Thyroid Question

[dizzygirl]

hey folks..

another question been meaning to ask.... in my mri results it showed that my thyrois gland on the left side is enlarged.. it also showed that there where abnornalitites with my volca cords and my treachea...(i cant think of the specifics at the moment)..

few questions...I have had my throid tested and tested and retested more times then i can remember... and my thyroid tests always come back normal.. im wondering can you have half and enlarged throid and still have normal thyriod finction tests?

Also do thyroid isues can those be snowballed (go with pots) can a wacky thyroid contribute to pots symptoms is waht im tryong to say...

are there potsies on here with thyroid issues as well? as pots?

i guess im wondering b/c i have alot of endocrine things going on.. but not a whole lot of explaination as to why.. other then.. PCOS

I know that an underactive thyroids can contribute to weight gain -fatigue things like...

hmmm... thanks fior listening to me think out loud

[goldicedance]

Hi...Are you sure it was thyroid? Could it have been parathyroid?

Lois

[doctorguest]

If your thyroid was found to be enlarged on MRI, you need to ask your doctor to order an ultrasound of the thyroid gland. Sometimes, there can be nodules in the thyroid gland causing an enlargement, without the actual change in thyroid hormone levels. This has to be evaluated further to know whether it is a clinically significant finding.

[dizzygirl]

ultra sound ok.. uhm nodules.. that actually makes sense b/c my mri also showed that i have ALOT of rather large nodules thru the neck and uhm upper body...

thanks!

[dezyrae2]

I have many thryroid problems and my bloodwork and ultrasound test always came back normal. I seem to have many pots and thyroid symptoms and they seem to be similiar. My doctor ordered an uptake test for my thyroid and that was the winner. They were able to find that my thyroid didn't function correctly with that test. Maybe you could give it a try. Good Luck.

[Maxine]

Hi Dizz,

I would go with what Dr.G said. You should have an endocrine workup anyway, because you have the lesion on your pineal gland------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineal_gland ---------------and don't you have something on your pituitary gland as well?

I know some people with POTS have thyroid problems, but I don't remember if anyone said it made their POTS worse.

When I found out I had hashemoto's thyroid in 1995 I didn't even know I had it. A test was ordered because thyroid disease ran in my family. It turned out mine was hypo-thyroid, and I take synthroid every day to stabilize the hormone in my system.

Mine is autoimmune hashemotos.........

I never had any symptoms, except maybe some sluggishness, and I thought that was from my beta blocker. At the time it was thought thst I had MVP which was diagnosed in the 80s, and I was on the BB since 1990 for tachycardia---(that was my only symptom at the time oher then a few panic attacks, and one bout of mild CFS for about 3 months-----------------otherwise I was pretty functional.

This is something you should have checked out dear.

Take Care,

Maxine :0)

[dizzygirl]

LOL.. Hi! maxine yea i agree.. but the trick is finding a "good" endocrinologist.. my local one isnt exactly of much help~ does taht surprise you?

Uh yea i have 'something" on my pituitary gladn as well as my pineal gland (lesion) and pituatary gland there seems to be conflicting answers.. and no follow thru...maybe i should try an endo thru pittsburgh or cleveland or something.. anybody knownb of a good endocrinologist in these area's?

i seem to have some real wackiness with the stuff in my body that is suppose to control my hormones. i sure would love to find out what it is b/c i would love to be skinny again! endcrin stuff went nuts at 17 and my body hasnt been right since...i mean the real what it is b/c ive been on treatment for pcos now for a while and my hormones levels arent coming down.. and im still having the same stuff happen.. and no period even tho my meds are suppose to make me have one.... so i think there is more to then pcos...

ok now im rambling.. but boy i sure get irritated!

[Ernie]

Hi,

My sister had an enlarged thyroid and normal labs. She insisted they did specialised testing and they found out goitre.

[mom4cem]

I also, according to the endo. have a larger thyroid, upper limits of normal I guess. An ultrasound came out fine as well as bloodwork etc.

[Maxine]

LOL------------------I sure know that dog and pony show Dizz-------------ugggg, trying to get a good endocrinologist. I have one here in my town, but he's good for checking my thyroid levels, and that's about it. Even then he doesn't check out all the different thyroid levels that should be checked. I won't go there, because that is something I haven't looked into much----so I'm not sure what blood work is done other what I have checked---(I just know that I only have two different blood tests, and I know there is more blood work and other testing needed, to properly evaluate thyroid function. I spend so much time researching the ANS info, and now EDS along with spine related conditions, I can't imagine going into thw world of endocrine problems---LOL--

I know the ANS controls the endocrine system, and I imagine that some thyroid conditions can give you some ANs symptoms. However, I wouldn't know if thyroid problems could cause POTS, or other ANS dysfunction. I do wonder if it could aggravate POTS??? I would think it could, considering thyroid dysfunction could cause some ANS type symptoms.

