New member, lengthy post. Need help!

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I am a newcomer and really could use all of your suport and input. I am a

wreck! I will tell

you my story, and I am sorry if it gets lengthy. To start, I am a 50 year old

married mother

of 2 grown boys. I live in Concord NH with my husband and one of my sons. I have

a great

family and a great job and for the most part have felt " well " except for things

that have

come up over the years and until recently. Back in the late 80's early 90's I

started having

pain in my neck and pain with swallowing accompanied by rapid heart beat, panic

attacks

etc. I saw 4 MDS including an ENT guy before a visit to the ER got me in contact

with a Doc

who told me he thought he knew what was wrong, that given my symptoms he thought

I

had thyroiditis. He started me on Prednisone, I believe a 2 week titrating dose

and almost

immediately the symptoms went away. I was sent for a scan with uptake that next

week

that showed I had a " hot " nodule on the left side of my thyroid and was told the

only

follow up would be to have an exam done every six months to make sure that it

wasn't

getting bigger. Initially no one had been able to feel it, but once they knew it

was there

and where it was they found it and I did have routine exams with thyroid blood

levels done

for about 6 years and then it went away. I want now to mention that over the

past most

recent years I have had had problems with my weight, depression and anxiety,

REALLY dry

skin, low temps, and fluctuating between feeling cold and REALLY hot, very low

libido (I

had hormone testing done last year and was told my estrogen and progesterone

levels

were low and my testosterone levels were basically zero and so I've have been

using

testosterone and estrogen creams to help. I can not use oral estrogen as it

exacerbates the

migraines I sometimes get. ),insomnia etc. I am on meds currently for

depression, anxiety,

and insomnia. Around the first week of March this year I started having pain on

the left

side of my throat but it was low down in my neck. I ignored it for awhile but

not for long

as it got worse. I went to see my primary care MD ( This was my first time

seeing him as

my usual practitionor at the office is a female PA I see. ) he took my recent

history which

included the pain and swallowing trouble along with some serious fatigue issues

I've been

having, and of course I told him about my thyroiditis episode from years back.

He felt

around my neck but said he couldn't feel anything but he would send me to the

lab to

have my TSH levels checked and also send me home with a script for Prednisone, a

nine

day titrating dose (I guess I should mention that I can't take NSAIDS due to

stomach issues

so using those to reduce any inflammation was not an option. ) Within 24 hours

of using

the Prednisone my symptoms were gone. I was informed my TSH levels were fine.

After

being off the Prednisone for 4 days the symptoms came back with a vengeance only

this

time the pain was located way at the bottom and " in deep " on the right side of

my neck. I

called my PA and she had me come in that day so she could see me. Again on exam,

she

found nothing, but given my symptoms and the fact I have been so tired all the

time and

that recently I've gained about 25 pounds, and my husband has reported me

snoring a lot

more, she had me go back to the lab, for a full thyroid blood workup. She also

sent me

home with a script for another 9 days of Prednisone although she hated to do so

given the

kind of problems taking Prednisone can cause. And again ..... within several

hours the pain

was gone. My thyroid blood work came back normal again too. At that time she

also had

me schedule an appointment for a thyroid scan with uptake. In between the last

of my

Prednisone and my scan the pain came back within 4 days of stopping the

medicine. It was

BAD this time, working it's way up my neck and into my ear on the right side and

it hurt to

turn my head in that direction. It was 3 days before my scan was scheduled and

although I

wanted to try to hold out I couldn't it was just too much. It hurt sooo much to

swallow

even liquids! Once again she put me on Prednisone for 9 days and again the pain

was

gone in several hours ( although this time I am left with this weird " vibrating "

type feeling

in my neck and some minor tenderness) Today is Sunday and I had the first part

of my

scan done on Thursday and the second on Friday. The tech who did my scan gave me

my

uptake report which was " Outside of normal range " At 6 hours uptake normal range

