Thyroid Storm
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ginnylee74
Posts: 398 Member
I have been dealing with Hypothyroid for a short time and trying to get medications correct with lab tests etc. Don't know too much, only what I read in STTM and info on here. If it's in STTM I may have missed it but I noticed a few of you here have mentioned a Thyroid Storm. Not to sound too dumb,:blushing: but just what is a Thyroid Storm?
Ginny:flowerforyou:
Ginny:flowerforyou:
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Replies
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Hi Ginny,
I googled it & its untreated hyperthyroidism. Too much thyroid hormone. Can also be caused by overdosing our hypothyroid meds. Good to know.0 -
Thanks Debby
I usually Google everything with questions. Can't believe I didn't with this. Talk about Brain Fog. :blushing:
Ginny0 -
I'm glad you asked. I saw that term today too. Probably others are wondering as well.0
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Hi ginny and Debby,
I had an experience of a thyroid storm and I'm HYPO not HYPER. As you said Debby it's untreated thyroid problems, but it can happen on both sides. Your thyroid spikes all of a sudden and you feel like you're having a heart attack. Pain down the left arm, heart goes all weird in arrythmiatic ways, flushing heat, fainting sensation.......awful! It's what drove me to the naturopath. No other doctor would recognise I had a thyroid disorder!
Thank God I found someone who would listen!!!
The naturopath saved my life.0 -
Wow, sounds exactly like a heart attack. I know my heart is still doing strange things. When I took the kelp drops it went bizzerk... guess it could of been a storm too..0
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I've had that very intense chest pain but I wasn't sweating, doctor thought it was just muscle spasms as I also have a neurological disorder which causes muscles spasms and involuntary movements.
My Ataxia developed after my body started producing Reverse T3 in 2002.0 -
I think they do call a Thyroid Storm something that happens when you suddenly are flooded with too much T3/T4. If you have Hashimoto or Graves disease, this can come from an "attack" of antibodies.
Back in February, I went through a time where my TSH when to 20.71 and my T3/T4 was almost non-existent and my Hashimoto antibodies went very high. My Naturopath called that a "storm" -- although it was the opposite of what some might call a storm.
I think it's safe to say that a storm is a "gushing" of too much of anything in the thyroid balance -- and it will make you feel sick.
My symptoms were severe migraine headache, debilitating vertigo... I could not focus my eyes and was unable to drive my car. Then the other typical hypo symptoms were a lot worse -- brain fog, cold, etc.
I had a flu/virus in January that lasted for 3 weeks -- the doc's theory is that this virus stoked my immune system - which caused a flare in the autoimmune attack on my thyroid.
So, that's my ideas of what a storm is. :sick:
Terri0 -
Thanks Terri,
You are so helpful, lots of wisdom. Interesting about not being able to focus your eyes... I've had that a few times after a nap, where it was hard to read for an hour or so. I didn't connect it to thyroid... will have to mention that to my Dr. Or naturopath, when I go.
Thanks again!
Debby0 -
I think they do call a Thyroid Storm something that happens when you suddenly are flooded with too much T3/T4. If you have Hashimoto or Graves disease, this can come from an "attack" of antibodies.
Back in February, I went through a time where my TSH when to 20.71 and my T3/T4 was almost non-existent and my Hashimoto antibodies went very high. My Naturopath called that a "storm" -- although it was the opposite of what some might call a storm.
I think it's safe to say that a storm is a "gushing" of too much of anything in the thyroid balance -- and it will make you feel sick.
My symptoms were severe migraine headache, debilitating vertigo... I could not focus my eyes and was unable to drive my car. Then the other typical hypo symptoms were a lot worse -- brain fog, cold, etc.
OMG the splitting headaches (down one side for me) and blurry vision was my very first symptom back in 2002! As my dad had cancer at the time and was dying I put it down to stress. A young GP send me for tests for MS, the eye test thing (Evoked Potentials?), it went off after a bit then I suddenly woke up one feb morning unable to walk. I was rushed into hospital for emergency MRI (again they were suspecting an MS attack) They found my T3 dangerously low and TSH was through the roof. as I was born with my thyroid underdeveloped and its never been able to produce its own thyroxine, my body was unable to make more in repsonse to the body sending urgent requests for more from TSH.
