# Hashi symptoms? Perhaps Hashi Hell?



## Christinals (Sep 9, 2010)

Good morning/afternoon.

I was curious.....again

I had a rough week last week. Heart palps, anxious, dizziness, all over ill feeling, craziness, but I had good energy..lol. My thyroid was enlarged, as usual. Fast forward to this week...dead, dead,dead. I literally was waiting in line to pick my kids up at school and nodded off. I am so lethargic, yet I am sleeping well. To top it off, my thyroid is very "inflamed" and puffy. Occasionaly it feels sore, if that is possible. NOT like a sore throat, but sore to the touch. I don't know how to explain it.

Those of you that are in the Hashi family, is this normal for the disease? The back and forth is nuts. My blood work is within range, however can antibodies cause it to wax and wane?

Thanks,
Christi


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Hi from a newbie. I believe the antibodies as well as the thyroid hormone levels can cause the signs & symptoms. What you are describing sounds very familiar to me. Fast pulse, anxiety, dizzy, etc. Your labs listed in your sig line look like they could be improved somewhat. Are you taking any levothyroxine? My understanding is that by keeping the TSH low this keeps the antibodies quiet.

As I'm learning myself, just having a low TSH doesn't immediately translate into big improvements with the signs & symptoms. There seems to be a delay between labs and actually feeling better. But in your case, you also have nodules and your thyroid feels sore and swollen. I would guess these flare-ups are causing some of the trouble.

Something else that might bear investigating is sleep apnea. Supposedly there is a correlation between having Hashi's and having sleep problems.

hugs3


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## Christinals (Sep 9, 2010)

Bigfoot,

Thanks for responding. No, I am not on meds. The doctor indicated that he would not perscribe anything until my labs were out of range. It's all exahsting! If there isnt anything they can do, I will just focus on dealing with the symptoms better and follow up every 6 months 
Thx.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Wow, really? So I guess your doctor's plan is just to wait for your thyroid to burn itself out? I'm a little surprised that they don't have you on any levothyroxine, even just a small dose. Perhaps if they brought your TSH down to around 1.0 and your FT4 up a bit you would be feeling better. That is what has been suggested here on the forums and also my endo suggests keeping that pesky TSH low.

In the meantime you are left to deal with the day-to-day ups and downs of Hashi's. I feel for ya' -- it is not always pleasant! Until I was diagnosed with it recently I had no idea what was going on. Even getting the levothyroxine dialed in has been a journey. What does the doctor suggest you do when your thyroid kicks into overdrive and you have heart issues, or if it decides to slow down making thyroid hormone and you can't get out of bed?

Personally, if it was me, I would seek out a second opinion. Especially with the antibodies being present and nodules, too. But that's just my $0.02.

:anim_32:


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## Jya1124 (Oct 1, 2011)

http://www.thyroidbook.com/ get this book now!!!!! The reason you are feeling this is because when your antibodies are currently attacking you will have the hyperthyroid symptoms....fast heart rate, anxiety, tremors...when it is done attacking your body is officially exhausted and your thyroid is whacked so you go back down..,,sometimes
Way down. This is why a lot of times when you get your levels back for your thyroglobulin AB your antibodies will be low, but when they are high typically it means that you're under attack. Constantly an up and down battle, I have been doing it for years now but I was just diagnosed a month ago. This book is the best thing I have found. It's explained so much I find myself crying....please order it. Good luck and hang in there..


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## peaches (Sep 29, 2009)

How bout get a new doctor. He should be concerned with your symptoms. How can you know someone is suffering and tell them no meds. My numbers all looked normal too until I started going to the emergency room in the middle of my attacks. I finally caught my numbers out of range. After 5 doctors that told me there was nothing wrong with me I got a doctor that actually cared that I felt bad and worked really hard with me to help me feel and get better. Not 100% there yet. It is a long road with Hashimoto's but I am definitely in better shape than I was before. I take both Synthroid and generic Cytomel. Good Luck!


