Re: Throat hurts fell grim and weird blood results.

[Guest guest]

Hi Stacey

First of all, I'm no expert on thyroid matters as I'm still learning myself, but wanted to reply to you as I can certainly relate to the whole throat/neck soreness, as I'm going through this myself at the moment. In my case, and maybe yours too, I definitely think it's something to do with being undermedicated as when I was on 200mcg thyroxine I never experienced this discomfort. When I had my dosage reduced however it flared up. It could be that this is why you're getting the symptoms again. 50mcg is quite a small dose and the fact that your TSH has risen and your T4 level dropped would indicate to me that your dosage is too low.

With regard to coping with stress at work, it could be that your adrenals are being affected. Do you take any supplements to support your adrenals? If not, this might help, especially as you're taking T3.

If you ask Sheila, she will be able to send you a list of NHS consultants in your area. It might be a good idea to put your request for a referral in writing to your GP (he/she might take more notice) and state that you are not happy with the current situation as you are still getting symptoms.

Take care... Gill x

> When I asked about why my throat was sore she did the cursory look at the back with that light thing and said there was no inflamation.> But my neck hurts, my throat keeps going croaky, it feels 'stingy' sore not when I swallow but just generally. I had an ultrasound last year and apparently my thyroid was fine.> So, sorry for long posting but what I really want to know is a recommendation for a good NHS consultant who I can get a second opinion from. And does anyone know why my TSH has gone up and my T4 down?> Many thanks,> Stacey>

[Guest guest]

Hi Stacey

I know how you feel. Had a 'viral' throat thing for 6wks now! Is it viral or my

thyroid. could be my goitre. But no gp bothers to consider a link. Im asking for

new bloods to be done myself.

And your levels - you are hypo and should get an increase. My fiance worked for

a gp recently and they had a good chat. We should all be at 0.5 at least!

Apparently T3 is checked....so why dont we get results? Fear of requesting T3

meds?

When my fiance told him i was buying my own T3 he said tell her to go for

it...it wont hurt her!!!!?

Go back to a different gp. Im on my third.

We sadly need to fight to live half normal lives. Stupid when you consider how

simple and effective good treatment can be.

Hope you get what you know you need.

Hayley.

On Sun, Nov 20, 2011 12:53 PST Stacey wrote:

>Hi all,

>

>Background - startedon T4 last June and added my own T3 this Jan - felt better

than in ages and energy to lose weight etc. 6 months ago bloods showed TSH at

0.38 and T4 around 14 (11.1-22)cannot remember T3 or other ranges.

[Guest guest]

Hi Stacey - Just wanted to send my sympathies, or is it `empathy` cos your story

echoes mine regarding your work situation - its what sent my hypothyroid into

meltdown. I can`t help you with the technicalities of blood results as I`m

still learning but just wondered if you`ve actually had your thyroid anti-bodies

and/or adrenals checked because any stress can set things off with anti-bodies

and low adrenal function.

I was working in mental health (or struggling to) when there was a change of

manager who set about making life hell for me. Her tactics worked and I

eventually had to retire with ill health. But with the help of this forum I

found out my anti-body and adrenal status and am hopefully on the way up again.

Love, Jane

>

> > 3 weeks ago work is very stressful, my Senior is off with stress and being

next in line the weight of the team fell onto me - due to a poor manager!

Social Work is already stressful at times. Started to feel anxious and

pressured and then started getting tearful and my throat was getting sore and

croaky. > Stacey

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Thanks all - actually the throat thing has been around on and off for a few

years - occasionally croaky and this soreness that is not sore when I swallow -

if you know what I mean!?

I had been around a while on this wonderful forum and was being very proactive

with sorting myself out and with one thing and another I sort of lost my way. I

will be ordering some more Nutri Adrenal X today and

Sheila - I know that I have had the list back last year - I ended up seeing

Barry in the end - but please can I have it again - thanks.

I'll post a separate message.

Thanks again all.

Stacey

[Guest guest]

Hi Jane,

Sorry to hear that you actually had to retire - Social Work and the whole thing

is going to the ground (only polite way to say it) - I work for an NHS Trust and

well of you want to email off the main forum do. I am about this week at home.

Take care

Stacey

[Guest guest]

Hello Stacey and welcome back - though I wish it was for other

reasons other than something seems to have gone astray for the time being.

It seems that many of our endocrinologists believe that it is

dangerous to give thyroid hormone if a patient is not hypothyroid, so why a

Professor in Endocrinology would allow his patient to continue taking thyroid

supplements if she does not suffer with hypothyroidism is frankly beyond me.

However, it is well known that the particular professor in question is a member

of a certain thyroid association (not too far from my front door) and they

really do need to go on a refresher course to learn the basic facts.

I think that probably what you need to be concentrating on is

checking to see where the levels of specific minerals and vitamins lie, as

obviously, there is something going along that is stopping the thyroid hormone

from being properly utilised at the cellular level. I would ask your GP to

check your levels of iron, transferrin saturation%, ferritin, vitamin B12,

vitamin D3, magnesium, folate, copper and zinc. Once you are in receipt of

these results, post them on the forum together with the reference range and we

can help with their interpretation. If any are low in the range, you will need

to supplement with whatever is low.