minimum is 7% and maximum 25% mine was 4.3%. At 24 hours uptake normal range is

minimum 15% and maximum 35%, mine was 7.0. She asked me a couple of times if I

had

had any back or shoulder pain and I said no and didn't think anything of it then

but now I

am wondering why she asked. Anyway, I heard from my PA at the end of the day on

Friday

and she said the scan had shown a warm nodule on the left side of my thyroid and

that

she would be sending me to an endo for follow up. I told her I was concerned

about what

would happen when I ran out of Prednisone again next week and she said she would

be

working to get me in to see someone as soon as she could. So then I came home

and of

course hit the internet. Because of my anxiety issues most of what I have read

has made

me VERY anxious. For instance normal blood studies and abnormal scans more often

prove to be more serious, one nodule as opposed to multiples more often are

cancerous,

warm nodules seem to be looked at the same way as cold nodules and that they

need to

be biopsied and are more often cancerous then hot nodules. I am a wreck to say

the least.

I try to stay away from the computer but I keep coming back only to feel worse

after.I

ended up on Yahoo last night looking for some kind of support group for people

with

thyroid issues and I found you all! I am so glad. I just want a place I can go

for support.

Please know that I will truly appreciate any input you can give me. I thank you

for taking

the time to read my story.

Sandi

Addendum: I just got back labs that my naturopath had done in relation to my

annual GYN

exam. She ordered these awhile back and I just had them done this week because I

had

needed to fast prior to the draw. She called me FIRST thing this morning saying

" Sandi you

have a thyroid problem! " By blood levels are as follows: TSH 2.221, FREE T4

0.94 FREE

T3 2.11. My kidney function is not good either I guess my estimated GFR is 50

and it

should be at lease 60. Anyway, she wants to get me started on some Armour 30

mgs. I

can't really understand how the script is written but it looks like either 1 and

a half or one

half which equals 45 (?) gms by mouth in AM. I will get it filled after work

today. She felt I

should get started on something soon rather than just to wait and see the endo

next

month. What do you all think? What can you tell me about your experiences with

Armour?

What are the things I should know and be prepared for? How fast does it work?

Will it help

the inflammation and pain I've been using prednisone for? Thanks again for your

help ......

[Guest guest]

Hi and Welcome,

I think you have discovered what is normal for doctors is not normal

for us. GGGRRRR. Glad they finally gave you some thyroid meds. I am

not on Armour but on Levo but am sure others with chime in soon. Your

in the right place.

Good luck!

Sami

>

> Hi All,

> I am a newcomer and really could use all of your suport and input.

I am a wreck! I will tell

> you my story, and I am sorry if it gets lengthy. To start, I am a 50

year old married mother

> of 2 grown boys. I live in Concord NH with my husband and one of my

sons. I have a great

> family and a great job and for the most part have felt " well " except

for things that have

> come up over the years and until recently.

[Guest guest]

Hi Sandi... welcome..

Sorry you had to find us.. but gland that you did.

The Doc you have now is starting out really good... She's testing more

than just the TSH. Do you happen to have the lab's ranges for the Free

T3 and Free T4 tests you were given (there are several tests available

for each, so we need the ranges for the ones that you were given)?

Regardless of the cause of the nodule (the most common of the thyroid

disorders is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - which can cause both hyper and

hypo stages) and thyroid cancer (which is pretty rare, but can happen)

or whatever else may be going on in there, starting you on the Armour

should lower your TSH.

TSH is the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, reducing it's level will reduce

the activity of your thyroid gland as they figure out what is going on.

You were taking the Prednisone when they did the uptake scan?

Armour is a natural thyroid product, it contains all the thyroid

hormones. The active hormones in it are the ones that you would be

feeling, if you feel anything. They are short lived, so if they make you

feel really anxious or anything, that will wear off in a few hours most

likely. I don't know how much reading you've done yet... I've got a page

over at our website that runs through the hormones, labs and meds, it

would give you a chance to get familiar with that stuff as we all talk

more with you.

www.thyrophoenix.com/thyroid_101.htm

Predisone is an adrenal hormone. I'm a bit puzzled why it's relieving

pain like it is... I know that low levels of adrenal hormones can reduce

our body's efficiency in utilizing thyroid hormone... I wonder if what is

happening is that it's allowing your body to make better use of hormone

and that is reducing the gland activity a bit... ? It will be

interesting to see how that turns out.. KUDOS for them for figuring that

out.

