# My throat is killing me



## Jo853 (Aug 16, 2013)

Hi all,

So...things with my breast are all ok. Turned out to be an accumulation of dense breast tissue. 

I've got a bit of an irritated throat at the moment and I don't have any cold/flu symptoms. I don't want to go down the route of taking Lemsip (which contain paracetamol, phenyleprine and guaifenesin. I was told one of these ingredients is contra-indicated in Hashi's/hypo?) so I have instead bought some menthol eucalyptus gum to help soothe the soreness in my throat.

I've had other symptoms too, which I put down to Hashi's: more sweating, anxiety, cramps, racing thoughts at night in bed, insomnia, vivid dreams, racing pulse, headaches (at the side of my head), fatigue, depression, constipation and feeling sick.

I'm just wondering if all of this could be a Hashi's flare?  Is that possible with both hyper and hypo symptoms? Last night I felt so sick to my stomach I couldn't sleep. I can't even remember the last time I felt as sick as that!

Latest thyroid function tests:

TSH: 1.87 (0.2-4.2)
FT4: 16.6 (12-22)
FT3: 4 (3.1-6.8)
Anti-TPO: 33.5 (0-34)
Anti-TG: 103.5 (0-115)

I know the antibodies from this test result were threating to creep back up into the positive range and I now suspect that they now have due to my symptoms. I see my GP in a few days so is it worth asking for my antibodies to be retested if this be the case? Maybe bring my other test results along too?

Current dose is 100mcg of T4.

Thanks 

Jo xxx


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

You were diagnosed with Hashimoto's already, right? If your last antibody tests were run pretty recently, I don't think running them again so soon is likely to change anything. On the other hand, if they were run a year ago or something like that, it might be interesting to see where you stand. Realistically, you need treatment that is going to get you optimized and feeling well. I think you were waiting to try and see a doctor about taking T3 -- that would probably be a good start. Between this and your other posts, it sure sounds like you are under-medicated. There's definitely room for improvement in both your FT4 and FT3 labs. Who knows, perhaps a small increase in T4 and a trial amount of T3 would do the trick.

Certainly Hashi's can cause signs & symptoms of both hypo- and hyperthyroidism. As for which they cause in a particular individual; I think it just depends. We are all so different. When you say you have an "irritated throat" -- do you mean you have a sore, scratchy throat like a cold or bug; or are we talking about a swelling and tightness feeling? If it's the latter, that could be due to swelling of the thyroid or a goiter, which in turn could be due to a flare up.

About the only other thing I can think of while you wait for that doctor's appointment is to just be consistent with taking your T4. You probably already know this, but take it 1/2 hour to 1 hour before a meal, or else a few hours after eating. Take it away from any other medications or supplements if you can, especially calcium and iron. Some of us do take our thyroid meds at night for better absorption, but it has the possibility of keeping you up at night.


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## Jo853 (Aug 16, 2013)

bigfoot said:


> You were diagnosed with Hashimoto's already, right? If your last antibody tests were run pretty recently, I don't think running them again so soon is likely to change anything. On the other hand, if they were run a year ago or something like that, it might be interesting to see where you stand. Realistically, you need treatment that is going to get you optimized and feeling well. I think you were waiting to try and see a doctor about taking T3 -- that would probably be a good start. Between this and your other posts, it sure sounds like you are under-medicated. There's definitely room for improvement in both your FT4 and FT3 labs. Who knows, perhaps a small increase in T4 and a trial amount of T3 would do the trick.
> 
> Certainly Hashi's can cause signs & symptoms of both hypo- and hyperthyroidism. As for which they cause in a particular individual; I think it just depends. We are all so different. When you say you have an "irritated throat" -- do you mean you have a sore, scratchy throat like a cold or bug; or are we talking about a swelling and tightness feeling? If it's the latter, that could be due to swelling of the thyroid or a goiter, which in turn could be due to a flare up.
> 
> About the only other thing I can think of while you wait for that doctor's appointment is to just be consistent with taking your T4. You probably already know this, but take it 1/2 hour to 1 hour before a meal, or else a few hours after eating. Take it away from any other medications or supplements if you can, especially calcium and iron. Some of us do take our thyroid meds at night for better absorption, but it has the possibility of keeping you up at night.