Also, there sounds to be a good chance that you might be

suffering with low adrenal reserve and if possible, I would get these checked

out by doing the 24 hour salivary test with Genova Diagnostics, but to be sure

you are not wasting your money, first, do the Medical Questionnaires in our

FILES Section and see how you score.

Is there any chance you could be suffering with systemic

candidiasis, or could you have mercury poisoning caused through any amalgam

fillings you might have. Any of these will stop the thyroid hormone from

working.

However, having said all that, it just might be that you simply

need an increase in your thyroid hormone replacement, and I think this is your

own gut instinct.

Have you ever been tested to see whether you have thyroid

antibodies? If not, ask to be tested for TPO and TgAb antibodies. If you have

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, the uncomfortable feeling in your throat just might be

inflammation that the antibodies cause when they attack your thyroid tissue. It

is always worth knowing whether you have one autoimmune disease because you

might also be suffering (or suffer in the future) with other autoimmune

diseases.

As you obviously added in some T3 because the levothyroxine (T4)

alone wasn't working, I very much doubt that you will need to increase the T4 -

T4 is an inactive hormone that has to convert to T3 and you may well be one of

the many unable to convert - so it would make sense to increase your T3 instead….and

if your doctor is refusing to do this for you, I can see you will have little

option but to give yourself a trial of this - otherwise, how will you ever

know. With a TSH now risen to 2.8 from 1.0, your pituitary is obviously

recognising that there is insufficient thyroid hormone in the blood, and your

test results show this.

I have sent you my list of recommended doctors and hope that you

find somebody who will take a different line to Professor C and who cares that his

patient is suffering symptoms and is prepared to acknowledge that you do suffer

with the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Keep us informed as to how you get on Stacey, but meanwhile, do

get the tests above done so we can see what might be happening. BTW - see attached

document should you suspect your GP might refuse you these tests, telling you

that s/he knows of no association between these low levels of nutrients and low

thyroid.

Luv - Sheila

Even when I told her that so many of my symptoms had disappeared when

properly dosed etc etc. I was feeling to grim to start up that old battle again

- to be honest I was a bit bewildered why my TSH had gone back up from below 1

to 2.8 when I am taking 50 T4 and 20 Cynomel a day.

When I asked about why my throat was sore she did the cursory look at the back

with that light thing and said there was no inflamation.

But my neck hurts, my throat keeps going croaky, it feels 'stingy' sore not

when I swallow but just generally. I had an ultrasound last year and apparently

my thyroid was fine.

So, sorry for long posting but what I really want to know is a recommendation

for a good NHS consultant who I can get a second opinion from. And does anyone

know why my TSH has gone up and my T4 down?

[Guest guest]

Thanks Sheila,

I have been self treating with cynomel since Jan/Feb time - I break it up and

take it in bits through the day. Maybe I need to increase from 20 to 30 I will

try that today.

I have just ordered some more NAX so will start that this week - I am already

taking selenium, 1 gram of c and 50mcg of zinc.

Unfortunately,the lack of disposable income due to my partners situ prohibits me

from doing all the tests available - but when I go bakc to the GP this week - I

think it will be a different one - I will ask if they can do the bloods you

suggested.

I have occasionally signed in and had a look - I think that work has been so

difficult that I have just tried to switch off from everything else over the

last few months.

Thanks again Sheila,

Love

Stacey

[Guest guest]

Hi Stacey, the problem with others contacting you privately with

information about your specific thyroid or thyroid related problems is that

those other members who have a similar problem will not be getting access to

probably some of the answers that they have been waiting for. This is why we

have an open thyroid forum where open discussions takes place so everybody can

learn and hopefully, benefit. Please keep this topic on the forum, but

certainly, any other topics other members would like to discuss with you can be

done privately.

Luv - Sheila.

Hi Jane,

Sorry to hear that you actually had to retire - Social Work and the whole thing

is going to the ground (only polite way to say it) - I work for an NHS Trust

and well of you want to email off the main forum do. I am about this week at

home.

Take care

Stacey

[Guest guest]

Sheila - As far as I`m concerned, any chats off forum would only be to chat

about non-forum stuff - in our case, it would probably only be to do with the

similar line of work we were in and the stress associated with it having a big

impact on our health. Could be a bit boring for the rest of the members ?

Love, Jane

>

> Hi Stacey, the problem with others contacting you privately with information

> about your specific thyroid or thyroid related problems is that those other

> members who have a similar problem will not be getting access to probably

> some of the answers that they have been waiting for. >

[Guest guest]

I fully understand Stacey, but do the questionnaires in our

FILES section - at least, these are free of charge and will give you a good

indication of whether you have a problem or not.

Luv - Sheila

Unfortunately,the lack of disposable income due to my partners situ prohibits

me from doing all the tests available - but when I go bakc to the GP this week

- I think it will be a different one - I will ask if they can do the bloods you

suggested.

