Thyroid Function

Instead of just Googling the question, how about telling us what symptoms to look for when the thyroid goes south.  I'll still google it..

Definitely should have it checked. My husband's was malfunctioning prior to cancer, but his thyroid levels decreased even more after treatment.

I am about 2 yrs. 4 months post treatment (39 years old when diagnosed) and my thyroid has been acting up for a while now. I get complete thyroid function tests about every 3 months when I see my ENT just to keep an eye on my levels. I am currently at 4.95mU/L at the "low" end of the subclinical hypothyroidism range. I think normal TSH levels are .5 to 4.5mU/L (it does vary by Lab but in general these are standard numbers) and the subclinical range is 4.5 to 10mU/L. I was lucky two have received yearly health screening at my job the two years prior to my cancer diagnosis and treatment so I have a good baseline value for what my normal TSH level. Pre-cancer and pre-treatment my numbers averaged about 2.5mU/L which is supposedly in a very good spot on the scale.

There are many factors in determining thyroid function as I have found out and TSH is just one indicator although it is the most common thyroid hormone tested. Many doctors believe once you get over the 3.0mU/L range you have something going on with your thyroid and it may need to be treated. So basically my TSH hormone level has approximately doubled in the last 2 years. Even though I am in a subclinical range that is a pretty big increase and I can tell it has produced noticeable differences in my body.

Many of the side effects from the chemoradiation seem to come on fairly quickly and then stay for a period and then go away almost as quickly as they come on. It’s weird it’s almost like my body is having a delayed response to the damage and then it works hard to correct the deficiency and finds a "new normal" level of its current function or ability. I was constantly fatigued after treatment due to poor nutrition, hydration, and exercise for a good 3-6 months after treatment but after that much of my strength and normal body functions returned to a good level.

But there were some issues that remained with me for a longer time like brain fog, I felt like I really had a hard time with my short term memory and I was easily worn out and tired. About a year and a half ago I noticed that I was having a hard time staying awake in the evening say past 7:30pm where I could normally stay up till 11pm no problem and I was very hungry all the time and gained 5 lbs. in a two week period. That has never been like me I have been a slender 150 lbs or less for my whole life at 6 feet tall.

So I that’s when I went to the Doc for some thyroid tests they came back in that subclinical low end hypo and he immediately wanted to put me on Synthroid I told him no thanks for now as I wanted to see if my body would self-correct if given enough time. He was fine with that and now we are watching it every three months.

I have some stretches where I seem to have no issues no symptoms for a few months and then I go through a stage of increased appetite and tiredness. The brain fog has still be there to an extent but I have been exercising my brain every day by working engineering problems by hand at my job, instead of using software to do it for me, since that’s what I do for a living and I have noticed some improvement. 

Anyway there is probably a short list of other symptoms that may or may not be related to my slowing thyroid but I guess I was starting to wonder if I should just get on some medication or keep monitoring to see what happens next. I was hoping my thyroid would self-correct and heal like many other areas of my body have since treatment but as I learn more about it and read stories from other survivors I am starting to think it's a pipe dream and that it’s not a matter of if your thyroid will fail but more a question of when?? 

My wife has fought the thyroid battle for nearly 20 years.  Take the time and read up on both Synthroid and Levothyroxin.  They are NOT equivalent, and you can do well on one while being quite ill on the other.  They can also both vary hugely in terms of quality.  We found it well worth the extra money to go through Costco rather than Kaiser.  The actual price difference between Synth and Levo turned out to be a few dollars a month, but GPs tend to go generic levo unless forced to change.  If your insurance covers it, book in with an Endocrynologist, I would not rely on a GP on this.  Also, make sure any TSH test includes BOTH free T3 AND T4; both levo and synth can lead to imbalances in one while stabilizing the other.  Dosage can also go thru major changes after being stable for long periods.

While my wife should be cold sensitive, she actually feels constantly hot, so the common symptoms are not as common as thought.  DO NOT let them tell you it is not possible to show symptoms of both Hashimotos and Graves at the same time.  With the right combination of bad drugs you can get the imbalances for both.  It is rare, but it is possible.  Thyroiditis is all too common a problem, but because they have figured out how to 'manage' the condition there doesn't seem to be much urgency in improving treatment.  Globally, this is a problem that makes the spike in +HPV look trivial.