You do want to be careful with it though.. taking it too much can cause

problems with other stuff.

I'm kinda rolling this around in my brain a bit... I have some questions,

if that is okay??

Do you do a lot of sea food?

Do you take any extra iodine/seaweed supplements?

Do you have any odd food cravings?

What meds are you on now (some of the depression meds interfere with

thyroid hormone)?

Any history of thyroid disorder in your family?

What is your resting heart rate now?

I'll stop with this... its' a good start.. I'm sure we'll have more

questions for you as you will have more for us...

Topper ()

On Wed, 09 May 2007 17:44:50 -0000 " sandi_2095 " sandi_2095@...>

writes:

> Hi All,

> I am a newcomer and really could use all of your suport and input.

> I am a wreck! I will tell

> you my story, and I am sorry if it gets lengthy. To start, I am a 50

> year old married mother

> of 2 grown boys. I live in Concord NH with my husband and one of my

> sons. I have a great

> family and a great job and for the most part have felt " well " except

> for things that have

> come up over the years and until recently. Back in the late 80's

> early 90's I started having

> pain in my neck and pain with swallowing accompanied by rapid heart

> beat, panic attacks

> etc. I saw 4 MDS including an ENT guy before a visit to the ER got

> me in contact with a Doc

> who told me he thought he knew what was wrong, that given my

> symptoms he thought I

> had thyroiditis. He started me on Prednisone, I believe a 2 week

> titrating dose and almost

> immediately the symptoms went away. I was sent for a scan with

> uptake that next week

> that showed I had a " hot " nodule on the left side of my thyroid and

> was told the only

> follow up would be to have an exam done every six months to make

> sure that it wasn't

> getting bigger. Initially no one had been able to feel it, but once

> they knew it was there

> and where it was they found it and I did have routine exams with

> thyroid blood levels done

> for about 6 years and then it went away. I want now to mention that

> over the past most

> recent years I have had had problems with my weight, depression and

> anxiety, REALLY dry

> skin, low temps, and fluctuating between feeling cold and REALLY

> hot, very low libido (I

> had hormone testing done last year and was told my estrogen and

> progesterone levels

> were low and my testosterone levels were basically zero and so I've

> have been using

> testosterone and estrogen creams to help. I can not use oral

> estrogen as it exacerbates the

> migraines I sometimes get. ),insomnia etc. I am on meds currently

> for depression, anxiety,

> and insomnia. Around the first week of March this year I started

> having pain on the left

> side of my throat but it was low down in my neck. I ignored it for

> awhile but not for long

> as it got worse. I went to see my primary care MD ( This was my

> first time seeing him as

> my usual practitionor at the office is a female PA I see. ) he took

> my recent history which

> included the pain and swallowing trouble along with some serious

> fatigue issues I've been

> having, and of course I told him about my thyroiditis episode from

> years back. He felt

> around my neck but said he couldn't feel anything but he would send

> me to the lab to

> have my TSH levels checked and also send me home with a script for

> Prednisone, a nine

> day titrating dose (I guess I should mention that I can't take

> NSAIDS due to stomach issues

> so using those to reduce any inflammation was not an option. )

> Within 24 hours of using

> the Prednisone my symptoms were gone. I was informed my TSH levels

> were fine. After

> being off the Prednisone for 4 days the symptoms came back with a

> vengeance only this

> time the pain was located way at the bottom and " in deep " on the

> right side of my neck. I

> called my PA and she had me come in that day so she could see me.

