Do hypothyroid symptoms come on fast, or slowly over time?

snoopy24 · 12-01-2006, 05:35 PM

I read through the list of 68 symptoms that someone posted. Some of them I have had for a long time and some of them have come on suddenly in the last month.

I recently went to my doctor for a pressure feeling in my upper abdomen under my ribs with occasional sharp pains. I had tests that showed my gallbladder is normal/no gallstones, but I did learn that I have GERD/acid reflux. He thought that was what was causing the pressure feeling.

After being on medication for a few weeks now and avoiding foods that cause acid reflux, the pressure feeling continues. It will be gone for a few days and then start up out of the blue with no relation to what I’ve eaten and no acid reflux type symptoms. It also moves around – sometimes it will be just below my bellybutton instead of under my ribs.

During this time, I’ve also been having some problems with numbness in my left side, and occasionally both sides. I can still move freely, full control of my muscles, etc., it just feels numb. It will usually bother me for a few days and then subside. While it’s there nothing seems to help alleviate it – doesn’t matter whether I’m sitting, standing, or sleeping. When I went to urgent care a month ago,

I’ve been trying to pin down other causes for these problems and combining these two things, eventually led me to the possibility of hypothyroid.

So here are the symptoms I’ve had a long time:
o Fatigue
o Lethargy
o Dry skin
o Dry, thick, scaling skin
o Dry, coarse, brittle hair
o Brittle or thin nails
o Constipation
o Poor concentration
o Nervousness
o Anxiety
o Worrying
o Emotional instability
o Obsessive thinking
o Swelling of ankles – This has been better the last few weeks, but all summer and fall they were swollen every day.
o Prolonged menstrual bleeding – when I actually get a period, it will often drag out for 2 or 3 weeks. My periods have always been irregular.
o Heavy menstrual bleeding – sometimes they’re very heavy and full of clots.
o Cold skin – I notice this fairly often, even when I feel warm my skin will feel cold.
o Heat intolerance – have always had problems with this – seems worse in the last few weeks though.
o Non-restful sleep – often I can only sleep solidly for 2-3 hours max. Then I toss and turn the rest of the night.
o Insomnia

And these are the ones that have come on somewhat suddenly:
o Numbness or tingling – as I described above.
o Pain at front of chest – hard to know though if it is from the acid reflux or something else.
o Joint pain – about 6 weeks ago, my left shoulder started feeling sore when I moved it even though there was no injury or anything to it. It comes and goes.
o Vague body aches & pains – the abdominal pain and pressure I described above falls into this category. I have pain in various parts of my abdomen for no apparent reason.
o Difficulty in swallowing – I feel like I have a small lump in base of my throat when I swallow.
o Weight loss – since I got sick a month ago I have suddenly lost almost 10 pounds. I haven’t been eating that differently and I have never been able to lose weight this easily in my whole life even when making an effort to.
o Paleness of skin – over the past month, there have been a few times where I feel fine but my face and even my hands will look pale – enough for family members to comment on it.
o Wasting of tongue – not sure what “wasting” is, but the front third my tongue has felt sore on and off for the last four months even though it looks normal. I saw a doctor for it back when it started and they said it was a sinus infection – but even after that was cured I still have the problem.
o Sparse eyebrows – possibly – hard to tell because do keep them plucked – but lately it seems like certain spots are thinner than I would have made them myself.

I have a follow-up with the doctor next week, but I’m just trying to do a little digging on my own because I’m sick of being sick and not knowing what’s wrong or what to expect. Any thoughts from those of you that have gone through it?

mommavia · 12-02-2006, 01:13 PM

Because hypo symptoms overlap with several other conditions it can be difficult to catch at first. When you have your follow-up I would definately ask about having thyoid function tests run. Hypo symptoms usually come on gradually, but after you know what you are looking for you may notice that several have started within a short period of time. When I was diagnosed as hypo, I had gone in because I was so tired...but then I noticed that I was usually cold, have dry skin, heavy periods, and 10 or so other things on the hypo list. Somtimes the symptoms are not related to hypo-ness at all, but sometimes they are...that's why docs get paid the big ucks, to sort it out for us!

I understand being sick of being sick...I think most of us can! It's frustrating when you think one symptoms is caused my condition x, but really it's from something else...keep plugging along, ask questions, and make sure your doctors communicates with you! Don't be afraid to get another opinion if you are not getting your questions answered or symptoms addressed!

Good luck!
Cynthia

vicandla · 12-02-2006, 11:15 PM

Have you had any blood work to rule it out? if not I would ask for a TSH, a Free T3 and a Free T4, I had hypo symptoms for along time before being DX, and sometimes symptoms come and go.

Susan Marie · 12-02-2006, 11:29 PM

Mine came over time and then when I got really sick, a few came on real fast. I had a lot of symptoms that I stupidly ignored for a long time and it wasn't until my speech started to slur that I finally went to the doc. I was out of work for a long time and was very, very sick. I had to have someone w/ me as my memory was terrible too. So, I advise anyone with any symptoms to always get it checked early. It can wreack havoc.

FYI: If it is your thyroid, all you do is take a pill a day to keep it in check and then get it checked a few times a year. (Unless of course you let it go like I did......)

Good luck!!!

llamaluver · 12-03-2006, 03:30 PM

I had a slow decline for about 4 years, then it got really sucky really quickly (like within 6 months). I think it was my thyroid slowly stopping to work. Within the 6 months, I felt like crap and all my symptoms heightened quickly (went from normal 21 year old to feeling like I was 80). Once they realized it was my thyroid, it was removed within 4 months (first sonogram, second sonogram 2.5 months later, biopsy then it was removed).
I was told by my doc that even without my thyroid, it still takes a while before I would die wihtout meds. So, I could understand with a thyroid, why it would take so long before you would reach a breaking point. Does that make sense?