# Had Total Thyroidectomy but could Hashimoto's be lurking?



## Sue (Mar 30, 2015)

HI All,

I think I know the answer to my question but I wanted to ask the experts.

I had a Total Thyroidectomy in 2011. Hashimoto's was not mentioned. It was hard to reach a diagnosis and the slides were sent to 6 UK hospitals and 1 US one. Some said cancer (follicular variant papillary carcimona) and some said a benign multi modular goitre. The centre I put the most weight on was the American one due to the number of cases. So I had a total thyroidectomy but am treated as bordlerline cancer and so did not have RAI.

Anyway, what's been bothering me is that I have this odd set of symptoms - EXTREME intolerance to the cold combined with night sweats.

When I say cold intolerance once or twice a day the coldness hits and I can only cope by doing one of two things - having a hot shower or wrapping myself in a blanket and sitting in front of an open oven. Then at night...I am a furnace all night.

I recently lost a pregnancy as the symptoms were overwhelming so I am determined to understand what's happening (I had previously had a successful pregnancy one year after the thyroidectomy).

My googling leads me to wonder if the combination of extreme coldness episodes and sweats at night could be hashimoto's. Before I had surgery for the goitre I had a TSH above the top of the normal range and a T4 below the bottom of the normal range. Again, my reading points to that being Hashimoto's like.

However - I had a biopsy before the thyroidectomy and then, as I say, 7 centres in total saw the pathology. Am I right that if it was/is Hashimoto's then the pathologists would have been able to see this in the tissue from the op?

Sue


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Do you have any labs other than TSH?

Free T-4 and Free T-3 would be the most accurate to determine your active thyroid levels at time of draw. Can you post your most recent set of labs with ranges please.

You might simply be under-medicated. Plus, with a miscarriage ( I'm sorry for your loss) you have alot of hormone action happening.


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## Sue (Mar 30, 2015)

Hi

Thanks for your reply. You are right there's a lot of hormone action happening - thyroid levels all over the place plus recent pregnancy loss. You ask about my recent bloods . They are (from July when still pregnant)

TSH 0.75 (usually MUCH lower than this around 0.01) range for lab - 0.27 - 4.2

Free T4 16.1 range for lab 12.-22

Free T3 - not done since April (pre pregnancy) and was 4.0 range for lab - 3.1 - 6.8

Sue


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Certainly a new set of labs would help to determine if it's thyroid related.

Hot/cold intolerance with a recent miscarriage would point to hormonal, especially with your most recent labs, which look pretty good.

I know when I had endometrial ablation - I had all sorts of hot/cold issues. I figured it was a mini menopause due to my procedure.


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## Sue (Mar 30, 2015)

That's helpful, thanks very much.  Sue


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## Brahd (Aug 19, 2015)

I'd also consider age, not to sound insensitive, but if you are late 30s plus, it could be something else.....not saying it's is,but as a possible solution.


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## Sue (Mar 30, 2015)

Good point Brahd. Thanks.


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