Can you say, Toxic (MNG) Multi-Nodular Goiter? For almost two years, I have had this sense of increasing toxicity. If I leaned toward the paranoid my suspicion would be somebody trying to poison me. A year ago July, I had a bizarre visit to the ER, nearly ending with me in restraints. The current theory on last year’s incident is a thyroid storm, or thyrotoxicosis. Just before Thanksgiving this year, a CT of my neck revealed the MNG!
Once the diagnosis of an MNG was made, all the symptoms of hyperthyroidism sort of fell in place. Think of thyroid hormones as the body’s gas pedal. When the pedal is down, the whole car accelerates as does EVERY system in our bodies. Overheating is not “like something” it is exactly what is happening. The heart starts to race or pound, the brain goes on high alert but can’t seem to concentrate, you burn calories like never before and food starts going through faster than usual. Weight loss, hyperkinesias or hyperactivity, wide fast gestures, forced speech, pacing, hyper-defecation or abdominal cramping and new or increased abdominal pain are just parts of a list of signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
A healthy thyroid gland is probably not what most CFers in fact have. Its structure and means of functioning are potentially clogged by the same thick mucus as other glands in the body. In fact CFTR mutations have been correlated with certain kinds of thyroid nodules. I have held a suspicion that CFers “burn” faster than otherwise healthy people. I wonder if many CFers aren’t a little thyrotoxic.
A potential thyroid storm is something to be aware of. Much like an adrenaline rush, anxiety attack and confusion rolled into a package, what may seem emotional and confusing may be around your neck and purely chemical. Last year’s ER visit didn’t even look for a thyroid problem, they actually thought I was overdosing on methamphetamines or such. Thyroid storms are often missed which is often fatal. CFers need to study up on the thyroid, especially emergency symptoms of a thyroid storm. I found a “Point Scale for the Diagnosis of Thyroid Storm” on the internet, by Burch and Wartofsky worthy of printing a keeping handy. Your life may depend on it someday. A methamphetamine overdose and a thyroid storm can look exactly alike, not something you want in an emergency room situation.
Thyrotoxicosis or toxic levels of thyroid hormones as in a thyroid storm can be set off by a pulmonary infection!!!!! Thyroid tissue forms nodes all the way down the trachea. Everybody has them but in CFers these nodes are in hostile territory.
The thyroid equation is true algebra involving two thyroid hormones, T3 and T4, and the pituitary hormone TSH or Thyroid Stimulation Hormone. With everything healthy, T3 and T4 are being produced, setting the metabolic rate for every cell in the body. When the pituitary gland in the brain senses the T3 and T4 levels in the blood, it can produce more or produce less TSH to correct the thyroid’s activity. Problems can be in either place and their interrelationship can be confusing.
Hyperthyroidism can be a general enlargement of the thyroid, or nodules, can form in the thyroid gland causing an increase in T3 and T4. Nodules can irritate the gland to produce more hormones or the nodules are hyperactive themselves. Typically the higher T3 and T4 levels would cause the pituitary to shut down the production of TSH and in a healthy thyroid, it would work fine. Conversely the pituitary can become infiltrated with something causing it to over produce or under produce TSH. An over production of TSH can cause a healthy thyroid gland to overproduce T3 and T4. Underproduction of TSH results in one type of hypothyroidism.
A person who is hyperthyroid may need to have the thyroid removed or deactivated with radioactive iodine treatment or such. It is hard to imagine hypothyroidism superior to hyperthyroidism but from the hyperthyroid standpoint, I probably couldn’t stand this excited state much longer, physically or mentally. Fortunately T3 and T4 come in pills but that is no comparison to the original equipment and it only works for certain types of hypothyroid. I have re-read some of my posts over the last two years and it is easy to see when my thyroid was going nuts, like right now.
My hypermetabolic brain has consumed huge amounts of information on hyperthyroidism since turkey day, thought I would share.
LL
thank you