Chest pain..related to thyroid?? Help!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Chest pain..related to thyroid?? Help!
6
Sun, 02-06-2005 - 4:52pm

Hi everyone..I have always been a lurker on the board but now I need help! Long story short I had a baby (my first) on 5/7/04. Was diagnosed with a lovely case of Post partum depression and was put on zoloft. Was up to 150mg but now I was slowly come down and am on 50mg. During my ppd drama my thyroid was tested and I was very hyperthyroid .004 to be exact, almost undetectable. I have just been retested because I just feel that something isn't right. My periods were 28 days, now are 25 days and I have been spotting. Headaches and this pain in my chest. It feels like a knot in my breastbone, almost like heartburn but not acidy, just a horrible ache. Here are my test results, what do you think? (BTW I was told that I am fine)

TSH 1.882 range .35 to 5.5
T4 5.9 range 4.5 to 12
T3 uptake 35 range 24 to 39
Free thyroxine 2.1 range 1.2 to 4.9
T3 94 range 85 to 205

Thanks so much for your time...just at a loss!!!

Brenna

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2004
Sun, 02-06-2005 - 9:27pm

There is postpartum thyroiditis which it seems you had.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2004
Sun, 02-06-2005 - 10:39pm


Hi:

Your numbers look pretty good on the face of them... the T-3 is low-normal, though. I have had chest pressure & tightness a lot with my hypo (and have read it's a symptom of Hashimoto's thyroiditis). It is also symptomatic of anxiety which can be related to depression and antidepressant medication...

Good luck! Hope you find the answers you need!
Dee.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Mon, 02-07-2005 - 7:56pm
Hi everyone thanks for your thoughtful replies. I am so frustrated I could cry. I called my Dr's office to talk to him and they said that he doesn't do that unless something is seriously wrong. I explained that I have a baby and I would send him the damn $20 copay if he could just talk over my results...no reason to see him..(nothing to look at I could tell him everything he needs to know) The receptionist said well your tests are normal and the achiness I have in my hands and wrists also the headaches and weight gain must not be related to my thyroid. Then I aske her to explain the low T3 and she couldn't!! and she wouldn't let me talk to the dr. unless I made an appt. is this wrong!!! I was soooo mad. When my TSH was at.004 I was hyper but didn't lose alot of weight. Now at 1.882 I really feel this # is high for me, does that make sense. Thanks again everybody!
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Mon, 02-07-2005 - 10:56pm

Hi - yes I think you make a lot of sense. Why not just make the appointment and do it the doctor's way? I know it's aggravating but it's the only way to get some input from him. I think the TSH level that each one of us feels good at is a very individual thing. I don't feel good at 1.6 - my last test result - but I'm sure it's lower now and I feel great!! So at 1.8, you're not feeling well. It sounds like postpartum thyroiditis to me, too. It often clears up on it's own. I don't have a chance to get you info now but I will try tomorrow. Print it out and take it on your doctor's appointment. You may just need a low dose of thyroid hormone to balance you out and help you feel better. I'll get back to you tomorrow. Hang in there!! You're not alone. We've all been through some major frustrations with our thyroid conditions. There is a good ending out there eventually!! Cathy :)

edited to correct all my typos!!! I'm so sorry!! :)




Edited 2/8/2005 10:16 pm ET ET by cl-cathypem
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Tue, 02-08-2005 - 10:19pm

Hi again - sorry I'm so late with this, I have a terrible cold!! Here are some good articles. Perhaps some general info will help your doctor to understand more of what may be going on with you:

http://www.tsh.org/disorders/thyroiditis/postpartum_thyroiditis.html

http://www.health.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=26589

On this one, look down to where the heading says, Painless Thyroiditis:

http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/thyroid/thyroiditis.html

Do you think this might help you? Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Wed, 02-09-2005 - 7:44am

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I really appreciate the time you took to look into these things for me. I will call him asap...this might get ugly!!

Brenna