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## Christinals (Sep 9, 2010)

Thank you bigfoot & peaches,

I have had many trips to the ER this past year. They tell me it's anxiety, or vertigo, or high blood pressure. I definately think they presume I am crazy...lol Yes, bigfoot (love the name btw), the Dr.'s are just waiting for me to crash and burn. That is their plan of attack. Seems cruel? yups.

I have been on so many medications, but never for Thyroid. Heart med to slow my heart rate, acne, pain killers, zoloft, blood pressure, ativan, valium....no thyroid meds. And funny thing is, the only thing that shows up "abnormal" in my blood are thyroid antibodies. Go figure.

I am working on finding a new doctor. However, I am finding that most ENDO's are very busy with diabetic patients, and have limited space available (especially for thyroid).

I will get there. Baby steps 

Thanks,

Christi


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Anxiety? Check. Vertigo? Check. High blood pressure? Check. Sky-high Triglycerides? Check. Etc... I would suspect that your various ailments by and large point a huge red flag to your thyroid. If they aren't a direct result of it, they certainly are being exacerbated by it. The docs are happy to throw you medications for your signs & symptoms, all the while ignoring the "why".

It really is amazing -- even with the relative abundance of medical journals, research studies, decades of treatments, media articles, patient advocates, self-help books, doctors/nurses with Hashi's (et. al.), celebrities with thyroid issues, thorough lab & diagnostic tests, naturopath treatments, endocrinology associations, and support forums such as this one -- there still is this disparaging disconnect between patients and the medical profession.

I firmly believe that at some point thyroid issues are going to be the next big "thing" and folks will sit up and pay attention. In the meantime we have to advocate for ourselves and share tips & information. I've already been down this road once before with liver disease, having contracted it from a blood transfusion. Back then they didn't even have a name for my disease -- now they call it Hepatitis C. Twenty years ago they couldn't provide me with a viable treatment option; today there are several and I was lucky enough to be a successful candidate.

But I digress, I am rambling on here... keep your chin up and good luck with finding a new doc! They are out there, just have to keep looking, even if that means you ruffle a few feathers along the way.

hugs3


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## Christinals (Sep 9, 2010)

I completely agree!! Thyroid will be the next "big thing". It has become in my life...lol And I mean goiter big! lol

I put in a few calls and I have an appointment with a new doctor in two weeks...yeah!! arty0009: I will have better luck this time.

The people on this board have quite a collection of information! It is amazing what you and others have found through trial and error. It's putting the pieces of a very complicated puzzle together.

Thank you for your help. If nothing else, it's nice to be validated. I know I am not the only one who has been told that all of their problems are due to anxiety! While I am not dismissing I have an anxiety problem....I am just saying which came first?

Again, thank you!
:hugs:glow
Christi


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Good to hear you got an appt with a new doc! Yep, you're right, it's sort of like, "What came first, the chicken or the egg?"

I saw an article recently about how a big healthcare company (sorry, can't find the link) was rolling out a computer-based technology or software package that actually would scour the depths of the internet. The idea was that it would automatically scan web sites, forums, etc. to provide doctors with the latest information and suggestions that were potentially outside of their knowledge base.

One of the people in charge of the project mentioned how he had had difficulty with insomnia or some such thing, as a result of his medication. When he researched it online he found lots of people linking the two, but his doctor had no idea about any of it. Sure enough, he adjusted the medication and his problems stopped.

So there is hope for us yet! Especially if they can point that new computer/software over to our forums here! LOL :tongue0013:


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## Christinals (Sep 9, 2010)

It would definately be of help to the medical field. Imagine if patients and doctors could work TOGETHER to figure things out. lol Can't we all just get along?

That would be great if they can create a software/computer program like that?! It could really provide insight for everyone.

I will cross my fingers they point that computer our way! lol Love it!

Thanks,

Christi


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