to lesley

[Guest guest]

HI LESLEY, I'VE CUT BITS OF YOUR LETTER AND RESPONDED TO SECTIONS IN

UPPER CASE.

BEST TO YOU FROM P.

After blood tests it was discovered that I was showing signs of

Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I HAVE HEARD THAT IF YOU HAVE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS THERE IS A CHANCE

THAT YOU MAY HAVE OTHER AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES AS WELL. PLEASE ASK

YOUR DOC TO TEST YOU FOR THYROID ANTIBODIES, IF THEY HAVE NOT

ALREADY DONE SO. TEST FOR THYROID PEROXIDASE (TPO) ANTIBODIES.

HERE IS A LINK TO A GOOD WEBSITE WITH INFO ABOUT VARIOUS TESTS.

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroid_antibodi

es/glance.html

I had various blood tests and xrays

WHAT BLOOD TESTS DID YOU HAVE & WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?

the lab had called him with results of the blood tests for thyroid

problems. I found out last Friday that there was pactically no

thyroxine in my system.

WHAT WERE YOUR THYROID BLOOD TEST RESULTS?

My voice had gone funny, I was experiencing dizzy spells, was always

very cold and suffering brian fog.

COULD YOU PLEASE LIST ALL OF YOUR SYMPTOMS? THANKS.

My sons had noticed the change in me as I am normally a very upbeat

person with bags of energy. I spent all of Easter in bed completely

wiped out. I spent the week on 25mgs of levothyroxine but when I

went to the doctor the following Friday he immediately increased the

dosage to 50mgs. He tried to take my BP but couldn't get a reading

as it was so high.

I CAN'T COMMENT ON THE BP. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY IDEAS? BOB??

SHEILA???

He gave me a sick note for two weeks. When I went back last Friday I

saw another doctor who has signed me off for the next four weeks

with the instructions not to over exert myself.

I'M NOT A DOCTOR, SO I'M NOT ABLE TO GIVE YOU MEDICAL ADVICE AND I

MIGHT BE RIGHT OFF THE MARK, BUT HAVE YOU CONSIDERED GOING TO THE

HOSPITAL TO GET THEM TO CHECK YOU OVER? IT MIGHT BE WORTHWHILE IF

YOU ARE FEELING SO, SO BAD AND THE DOCTOR'S ARE GIVING YOU MONTHS

OFF WORK. PERHAPS YOU NEED MORE ASSISTANCE THAN THE GP'S CAN GIVE

YOU. I JUST RECALL A WOMAN THAT I KNOW GETTING INTO A RATHER BAD

WAY AND NEEDING A STAY IN HOSPITAL WHILE THEY SORTED OUT HER THYROID

SITUATION. SHE USED TO BE REALLY ACTIVE AND JUST THOUGHT SHE WAS

OVER-TIRED BECAUSE SHE WAS LOOKING AFTER KIDS AND WORKING,ETC. SHE

HAD QUITE A SERIOUS CONDITION AND IT WAS LUCKY THAT SHE WENT TO THE

HOSPITAL. GOING TO THE HOSPITAL MAY OR MAY NOT BE WARRANTED IN YOUR

CASE, BUT THOUGHT I SHOULD MENTION IT SEEMING THAT YOU ARE FEELING

SO TERRIBLE AND THE DOCTOR'S ARE KEEPING YOU HOME. IT WOULDN'T HURT

TO GET THE HOSPITAL TO CHECK YOU OUT BUT IT IS UP TO YOU.

I have to go for a blood test on Friday and I see from your site

that I should refrain from taking any pills from tomorrow until I

have the blood sample taken. Have I read that correctly?

I USUALLY TAKE MY MORNING DOSE OF THYROXINE 24 HOURS PRIOR TO HAVING

MY BLOOD TESTS TAKEN. ON THE MORNING OF THE BLOOD TEST I DO NOT

TAKE MY THYROXINE UNTIL AFTER I'VE HAD MY BLOOD TEST. I DON'T MISS

OUT ON A DOSE, HOWEVER BY TAKING THE THYROXINE AFTER THE BLOOD

TEST, THE TABLET/S WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE TEST RESULT. I WAS

TOLD BY THE LABS THAT THE BEST TIME TO HAVE THYROID TESTS DONE IS AS

EARLY AS POSSIBLE IN THE MORNING. I'VE BEEN HAVING TESTS FOR WELL

OVER A YEAR AND THIS IS THE WAY THAT I DO IT EACH TIME.

> I am finding the lack of energy frustrating but not as much as the

brain fog that I am not coping with. I have a mensa tested IQ of 148

and at the moment I am struggling to 'find' the words that I

require. My sense of humour is still intact thank goodness but I am

struggling with coping with my emotions. I am close to tears most of

the time, not like me at all, and I do feel very alone.

PLEASE DON'T FEEL ALONE. I HAVE FELT EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AND FROM

WHAT I HAVE READ ON THIS FORUM, SO HAVE MANY OTHERS. I SUFFER FROM

EXTREME FATIGUE/EXHAUSTION AND BRAIN FOG AND IT IS VERY

FRUSTRATING. I ALSO SOMETIMES HAVE TROUBLE FINDING THE WORDS. I

USED TO HAVE A RESPONSIBLE POSITION AND WORKED WITH SCIENTISTS. I

CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE DUE TO BRAIN FOG. THANK GOODNESS FOR A GOOD

SENSE OF HUMOUR, EH?

> To make things worse my employer came to my home yesterday trying

to bully me into going into work for a couple of days. He has so far

refused to pay any SSP and I am at my wits end. I have approached

the local council, North Cornwall District Council, for some help

with rent and council tax, but I haven't heard anything from them as

yet. I am not sure who I need to speak to for financial help. If I

get upset I can feel the lump in my throat swelling and my neck

stiffening again.

IT IS OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE TOO UNWELL TO GO TO WORK, ESPECIALLY IF

YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A DOCTOR'S SICKNESS CERTIFICATE. HOPEFULLY

OTHERS IN THE FORUM WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INFO ABOUT THE FINANCIAL

SIDE OF THINGS.

[Guest guest]

Hi P,

Many thanks for your response. From what I can

remember the tests showed that I had impaired kidney

and liver functions.

The symptons I am suffering from are, extreme

tiredness, aching muscles and joints, very dry skin, I

have become very overweight, have shot up from a size

8/10 to a 14/16. Some days my tummy swells so much

that I look pregnant and is very painful. Brain (not

brian as I put earlier) fog, stiff neck, the feeling

that there is a huge lump in my throat, dizziness,

hearing and sight impairment, inability to

concentrate, difficulty in walking, breast tenderness,

I get so cold that my skin turns blue and the only way

I can get warm is to go to bed with a couple of hot

water bottles, when I get tired or stressed my voice

starts to change as though my tongue has become wooden

or is curling...I could go on but I can't think at the

moment, sorry. Some of the symptons I would assume are

to do with the arthritis but I am just so glad that

I'm not a horse...I would have been put down! Please

excuse my levity but it is my sense of humour, I have

to laugh or would lie down and give up. I will ask my

doctor for the blood test results. I am reluctant to

go to hospital as I have no-one to look after my

children as well as having a dislike of them. I prefer

to get better at home and as long as I can cope then I

will continue to do so.

Thank you for your suggestions and support. It is nice

to be able to 'talk' to people who understand. No-one

I know has come across this condition before and as I

look fit and healthy I am not getting much sympathy

lol.

Kind regards

Lesley

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