aches and pains - is there an asthma connection?
Ann
link between pregnancy and thyroid disease, and ever since my dtr was
born 4 yrs ago, I have felt tired all the time, a bit stupid,
constipated, healed more slowly, and that is also when my breathing
troubles began. Also, for the past 12 months I have been suffering from
symptoms of a repetitive stress injury in my right hand (cold, numbness,
tingling, pain, etc.). All of this I have put down to
working/parenting, aging, exposure to my little "germ factory", overuse,
etc. But maybe it is linked to my thyroid. I have an appointment with
my doc on Fri. and will discuss with her.
I am wondering if thyroid disease is always either hyper or hypo - that
is, can it fluctuate? Because the reason that I made the appointment is
that I have been having way too much anxiety for the last week, also
irritability, sleeplessness, nervousness - all of which I see are
associated with hyperthyroidism, as opposed to my other symptoms, which
are linked to hypothyroidism. So maybe I have a fine thyroid and that
is not the cause, or maybe it is whacked out and pumping out wildly
varying amounts of hormones - ? Is that possible?
Thanks,
Ann
Suzmyers wrote:
> >it's around 4 years since i was first diagnosed with asthma, and in
> the last
> >year it's been managed really well -
> >SO well that i would describe my symtoms now as only mild.
> >
> >however ..
>
> >i still have days when i wake feeling tight in the lungs, stuffy and
> not
> >breathing well.
> >
> >on those days, i also feel weary, aching in the joints, unmotivated,
> >lethargic, etc etc.
> >
> >
>
> >the "one hundred and fifty years old" syndrome, if you know what i
> mean!
> >
> >is there a connection between asthma and these symptoms of tiredness,
> aching
> >etc??
> >
> >
>
> For me there was. I was diagnosed with asthma in July of this year
> after
> huffing and puffing for a few months at every exertion. Then, in
> August I
> started to get REALLY tired. It was hard for me to get out of bed in
> the
> morning and I had aches and pains everywhere. I developed carpal
> tunnel
> syndrome and could barely drag myself up and down stairs. This in
> addition to
> breathlessness, dizzyness and weight gain. I'm only (only?) 49 and I
> felt
> about 80 years old.
> I finally went to my internist and gave him a list of 25 different
> symptoms
> (figured he'd think I was a super hypocondriac, but I wanted to get
> well). He
> gave me a Thyroid test and TaDa! Found out I am hypothyroid. Once I
> started
> taking a thyroid replacement each day ALL my symptoms went away -
> including the
> Asthma! According to people on the thyroid support newgroup, many
> people are
> first diagnosed with asthma (as this is one of the first symptoms to
> often show
> itself in thyroid disease) and then find out they are suffering from
> low
> thyroid.
> If you think you might have thyroid disease and would like to find
> out more
> about symptoms and the treatment (and LOTS of other stuff) there is an
>
> excellent web site at:
> http://www.thyroid.miningco.com/
> Sue
Mystyk119
>that I have been having way too much anxiety for the last week, also
>irritability, sleeplessness, nervousness
I experienced all these symptoms while profoundly HYPOthyroid. I thought I was
going crazy for a while because I couldn't handle the smallest of stresses
without becoming extremely anxious and irritable. I would have trouble falling
asleep at night and then be sleepy all day.
Regina
That was Zen. This is Tao.
Marianna
Marianna
Ann wrote:
> I am finding this very interesting - I noticed on the site there is a
> link between pregnancy and thyroid disease, and ever since my dtr was
> born 4 yrs ago, I have felt tired all the time, a bit stupid,
> constipated, healed more slowly, and that is also when my breathing
> troubles began. Also, for the past 12 months I have been suffering from
> symptoms of a repetitive stress injury in my right hand (cold, numbness,
> tingling, pain, etc.). All of this I have put down to
> working/parenting, aging, exposure to my little "germ factory", overuse,
> etc. But maybe it is linked to my thyroid. I have an appointment with
> my doc on Fri. and will discuss with her.
