Hi Rosanna, will go back through your last few posts & try to answer all today. Sorry, may be very long! Please don't be alarmed by anything I write - before peri began I had had a chronic pain condition for many years & was depleted by the lack of sleep this causes, so was not in a good state to start with. I don't think for one moment you will necessarily experience all or at the severity I describe below, but I want to be honest in case this helps you feel more certain about what is happening, which should in turn mean you can take wise decisions to help you manage symptoms far earlier than I did.
Like you, prior to peri my optimal TSH was ~ 1, but difficult to keep steady - always different when tested, sometimes suppressed, sometimes above target range for replacement. That said, I think the correct dosage for any individual is that at which (s)he feels their best & that there is no “gold standard†TSH. Unsure whether you've had thyroid surgery, but mine was hemi-thyroidectomy. If you have any remaining thyroid, or never had surgery but the gland is diseased, I think the following may also apply to you. A private GP specialising in thyroid disorders told me that patients with only partial thyroidectomy are the trickiest to treat, as the disease process continues in the remaining thyroid, which continues to produce some hormones sporadically, possibly for many years. This makes it difficult to arrive at a suitable dose of replacement & mine was continually adjusted up & down, with the body struggling to maintain stability. A particular challenge in peri, which is what I think may be happening with you. With gynae hormones fluctuating erratically, thyroid status seemed all over the place. If declining oestrogen is sometimes too low and then during long stretches without ovulation unnaturally high, this must surely affect thyroid hormone levels & effectiveness in someone whose thyroid can no longer make the second-by-second adjustments it does in good health.
Labyrinthitis - Yes, any possible infection could certainly have a systemic effect, so perhaps have this checked out again with your GP? You've written of palpitations & possible flushing, both of which are suggestive of peri, together with your erratic cycle length. As I've already written at length on palps I'll concentrate on thermoregulation today.
From the start of peri it seemed each night impossible to reset my thermostat & I would lie awake from early hours, unable to get back to sleep, after what felt like one long night sweat I couldn't switch off. The term night sweat can be confusing in hypothyroid ladies who may be unable to produce sweat to assist with cooling down. I think this defective mechanism is probably what made my night sweats & flushes so long-lasting & added to my fear that something else must be wrong. Reading that flushes & night sweats lasted only minutes, this was far from true for me. Just before a night sweat I would wake suddenly, heart hammering, with a feeling of terror for no good reason, then the intense heat would spread throughout my body. Even with slow, controlled breathing (counting in & out) & body scan meditations, I often found it impossible to get heart rate & temperature back down & subdue the alertness enough to get back to sleep.
Symptoms, including palpitations, insomnia & overheating were certainly worse in the second part of any cycle, however long & eventually I went 9 months without a period then began again. The 10 days before a period became increasingly awful & I came to dread this time. I would lose huge amounts of fluid (& up to 7lbs in weight) - peeing like a gigantic & bad tempered horse! This diuretic effect seemed to force up temperature even further. Just before a period I was so hot & wired there were some nights when I would get no sleep at all. Luckily I wasn't working at that time.
During weeks & months without a period when cycles lengthened, oestrogen would seem to build, tummy & aching calves swell with fluid & breasts become very painful. Hands & feet were unnaturally cold & I was tense for no reason as if about to sit an exam. Already slow gut transit worsened in spite of a habitually fibre-rich diet, as much fluid as I could manage & all manner of exercise.
I spent the peri years almost permanently in short shorts, even cooking Xmas dinner in them. Always a keen cook, could no longer bear the heat of the oven & sunny holidays abroad stopped abruptly 11 years ago. Hubby told me I felt permanently like a furnace & I could feel the heat of his body radiating from the far side of the bed! Any fabric touching my body was enough to make me burn up at night, but without bed covers I couldn't fall asleep. I sourced & bought a 1-tog duvet for winter, which was on-off-on-off, open windows meant hubby froze & an oscillating fan drove us nuts with its whirring. A pile of 4 hot water bottles filled with cold water, sat by day on the bottom shelf of the fridge & came up to bed with me each night. The heat of my body quickly warmed them up! I became a mad woman on sunny days, rushing to shut all curtains to minimise solar gain. We argued over air-con in the car. I became so sleep deprived I began to dream vividly as soon as I shut my eyes & sat down, at any time of day. As I dreaded going to bed, my lovely hubby began a routine of reading to me until I fell asleep which I quickly did & had no recollection of what he'd read the next day!
Like you I knew anxiety was not at the root of my symptoms, though it gradually became clear that any stress (emotional, mental & even physical as in exercise) increased palpitations, flushes, night sweats & insomnia. Bizarrely, the more tired I got, the poorer quality my sleep. I felt burnt out.
It can be very helpful to practise some form of relaxation therapy - meditation, yoga etc & vital to do your best not to become over tired. Prior to peri I was able to push myself habitually, but found a huge adjustment was needed over the coming years. It's more a case of recognising that if you can make changes at the start of peri, slow down, learn to pace yourself & give your body what it seems to need, you will be far better able to get through smoothly. Sounds like a recommendation from someone who lives on another planet, I know, but the pace of life today can be so hard on us & one of the most difficult lessons I learned was that without HRT there was no option but to adjust, put aside the guilt & expect less of myself. I wish I could remember who said this to thank them, but advice I read on MM before joining was “lower your standards". I had never before considered allowing myself to do this, but cried with relief when I read it & it turned out to be one of the wisest things I've ever heard. I've found others do get used to any changes & if you explain, should understand & support you. This can be difficult at work, but I hope it won't be for you.
Not GPs' fault as they seem often inadequately trained in thyroid & menopause, but you may need to be firm & stand your ground to get help with symptoms. With the right support & understanding to help you make choices, there is every chance this will really ease your journey. I'm sorry this is so very long & possibly boring, especially as you are long-term hypo & probably know so much already, but do hope there's something useful in it.
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Topic: Is this Peri Menopause? Can you help me look at this.. (Read 19054 times)