Hi all..Hope your all doing ok?
I wanted to share with you all what happened at my recent doctors appointment. I went to discuss my thyroid (hypo) bloods and to discuss two other problems I saw the Doc about some months ago.
I mentioned (again) that for maybe a year now I get tachycardia, palpitations etc (had ECG prev with another Doc and all ok). My heart regularly beats 100+ bpm, this happens a lot when I lie down, its horrible it feels like its beating out of the back of my head and I can wake from sleep with it, I can also have it when I am sat up, it makes me feel unwell and a bit breathless. The second problem is that I urinate frequently at night maybe 3-5 times and if I should rarely sleep about 4-5hrs straight I sometimes get lower abdo pain (this is a new symptom)?. The thing is, I can hold my water fine I have good pelvic floor muscles and I don't drink during the night (maybe tiny sips sometimes) but am always swishing with biotene mouthwash, coz if I did drink more I would be weeing literally all night ;D. My sleep is poor but I think? I am waking up to wee but I am not sure?. The Doctor said "ah I can wrap both these things up for you, but your not gonna like it, its anxiety"??? I do have a difficult life with my son who is ill but I have stood the course and am strong despite the fact I do get stressed.
He said I have an overactive bladder and because my sleep is poor its making me anxious and that is the cause, also anxiety is causing the tachycardia. I thought here we go again >:( I said to him remember when you told me I was too young (Iam 42 was 41 at the time) to be hypothyroid and I ended up being so and then you said nothing was wrong with me despite symptoms (except for ANA all bloods were negative) and I was in fact diagnosed with SjS via lip biopsy thanks to my dentist...I said I want to be taken seriously. Well he did not like that at all. He said "stop...I take you very seriously but anxiety is my diagnoses" I said what if I don't agree and he said "go and see Dr so & so", so with that I got up from the chair and said fine thats what I'll do and out I walked.
Well I went into the receptionist office to book another thyroid blood test and I could hardly speak because I was so choked. Since I was diagnosed with SjS I have had so many symptoms, that now I don't bother the Doc, only if these persist will I check it out. I feel like a hypochondriac! My question is (you must all be thinking she is finally getting to the point :) has anyone experienced any of these symptoms?? I think I remember I posted before about the weeing and Bernice had something similar but I am just putting it out there again, if you don't mind?
Thanks for listening I appreciate it.
Paula :) :-[
Hi Paula :)
I'm truly sorry you are getting such a raw deal from your doctor. Hypothyroidism has got nothing to do with age. Kids can be hypothyroid. If ypu are medicated for your thyroid a heart rate of 100 could indicate too much medication. I'm not a medic howevr and I'm hypothyroid and also tend to have a fast - rather than a slow - heartrate so I know that one can be atypical.
I have been dxd with irritable bladder syndrome as well as irritable bowel syndrome. Basically - that is docs admitting things are not normal but they have eliminated obvious things ( alot of them bad) from the dx. I reckon it kind of leaves it in the realm of autoimmune - although, as I've said, I'm no medic.
They don't seem to tell men as often that they are anxiety prone. (Guys - I know they do sometimes - but not as often)
I reckon you should seek a second opinion if possible.
Take care - Scottie :)
Thanks for your reply Scottie :) I think I've had the tachycardia since around the time I was dx with the thyroid or before?, so I don't think its to do with too much medication, although I know that can happen. Yes I have a dx of both irritable bowel/bladder, I just think its excessive at night!
They have done basic bloods for kidneys and diabetes but all were normal...what tests did you have Scottie (if you don't mind sharing) to rule out anything more??
Thanks so much
Paula
Seren,
I'm sorry to hear that your doctor treated you this way and doesn't seem to take you very seriously....I agree that a second opinion would be in order....get your medical records if you don't already have them all and move on to someone else....you will find a good doc that you feel comfortable with if you look...because they are out there!
I am also hypothyroid and have never heard that a person was too young to have thyroid problems before either. As far as going to the bathroom often during the night...I have that same issue too....but I do drink a lot between the dryness and the diabetes....its still not good but I think I at least have a reason for the excessive bathroom use during the night and your right...no matter what the reason it does interfere with sleep...ABSOLUTELY!
Hang in there and I hope you find another doctor soon who will take your concerns seriously! Good luck!
Hi Paula :)
Thyroid tests were obviously blood tests but I also had an ultrasound scan.
Bowel dx was after a colonoscopy which showed nothing untoward so the dx was IBS.
Bladder IBS was dxd after a cystoscopy and a test, the name of which I can't remember, but they filled my bladder up - tested for 'stress incontinence' and flow rate and whether it emptied completely. They offered me a minor operation for stress incontinence but I refused. It's manageable. I also had to fill in a chart for a week about intake and output. The number of times I 'went' confirmed 'irritable' I was advised not to drink tea, coffee or fruit juice and not to eat tomatoes, oranges, lemons or grapefruit. I decided I can live with going a lot - but I can't live without tea.