> Again on exam, she

> found nothing, but given my symptoms and the fact I have been so

> tired all the time and

> that recently I've gained about 25 pounds, and my husband has

> reported me snoring a lot

> more, she had me go back to the lab, for a full thyroid blood

> workup. She also sent me

> home with a script for another 9 days of Prednisone although she

> hated to do so given the

> kind of problems taking Prednisone can cause. And again ..... within

> several hours the pain

> was gone. My thyroid blood work came back normal again too. At that

> time she also had

> me schedule an appointment for a thyroid scan with uptake. In

> between the last of my

> Prednisone and my scan the pain came back within 4 days of stopping

> the medicine. It was

> BAD this time, working it's way up my neck and into my ear on the

> right side and it hurt to

> turn my head in that direction. It was 3 days before my scan was

> scheduled and although I

> wanted to try to hold out I couldn't it was just too much. It hurt

> sooo much to swallow

> even liquids! Once again she put me on Prednisone for 9 days and

> again the pain was

> gone in several hours ( although this time I am left with this weird

> " vibrating " type feeling

> in my neck and some minor tenderness) Today is Sunday and I had the

> first part of my

> scan done on Thursday and the second on Friday. The tech who did my

> scan gave me my

> uptake report which was " Outside of normal range " At 6 hours uptake

> normal range

> minimum is 7% and maximum 25% mine was 4.3%. At 24 hours uptake

> normal range is

> minimum 15% and maximum 35%, mine was 7.0. She asked me a couple of

> times if I had

> had any back or shoulder pain and I said no and didn't think

> anything of it then but now I

> am wondering why she asked. Anyway, I heard from my PA at the end of

> the day on Friday

> and she said the scan had shown a warm nodule on the left side of my

> thyroid and that

> she would be sending me to an endo for follow up. I told her I was

> concerned about what

> would happen when I ran out of Prednisone again next week and she

> said she would be

> working to get me in to see someone as soon as she could. So then I

> came home and of

> course hit the internet. Because of my anxiety issues most of what I

> have read has made

> me VERY anxious. For instance normal blood studies and abnormal

> scans more often

> prove to be more serious, one nodule as opposed to multiples more

> often are cancerous,

> warm nodules seem to be looked at the same way as cold nodules and

> that they need to

> be biopsied and are more often cancerous then hot nodules. I am a

> wreck to say the least.

> I try to stay away from the computer but I keep coming back only to

> feel worse after.I

> ended up on Yahoo last night looking for some kind of support group

> for people with

> thyroid issues and I found you all! I am so glad. I just want a

> place I can go for support.

> Please know that I will truly appreciate any input you can give me.

> I thank you for taking

> the time to read my story.

>

>

>

>

> Sandi

> Addendum: I just got back labs that my naturopath had done in

> relation to my annual GYN

> exam. She ordered these awhile back and I just had them done this

> week because I had

> needed to fast prior to the draw. She called me FIRST thing this

> morning saying " Sandi you

> have a thyroid problem! " By blood levels are as follows: TSH 2.221,

> FREE T4 0.94 FREE

> T3 2.11. My kidney function is not good either I guess my

> estimated GFR is 50 and it

> should be at lease 60. Anyway, she wants to get me started on some

> Armour 30 mgs. I

> can't really understand how the script is written but it looks like

> either 1 and a half or one

> half which equals 45 (?) gms by mouth in AM. I will get it filled

> after work today. She felt I

> should get started on something soon rather than just to wait and

> see the endo next

> month. What do you all think? What can you tell me about your

> experiences with Armour?

> What are the things I should know and be prepared for? How fast does

> it work? Will it help

> the inflammation and pain I've been using prednisone for? Thanks

> again for your help ......

[Guest guest]

Sandi- this is a great group. I'm glad it looks like you're finally starting to get the treatment you need!

- Was this a pun on purpose or a Freudian slip??----->

>> Sorry you had to find us.. but gland that you did.

That gave me a giggle!

Re: New member, lengthy post. Need help!