It seemed it had gone into a state of Reverse T3 which can be triggered by am emotional shock so I do wonder if it was my dads illness and funeral that triggered it. I did find it very difficult and devastating as my mum had died from cancer in my teens.
As Neuro discounted thyroid as cause of Ataxia he said it was 'possible but extremely rare so there for unlikely' in a letter it was some years before I got a proper diagnosis by which time I was already in a wheelchair and it was irreversible.
My case is very rare but I still feel that if I had been correctly diagnosed in the early days of this, my issues may not have got as severe!
Doctors really underrate the effects a thyroid not working can have on the body. I also lost hearing at age 16 cos one doctor lowered my dose too much and claimed the resulting hearing loss had nothing to do with my thyroxine levels!0 -
sorry I don't know what happened when answered last post its included my answer as part of your original quote, even though I deleted the end of quote off the end?0
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I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 2003 and have adjusted my meds several times. I was on a large dose when I was pregnant and have since gone back to a lower dose of Synthroid. When my daughter stopped breastfeeding a few weeks ago, my thyroid went into overdrive and I started having night sweats, shortness of breath and anxiety and felt completely out of control. I stopped taking my Synthroid for a few days to see if I could reduce the reaction and it helped. Back on my meds now and having a little bit of hormone flux. I can only hope it will get better soon.0
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Thanks everyone for the replies to my original question. Since Saturday I have been having some problems and after reading, not just here, but other places and from talking to a friend that has dealt with Hypothyroid since she was 15, I am also finding out that not all the problems we might have are strictly Thyroid. From my point of view, I'm a lot older than most of you, I think that being post menopausal can be some of the problem and that when I had part of my thyroid removed it just made other things more pronounced.
In regard to Doctors, when you go to their office and try to explain what is going on and how you are feeling, 1. They don't listen. (Agree with Teri) 2. If they think you might be having problems they want to put you on anti-depressants and send you on your way. (Anyone read the side effects of this stuff, no wonder there are law suits.) 3. I'm finding out that a lot of the symptoms I've been having are related to lack of Estrogen, Progestrogen, (sp) and Testosterone due to menopause, Hormones!!!!!! All of them are involved.
I'm not a doctor, but I sure can't spend my life waiting months for tests with doctors that don't listen to you and depend on one test for everything related to how you feelt. I'm probably rambling here but just had to get it out. I am going to check into a woman's clinic that deals with all your hormones and not just Thyroid. OK, done with the rant.
Wish me luck,
Ginny:flowerforyou:0 -
sorry I don't know what happened when answered last post its included my answer as part of your original quote, even though I deleted the end of quote off the end?
Reverse T3 can be caused by stress -- it can also be caused by intense exercise without eating enough -- I gave myself RT3 by exercise and eating 1200 or less calories per day.
How my ND explained it is this: In ancient times if a lion was chasing you to eat you and you climbed up a tree to escape -- the lion would stick around for a few days hoping you would come down. So you are stuck up that tree with nothing to eat. Your body would produce RT3 to plug up the T3 receptors in your cells -- effectively dropping your metabolism to nothing -- and causing an extremely low calorie burn. Protecting you from starving.
In modern times, our constant stress and bad eating habits can cause an overflow of RT3. There are two ways to get rid of it that I know of: 1) go on a very low dose of thyroid medicine or 2) go on a T3 only (cytomel) thyroid meds. Both options deprive your body of T4. Once there's no T4, the RT3 will flush out of the cells. I did option 1... it took about 8 weeks to get rid of it. I just had a blood draw today for thyroid so should know in a week or 2 if I am still rid of it!!
If you can't do one or two, I urge you to try deep breathing and meditation -- don't laugh -- meditation works. You can read about it online, or purchase a meditation CD -- I have one by Andrew Weil that is wonderful. Deep breathing, focus on your breath for 10-12 minutes every day, will pull that stress out.0 -
At that time I was not exercising excessively as at that time I was having mobility problems, severe fatigue and went to 16st.
I didn't know that exercising excessively and low calories could cause it though as only been seriously dieting this last year0
