Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Geordieclaire73 on February 02, 2022, 07:55:41 PM
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Hi I'm new to hear ..I'm three years since last period so I'm guessing post menopause...I've been managing with natural but god I can't take it any more. Had no life this last year. Horrendous symptoms..now I need help. I have awful dryness repeated UTI..can't have sex it's so painful. I use yes moisturizer but not strong now. Doctor's has offered ovestin? Is it any good. I have awful anxiety and palpitations. Hot flushes. Night sweats but I think my thyroid is playing up. Doc said normal but I've symptoms. My TSH was 0.9 two weeks ago today at hospital it was 1.7. My free t4 is 16. Any ideas? I feel like I'm on a go fast at the minute. Just got out of hospital because of shortness of breath palpitations..had blood tests ech. Scan for a clot. All good it's a chest infection and my asthma. ..any advice would be great
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I've no idea if I've done this right
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Absolutely fine and :welcomemm:
It is very annoying as well as common for GPs to take the results as OK even when a patient continues to complain of symptoms. >:(. There are several ladies on the Forum who have thyroid function issues, hopefully they will be along with advice.
You need immediate vaginal atrophy treatment. Have any urine samples been away to be tested for bugs? VA mimics repeated urine infection-type symptoms really really well. Usually symptoms are caused by dryness: as oestrogen levels drop so the body may become dry: inside and out. Skin, deep in the ears, eyes, nostrils, vagina, anus, between the toes ....... and muscles may become lax = aches and pains.
You are in the right place for advice and support. Do read the Vaginal Atrophy thread. Make notes ;-). The idea is to use the product Ovestin or Vagifem. every night for at least 10-14 days or until symptoms ease. If you have been dry for ages then it may be sore initially. I use 'ovestin' with success. If the outer labia become itchy I add KY Jelly others use 'sylce' or 'yes' products.
Let us know how you get on!
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Hi Geordieclaire73 and welcome.
I can't help with your other problems but just to confirm what CLKD suggests, do start on treatment for Vaginal Atrophy as soon as you can because it takes a long time to take effect. You get that out of the way and you will cope better with your other symptoms.
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Yes, your breathlessness , paliptations, anxiety could be thyroid medicine related.
Please post full results (including Free T3 and free T4) plus ranges
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Absolutely fine and :welcomemm:
It is very annoying as well as common for GPs to take the results as OK even when a patient continues to complain of symptoms. >:(. There are several ladies on the Forum who have thyroid function issues, hopefully they will be along with advice.
You need immediate vaginal atrophy treatment. Have any urine samples been away to be tested for bugs? VA mimics repeated urine infection-type symptoms really really well. Usually symptoms are caused by dryness: as oestrogen levels drop so the body may become dry: inside and out. Skin, deep in the ears, eyes, nostrils, vagina, anus, between the toes ....... and muscles may become lax = aches and pains.
You are in the right place for advice and support. Do read the Vaginal Atrophy thread. Make notes ;-). The idea is to use the product Ovestin or Vagifem. every night for at least 10-14 days or until symptoms ease. If you have been dry for ages then it may be sore initially. I use 'ovestin' with success. If the outer labia become itchy I add KY Jelly others use 'sylce' or 'yes' products.
Let us know how you get on!
thank you so much for your reply. I actually don't know if I've replied right 🤣. I've got ovestin and I'm going to give it ago. I'll use yes moisturizer for outside or can I use ovestin??? I get repeated UTI and have been referred Even though had camera up two years ago and I'm like sandpaper down there.. what is sex. It's so painful...do I use every night for two weeks or four?
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Spoke today to go just said nothing wrong with thyroid very abrupt didn't want to know about symptoms. Wouldn't tell results. I had to ring reception. So two weeks ago I was TSH 0.9. Wouldn't tell me T3 or t4 ..maybe didn't do them... yesterday my bloods done. TSH 1.7. free t4 16. Again no T3 done. Symptoms are fast heart rate palpitations cold hands, anxiety. Irritability, hair thinning. Tremors in hands. A awful shaky feeling inside. Very jumpy at slightest noise. Any help is greatly appreciated as GP is not
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Ask for a referral to an endocrinologist. Many GPs react the same with thyroid function tests. Could you ask advice from a local Pharmacist.
I did a quick GOOGLE and recommend that you send them an e-mail asking how to encourage your GP to do further tests and who you need to be referred to for appropriate treatment and advice ;-)
British Thyroid Foundation
Registered Office
Suite 12, One Sceptre House
Hornbeam Square North
Hornbeam Park
Harrogate
HG2 8PB
+44 (0)1423 810093
[email protected]
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I'm no expert but it sounds like thyroid to me. If your gp won't do the full range you can get it done privately by medichecks (others available but that's what I used). It showed I had Hashimoto's which gp would never have known as they don't test everything. It seems you can feel rough when the nhs says 'within normal range' too but I'm not sure what you can do about that except to go privately. I'm in a similar position to you atm but your symptoms sound worse than mine. I think you need to post the reference range as well as the result as it seems to differ depending on the lab.
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Thanks so much everyone I'm currently sat look at getting my own tests done. Why do doctor's just shrug u off?