Here's a little excerpt:

"Effects of thyroid status on the autonomic nervous system

Several symptoms and signs in patients with hyperthyroidism suggest an abnormality of the autonomic nervous system. Alterations in vagal and sympathetic innervation can influence the development of arrhythmias with areas of sympathetic supersensitivity being conducive to the development of arrhythmias. Although the effect of thyroid hormone on the autonomic nervous system has been the subject of study for many years, there remain doubts about the nature of this interaction. It has been suggested that there is high adrenergic and low vagal activity in thyrotoxicosis, but circulating concentrations of catecholamines in hyperthyroidism suggest that secretion is normal or even reduced (18). To explain this paradox, some have suggested that thyroid hormones and catecholamines can exert similar effects because of their structural similarity (28). Increased tissue sensitivity to catecholamines, secondary to increased ?-adrenoceptors and reduced parasympathetic activity (29), have also been put forward as possible explanations.

Heart rate variability is a useful, noninvasive tool in the detection of autonomic activity on the sinus node. Cacciatori et al. (30) described patients with thyrotoxicosis who had reduced parasympathetic activity that returned to normal following antithyroid therapy. These findings were in keeping with the data of Kollai and Kollai (31), who found a low state of excitability in vagal motor neurons in response to baroreceptor stimulation in hyperthyroid patients, suggesting that the reduction in tonic vagal activity may be a consequence of secondary baroreceptor rearrangement. In contrast, Pitzalis et al. (32) found vagal activity (assessed by the same method) to be unaltered in patients with hyperthyroidism. Our own data suggest reduced heart rate variability (and vagal activity) in patients with hyperthyroidism that persists despite restoration of euthyroidism (17). Studies conducted in hypothyroid patients revealed significant reductions in normal-normal interval variations, suggesting reduced function of the parasympathetic nervous system, which was reversible with treatment of the hypothyroidism (33"

Here's the link that this excerp came from:

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/87/3/963

Here's symptoms of thyroid disease-----both hyer and hypo-thyroid:

Symptoms of hypo-thyroid:

The symptoms of hypothyroidism are slow to develop. Common symptoms of hypothyroidism are:

Fatigue or weakness

Weight gain

Decreased appetite

Change in menstrual periods

Loss of sex drive

Feeling cold when others don't

Constipation

Muscle aches

Puffiness around the eyes

Brittle nails

Hair loss

The more common symptoms of hyperthyroidism are:

Fatigue

Weight loss

Nervousness

Rapid heart beat

Increased sweating

Feeling hot when others don't

Changes in menstrual periods

More frequent bowel movements

Tremors

I know you have mentioned problems getting a good endocrinologist before---(sorry, forgot about that)----you have had problems with so many doctors that they all run together........LOL.

I hope you can find a good one dear----this is something you need a CLEAR answer on.

HUGS,

Maxine :0)

[Catelynnw3]

Hi, I'm not sure if any of this will help you, but I have questioned if there is any connection between my thyroid problems and the POTS for a long time.

After my youngest son was born, he's now 8, I became hyperthyroid but couldn't take any medication because he was breastfeeding. I didn't want to wean him, but had to try so I could function - I felt awful! It took me 13 months to wean him - he only wanted mom.

Anyway, when I finally weaned him, my thyroid levels were rechecked and they had gone to normal. Shortly thereafter I became hypothyroid. The endocrinologist called it postpartum thyroiditis. When I became hypothyroid I was put on thyroid hormone, but kept telling my doctor that I still felt like I was hyperthyroid, not hypo. My heart would race and pound most of the time, I was short of breath, etc... Ever since then, I have had these awful symptoms.

I personally think that my thyroid problem somehow caused the POTS, or that in my case, there is some kind of a relationship between the two. I can't be sure, but I have repeatedly had an enlarged thyroid gland since then. I was told I have a nodule, but that isn't uncommon. My bloodwork suggests that my levels are normal on medication. I have had a radioactive iodine scan and ultrasounds done with no indication that my thyroid is causing any of my problems, but I haven't been to an endocrinologist in a long time, so I made an appointment to see a new one to see if there could be any link at all. I want the nodule biopsied regardless of what the blood tests show. I guess I just want to cover all of my bases. I don't know if this helps at all, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in.

[Adria]

I would say that thyroid problems can have a substantial impact upon POTS. About a month before I was supposed to start law school my BP became dangerously low and if I even attempted to stand up I would immediately pass out. My blood pressure was 50/30 and my heart rate was about 160. I literally had to crawl to the door of my apartment in order to let the paramedics in. I thought that I was just experiencing an incredibly severe flare of POTS at the time but I could not figure out why it was happening. I had not had any medication changes, was staying well hydrated, etc. My primary care doctor hospitalized me, did a vast array of blood work, and determined that my thyroid gland was not producing sufficient amounts of thyroid hormones. He diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. He put me on synthyroid, synthetic thyroid hormones, and my blood pressure and heart rate returned to "normal" (well at least normal for me). In a matter of 2 days I was back on my feet. I had no idea that thyroid problems could affect BP and HR so dramatically. About a year ago, my thyroid started making sufficient thyroid hormones again and I was able to get off of the synthroid. The doctors still have no clue as to why my thyroid stop producing hormones especially since I have no family history of thyroid disorders. My recent labwork indicates that my thyroid hormones are on the very low side of normal and I am wondering if that could be the reason for my current POTS flare up. I have an appointment with an Endocrinologist next week so I am hoping that he is able to help me.