Choking Feeling

[MissReRe]

I am a 46 year-old female.  My signficant labs:  Glucose 106 mg/dL (High/65-99 limits); T4, Free (Direct) 0.56 ng/dL (Low/0.61-1.76 limits); Thyroid Perioxidase (TPO) Ab 131 IU/mL (High/0-34 limits); Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy 9.5 ng/mL (Low/32.0-100.0 limits).  My records noted I had a small goiter and am experiencing a choking sensation (golf ball) primarily on the right side of my neck.  I did not note a TSH test in my first round of lab tests but upon a subsequent visit to the doctor was told my TSH levels equaled 2.69.  The only treatment prescribed was a high dose of Vitamin D.  The choking sensation was not addressed.  I have fatigue, swelling and joint pain, sensitivity to cold and heat (do not sweat), headaches, increased hair on face, fingers, and toes; increased urination (mostly at night); weight gain (most notably in the past year around the mid-drift), high purine levels, etc.  While I have these other symptoms, the most distressing is choking (three years ago was put on a sleep apea machine).  Could the goiter be causing the sleep apnea and other problems?  My symptoms began 10 years ago and have steadily gotten worse and more severe.  Thank you.  

[tomgirl41]

Hi there. I'm definitely not an expert, but I think you're right that you need to find a really good doctor who will listen to you and your symptoms.  I think this website has doctor listings.  It also  has a Health Pages section in the top right corner that has links to different websites that might have listings of endocrinologists by state.  Also, try the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Thyroid Association website. I've never really tried to search for an endocrinologist because I was able to find a pretty good one early on.  Good Luck!

[MissReRe]

Thank you for your response.  I did see an endocrinologist twice in the last week.  He only wanted to start me on 1 capsule of 50,000 IU of Vitamin D weekly due to my extremely low Vitamin D levels.  The 50,000 IU's is not a typographical error.  When I called back to question why nothing more was being done and ask for my records to get a second opinion, the endo then said, "If I wanted to he would start me on a low dose thyroid medication."  This was due he said to new TSH levels that had risen to 2.69.  In reviewing my lab tests from my initial visit, I could not find that a TSH test had even been ordered and questioned if one had been performed.  As this question was evaded by the endo I assume one had not been ordered until my second visit and he was looking at a TSH test of 1.94 my primary care physician ordered in 5/2008.  Also, the reason I questioned the treatment prescribed was I received a letter (written after the first visit but received after the second visit) from this endo stating that I had a small goiter and Hashimoto's thyroiditis and due to continued frustration over the choking sensation.  He addressed none of these concerns in my second visit.  In any case, this endo inspired no confidence in me to continue under his care.  I think his practice focuses primarily on diabetes.  Is there a way to find an endocrinologist who specializes in thyroid problems?

[tomgirl41]

In my 20s I had the same feeling of a tight throat which I wrote off as stress.  I'm 41 now and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 4 years ago.  My endo said that this choking feeling in the throat was one that he had heard from his thyroid patients many times before. Have you been to an endocrinologist?  When I had my thyroid checked before being diagnosed, I had numbers in the normal range, but because of all of my symptoms and the fact that my mother also has hypo, he said that I had subclinical hypo.  He started me on levoxyl, which really helped. Maybe you should get another opinion from an endocrinologist. Good luck.