Thanks for your reply.

Yes, antibody tests were done in March.

Yes, my irritated throat is a tightness feeling but neck looks fine. Had more problems swallowing, too.

I didn't used to take the T4 1/2 an hour to 1 hour before a meal but I do now take it first thing in the morning away from food and other medications. The problem with that is that I get a "crash" a few hours later. I'm tempted to take it at night as I did so in the past but yes, I had the misfortune to it keeping me up at night.

Jo xxx


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

So I'm taking my armour at 4am. I set the alarm, take it, go back to bed. That way it's far away from any food or anything.

Also, no soy, calcium near the time of taking your medication. I know a lady who had hashimoto's and was having protein shakes in the morning. Had soy in it -- she stopped the soy -- and felt much better.

Another thing my endo told me for the bump in my throat is selenium, 200 mcg per day -- definitely no more than that. I also take d, c, monoloaurin, and ferrasorb by thorne research labs. I try to buy the "naturopath" quality vitamins when possible -- so I buy "Thorne Research Labs" because I figure if a naturopath expects to see results in their patients and they sell/recommend certain brands, that they've done the research to figure out what is best/most effective.

For the throat, when I first was sick with hashi's and always had the sore throat, the doc told "something is ticking off your immune system." It was strange that he prescribed "nasonex" for my throat - yet after only ONE dose, ONE day -- that was taken care of. Some of what you have going on reminds me of how I felt when I first had Hashi's -- I was mess. But now that I am on armour -- I feel amazing. I don't even feel like I want to sit around -- I want to do something -- and this return to health has been such a blessing; if after awhile what you're using isn't working out for you, you may ask to try "dessicated thyroid." It might make the difference for you. Different kinds of thyroid hormone work differently/better/worse for different people.

Take care, rest, don't do too much and take stock of what you're consuming. My endocrinologist confirmed that indeed for some, gluten is a problem for some hashimoto's people, that there really is a relationship there. You might consider dropping it and seeing if you feel better. An easy way to do that is simply to try to eat all "whole foods."

Take care & blessings, feel better soon.


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## Jo853 (Aug 16, 2013)

Swimmer said:


> So I'm taking my armour at 4am. I set the alarm, take it, go back to bed. That way it's far away from any food or anything.
> 
> Also, no soy, calcium near the time of taking your medication. I know a lady who had hashimoto's and was having protein shakes in the morning. Had soy in it -- she stopped the soy -- and felt much better.
> 
> ...


Hi thanks for your reply.

I'm going to have to work out a different routine for taking the T4 as these have been my times in the past:

9am - 1 hour away from milk/calcium and 4 hours away from iron. I had a "crash" - so I initially felt better and towards the mid-afternoon my mood and fatigue came back.

10:30pm - 1 hour away from milk/calcium and 14 hours away from iron. This initially worked until 3 weeks in and I would wake up during the night, usually early morning.

So I've been taking the T4 at both ends of the day and my approach has backfired. There has to be a sweet spot there, somewhere.

As far as naturopath medication goes, I am keen to try the medication but the stuff my naturopath has recommended me is extremely expensive. It's not as though I'm going against her judgement but I'm simply unable to go ahead with her advice at present. Thanks for suggesting the Thorne Research Labs. 

The strange thing is I was diagnosed Hashi's in January this year but I have absolutely no idea how long I have had it previously.
The first abnormal TSH result was done in November 2011 and a few months after this result the front of my neck swelled up. It went down on its own within 6 weeks. And the first test that showed high thyroid autoantibodies was in January 2013 but I was not given T4 until my TSH was at 22 in May of last year.

