
arlea13920 DMile10
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Praying for you. Also look up the supplements you should be taking. They have helped me.
Best. Wishes for things to get better.
Arlea
Summerose87 DMile10
Posted
I would suggest taking your health into your own hands. Digestion and nutrition play such a huge role in overall health, but conventional doctors receive almost no training in that area, so they wouldn't be able to make a connection between your digestion issues and bad health. There are a few herbs for thyroid disorders that will help with anxiety. Also, you should have your cortisol, iron , and hormones checked. Your liver and kidneys are connected to thyroid function, so you should have your doctor run whatever tests they can to make sure they're functioning properly. Lastly, do some research on gut permeability (a.k.a leaky gut) and candida. I'd be willing to bet that you would see vast improvement by changing your diet and taking thyroid supporting supplements. Remember, don't be intimidated by doctors, they're essentially working FOR YOU. Be adamant about what tests you want them to run. If they're uncooperative find a new doctor.