[Guest guest]

Snippet>>>> Had a debate about increasing thyroxine up from 50 to 75 again but she wouldn't as she said that as Prof C at Addenbrookes had declared that I was NOT hypothyroid despite having agreed that I could continue to take a low dose of T4 - 'of my own volition'- she was not prepared to increase.> Stacey

Hi Stacey,Cant help you with any info i`m afraid, i`m a novice! Just wondered, as you mentioned Addenbrookes, are you from Cambridge? I am, and after my test results come back i dont know whether to ask my GP to refer me to an Endo (I`m not on any meds at all), but if the Endo`s at the top teaching hospital are cr*p, i`m not sure whether to just ask him to refer me straight to Dr Skinner.Best wishesCaz x

[Guest guest]

>Hi there,

Yes, I only meant that it was to have a gripe about our profession - that is why

I offered it off the main forum. Generally I would keep it all on the main

forum to as you say help others too.

Thanks,

Stacey

>

> Sheila - As far as I`m concerned, any chats off forum would only be to chat

about non-forum stuff - in our case, it would probably only be to do with the

similar line of work we were in and the stress associated with it having a big

impact on our health. Could be a bit boring for the rest of the members ?

>

>

> Love, Jane

>

> --- In thyroid treatment , " Sheila " <sheila@> wro

[Guest guest]

HI , well it could be an attack, autoimmune- which is hard for a doctor to diagnose. have you tested your adrenals to see if they are optimal.if they are weak this will allow you to became stressed and allow the auto-antibodies to attack . are you supporting the thyroid with selenium, this is very importantas the selenium will hold the auto-antibodies down,. i had something similar to this in the beginning when i went hypo. doctor said the same to me that it was really nothing to worry about. ummmm. what a plonker. any symptom in the book can be linked to the metabolism. if doctors really wonted to help they

would insist on proper education in the metabolism and endocrine. Regards angel

[Guest guest]

From what I have learned, there is nobody at Addenbrookes in

Cambridge who will treat you with synthetic T3 or natural thyroid extract. It

is levothyroxine-only, or nothing. You would save yourself a lot of anguish by asking

for a referral to Dr Skinner who will get you well.

Luv - Sheila

Hi Stacey,

Cant help you with any info i`m afraid, i`m a novice! Just

wondered, as you mentioned Addenbrookes, are you from Cambridge? I am, and

after my test results come back i dont know whether to ask my GP to refer me to

an Endo (I`m not on any meds at all), but if the Endo`s at the top teaching

hospital are cr*p, i`m not sure whether to just ask him to refer me straight to

Dr Skinner.

_,___

[Guest guest]

That's fine Stacey and Jane - we often need to have a gripe to

each other privately and not put it on the forum, and that is no problem

whatsoever - we all need this at times. However, what can be a problem is if

any of our members take up the 'advice' or 'recommendations' from somebody

writing to them privately when they are not medically qualified, especially if

that 'advice' goes against the recommendations we make on the forum. At least

on the forum, we do have a disclaimer asking that you check with your medical

adviser before changing your medication.

Luv - Sheila

>Hi there,

Yes, I only meant that it was to have a gripe about our profession - that is

why I offered it off the main forum. Generally I would keep it all on the main

forum to as you say help others too.

Thanks,

Stacey

>

> Sheila - As far as I`m concerned, any chats off forum would only be to

chat about non-forum stuff - in our case, it would probably only be to do with

the similar line of work we were in and the stress associated with it having a

big impact on our health. Could be a bit boring for the rest of the members ?

>

>

> Love, Jane

>

> --- In thyroid treatment ,

" Sheila " <sheila@> wro

[Guest guest]

And at Addenbrookes you would be lucky to get even a diagnosis llet alone an

offer of synthetic T4 that is unless you have a massive TSH reading and way off

scale anything else. If you are middling with loads of debilitating symptoms -

well, hard pooo really!

Sadly some of us have already struggled to spend on the additional tests and

supplements - I sold an old gramaphone last year which gave me half towards my

fees too see Dr P and I just managed to get the other half. Well worth the

visit to see someone who told me that I was was not losing the plot and that I

may indeed have an autoimmune thyroid condition and wiht his recommendations I

made certain changes and added things and saw improvement - BUT my Gp would not

accept my say so of this and with no official letter from someone within the GMC

would not give me any diagnosis - and so I remain undiagnosed bu allowed to take

a low dose of t4.

I would absolutely love to see Dr Skinner and have now got his info through to

discover that although I need a GP referral it is not NHS funded and I would

need to find £180 - so I cannot see him. I wish there was some sort of support

from somewhere but there is not and I have to live with that sad fact of being

outside of my control.

I have always being very proactive with my health and know that you cannot put

aa price on that - but for some/many we have to - I am outraged that I pay my

taxes and work hard and I end up being sent to two wrong consultants during my

long battle - and now when Ii find the right one - sods law gets in my way.

Sounds bitter!? Well I am feeling that way atthe moment.

Sorry

Stacey

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheila

No probs.

STacey

>

> That's fine Stacey and Jane - we often need to have a gripe to each other

> p, I only meant that it was to have a gripe about our profession -