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Yes get your own tests done, you want thyroid antibodies and free t3 and t4. Medichecks and Thriva are reasonably priced options that do finger prick blood thyroid testing.
Trouble is your g.p. can probably not get the NHS lab to do the full range of thyroid tests, which they consider unnecessary. They only use TSH which is useless when you are being treated.
Thyroid UK (TUK) are a patient association and much more use than British Thyroid Association. They have lists of test providers etc on their website and various groups where you can get help.
Those symptoms you mention are what I get when I have forgotten my medicines so you may be on too little (but they can be different for everyone and my too little is other people's too much). If you get proper testing you will know
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We are a Mine of Info on here. It's medical negligence not to treat when a patient continues with symptoms, regardless of testing!
Let us know how you get on.
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Thank you all...I'm on no treatment...I've been feeling awful for awhile but it's been worse since Christmas. ..been in hospital two days..with symptoms..so frustrating as I'm getting nowhere.. doctor was very arrogant and said today your thyroid is fine nothing is wrong...🤷 ..so I've been researching myself..to try get information..and then tried on here with all you lovely people..I just feel out of whack..I've just ordered thyroid tests on medicheck 🤞
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Well done! Let us know how you get on.
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Hello Geordieclaire and welcome to the forum.
You say that you are not on any treatment, do you mean that you are not taking any thyroid medication such as Levothyroxine or any form of HRT? You also mention a hospital visit was that because of your asthma?
I ask because your symptoms could be menopause related and not necessarily due to your thyroid.
I think having a blood test with Medichecks is a great idea and will certainly help you work out what is going on. I wish you luck and please keep us updated
Take care.
K.
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Thankyou u lovely lot...wow the information on here is just brilliant...hi Kathleen no I'm currently on nothing .. suffering alot..I was in hospital because of palpitations and fast heart rate. Had ecg and scan for a clot. I've been put on steroids for my asthma as got a chest infection...since Christmas I've just felt not right..like body ticking fast. Awful panick feeling in chest and tremors in hands. Kids say I'm grouchy 😬 short temperature...my doctor here just won't see u...it's all over phone so thinking of going private because just had enough of feeling awful all the time
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Hi...so I've got horrendous vaginal atrophy..get repeated UTI..pelvic infections, BV....haven't had sex 😢for a yr. Miss my husband... He's been so patient ..it's just so painful..I've tried natural remedies, replens, silk, ..just didn't work. I use yes vaginal moisturizer inside and out but I've bit the bullet. Got ovestin off doctor. It says every night 4 wks? Yet I've heard should be two weeks?? Then is it twice a wk? How much do u use and can I use on the outer too? Any side effects?
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Got ovestin off doctor. It says every night 4 wks? Yet I've heard should be two weeks?? Then is it twice a wk? How much do u use and can I use on the outer too? Any side effects?
It's normally a 2 week loading dose, but if your GP says 4 best go with that. Sounds as though they think you need a longer loading period, which is quite enlightened of them. It's not necessarily twice a week after that, as some need it more often. The applicator that comes with it gives a measured dose, fill it to the red mark. You can also apply a bit to the labia. Side effects: impossible to say, most don't get any, some folk do, don't go looking for them is my advice ;) Good luck, hope you soon feel better!
JP x
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Hello, are you on hrt?
I’ve been on thyroxine for years and was having issues no matter what my tsh was. Oestrogen really helped.
If on hrt are you on right dose?
Also check ferritin, b12 folate and vit d.
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Hi thanks for your replies...not on any hrt at.... definitely hit that point where I need it...I'm three years since last period...what's the best to ask for? Body identical? Patches? Lenzetto?
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Thankyou for all your replies....I got nowhere with my GP about my thyroid so I did a test with medichecks. All my thyroid levels ok but I've tested positive for antibodies... thyroglobulin was 154. And thyroid peroxidase was 36 ..I've also low serum folate and vitamin d is just in normal range even though I take vitamin d for my osteoporosis. I must be on wrong dose or I'm not absorbing it....doc report says might a auto immune disease.
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Hi! I’m hypothyroid, wasn’t diagnosed on NHS, had to go private and been self dosing and monitoring 6 years.
Medichecks is great, but ‘ranges’ and being ‘in range’ is meaningless. For Free T3 you want your result in the TOP QUARTER of the range, and free T4 halfway on the range itself, or above. Antibodies do indicate hashimotos. There is help to work out the maths for that and understanding what it all means on a fab site called stopthethyroidmadness.org ( .com maybe ) and they have it all in 2 books also. It’s important you understand what is optimal levels and also that you should go by symptoms along with tests- did you test ‘reverse T3’. Are you losing hair? Eyebrows short? Dry skin? Gaining weight? Cold? No motivation? Lots of these are also menopause symptoms so I had to read a lot to understand them both. Taking daily body temperatures is a very good way to monitor your thyroid and a quick Google will give you sites that help with this.
Definitely do consider going on HRT. It’s not ok that you feel this bad and it does sound like you need to, there’s no need to have pain during sex or to miss out on it!
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Yes, what dose of Vit D are you on? Don’t take it near coffee or tea. I take at night with my dinner- preferably with fats in your meal. Helps absorption. My daughter had low D even though supplementing with spray so she’s on a 50mcg tablet now