[Michah]

Hi there,

Fo those of you that don't know me(I am usually on bipolar or personality forum), I have been mentally ill for 15 years and I am 35.

7 years ago, I started to have all manner of strange things happen to me of a physical nature. Most were put down to severe panic attacks, seizures, and all things psychosomatic. I knew something was very wrong but no one would listen. I had "normal" blood tests and thats all there was to it.

4 years ago, I started to really suffer.......falling asleep standing up, falling over for no reason, inability to concentrate, night sweats, bad memory(would repeat what I said an hour ago), complete loss of libido and a host of other stuff. Now you could put this down to a bunch of psychological conditions but I was functioning well cognitively(if you know what I mean)........didn't fit.

3 years ago, I woke up one morning feeling like someone had punched me in the throat and lived with that for a few days.........6 months later I had a large red lump on my neck at the front(I thought it was an infected insect bite) and I was sent off for an ultrasound of the throat.

I had a goiter(enlarged thyroid).......with multiple nodule and cysts.

At the time nothing was done because my blood was still "normal" and the goiter was not "big enough"

1 year later, I was hospitalised and dx bipolar.........still no close look at thyroid even though the goiter was actually sticking out of my neck by this stage.......blood was "normal"......again.

Crashed, burned, have not been able to work since. Suffered intense agoraphobia, terrible physical symptoms, revolting and unrelenting anxiety and all sorts of other things.

Since then I have been on a train of determination.......I have seen a surgeon for biopsies, cat scans and ultrasounds......listened to the wise advice of my gynaecologist and followed the instructions of my GP. I am now on thyroxine to reduce goiter and I am seeing an Endocrinologist at the end of March for a formal Dx.

The devestating thing is, that what I have is genetic and could POSSIBLY explain the severity of what I have suffered for so many years. I am not saying that everyone has thyroid disfunction, but it NEEDS to be part of the dx process.

Please, please read the links I have supplied, and have a frank discussion with your GP or T if you have any concerns.

I would be remiss to not bring this up when I see so many people suffering.......if you think something is wrong outside of your current mental health dx........don't give up!!!! Push it(rationally, I find that works.....do your research) and work in conjunction to get an outcome. You will be amazed what the thyroid can do........adrenal and pituitary disfunction can also have huge mental and physical impacts.

http://www.jfponline.com/Pages.asp?AID=4640

http://www.jfponline.com/Pages.asp?AID=4545

Don't want to frighten anybody and I don't want to give anyone false hope(thyroid illness is just as revolting as any mental suffering i have had!).......but I feel a duty of care to let everyone know. I would be interested to hear Doc Johns take on this.......

Be safe and be well.........

[possum220]

Dear Michah,

Its a very good post. My sister had a Thyroid problem but the doctors passed her over and didn't do any tests. She was told she was run down and had to take it easy. She also had a goitre. She then went to a third doctor and was finally given proper tests and later had both thyroids removed.

Its easy to be fobbed off, even when you are considered 'normal'. Even more so when you you have a mental illness. Always get a second opinion until you feel satisfied.

Possum

(((Michah)))) very good post. I know my great grandmother had one of those.
I know when I go to the Drs for anything they always when doing blood work check that.
As some areas have a higher rate of Thyroid problems
So glad you have gotten help

[madisgram]

micah great post!!! the first thing a psych doc did when i got help was run a full thyroid test...not a simple one but also a t4 thyroid test. i had had a goiter, hyperactive thyroid, in my teens treated with radioactive iodine. had all the symptoms you mentioned. well as it turns out my thyroid due to the treatments was now underactive and fed into my bpd in the form of depression. so your post was right on!!! it won't "cure" a MI dx but can be treated properly and help minimize symptoms we all thought was rolled up into our MI dx. i was fortunate to have the pdoc i had. i don't know why pdoc's don't all run this test cause there are many ppl with this thyroid issue that have MI dx's. it can certainly add a mixture of strange symptoms to the mix.
glad you are getting the help you need. please keep us posted on how everything goes. and thank you for this important post!