Hi Sandi... welcome..Sorry you had to find us.. but gland that you did.The Doc you have now is starting out really good... She's testing morethan just the TSH. Do you happen to have the lab's ranges for the FreeT3 and Free T4 tests you were given (there are several tests availablefor each, so we need the ranges for the ones that you were given)?Regardless of the cause of the nodule (the most common of the thyroiddisorders is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - which can cause both hyper andhypo stages) and thyroid cancer (which is pretty rare, but can happen) or whatever else may be going on in there, starting you on the Armourshould lower your TSH.TSH is the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, reducing it's level will reducethe activity of your thyroid gland as they figure out what is going on.You were taking the Prednisone when they did the uptake scan?Armour is a natural thyroid product, it contains all the thyroidhormones. The active hormones in it are the ones that you would befeeling, if you feel anything. They are short lived, so if they make youfeel really anxious or anything, that will wear off in a few hours mostlikely. I don't know how much reading you've done yet... I've got a pageover at our website that runs through the hormones, labs and meds, itwould give you a chance to get familiar with that stuff as we all talkmore with you.www.thyrophoenix.com/thyroid_101.htmPredisone is an adrenal hormone. I'm a bit puzzled why it's relievingpain like it is... I know that low levels of adrenal hormones can reduceour body's efficiency in utilizing thyroid hormone... I wonder if what ishappening is that it's allowing your body to make better use of hormoneand that is reducing the gland activity a bit... ? It will beinteresting to see how that turns out.. KUDOS for them for figuring thatout.You do want to be careful with it though.. taking it too much can causeproblems with other stuff.I'm kinda rolling this around in my brain a bit... I have some questions,if that is okay??Do you do a lot of sea food?Do you take any extra iodine/seaweed supplements?Do you have any odd food cravings?What meds are you on now (some of the depression meds interfere withthyroid hormone)?Any history of thyroid disorder in your family?What is your resting heart rate now?I'll stop with this... its' a good start.. I'm sure we'll have morequestions for you as you will have more for us...Topper ()On Wed, 09 May 2007 17:44:50 -0000 "sandi_2095" <sandi_2095 (AT) excite (DOT) com>writes:> Hi All,> I am a newcomer and really could use all of your suport and input. > I am a wreck! I will tell > you my story, and I am sorry if it gets lengthy. To start, I am a 50 > year old married mother > of 2 grown boys. I live in Concord NH with my husband and one of my > sons. I have a great > family and a great job and for the most part have felt "well" except > for things that have > come up over the years and until recently. Back in the late 80's > early 90's I started having > pain in my neck and pain with swallowing accompanied by rapid heart > beat, panic attacks > etc. I saw 4 MDS including an ENT guy before a visit to the ER got > me in contact with a Doc > who told me he thought he knew what was wrong, that given my > symptoms he thought I > had thyroiditis. He started me on Prednisone, I believe a 2 week > titrating dose and almost > immediately the symptoms went away. I was sent for a scan with > uptake that next week > that showed I had a "hot" nodule on the left side of my thyroid and > was told the only > follow up would be to have an exam done every six months to make > sure that it wasn't > getting bigger. Initially no one had been able to feel it, but once > they knew it was there > and where it was they found it and I did have routine exams with > thyroid blood levels done > for about 6 years and then it went away. I want now to mention that > over the past most > recent years I have had had problems with my weight, depression and > anxiety, REALLY dry > skin, low temps, and fluctuating between feeling cold and REALLY > hot, very low libido (I > had hormone testing done last year and was told my estrogen and > progesterone levels > were low and my testosterone levels were basically zero and so I've > have been using > testosterone and estrogen creams to help. I can not use oral > estrogen as it exacerbates the > migraines I sometimes get. ),insomnia etc. I am on meds currently > for depression, anxiety, > and insomnia. Around the first week of March this year I started > having pain on the left > side of my throat but it was low down in my neck. I ignored it for > awhile but not for long > as it got worse. I went to see my primary care MD ( This was my > first time seeing him as > my usual practitionor at the office is a female PA I see. ) he took > my recent history which > included the pain and swallowing trouble along with some serious > fatigue issues I've been > having, and of course I told him about my thyroiditis episode from > years back. He felt > around my neck but said he couldn't feel anything but he would send > me to the lab to > have my TSH levels checked and also send me home with a script