Over the last 6 years I've needed my thyroid meds adjusted several times - mostly upwards - but downwards once - and then up again. It does seem to change. It's actually been more trouble to me than SjS. SjS is interminable and uncomfortable but doesn't make me feel ill like my thyroid does when it goes wrong.
Take care - Scottie :)
>:( Another idiot doctor who thinks he's God!
Hi Paula sorry to hear that you have had this bad incident with your Doctor..
Too many of us here have had similar incidents..
Just to ask if you could have a prolapse...
I wee all day & night, but know that I have another prolapse , I also get a dull dragging ache across the pelvic region at times. I haven't been back to the Docs yet !
In a way tho' you could still be suffering stress, as sometimes we are stressed without realizing !
Also some of your symptoms are the same as stress related..
I'm no expert tho' and I know full well that some Docs put everything down to stress if they don't immediately come to any conclusion!
I'd certainly try to get a second opinion , just to give you some peace of mind anyway...
good Luck, Dolly
Wow Paula, now that's a shame! Is there anyway that you can seek a second opinion maybe?
Patze
Quote from: seren on November 21, 2009, 08:12:31 PM
Thanks for your reply Scottie :) I think I've had the tachycardia since around the time I was dx with the thyroid or before?, so I don't think its to do with too much medication, although I know that can happen. Yes I have a dx of both irritable bowel/bladder, I just think its excessive at night!
Untreated thyroid problems can cause irregular or fast heart beats (levels of hormone/TSH can fluctuate up and down as your thyroid is attacked in stages), and so can overdosing, even very slightly, on thyroid replacement. I had exactly the same issues when I started thyroxine treatment, as well as the same bladder problems, plus even worse diarrhoea; I changed GP as a result, and the new one thought it was due to taking too much T4 as the fT4 test came back just a little over the range, which she thought was causing my kidneys to over metabolise. I was very impressed with this, as I'd wasted months having lots of negative urine tests, bladder ultrasounds etc with my previous GP. I cut back from 125 mcg to 112 mcg and it did seem to sort out the problem almost immediately. Make sure your doctor does a Free T4 test in addition to TSH; you can be over the range on fT4 but still be within the normal range for TSH.
Hi, Paula - so soorry your doctor isn't taking your health issues seriously. I have a Rheumy who is the same, although it's a 'she' in this case. Anyway, I can tell you from my own experience with hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) that your thyroid may be alternating from hypo to hyper due to the autoimmune process. Have you been tested for thyroid antibodies? I've been hypothyroid since 1991 (age 38), and my Endocrinologist said it was due to autoimmune disease. About 5 years ago I went to the hospital twice because my resting heart rate was 115-120 bpm, I was peeing every 30 to 60 minutes, couldn't sleep, etc. Literally felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Evidently I had Hashitoxicosis which means your body is producing antibodies to attack your thyroid, and the dying cells release thyroid hormone into your bloodstream. Here's a link to explain it: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47593.asp (http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47593.asp). None of the doctors I saw figured it out. I finally did my own research and came up with the answer. Do you have trouble sleeping, heavy sweating, hair falling out, or hand tremors? These are some other signs of being hyperthyroid. If you do go to another doctor, be sure to tell him every symptom you're experiencing. If you haven't had thyroid antibodies tested, maybe he will do that. Good luck. Don't pay any attention to your current doctor's 'anxiety' diagnosis. INHO he's just too lazy to determine what is really going on. >:(
It's interesting as going "hyper" seems to have different symptoms for everyone (I'm on 125 mcg at the moment). My chest will get tight, I sleep even less than I do now, and get heart palpitations (the resting rate goes up to 90 or so from my normal of 74).
Patze
Hi All,
Sorry its taken so long for me to reply have had a toe op that has now become infected also had yet another dental treatment today...always something isn't it?!!! ::)
Thankyou all for your replies/suggestions: I am only hypo and don't have hashimotos (altho just had both sets of antibodies checked again..I think thyroid levels are finally back in range)
I meant to say before Scottie I had those tests, filling/draining the bladder etc about 17 years ago and they diagnosed irritable bladder, but I never had this at night until about 12 mths ago. Its not a prolapse and my T4 has been back in the range for months now its just the TSH thats been high but now I think that is almost back in the range to?. I am not going to get a second opinion with another Doc in the practice until it starts to wear me again, as it affects my sleep (I have terrible trouble getting to and staying asleep), unless I am waking anyway? I wondered if I might have sleep apnea, I cant be bothered anymore. I would like to go to another GP, I might? (altho I feel like a hypochondriac) There is not one Doc in my practice that I feel who totally takes me seriously. I think because I pick on 'things' very quickly and tend to try and get them sorted, sometimes the bloods don't always match in some cases and then I am kind of dismissed....now though I don't bother going unless its absolutely necessary!
I do also get diarrhea but that could be down to the IBS, although somedays its awful and problematic when I go out particularly if I am driving coz I always worry I might not get to a toilet in time, its very stressful GRR!
Anyway, if I ever get to the bottom of any of it, I will let you all know
Thanks again..take care Paula :-*