New Diagnosis - Blood Results, Symptoms, Overweight
Posted , 5 users are following.
I thought I'd post to this board to see if anyone can provide me with some advise and maybe some answers, too.
I'm a female, 48, who was just diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism by my GP. (I haven't seen an endocrinologist yet.) It's something that was found during a routine check-up and blood work. I wasn't expecting it because I didn't go to the doctor because of any particular symptoms. Now that I've received a diagnosis and know what the symptoms are, I realize I've had some classic signs for a while.
The one thing about me that's puzzling is the fact that I'm overweight by nearly 100 lbs and have had a hard time losing weight. Aren't people with hyperthyroidism supposed to lose weight?
Here are my blood results: T4,Free(Direct): 1.73 | TSH: <0.006
About five years ago I was very active and went to boot camp at the gym four nights a week and worked with a personal trainer twice a week. I dropped 45 lbs. I felt great, could actually run without getting too winded, and never had a problem with my heart rate or palpitations. After moving to a small town a few years ago, I'm far less active because there aren't any group gym classes near me. I do meet a friend at the gym each weekday morning for 45-minutes. We do 20-minutes on the elliptical 25 minutes weights/resistance. I also used to work out for 30-minutes at home after work. Over the past six months I've slowly put on 15 lbs. At the end of the day, I'm too drained to think about working out at home.
Ever since I received the diagnosis, I've become more and more aware of my symptoms... fast heart rate, shortness of breath, fatigue, inability to wind down and go to sleep before 1 A.M., and waking up feeling as though I didn't get any sleep. I also have very infrequent heart palpitations that seem to go away within a few seconds. My Apple Watch says my average resting heart rate is 70. When I go to bed, it can be 85 or 90. At the gym it's 145-150 when I'm on the elliptical. I've never felt as though I'm going to pass out.
Sometimes when I'm hungry I have this allover awful feeling that goes away after I eat something. When I thought about this feeling for a while, the best way to describe it is if you'd just fast-walked a few blocks and your heart rate was just normalizing. I had this feeling at lunch today. As soon as I ate, I felt better. Before my diagnosis, I'm sure I subconsciously linked eating to feeling better.
My GP is going to make an appointment for me to see an endocrinologist. In the meantime, I wanted to educate myself about this condition and get some feedback on things I can do myself that will help with my symptoms such as diet, vitamins, and supplements that are known to work. I also wanted to research prescription medications and doses before I discussed these options with my endocrinologist.
I've stared to read all the helpful posts here. Can anyone recommend some other online resources that would also be a great source of information?
Thank you for reading my story. I'd appreciate any feedback and advise.
1 like, 25 replies
SuzeInSD
Posted
Here's the latest... I heard from my GP's office this afternoon and was told the endocrinologist they want to send me to isn't accepting new patients until October. They made an appointment for me more than a half-year from now.
I live in a small town in South Dakota, so a specialist is going to be about two hours away. With my insurance, I also need to see a specialist that's part of a particular group. I'll do some research to see if I can find someone else who can fit me in much sooner than late October.
In the meantime, with the assistance of a wonderful person on this site, I've started on a new vitamin and supplement regime that includes L-Carnitine.
One question I have is whether or not I should ask my GP if she would prescribe Carbimazole. If so, is 20mg/day typical? Also, is there another blood test I should ask them to perform? Here are all my test results so far:
March 26 | T4,Free(Direct) | 1.73 | 0.82-1.77 (ng/dL)
March 26 | TSH | <0.006 | 0.450-4.500 (uIU/mL)
April 5 | T3 FREE (FT-3) | 4.7 | H 2.0-4.4 (pg/mL)
April 5 | T4,Free(Direct) | 1.59 | 0.82-1.77 (ng/dL)
April 5 | TSH | <0.006 | 0.450-4.500 (uIU/mL)
My thanks to everyone for your help.
Mike61308 SuzeInSD
Posted
Hi Suze, Look like your new test is showing a similar or no-change condition, i.e. still sub-clinical hyper? Well, you can surely ask your GP for a prescription, but I guess more likely the reply will be "no, wait until endo... " The important thing is to find out the cause of your hyper disorder first. It's good that you have started your supplement program even before taking medication. Don't forget you may need to change your diet too if you have a digestive disorder (e.g., leaky gut) that is related to the immune system. I feel sorry for you and I have no idea that it's so hard to get to see an endo in your area (it took a few weeks for me to get my first endo appointment). But hopefully, when you see one, she/he is a good and caring one. Let's know and best wishes for you.
SuzeInSD
Posted
Earlier today I completed a Thyroid Scan and Uptake. My doctor should have the results by Friday. Until then, I’m anxiously awaiting a diagnosis.
The Thyroid scan and Uptake involved taking two radioactive iodine capsules at 8 AM and returning sixth hours later for four scans that took 10 minutes each to complete. I returned the following morning at 8 AM for one scan that also took ten minutes.
Two hours before and after I too took the capsules, I wasn’t allowed to eat. I could only drink clear liquids, coffee, and tea. They specifically said no milk. There were no special diet instructions for the scans themselves.