Thyroid related problems

[skyep]

Can I ask any answerbank members with a thyroid problem, what related problems they have connected to this illness. I have always felt I have had poor health regards teeth, whether there is any connection I'm unsure? The obvious one is tiredness. I read somewhere there can be related osteoporosis? I certainly have had arthritic pain & take 'diclofenac' All manageable, but invariably I wake early & have to get my body moving. Anyone have weird growing fingernails?

[thundercrack]

hi, my wife has suffered for many years with overactive thyroid. Her teeth are not in the best of health, but one cannot say it was the problem or the medication that caused it. she does suffer with tiredness, is run down when her tablets need increasing(carbimazole) and suffers with bone/muscle pains and headaches. a blood test is taken every six weeks as the levels are unstable at the moment, but in the past this has levelled off and she goes to minimum dose for a year or more, and sometimes stops the tablets altogether for a few months.
I think the tablets are to blame for a lot of the symptoms, but not to take the tablets would be a disaster.
alf.

[skyep]

Hi thundercrack, I was overactive, had a thyroidectomy & then became underactive & have been on thyroxine for over 30 years. I think you are right when you say, we don't really know what the medication is doing to us, but again as you say, what is the alternative? Has your wife suffered any eye problems? Nail problems? Was she ever offered a thyroidectomy?

[shaneystar2]

I have underactive .I was diagnosed about eighteen months ago .Prior to this I had been tired,gained weight which I could not shift any which way.Had dry skin, thinning hair and my fingernails flaked , split and crumbled basically . Luckily mine was not too bad and I am on 125 m Levothyroxine daily .
No problems with teeth but I have had osteoarthritis ..whole body ..for a number of years now and a form of rheumatoid arthritis which attacks now and again.I have had a whole gamut of medication for that but now take the natural route and feel much better for it although it is not a cure ..there is no cure ..unfortunately.! Wether or not the thyroid problem is related to this I don't know .
My Mum had an underactive thyroid and developed a goitre which was removed as it was pressing into her windpipe .She was fine afterwards but also on thyroid medication for the rest of her life .
However since being on the Levothyroxine ..my nails ,hair and skin are back to normal and I have lost a lot of weight !
All I can say is thank goodness because my hair and nails are important .Might sound shallow ..but they are to me !!
By the way I am a 59 year old female if that helps to put it into perspective .

[skyep]

Hi shaneystar, thanks for responding, I think it's all very interesting! You seem to have got your thyroid problem quite late on, although my elder brother has just recently been diagnosed overactive, he's 54. I am female too, 48 years old, I started with mine around the age of 16/17. My mum suffered with overactive thyroid & her mum had a goitre. I have two teenagers, both tested when born ( heel prick ) - negative thank goodness! Have you ever tried glucosamine for your joints? I am hearing very good things about it but haven't yet tried it.

[shaneystar2]

I take Glucosamine and cod liver oil every day .I think you have take them long term to feel any real benefit.But I am to far gone now I think ! Painful as it is sometimes ,I try to work through the pain .Since I was diagnosed with this in my late forties I have had the lot ...Athrotec,Vioxx. Meloxicam ..you name it ..I've tried it !
Why they ever stopped Co- proxymol for arthritis sufferers is a bone of contention for me .I wasn't totally reliant on them but they did help ease the pain.
I watch what I eat and walk each day for a good hour .Plus I go swimming as often as I can .I would rather have the pain than be drugged up on some of the stuff they have given me ..some of which had awful side effects and made me feel like a zombie. I am a great believer in wheat bags and hot water bottles !
I am supposed to have a hip replacement but it's not far gone enough. I have had both knees "washed out" though.
I sometimes think it's mind over matter ....and to be honest there are people worse off and the more you give in to it the worse it seems . I won't let it get the better of me if I can help it although there are days when I have to give in. . My Mum in law in Germany who is 88 has osteoarthritis too and her motto is ..Wer rastet, der rostet...... Who rests ....Rusts !

[skyep]

shaneystar - You have just made me laugh!! Don't want to get rusty!! Yes, I also use wheatbags, they are a good pain relief! Regardless, I am a positive person & hope i come across as a chirpy person in work & at home. I agree with the mind over matter!

[shaneystar2]

Arthritis is a horrible thing really and my GP once said that she would have people queueing round the block if they could find a cure !
I went to see an old neighbour of my brothers last week .She is about 70 I think and really crippled up with it .She had just had a knee replacement and her poor hands are really misshapen with it and yet she still manages to do lovely painting and long stitch needlework .And she remains cheerful.All the best to you and lets hope the warmer weather soon arrives so we can get some sun on our bones .That is real boost !

PS .Those tanning places where you go in a thing like a shower stall and get about five minutes of sun are good.I don't go regularly but I suppose I've been about once a month during the winter ...not for the tan ..you would have to go everyday for that ...but for the warmth ..it's lovely and really helps the old aches and pains.Take care
Shaney x

[dilly0000]

Hi. I have had an underactive thyroid since the birth of my 2nd child 8 years ago and until last year suffered all sorts of health complaints. Most of my problems turned out to be the dosage of thyroxine! Most people can feel completely normal once they found the correct standard dosage(it increases or decreases by 25mcg only),but i found that although the basic blood results were coming back within the 'normal' range-I was taking 125mcg per day- i still felt lethargic, achy, and brain fogged most of the time. I eventually fought for a referral and had all my thyroid levels checked thoroughly...T4,T3 free T3 etc. The results that came back were astonishing. The basic thyroid test your GP normally requests showed that my T4 level was perfectly within range but when the consultant checked every other level it indicated that something was drastically wrong. The consultant adjusted my dosage of thyroxine so that i would take 125mcg one day and the next 100mcg and to keep alternating to enable me to get a dosage of 112mcg per day. For a long time this greatly improved my well being. I now take 100mcg daily and am living a normal life again. When i was on a dosage that appeared correct(but was in fact too high) i suffered from gum disease and unfortunately lost a tooth as a result. I have no fillings at all and excellent teeth, so i would say that the two thing are prob connected also.

[dilly0000]

Forgot to add that my fingernails used to twist over, especially on my index fingers and i spent a long time taking diclofenac for a bad neck and shoulder-physio didn't help it at all and was scanned for arthrits to see if that was the problem but the result was negative. Turns out it something called T4 syndrome-to do with the 4th vertibrate in the neck, not to be confused with the blood results of T4 although funny enough the over dosage of thyroxine was aggravating my joints and neck!!

[skyep]

Hi dilly - Sorry I have taken so long to reply! I think getting the right level of Thyroxine is crucial & so needs keeping a keen eye on, no one knows our body better than ourselves! I suffered depression & mood swings when my dose wasn't correct. That is interesting about your teeth, I always felt I had a weakness there, perhaps through the illness itself or the medicine? Thanks for your views!