for > Prednisone, a nine > day titrating dose (I guess I should mention that I can't take > NSAIDS due to stomach issues > so using those to reduce any inflammation was not an option. ) > Within 24 hours of using > the Prednisone my symptoms were gone. I was informed my TSH levels > were fine. After > being off the Prednisone for 4 days the symptoms came back with a > vengeance only this > time the pain was located way at the bottom and "in deep" on the > right side of my neck. I > called my PA and she had me come in that day so she could see me. > Again on exam, she > found nothing, but given my symptoms and the fact I have been so > tired all the time and > that recently I've gained about 25 pounds, and my husband has > reported me snoring a lot > more, she had me go back to the lab, for a full thyroid blood > workup. She also sent me > home with a script for another 9 days of Prednisone although she > hated to do so given the > kind of problems taking Prednisone can cause. And again ..... within > several hours the pain > was gone. My thyroid blood work came back normal again too. At that > time she also had > me schedule an appointment for a thyroid scan with uptake. In > between the last of my > Prednisone and my scan the pain came back within 4 days of stopping > the medicine. It was > BAD this time, working it's way up my neck and into my ear on the > right side and it hurt to > turn my head in that direction. It was 3 days before my scan was > scheduled and although I > wanted to try to hold out I couldn't it was just too much. It hurt > sooo much to swallow > even liquids! Once again she put me on Prednisone for 9 days and > again the pain was > gone in several hours ( although this time I am left with this weird > "vibrating" type feeling > in my neck and some minor tenderness) Today is Sunday and I had the > first part of my > scan done on Thursday and the second on Friday. The tech who did my > scan gave me my > uptake report which was "Outside of normal range" At 6 hours uptake > normal range > minimum is 7% and maximum 25% mine was 4.3%. At 24 hours uptake > normal range is > minimum 15% and maximum 35%, mine was 7.0. She asked me a couple of > times if I had > had any back or shoulder pain and I said no and didn't think > anything of it then but now I > am wondering why she asked. Anyway, I heard from my PA at the end of > the day on Friday > and she said the scan had shown a warm nodule on the left side of my > thyroid and that > she would be sending me to an endo for follow up. I told her I was > concerned about what > would happen when I ran out of Prednisone again next week and she > said she would be > working to get me in to see someone as soon as she could. So then I > came home and of > course hit the internet. Because of my anxiety issues most of what I > have read has made > me VERY anxious. For instance normal blood studies and abnormal > scans more often > prove to be more serious, one nodule as opposed to multiples more > often are cancerous, > warm nodules seem to be looked at the same way as cold nodules and > that they need to > be biopsied and are more often cancerous then hot nodules. I am a > wreck to say the least. > I try to stay away from the computer but I keep coming back only to > feel worse after.I > ended up on Yahoo last night looking for some kind of support group > for people with > thyroid issues and I found you all! I am so glad. I just want a > place I can go for support. > Please know that I will truly appreciate any input you can give me. > I thank you for taking > the time to read my story.> > > > > Sandi> Addendum: I just got back labs that my naturopath had done in > relation to my annual GYN > exam. She ordered these awhile back and I just had them done this > week because I had > needed to fast prior to the draw. She called me FIRST thing this > morning saying "Sandi you > have a thyroid problem!" By blood levels are as follows: TSH 2.221, > FREE T4 0.94 FREE > T3 2.11. My kidney function is not good either I guess my > estimated GFR is 50 and it > should be at lease 60. Anyway, she wants to get me started on some > Armour 30 mgs. I > can't really understand how the script is written but it looks like > either 1 and a half or one > half which equals 45 (?) gms by mouth in AM. I will get it filled > after work today. She felt I > should get started on something soon rather than just to wait and > see the endo next > month. What do you all think? What can you tell me about your > experiences with Armour? > What are the things I should know and be prepared for? How fast does > it work? Will it help > the inflammation and pain I've been using prednisone for? Thanks > again for your help .....

[Guest guest]

Oops.... I write the word 'gland' so often I often automatically type it when I mean glad. I try to watch for it.. but sometimes I miss...

I can see how in this case it was a hoot...

I'll just sit here and blush for a while, if that's okay?

*bblluusshh*

Topper ()

On Wed, 9 May 2007 22:03:52 -0700 "JESSICA HALSETH" writes:

- Was this a pun on purpose or a Freudian slip??----->

>> Sorry you had to find us.. but gland that you did.

That gave me a giggle!