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I'm glad I found this thread. I had a checkup last week, and the doctor felt something palpable at the location of my thyroid. She requested full blood workups, including thyroid. She went over the blood work and everything there was very good. I just got a call from the nurse practioner about the thyroid screening... It seems I have a hyperactive thyroid. She said normal is 4.82 to the lowest normal of .34. Mine was .01. If my thyroid is hyperactive, why is the number so low? Does anyone know how that works? I know I should have asked the NP, but the questions didn't pop into my head until after I'd hung up. They scheduled me for an immediate ultrasound of my thyroid next week and are right now working on getting me an appointment with an endocrinologist.
What I can't understand is, according to the blood test, the doc says my thyroid is hyperfunctioning, and a symptom of this is extreme tiredness, which I've been experiencing. I thought an overactive thyroid made you cranked up, energetic and hyper? Lately, I've been feeling like a dishrag, which I can't understand, because I'm never sick. I've gotten through this whole winter with no flu, stomach viruses, or colds, although I'm constantly around people with them. I just attributed not "feeling right" to going through menopause.
This is all knew to me...what can I expect? I'm really scared. When I think of "glandular problems" I picture the fat lady in the circus...
There is a huge overlap of symptoms between over- and under-active thyroid. I had a lot of nodules, was always hot and tired and sick. Couldn't lose weight to save my life. Diagnosed with toxic multinodular goiter. Radioactive iodine treatment was easy-peasy.
If the test was TSH, that is thyroid stimulating hormone. If yours is overactive, you don't need any stimulation! There are several thyroid tests which need to be considered together. Make sure the endocrinologist is a thyroid specialist; my first one was in diabetes and misdiagnised me.
There is a huge overlap of symptoms between over- and under-active thyroid. I had a lot of nodules, was always hot and tired and sick. Couldn't lose weight to save my life. Diagnosed with toxic multinodular goiter. Radioactive iodine treatment was easy-peasy.
If the test was TSH, that is thyroid stimulating hormone. If yours is overactive, you don't need any stimulation! There are several thyroid tests which need to be considered together. Make sure the endocrinologist is a thyroid specialist; my first one was in diabetes and misdiagnised me.
Hot, tired, sick...describes me to a "T". I thought the "hot" was just menopause (I'm almost 53). DH has run out of patience with me (he gets angry at me for being tired all the time). I fall asleep if I sit down to watch afternoon TV ("There's no excuse for you to be asleep at 4:00!!!!!") I do manage to hold it together to work, but when I get home after six hours, I'm SAPPED! I use most of my energy to work every day, and to manage to take my 5 mile walk/jog. But I used to have the energy to do so much more!!!!
The doctor does detect what seems to be a goiter.
Does radioactive iodine treatment involve "frying"(and subsequently killing) your thyroid gland? I've been warned against that. At this point, I don't care what they do - I just want to feel well again. And to get DH to be a little more understanding.
The thyroud is the only tissue in the body to take up iodine so it is very specific. The radioactive I ok dine kilk s the thyroud; they try to figure out how much to give you so all isn't killed but it's nit exact. I now take levothyroxine to supplement my thyroid but it's cheap and no problem.
There are restrictions on being around people for 5 days but no big deal.
[quote=SouthernBelleInUtah;28484054]The thyroud is the only tissue in the body to take up iodine so it is very specific. The radioactive I ok dine kilk s the thyroud; they try to figure out how much to give you so all isn't killed but it's nit exact. I now take levothyroxine to supplement my thyroid but it's cheap and no problem.
There are restrictions on being around people for 5 days but no big deal.
Cannot imagine why anyone woukd warn you off.[/quote]
Weight gain. I've always been overly paranoid about putting on weight, and they say it's the norm to gain a lot of weight with thyroid treatment. I want to feel better, but I'll feel much worse if that happens to me. I'm the kind of person who spends an hour on the treadmill if I see two extra pounds on the scale. As tired and crappy as I feel, I force myself to do my run and as much of my workout every day as I can, though it's not nearly up to par with what I used to do.
My father-in-law insists it is caused by my diet and/or lack of iodine. Could this be true? (He is a strict vegan and thinks a vegan diet is a cure all/preventative for everything). DH countered about how I salt (iodized) practically everything that goes in my mouth.
I was diagnosed more than a year ago as hyperthyroid. I ignored a lot of the symptoms. Hot, muscle weakness, had shaky hands, etc. I was so bad that my endo could not believe I was functioning.
You are tired because your body is in over drive. I would be careful doing hard workouts until you see an endo. One thing with being hyper is your sitting heart rate, at least mine was, is very high.
Most people who are hyper have Grave's disease. It is an autoimmune disorder. Most likely your endo will do an ultrasound of your thyroid and also an iodine uptake test. And probably draw blood to check for antibodies, etc.
For me, it's been an roller coaster. The first dose of meds she put me on sent me hypo extremely fast. So fast that she suspected I also had antibodies for Hashimotos, which is the autoimmune for those who are hypo. And I did. Very rare. Needless to say, I have to see her every three months to make sure I'm where I need to be. I take the meds for hyper as without them I'm back in the hyper state.
I also have nodules bit they have shrunk over the past year.
Hyperthyroid un treated is very dangerous. So listen to your body and don't over do it. I am a runner so it's not like you have to give things up, but you might need to back off for a bit until you are stable.
glad you got it over with,didn't suffer too much discomfort and they are benign.
That is certainly an odd pain--the one shooting down into the breast area.
You may opt for a thyroidectomy; I'm considering one right now. My nodule seems to be getting larger and I'm unable to stand anything touching my neck. I've been checking into the surgery and as far as surgeries go,this one seems easy enough to recover from. If the doctor can leave a portion of the thyroid gland--all the better. I'm trying to decide between opting for an endo who does surgery or a surgeon
I've still got to find an endocrinologist. I keep intending to do it and then I get distracted, and I've been working a lot of hours. Just have to look one up on my healthcare website.
For some reason, the great big nodule on the right seems even bigger since the biopsy. I do hope they do something--it's uncomfortable, and if it gets bigger--well, exactly how much bigger can this thing get? My neck already looks weird. Probably most people don't notice it.
I got the results of my ultrasound (multinodular goiter with nodules in both lobes) and my thyroid is enlarged. They are recommending a biopsy. Anyone have this done? Are they going to stick a needle in my throat? I am feeling faint just thinking about it.
I am very, very tired. I go to work, come home, and don't want to do much else.
Yes but you have a local anesthetic. I won't lie, mine was still painful but not the worst pain I've ever had. It was done in Radiology at the hospital and the pathologist was there to see if the specimen was good enough to analyze.
I got the results of my ultrasound (multinodular goiter with nodules in both lobes) and my thyroid is enlarged. They are recommending a biopsy. Anyone have this done? Are they going to stick a needle in my throat? I am feeling faint just thinking about it.
I am very, very tired. I go to work, come home, and don't want to do much else.
Do a search, there are posts on this - a FNA is NO BIG DEAL!! Is it that or an actual biopsy?
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