Diagnosed with euthryoid hashimoto's - lots of symptoms, doctors wont treat me
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hello all,
I am writing a bit dispaired and feeling overwhelmed with my health. A few months ago I started having panick attacks out of the blue...I thought I was having some sort of anxiety disorder because I have been thru a lot of stress, a pregnancy that did not came to good terms, lots of personal and professional issues etc. So i thought, I am having a mental breakdown. But, something inside me told me to get some lab work done and I visited an endo, because I read that thyroid messes with your emotions and anxiety etc... The endo literally laughed at me but I insisted for him to test me. So, I have very high thyroid anti-bodies. Maybe from the pregnany or I dont know but he said I have hashimoto's.... I asked him, ok, how can I manage these symptoms?
He said, oh, your symptoms are all in your head. You are anxious, you are depressed, your thuroid levels are good, you are not hypo or hyper, so the anti-bodies do not cause symptoms, you need to go see a psychiatrist. And I did. The psych said, you are depressed and anxious, take these super strong anti-depressents.
But I did not. I have the prescription here and thinking should I? I just want my life back! I am having all types of symptoms: a racing heart, like really fast heart beat, I wake up in the middle of the night every night, my heart flutters and skips a beat everytime I try to sleep, I am constantly dizzy...so dizzy it is getting inside my head and I cannot leave a normal life, I am affraid to exercise because I get VERY light headed when I try to exercise. I have this brain pressure that won't quit, tingling hands, dorment feet....Is this all in my head? Am I so anxious that am having all these horrible symptoms?
I wen to a second endo to ask for some treatment for these symptoms. She said the same: anty-bodies only do not create these symptoms. I will see you in six months, take the anti depressants and we will measure your levels again in six months. Six months?? I cannot live like this for six months. I have alreayd lost 4 kilos in 3 months ( I am doing AIP diet to try to lower anti -bodies....) ...I feel I am not being treated properly. Nobody cares about my dizzinnes that is constant, nobody cares that I feel like fainting if I dont eat regularly, that my brain zaps and is constantly pressured and that I wake up in the middle of the night with heart flutters or sometimes, panic attacks.
I got an ecocardiogram with doppler and a cardiac stress test. My heart rate resting was at 100 bpm but I was pretty nervous but nobody thought that was high? docs said the tests were good despite me telling him that I was super dizzy after the stress test.... I just dont know what to do???
Should I take the anxiety meds and see if this solves some symptoms? Maybe it was the intense stress of previous months that got me in this auto-imune thing or is it the auto-omune causing this stress?? Am i supposed to have all these symptoms if, like they say, i am euthyroid?
Thank you and sorry for the english, I am portuguese.
0 likes, 6 replies
shaxta vera61692
Posted
I am so sorry to learn how rotten you feel and I know how it is because I have been there; no treatment from GPs or Endos. However, I have found that by taking certain supplements things can improve a lot over a week or two. I take Vitamins D3: B12: C: E: Also Selenium: Zinc: Magnesium. Try this and see how you go.
MtViewCatherine vera61692
Posted
Where do you live? I'm in Northern California. I've found medical treatment for myself and my mother to be nothing more than lip service at best. The system is laughable. They don't seem to be able to treat the simplest and most obvious thing. I had a broken foot. They refused to out a cart on it and sent me to PT. The PT told me to go back and get a cast. Docs still wouldn't t rest it. Waiting 6 moths to see a neurologist who told me he diagnosed me by my X-rays alone and I have some sort of pain syndrome, take some toxic pain pills. Seriously. I had to treat my broken foot myself.
Keep looking until you find a doctor that can help you.
MtViewCatherine vera61692
Posted
Vera, Shaxta is right. Now that I'm done with my rant and frustration for you with your difficulties. Unfortunately, so many thyroid patients have a similar experience and thyroid disease often goes undiagnosed for decades. Unfortunately, medical treatment if thyroid disease falls short of optimal. My experience has been that I'm better off figuring out things on my own than expecting help from a completely dysfunctional medical system.
The cause of thyroid disease is autoimmune, usually triggered by dietary issues and /or chemical and heavy metal toxicity. While diet may trigger the immune system, it's usually environmental toxicity that's at the root of autoimmune disease .
Cleaning up your diet, and switching to a strict gluten free paleo diet will eliminate immune system triggers and give your body protein to heal.
Cleansing is also very helpful.
Nutritional deficiencies can also contribute to thyroid disease. So supplements can be extremely helpful. Since Thyroid patients tend to have similar deficiencies, its necessary to supplement these deficiencies- D, Bs, C, minerals, etc.
The supplements I've found helpful that aren't on everyone's list are boron and essential amino acids. Both are involved in the synthesis of thyroxin. I took Boron and shortly after, the hard cyst on my thyroid dissolved after being there for 15 years. So the boron is crucial for proper calcium metabolism. I found the essential amino acids to be more effective than medications for relieving hypothyroid symptoms. You may find them helpful for releif of many of your symptoms.
sweetmelissa vera61692
Posted
What were your test results? If you don't have them, you can ask your doctor for a copy and they will give you them. Also, I would like to say that a lot of doctors will not treat Hashimoto's because the side effects from medication, like presnidone, are a lot worse then the symptoms of the Hashimoto's itself. They will use Presnidone and other harsher meds to treat lupus, RA, ect because the symptoms of those autoimmune diseases are more sever and can be life threatning. Also, some people can have Hashimoto's their whole lives and never develop hypothyroidism, so that's another reason doctors are reluctant to prescribe levothyroxine and other meds, as, once you start the med, your thyroid will have to depend on it for the rest of your life in order to function normally. I personally found that if my TSH levels go above 3.00 to 4.00, I become symptomatic again. I myself get extreme anxiety, general and social, from hypothyroidism. It was a nightmare. I didn't even want to leave my house. So, I would say if your TSH is higher then 4.00, keep looking for a doctor who will treat you, being you are symptomatic. Levothyroxine has worked wonders for me. It can take some time for your body to become used to the medication, but it will happen. Oh... and also look into having your Vitamin D levels checked. I just had mine tested and it was low. Low Vitamin D is actually very common these days and can mimick the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
rose12774 vera61692
Posted
Vera I also have the weird dizziness. I should clarify that it's not actual dizziness but more like a lightheadedness or wooziness. I have Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism.
My TSH has been over 10 in the past but my T3 and T4 remain normal. I can tell you that even when my TSH is above 3 I feel pretty heinous.
I have been on Tirosint, a T4 thyroid medication, for a few months and it has helped. I am still working to increase the dosage. Just in the past week I have started to not feel like I'm going to die from fatigue around 3 pm every day. But yet the lightheadedness remains. I imagine it will be one of the last symptoms to leave me. The worst symptoms always do leave last don't they?!
Regarding the anxiety meds: I did rely on Ativan for a time when my symptoms were at their worst and it helped me greatly. If it helps, take it.
Melissa is right, find out what your lab results are and share them here or with another doctor who will take your symptoms seriously. You're not alone, and plenty of us have been where you are now and are doing WAY better. There is hope.
Rose
eris13491 vera61692
Posted
your thyroid is inflamed and is giving you those symptoms. I have had Hashimoto's for years and as much as I hate to take medication the Medrol dose pack works. I was dizzy I had pressure in my head, my bones hurt my muscles hurt I'm was exhausted I've had palpitations PVCs and I take medication for anxiety. Please take the medroldose pack. I hate to tell you to take steroids and I don't like taking them myself but it works. I have done gluten-free I have done the AIP diet and I've tried paleo I've tried keto and they all only work with meds