How did you lose your baby fat?

[B'sgirl]

That's crazy! It totally sounds like thyroid. Results always came up in my bloodwork so it was easy to tell. I've never heard of one that hides itself. That is strange. It could be something to do with the endocrine system though, but I am assuming you have already seen an endocrinologist (if you have one in your small town) if you have had your thyroid checked that much.

[HeavenLeigh]

Originally Posted by B'sgirl

endocrinologist (if you have one in your small town) if you have had your thyroid checked that much.

they can't spell that in my town. I'll have to search my fried brain and see if I can come up w/ the name of the disease. They do Nuc. Med. scans all the time on thyroids to find this disease. I'll ask my Rheumy when I go back in 2 wks to order the test if nothing else shows up in my blood work.

[HeavenLeigh]

I found it. It's called Graves' Disease, it's an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland. Graves' Disease

[Csara]

i have the other autoimmune disease of the thyroid - hashimotos thyroiditis.

[B'sgirl]

Yes, I've been diagnosed with both. They can be confused because Grave's can look like hashimoto's for awhile because your thyroid fluxuates up and down as the antibodies become active. Mine was easy to detect. But it's true that you can't detect Grave's disease all the time, only when your immune system is active. You can have it your whole life but it doesn't usually show up until you are in your 20's or older.

Watch to see if your eyes swell up when you get sick or have allergies. Grave's disease often affects your eyes too and can make them bulge out a little and get real watery. That can be another indication if you have it. At one point mine was so bad I felt like my eyes would literally pop out of my sockets.

But like I say, it's hard to detect because your thyroid would come up as normal if your immune system hasn't been activated recently. Pregnancy can flare it up as well.

[HeavenLeigh]

I'll def. have it checked out further. The only prob. with my eyes is that they get soooo dry. Almost 2 years ago I woke up with an ulcer on the cornea of my right eye (I was born blind in my left eye)...the ulcer busted open 3 times leaving me almost blind each time. I could barely make out the outline of D's face with him right in front of me. Very scary. I use drops and ointments many times a day still. I even have a plug in the drainage duct in my right eye.

My newest symptom....a couple/few weeks ago I thought I was having an allergic reaction to a muscle relaxer that I have been taking since before I had neck surgery in 2004. My face swelled up a little and on both cheeks were tiny bright red dots that looked like burns. It did burn, really bad for a few hours. I stopped taking that muscle relaxer and the next 2 times it happend I hadn't taken any meds that day. Have you done that?

[B'sgirl]

I have never heard of that. I know the antibodies will sometimes attack the skin on your legs--random--but it has never happened to me. But my eyes do get incredibly dry and light sensitive at times. I can't wear my contact lenses if it is bright outside or if I am too dry. But on the flip side, when they swell too much they water all the time but they still feel very dry. It's crazy. They can't do anything about the eyes though. But it doesn't get as bad since I had my thyroid radiated.

I found this list of symptoms. Also, it can cause heart palpitations or fluttering. And sometimes your neck might bulge out where the thyroid is (butterfly shape in the middle, but you probably know that). I used to get so tired I could hardly move too. Basically, it was miserable.

Nervousness, irritability, anxiety
Muscle weakness, fatigue
Increased appetite, weight loss despite normal eating
Sweating, shaking, heart pounding
Hair loss or thinning
Light or no menstrual flow
Goiter, bulging eyes
Vision disturbances (blurred or double vision)
Skin rash

[Margarita]

Hey, Krysti, when you've had your blood checked for thyroid, how did they do it? My mom has hypothyroidism, and she was told that all 4 things have to be checked - T4, T3, TSH, and I can never remember the 4th one. Anyway, sometimes only one is off. Also, they can be within limits at one time then off at others, fluctuating back and forth. So you might need to have a series done over a certain period of time to see whether your levels are stable.

[HeavenLeigh]

I can't think of the other test either....I had the whole shabang done a couple weeks ago at my Rheumy appt. My thyroid is "normal". My ANA (anti-nuclear-antibody) and SSA (no idea) and SS something else is high. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Sjogrens....but it doesn't fit all my symptoms. I have to go back in Feb to be retested for other autoimmune diseases. I have most of the symptoms of Lupus and Sjogrens is usually secondary to other autoimmune diseases like Lupus or Scleroderma. I have to have an eye exam to see if I have inflammation of the retina before she will give me a medicine to treat it. If my eye exam isn't up to par I'm not sure what she'll do. I know my eye doc pretty well and since I'm blind in my left eye I know he won't chance any meds that affect the eyes unless it's a must. So, we'll see I'm so depressed over all this. I have been 2 years knowing I had an autoimmune disease....and now that I have been diagnosed it's like a slap in the face because I know it still isn't the right diagnosis. EEERR!