Nausea, Brain Fog, diarrhea x3 weeks. Borderline hyperthyroid.

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Hi everyone. I am a 35 year old female. No health issues until now. I'm desperate for answers.

About 3 months ago, I remember telling my coworker that I couldn't shake my lightheadedness. I would get "hot flash" dizzy episodes followed by elevated resting heart rate (120s) and the immediate urge to defecate. These episodes started happening so frequently, with horrible diarrhea, nausea, horrible brain fog and lack of appetite. I lost 14 lbs in 2 weeks. I ended up in the ER 3 times and followed up with many doctors. Been unable to work. All labs are normal. My thyroid was initially "normal" .947. Then two weeks of getting worse my thyroid was .256. Free T4 1.65. I started methimazole. Then a week later my TSH was .176 FT4 1.64.

Graves antibodies negative. Hashimotos negative.

My doctors don't seem to think that my "borderline" hyperthyroid could cause this severity of symptoms.

My question to you all is how long does methimazole take to kick in and what would cause the rapid drop in TSH level?

0 likes, 18 replies

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  • Posted

    Some days I'm perfectly fine with no problems other days I'm flat out miserable

  • Posted

    I'm the same at stores and my son ends up pushing me in a wheel chair at Walmart. I started having problems in 2010/2011 and didn't know what was wrong with me. I was diagnosed June 28 th of this year.

  • Posted

    Your symptoms sound like a condition called pheochromocytoma which is a small vascular tumor of the adrenal medulla, causing irregular secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine, leading to attacks of raised blood pressure, palpitations, and headache.  It often affects thyroid because of these secretions.  Your doctor may order a number of tests such as:

    Laboratory tests

    Your doctor will likely order the following tests that measure levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline or byproducts of those hormones in your body:

    24-hour urine test. You will be asked to collect a urine sample every time you urinate during a 24-hour period. Ask for written instructions about how to store, label and return the samples.

    Blood test. You will have blood drawn for laboratory work. Talk to your doctor about special preparations, such as fasting or skipping a medication. Do not skip a dose without specific instructions from your doctor.

    Imaging tests

    If the results of laboratory tests indicate the possibility of a pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma, your doctor will order one or more imaging tests to locate a possible tumor. These tests may include:

    Computerized tomography (CT), a specialized X-ray technology

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a technology that uses radio waves and a magnetic field to produce detailed images

    M-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging, a scanning technology that can detect tiny amounts of an injected radioactive compound that is taken up by certain tumors

    Positron emission tomography (PET), a scanning technology that can also detect radioactive compounds taken up by a tumor

    I would raise the possibility with your docs whether this is what you might have and see what they think.

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