Not sure what to do next

[emmie]

sqad if you are about,
not to put too fine a point on it i haven't been well since before christmas, and now am faced with the following, severe weight loss, even though my eating has been steady, freezing cold, cannot get warm no matter what, hands and feet so icy there seems no blood running through. Mood so very low, eyes have large dark circles, and bloodshot, and now my skin has become parched, dry as a bone, sound bizarre i agree. Doctors have been tooing an frooing with endless theories, whilst i have been getting worse by the day. I was told had a viral illness back in early December, but quite honestly no idea. I have had chest x ray, and the most recent bloods done by a gastro consultant for pancreas and thyroid, in the hospital and the latest one recently has shown up a thyroid problem, but i am in limbo land whilst they debate, haven't felt so ill in my life. I know they are doing their best but not sure how long i can stand this. Have a pancreas test mid feb as well.

[emmie]

sibton lovely person you are, i hope so too. If only i could get warm...

[pdust]

ive no idea whats wrong with you em but you may find it beneficial to swap some of your coffees for plain water. I think coffee is a mild diuretic which wont be doing you good if your skin etc is really dry.

[emmie]

pdust, have cut down on the coffee, doctors advice, have taken to drinking cooled down boiled water as opposed to straight out the tap. I hate water at any rate, strange as that may seem, so try and have diluted apple/blackcurrant squash. Had one of these hearty packet soups but it gave me hell, so no more till know what is what.

[emmie]

sqad
this was someone's question on another well known website, and i found this very interesting for want of a better word?

Original question from a woman

I get dizzy spells, blocked ears and blurred vision?
For about a year now I have had blocked ears. It feels like I have water in them all the time. I have been to the doctors but they can not find anything. For the past couple of weeks I have had dizzy spells and am now suffering with blurred vision. People have mentioned my blood pressure and thyroid but just wondering if anyone else has had similar problems

(response)

These can happen w/ thyroid disease.

Have you had your thyroid tested? You need testing for thyroid ANTIBODIES as well as TSH. TSH ‘norm’ should be .3 – 3 (w/ most feeling best at < 2) but, for diagnosis, would not matter if ANTIBODIES are present. Indicative of Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroiditis (cycles between hyper & hypo at start)…main cause of HypOthyroid & is worse (...OR Graves Disease - HypERthyroid).

WARNING: Doctors seem not to want to find/treat thyroid disease. You may have to go to more than one doctor before you get the right tests, interpretation, and treatment. Best wishes.

Ck these:
14:56 Sun 05th Feb 2012

[DTCwordfan]

Ask them to specifically test your iodine levels.....the results have to be screened quickly I believe as the iodine deteriorates....sqad will say if this is bull!

[daisya]

When I read your symptoms Em I immediately thought of thyroid and then read further on that they had tested and suggested it could be that. I feel more than convinced that it is hyperthyroidism which could also include a swing to hypothyroidism as my sister has. It is very difficult to try to diagnose when it goes like that and especially where they don't do all the important tests required because the NHS deem them not necessary apparently. The range of normal varies of course and while it shows up in the normal range, it could be for some and not for others...it's a difficult thing to ascertain. The thyroid governs everything and the symptoms it creates is far reaching and if you think of it like the heart of an engine where it is just out of sync then it throws everything out of kilter.

I do hope they diagnose you soon and that you're soon on medication, but there's also the fact that it can take a lot of adjusting to get the medication right but hopefully if that's what it is, you might be one of the lucky ones who when starting on the medication will the right dose for you.

You have my sympathy and as you mentioned that your mother also has thyroid problems it seems to point to it for you from what you say because thyroid illness is hereditary too. Sending lot of hugs your way Em and I hope you will soon be so much better.

[emmie]

daisy thank you so much, if sqad looks in perhaps he can throw his two penceworth in. I have all those listed, blocked ears, it's the reason went to GP months ago, because of the constant thrumming and pain and they have not cleared, as though full of water, and no amount of moving jaw, like yawning makes them clear, dizzyness for a long time, some days i am out and feel as though will faint, when happens i have to go home which is awkward. I have also told GP about pains in groin, and possible infection as was producing some discharge.
I also looked up diabetes which has a lot of similarities. I know it's shooting in the dark, but the illness i had when first saw GP early december is the third lot in 18 months. so if i seem tetchy apologies to all.

[Sqad]

We are ALL getting terribly hysterical here and all it is doing is making things worse for you.

\\\\Doctors seem not to want to find/treat thyroid disease.\\\

What a bloody stupid statement.......why would this be?

DT....that is "bull"

daisya....for God's sake.....the tests are not consistent with a diagnosis of thyroid disease, except for the last one which is to be repeated. Doctor's just can't go ahead on treating a "supposed " disease without complimentary evidence.

This thread and this case has been strangled with emotion and is not helping anyone.

i have a certain amount of sympathy with the post of bednobs.

[emmie]

sqad sorry these weren't my comments, it was from someone who responded to the woman i quoted below, who said he had hashimoto's disease. Perhaps it had taken him a time to get it sorted?

\\\\Doctors seem not to want to find/treat thyroid disease.\\\

What a bloody stupid statement.......why would this be?


If you have sympathy with bednobs fine.

[Ann]

Keep pressing on with the thought it could be thyroid problems, sounds exactly the same as a friend of mine had, the weight loss, and the extreme feeling of hot and cold and especially the dry itchy skin. It took a long while for her to be diagnosed but now she is on the correct medication she is back to her old self. Chin up, Em, sure it will get better soon. Ann x

[emmie]

Ann, seeing as how i lost my lovely o/h to cancer, my mother having had cancer with a major op, and lost any number of good friends in recent times due to illness, it's sometimes difficult to feel much, soon as i know i will post. lastly some don't get that you also get down and depressed feeling ill, some on here know that only too well and my sympathies are entirely with you.

[daisya]

sqad I never assumed the diagnosis for Em had been made because I read what she said. What perhaps I should have said was I HOPE they make a diagnosis soon and can treat the problem (be it thyroid or whatever). From experience and knowing what the sort of symptoms thyroid can give out and as Em was asking what to do, my reply was to try and throw some light on it from personal experience.

I certainly wouldn't dream of nor expect ANY doctor to treat something that hasn't been diagnosed!!!! One would hope I've got more intelligence than that and from personal experience again, they have to convince me over and over again that their diagnosis is 100% before I will do anything about treatment for myself!

[bednobs]

if you mean me i DO get that being ill makes you down and depressed, which is why i keep urging you to try the treatment your GP wants you to try!

[emmie]

daisy, me too.

[anneasquith]

em. yes some people do get depressed when suffering illness, and in many cases that is why anti-depressants are prescribed.

[China Doll]

And when you are depressed then your sense of perspective is skew wiff... also a good reason to try what the GP says alongside the tests they are doing.

[emmie]

anne i know. But i was given lots of meds some years ago when i had a serious breakdown, and they had an adverse effect, which lasted a number of years. So if i seem reluctant it's for that reason. Once on hard to come off.

[daisya]

My personal opinion on anti depressants is that they are far too easily handed out, people can become addicted which causes further problems and does not treat the original illness. All tablets have side effects and if one is feeling terrible before diagnosis and is persuaded to take anti depressants, then you won't be feeling much better if you have side effects from those on top! IMO get the diagnosis of original symptoms first, let them treat that and then let them talk about depression. Sorry if people don't agree but that's my opinion for what it's worth.

[daisya]

I wrote that and posted before Em had posted hers...seems I am on the right track re antidepressants for some people then!

[emmie]

daisy, which is exactly what i have been doing. You get it, some don't, that is life.