>
> I am wondering if thyroid disease is always either hyper or hypo - that
> is, can it fluctuate? Because the reason that I made the appointment is
> that I have been having way too much anxiety for the last week, also
Kevin G. Rhoads
--
Kevin G. Rhoads, Ph.D. (Linearity is a convenient fiction.)
T_Rhoads@NO_SPAM.MSN.com
krhoads@NO_SPAM.cmpnetmail.com
tamul...@hotmail.com
> Could this be Hashimotos--does anyone know?
What, pray tell, is Hashimotos??
T.A. Muller
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Joan Mcphee
>
> T.A. Muller
From http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyroiditis.html -
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (also called autoimmune or chronic lymphocytic
thyroiditis) is the most common type of thyroiditis. It is named after the
Japanese physician, Hakaru Hashimoto, that first described it in 1912. The
thyroid gland is always enlarged, although only one side may be enlarged
enough to feel. During the course of this disease, the cells of the
thyroid becomes inefficient in converting iodine into thyroid hormone and
"compensates" by enlarging (for a review of this process see our function
page). The radioactive iodine uptake may be paradoxically high while the
patient is hypothyroid because the gland retains the ability to take-up or
"trap" iodine even after it has lost its ability to produce thyroid
hormone. As the disease progresses, the TSH increases since the pituitary
is trying to induce the thyroid to make more hormone, the T4 falls since
the thyroid can't make it, and the patient becomes hypothyroid. The
sequence of events can occur over a relatively short span of a few weeks or
may take several years.
TREATMENT is to start thyroid hormone replacement. This prevents or
corrects the hypothyroidism and it also generally keeps the gland from
getting larger.
In most cases the thyroid gland will decrease in size once thyroid hormone
replacement is started.
Kevin G. Rhoads
Since this thread has been cross-posted, for those in alt.support.asthma
who are not familiar with thyroid terms:
Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disorder in which the thyroid gland is
attacked and as a result it's production of thyroid hormone decreases.
Since thyroid hormone is the "spark-plug" of metabolism, a deficiency
of it has many effects. Curiously, many people who are diagnosed with
Hashimoto's were previously diagnosed as asthmatic, and almost invariably
when the thyroid disorder is treated the symptoms of asthma either stop
or greatly diminish. No formal studies have been done to confirm or deny
a link -- but it appears that for many people asthma is a symptom of
marginal or undiagnosed hypothyroidism.
Perhaps some day we will have definite answers about the questions
of thyroid - asthma connections. For now all we have is speculation.
However, it is worth keeping in mind that there may be a connection,
and make sure that thyroid function is tested at least every few years
if you have been diagnosed as having asthma.
loki
> Perhaps some day we will have definite answers about the questions
> of thyroid - asthma connections. For now all we have is speculation.
>
> However, it is worth keeping in mind that there may be a connection,
> and make sure that thyroid function is tested at least every few years
> if you have been diagnosed as having asthma.
My mother has Hashimotos and asthma. She has been hypothyroid all of her
life.
I also have asthma and am hypothyroid. I have long suspected a connection,
but frankly, getting *good* treatment for hypothyroidism is more difficult
than getting good treatment for asthma.
Too many doctors really don't understand hypothyroidism any better than
they understand asthma. They do the *wrong* tests and then declare you are
fine. OR they undermedicate.
I'm going to see a specialist about the thyroid problem. My mother didn't
get decent treatment (or a proper diagnosis) till she did.
Loki
Craig and Jen
was diagnosed with Hashi's, I've tried to pin point where a link might be in
my family and my mother is a fine candidate - fine and thinning hair, bowl
problems, dry skin, fatigue yet insomnia, etc., etc., we all know the rest
of the song. Now with the asthma maybe I can convince her to seek treatment.
She's in total denial (about almost everything). She has the "what i don't know
won't hurt me" attitude. Hopefully I can convince her. This will give me
some ammo!!!
Jen