NO answers...still

[Maybird]

I have had many tests done, the most recent was the uptake and scan. My thyroid is englarged and has been for 3 1/2 years now. The doctors say "possible hashimoto's" but because all my tests are normal or within normal range they aren't proceeding with anything.  My symptoms are weight gain with inability to lose, no matter how hard i try and believe me I have tried.  Hair loss, cold insenitivity, goiter, and fatigue. I am currently taking 200mg of provigil a day just to stay awake and even still I have to nap on most days.  I also have PCOS and I think this is confusing doctor's because the symptoms are so similar.  One of my most recent symptoms was my prolactin levels were elevated and I had to go on stronger BC pills but other than that I have been battling the other symptoms for so long. My throat hurts so much sometimes and through out the day my voice gradually gets deeper. I had a horrible case of strep about 2 months ago that resulted in scarlet fever, i'm not sure if thats related but I heard thyroid issues can cause throat problems too. There are days that i'm extremelly bloated and can barely fit into my clothes and days where my clothes are falling off of me.  Since I took the radioactive iodine for the uptake scan my thyroid has been huge and it feels like somebody is pressing on my neck.  Now (a week after the test) my appetite has gone away. I have to force myself to eat and even then i get nauseous.
Is there anything i can tell my doctor to make him look deeper, should i tell him to look for something specific? Based on my symptoms is there something that stands out?  All i hear is normal normal normal but it couldnt be farther from the truth.  Please help!!!

[Maybird]

I had a thyroid ultrasoud done and all they said was normal but enlarged.  As for as sleep apnea, I'm not obese, (5'9 and 180) and one doctor did ask my husband if i snored which he said not usually. I will bring it up to the doctor though.  what they said to me about the uptake scan was "no significan nodules" but, being that this was my first uptake scan, he didnt want to put me on medication until he saw me again (in OCT). Another thing is that my glucose levels are high i believe they are 44 when the lab indicated that normal was less than 17. fasting glucose was normal. How can they tell the differences between the thyroid and pcos? I thought birth control was supposed to curb the pcos symptoms.

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

If the thyroid function blood tests are normal then the general symptoms are not likely due to thyroid.  That does not mean the thyroid cannot be enlarged and causing local neck symptoms though -- neck ultrasound is the best way to characterize thyroid growth.  PCOS would be the most likely cause for many of the other symptoms.  Also consider sleep apnea.