# Thyroiditis Attacks



## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

Forgive me if there is already a thread for this, but I didn't see one!

Has anyone done any research on this or have any experience with it? The past three nights I have woken up around 4am with what seems like an anxiety or panic attack--I'm burning up and then freezing cold, heart is racing, chest is tight, I can't lie still (feel like I have to keep turning over and over), etc.

I was reading that this can sometimes happen at night and some doctors recommend taking a combination of magnesium and calcium along with an ibuprofen to help prevent it.

I've never had symptoms like this before and it's a little nerve wracking, esp. because it happens in the dead of night! 

I have an appointment to see my cardiologist tomorrow morning just to rule anything out and I've left a message for my endo, too.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jenny v said:


> Forgive me if there is already a thread for this, but I didn't see one!
> 
> Has anyone done any research on this or have any experience with it? The past three nights I have woken up around 4am with what seems like an anxiety or panic attack--I'm burning up and then freezing cold, heart is racing, chest is tight, I can't lie still (feel like I have to keep turning over and over), etc.
> 
> ...


After I read your intro; I get the impression that you are hyperthyroid. This also reinforces my thinking.

I put these in the other post also plus RAIU.

TSI
Normally, there is no TSI in the blood. If TSI is found in the blood, this indicates that the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin is the cause of the of a person's hyperthyroidism. 
http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Thyroid-Stimulating-Immunoglobulin/TSI.html

TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

Hi Andros, thanks for the reply!

My most recent labs came back with a TSH of 3.08 and TPO antibody of 93 (and now that I'm looking at the copy of the labs, my doc didn't seem to do any other antibody tests nor free T3 or T4, for some reason--just T4 Total, T-Uptake and T7). He also did a sonogram of my thyroid and the whole thing is swollen and inflamed. Do you think I should ask for the tests he seems to have left out? This is my first time using this endo--my first two couldn't figure anything out over the course of 10 years and this new one seems to think I have Hashimoto's.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jenny v said:


> Hi Andros, thanks for the reply!
> 
> My most recent labs came back with a TSH of 3.08 and TPO antibody of 93 (and now that I'm looking at the copy of the labs, my doc didn't seem to do any other antibody tests nor free T3 or T4, for some reason--just T4 Total, T-Uptake and T7). He also did a sonogram of my thyroid and the whole thing is swollen and inflamed. Do you think I should ask for the tests he seems to have left out? This is my first time using this endo--my first two couldn't figure anything out over the course of 10 years and this new one seems to think I have Hashimoto's.


Yes; I think you should as you could have a TSH that reflects hypo but that could be because of the antibodies and immunoglobulins which are opposing things such as the TSI listed.

It is very complicated. In order to sort this out, I highly recommend the other tests.

There are stimulating, binding and blocking antibodies and immunoglobulins.


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

It's sounds to me like the famous "Hypo/Hyper" dance. I was like this when I was first diagnosed. All the test results were hypo, but I was having hyper symptoms too. Very common in the beginning stages of the attack. Your antibodies gear up and attack your thyroid - Your thyroid in turn spews out excess hormones to combat the attack causing hyper symptoms. You need to calm your immune system down. Try Selenium and a gluten free diet. That should help.


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

I actually just went and picked up selenium from Walgreens and I had already begun phasing out gluten in my diet (it's hard!), so hopefully that will help. I also picked up a calcium/magnesium combo as I read that could help the weird nighttime issues I've had for the last 3 nights.

It's amazing how fast all of this happened--I was diagnosed with Hashi's last Tuesday and felt relatively okay, just tired, bloated and irritable, but within 3-4 days I started feeling like absolute [email protected] I can't decide if my symptoms really did come on that fast or if I'm just highly suggestible after reading up on Hashi's online! ;-)


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

jenny v said:


> Thanks for all of the suggestions!
> 
> I actually just went and picked up selenium from Walgreens and I had already begun phasing out gluten in my diet (it's hard!), so hopefully that will help. I also picked up a calcium/magnesium combo as I read that could help the weird nighttime issues I've had for the last 3 nights.
> 
> It's amazing how fast all of this happened--I was diagnosed with Hashi's last Tuesday and felt relatively okay, just tired, bloated and irritable, but within 3-4 days I started feeling like absolute [email protected] I can't decide if my symptoms really did come on that fast or if I'm just highly suggestible after reading up on Hashi's online! ;-)


Just some advise on the gluten thing. Everything I have read, been told and felt indicates that if you have Hashi's, get OFF the gluten. And I mean completely off. You can't "phase" it out or only eat it on Sundays, it's a life style change and you have to completely cut it out of your diet. I am telling you it makes a HUGE difference if you are gluten intolerant. See if you can have a food sensitivity test done so you will know what your body is allergic to. I am 100% gluten, caffeine and soda pop free and my antibodies dropped like a rock in the first two weeks. I feel so much better.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

sjmjuly said:


> I am 100% gluten, caffeine and soda pop free and my antibodies dropped like a rock in the first two weeks. I feel so much better.


That's amazing - good for you, and thanks for sharing your experience!


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

> It's sounds to me like the famous "Hypo/Hyper" dance. I was like this when I was first diagnosed. All the test results were hypo, but I was having hyper symptoms too. Very common in the beginning stages of the attack. Your antibodies gear up and attack your thyroid - Your thyroid in turn spews out excess hormones to combat the attack causing hyper symptoms. You need to calm your immune system down. Try Selenium and a gluten free diet. That should help.


I got in to see my endo's PA this morning and she thinks this is exactly what's going on. I have all hypo labs and yet hyper symptoms (the fun hand tremors developed last night on top of the heat intolerance, jitters, anxiety, etc.). She thinks that my thyroid is so inflamed from the attack that it's not only spewing out extra hormones, we actually made it even worse by upping my dose of Synthroid on top of it. They cut back my dose and I go back in 6 weeks instead of 3 months. I also got a beta blocker from my cardiologist this morning to help, too. She said it was up to me, but at my next appointment, I should consider discussing surgery or RAI with my endo because it's been almost 5 years of constant ups and downs and I just can't seem to get a handle on it. I think I will definitely see what my options are--I could handle one or the other, but the constant hyper/hypo roller coaster has done me in. I'm tired of being at the mercy of my thyroid!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

sjmjuly said:


> Just some advise on the gluten thing. Everything I have read, been told and felt indicates that if you have Hashi's, get OFF the gluten. And I mean completely off. You can't "phase" it out or only eat it on Sundays, it's a life style change and you have to completely cut it out of your diet. I am telling you it makes a HUGE difference if you are gluten intolerant. See if you can have a food sensitivity test done so you will know what your body is allergic to. I am 100% gluten, caffeine and soda pop free and my antibodies dropped like a rock in the first two weeks. I feel so much better.


That is absolutely correct; thank you for that!!!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jenny v said:


> Thanks for all of the suggestions!
> 
> I actually just went and picked up selenium from Walgreens and I had already begun phasing out gluten in my diet (it's hard!), so hopefully that will help. I also picked up a calcium/magnesium combo as I read that could help the weird nighttime issues I've had for the last 3 nights.
> 
> It's amazing how fast all of this happened--I was diagnosed with Hashi's last Tuesday and felt relatively okay, just tired, bloated and irritable, but within 3-4 days I started feeling like absolute [email protected] I can't decide if my symptoms really did come on that fast or if I'm just highly suggestible after reading up on Hashi's online! ;-)


Maybe you now realize that you actually had a lot of the symptoms but your awareness was not heightened.

We do tend to find excuses like we are tired, growing older, job demands etc..


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