Breast Cancer and Thyroid Issues

jmears · September 2003

I am two years out of treatment for Stage II and doing fine on that front. As a teen I had a thyroid condition called Hoshimotos. It's like an infection of the thyroid. Never was a problem later in life until after the treatments. My Oncologist warned me that I may have Hypothyroidism due to the chemo because of my history. Boy was he right. I have been trying for two years to get right. Hypothyroidism can make you depressed, fatigued and FAT (which I am). Tamoxifen can do the same things ... and both combined has truely slowed me down. I am only 45 so I would love to get back into shape and back into life. Has anyone else had Thyroid problems after chemo. I recently read a study that linked Breast Cancer and Thyroid Desease.. so I guess it's not uncommon. I have been away from this site for many months. Hope all are well. Jamie

llange · September 2003

I also had a history of thyroid issues. After my 2nd child was born I developed post-partum thyroiditis, where I went severely hyper-thyroid for a few months, and then went severely hypo-thyroid after that. I was freezing cold all the time, had chills, trouble hearing, irregular periods, inability to concentrate, and when I gained 9 lbs. in a week we finally figured out what was going on. I've been on synthroid ever since, and I've often wondered if there was a link between thyroid issues and BC since they're both considered endocrine disorders. My tests for thyroid since BC have been stable (I was diagnosed almost 2 yrs ago), so I can't tell you about developing problems post-BC, but synthroid is a very easy drug to tolerate and very quickly alleviated my symptoms.
Good luck!
Lisa

jake10 · September 2003

Are you NOT taking Synthriod? If not I would get to my doctors soon and look into it. Hypothroidism causes all the problems you mentioned but can also have an effect on the heart and lungs. Good Luck, Beth

Breast Cancer and Thyroid Issues

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