# Diagnosed with Hashimoto's is joint swelling/pain a symptom?! ????



## Kami (May 17, 2015)

Hey guys...I've posted here once before-right after I was told my labs were off & they were referring me to see an endo. I had my appt last Monday & got the dx of Hashimoto's. I was wondering if anyone else experiences joint swelling as a symptom also?! I would love to hear if anyone does. 
I have pain/swelling in my hands! This site is awesome thanks in advance!


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Yes it is. Mine was in my knees and hips.

What do your labs look like?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Edema is common w/thyroid disease; however, get checked for RA and Lupus also and guessing is not always a good thing and most of us do have more than one thing going on simultaneously.

Hugs,


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## Kami (May 17, 2015)

Here are my labs....not sure how to calculate the % of free T's. Anyone know? Thanks.

TSH 3.79 (0.3-4.0 uIU/ML)

FREE T4 0.9 (0.6-1.6 NG/DL)

FREE T3 2.4 (2.3-4.2 pg/mL)

Thyroglobulin 0.6 (2.8-40.9 ng/mL)

Thyroglob AB 961 (< or = 1 IU/mL)


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## visc (Feb 22, 2014)

You definitely could use some more T4.

You want to be in the bottom normal for TSH.

And mid to upper normal for t3 and t4... Although some people are really sensative.

In general if you are euthroid you should not experience sweeling in your joints with just Hashimotos.

Look into your diet, maybe you're eating to much salt for carbs...

You will also want to get RA, and Lupus cleared just for sanity sakes.

In general no Hashimotos does not cause swelling of joints when your body has sufficient thyroid hormone.

When you're hypo or hyper? Thats a possibility. But its not the auto immune attack itself its the level of hormone making your cells get wild.


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## visc (Feb 22, 2014)

Also what is the Tg test? Thats super low. This is what I found.

5. Thyroglobulin (Tg)
Thyroglobulin is a protein made by the thyroid that carries thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland is the only organ which makes Tg. Therefore, Tg is a good test to tell if there are thyroid cells in the body. Once the whole thyroid is taken out, the thyroglobulin level should go down to close to zero. Thyroglobulin levels can then be measured, by a simple blood test, after thyroidectomy. Thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker (i.e. test to see how much cancer is in the body) for thyroid cancer. If thyroglobulin levels go up after removing the whole thyroid, there is concern that the cancer may have come back (i.e. recurred) or spread (i.e. metastasized

Any history you can provide that would explian low Tg?


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## Kami (May 17, 2015)

Thyroglobulin 0.6 ..... That is a tumor marker. You want that result to be LOW!


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## Kami (May 17, 2015)

This is off of the Mayo Clinic site on Hashimoto's symptoms.....

Pain and stiffness in your joints and swelling in your knees or the small joints in your hands and feet.

Also, they put me on a round of steroids for the so called "joint inflammation" it had absolutely no effect on it -ZERO- also ran an ESR and it was a 3. This makes me believe it's not inflammatory although they are swollen

This disease is not for the weak that's for sure.


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## BatMan (Oct 2, 2013)

Or you could have inflammation in general causing issues with thyroid processing. Sometimes its also chicken or the egg situation.


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## visc (Feb 22, 2014)

Kami said:


> This is off of the Mayo Clinic site on Hashimoto's symptoms.....
> 
> Pain and stiffness in your joints and swelling in your knees or the small joints in your hands and feet.


Thats Hypothyroid symptoms, you have to be hypothyroid. You shouldn't have those symptoms if you're euthyroid.


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## Vogel (Nov 2, 2014)

Kami said:


> Thyroglobulin 0.6 ..... That is a tumor marker. You want that result to be LOW!


If you are without a thyroid, Thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker. It does not specifically indicate cancer if you have a thyroid because this protein is essential to thyroid function and transport of hormones. Your result is likely low because of the TgAb positive result, which signals the immune system to attack Thryoglobulin.

Joint pain, swelling, muscle aches are all symptoms I had when I was hypothyroid. It may take several months on medication for your symptoms to improve. Also make sure they evaluate your Vitamin D for deficiency as this is common in autoimmune conditions and causes the exact same aches, pains, and fatigue.


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## Kami (May 17, 2015)

Vogel thank you for your reply. When you say joint pain did you actually have swollen joints?


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