I had similar flare ups in the past before, where my throat felt tight. I think the last time I felt like this was back in October of last year and that was when my Anti-TPO was high. And I am still as thin as a rake! I've been trying all sorts to get my weight back up but no joy. I currently weigh around 46kg and I'm trying to get back up to over 50kg yet whatever I eat mysteriously drops off me. I'm wondering if I could have leaky gut syndrome...

I would like to put forward a suggestion to take NDT or Armour but it depends if my doctor is keen for me to try it. I have my doubts they will let me and I am not strong at advocating for myself.

I did keep a diary of my symptoms, BBT, blood pressure, diet and medication times but because I spent some time out I then got out of sync with the dates and times and the diary then became redundant.

Yes, my endo said that although I am not celiac gluten is worth cutting out. I eliminated gluten and dairy from my diet for a few weeks and I didn't feel entirely better. Although maybe I did not do it for very long or had withdrawal effects. Thanks for suggesting I simply try to eat all "whole foods". So no dairy, gluten etc. Just natural stuff, I take it. 

Jo xxx


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

Also - when you mentioned "sweat" and "racing thoughts" == that comment made me wonder if your dose is too high. Somebody else here would know more about it. I think it would be a good idea to call the nurse of your endo and mention the symtoms, tell her you're noticing these things and wonder what it means -- your may make an alteration that helps you. Personally, I think if you mention NDT to your physician they likely may "never" allow you to try dessicated thyroid -- I think the western side probably views NDT for thyroid as a holistic/naturopathic remedy.

Other things to look into -- you could try the GAPS diet or another naturopathic diet for thyroid, cutting out the foods that you notice bother you.

Take care - get well!


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## Jo853 (Aug 16, 2013)

Swimmer said:


> Also - when you mentioned "sweat" and "racing thoughts" == that comment made me wonder if your dose is too high. Somebody else here would know more about it. I think it would be a good idea to call the nurse of your endo and mention the symtoms, tell her you're noticing these things and wonder what it means -- your may make an alteration that helps you. Personally, I think if you mention NDT to your physician they likely may "never" allow you to try dessicated thyroid -- I think the western side probably views NDT for thyroid as a holistic/naturopathic remedy.
> 
> Other things to look into -- you could try the GAPS diet or another naturopathic diet for thyroid, cutting out the foods that you notice bother you. For example, if I drink almond milk, my thyroid swells. ((previous to this, I drank almond milk for nearly two years.)) I have tried different brands, even almonds, now after eating them all these years -- I cannot have them. I guess they do some sort of thyroid receptor blocking. I also can't have soy sauce. I avoid all soy now. I eat nearly all "whole" foods. I have finally gotten off of caffeinated coffee. I'm working working working step by step, one step at a time, to see if I can't figure out what my triggers are and get myself in the place where I need to have my doctor lower my dosage, that would be awesome.
> 
> Take care - get well!


Hi thanks for your reply. 

The sweating and the racing thoughts happen more at night and when I'm in bed but these didn't appear at the same time as when I took my T4 at night and when it kept me awake at night. (I now take this in the morning as I started off doing previously as any way I look at it I need to take it and a mid-day crash is better than being kept awake at night). Until my appointment this may change...

My endo is no longer replying to my emails/telephone messages and my doctor is not open until Monday. My appointment is on the Wednesday. I could call my endo but she takes 2 working days to respond to any telephone or email messages. So either way I would speak to someone on the Wednesday. Alternative is to call the doctor on the Monday and get a same-day appointment, but as far as I know they're fully booked on the day.

Good luck with what you've been doing! 

Jo xxx


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

One of the requirements for a successful outcome is knowing how to be your own champion and assert your needs with your physicians. There are a lot of self-help books out there, and I'm sure in your local library, that can help you.


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## Jo853 (Aug 16, 2013)

CA-Lynn said:


> One of the requirements for a successful outcome is knowing how to be your own champion and assert your needs with your physicians. There are a lot of self-help books out there, and I'm sure in your local library, that can help you.


Thanks for your reply.

I'll look at self-help books, definitely. I think I came across one for depression but this is different as the book would need to deal with confidence/assertiveness.

Jo xxx


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