Guest guest Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 The Neck Check: Get a mirror and a glass of water to drink. Lean your head way back (comfortably), looking in the mirror, and look at the lower part of your neck where the thyroid sits wrapped around the windpipe, while you drink the water. If you see any abnormal expansion from the front of the neck or sides at the lower part, then you need to be looking at this. Do you have trouble swallowing, or do you have very dry skin, sluggish bowel movements, fingernails that are thick, but possibly break off easily? Is your hair extremely dry and wiry, or are you losing your hair a lot more than usual? Do you have swelling of the face and/or eyes, with edema of the eyelids? Thyroid disease has many symptoms that are similar to other things, but mainly similar to adrenal exhaustion. The trouble with many doctors is that they don't recognize adrenal disease as disease until a complete failure, as in 's Disease or Cushings (low cortisol--high cortisol). You seem like you have been doing some research on many of these things. Tx Re: Antibodies > I can't say I have experience any swelling on my neck, but then again > I have not been checking for indications of swelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 18, 2004 Report Share Posted March 18, 2004 Any enlargement of the thyroid gland, or any unusual lumps or hard spots around that area, might represent goiter or nodules. Of course, there's nothing like the expert hands of a good thyroid doctor who knows exactly what they're looking for and has a lot of experience at this. That, though, is the standard lay-person neck check. Supposedly, a normal healthy thyroid is supposed to be about the size of a walnut, though I would differ with that opinion as being absolutely normal from person to person. I think that some people just have naturally larger thyroids than others, though there probably isn't a humongous difference. Have you been to the About.com site, pertaining to thyroid? Shoman has a lot of good info on there, all the way from an introduction to the thyroid to the most detailed complicated things about it, plus references to other related autoimmune diseases. I know you've already gotten two different opinions here, but I really thought hypothyroidism because your T4 was so low, despite the TSH. I'm thinking that you didn't have a Free T3 test to go with that, so we don't know what that is yet. The red hands, then turning blue, that reminds me of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, if your hands also go numb. This is notorious for happening in your sleep, or on exposure to cold, and sometimes from repetitive activities. I also keep thinking that it would be good if you had the saliva tests for Cortisol, DHEA, and Testosterone, though I know you've already had the other two methods done. They're saying that the 8 am, afternoon, and late night times are the best way to do this, to get a more accurate accounting of how they're fluctuating during the course of an entire day. If the cortisol is taking wild swings, back and forth, then you might know. Tx Re: Antibodies > smith, I will try to do your neck test soon. But just based on > leaning my head back and trying to swollow i can barely do that. > Those symptoms you describe are they for hypo or hyper? My test's > indicate borderline hyper as of now, and I cant really comment on my > nails since I have bit then since i was young and still do, i don't > bite them raw, but enough so they stay short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 19, 2004 Report Share Posted March 19, 2004 What is an sTSH? Never heard of that one.... Topper () On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 06:40:14 -0000 " cd88_8 " writes: > I infact did have a free t3 done, my tests went like this first sTSH > was 1.13 in summer of 2003, october brought a 0.9 sTSH, then in > november i had an sTSH which came back 0.7, a Freet4 which came back > 13 (range 10-20) and a freet3 which came back as 5.2 i believe > (range 2.4 - 5.7) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 19, 2004 Report Share Posted March 19, 2004 I haven't either. Tx Re: Re: Antibodies > What is an > > sTSH? > > Never heard of that one.... > > Topper () Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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