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Father had Hyperparathyroidism: Symptoms - Fatigue, Excessive Thirst and Brain Fog
My Father had hyperparathyroidism when he was my age and this is one of the only disorders I have seen that list both fatigue and extreme thirst (my current symptoms). The endocrinologist said she tested me for any thyroid issues but it seems to be the closest match from anything I have researched. I have included my profile below and am open to anyone's advice/opinion! Thank you so much in advance!
Age: 26
Weight: 173 lbs
Height: 5'10"
Lives in Connecticut
Symptoms:
Brain fog, fatigue, lightheaded, extreme thirst, reaction to foods (inconsistent) and agitation
Timeline/Description:
I have had these issues for over 4 years... When I first started my job out of college, I would have random bouts with fatigue where I would have to go to my car and nap because I was so tired. As the years have gone on, this has grown more and more constant, to the point where I always have fatigue, brain fog, light-headedness and sometimes feel so "out of it" that I am afraid to drive.
Over the past two years, I have begun experiencing excessive thirst (on top of the fatigue/fog) daily, which leads me to drink well over the recommended daily water intake.
There are many times where the brain fog increases drastically following a meal but this is not always consistent. I find that when I am having a really bad day with brain fog, I am very agitated, fidgety and moody as well (not because I am not feeling well, seems more like another symptom).
More and more I have been having reactions to foods/alcohol, to the point where I turn bright red, get itchy, face gets hot and I start to have a little trouble breathing which tends to go away within an hour or so. I spent over two years getting immunotherapy for external allergens, with no relief. I was also tested for food allergies but nothing came back positive.
Other random issues that I have had over the past 4 years include increased sinus infections, ear aches and back drip, which never used to be issues for me.
I take a multivitamin daily, vitamin b-complex and a probiotic.
Doctors and Tests:
I have had appointments with my primary care physician, ENT, Allergist, Naturopath, Endocrinologist and Pulmonologist. I have been tested for mono, Lyme disease, anemia, diabetes, thyroid and what seems like all of the "go to" tests when a doctor hears fatigue. I tested negative for diabetes and negative for all other initial endocrine system tests, with the doctor feeling confident that it was not an issue within her realm.
The ENT did not see any issues with the sinuses but recommended immunotherapy. The allergist could not figure out why my two years of immunotherapy for external (dust, pollen, trees, grass) allergies did not help at all and did not believe food allergies was my issue.
My Naturopath tested my B12 and other vitamin levels with no problems popping up. After her recommendation, I went on a two month anti-candida diet (cut out all yeast, sugar, alcohol, etc) as she thought it was a yeast build up in my intestines. I stayed on the strict diet for two full months and stopped once the stool tests came back negative for yeast. While I ate extremely healthy, cut out alcohol and lost 15 pounds, I felt no better than before.
I am scheduled for a sleep test within the next two months but I feel that my lack of sleep quality is due to all of the issues I am having, not the other way around. Not to mention, a sleep issue doesn’t seem to answer the excessive thirst problem.
I am also seeing a Neurologist within the next month.
I do not believe that I have depression, though I am starting to get slightly depressed seeing as these issues have gone on for so long and have been very debilitating.
Who I Am:
I have always been a hardworking, focused and career oriented individual who loves being around people and making others laugh. Over the past four years, I have slowly turned into someone who can barely focus on simple tasks (brain fog), has put his entire career on hold hoping to find a cure (too afraid to start a new job as I can barely focus) and someone who has not been his normal self. These issues have become more and more debilitating; to the point where my entire life has revolved around how I can just get back to feeling like my old self (I can't even remember what that is like anymore). I go to bed every night praying I will just wake up and feel better, only to wake up and immediately be hit with fogginess and fatigue. I am not a depressed or suicidal person, but I honestly don't know what I'd do if I looked back in 6 months and still felt this way and/or had no clear direction on how to find a cure.
Thank you so much in advance for your help!
Age: 26
Weight: 173 lbs
Height: 5'10"
Lives in Connecticut
Symptoms:
Brain fog, fatigue, lightheaded, extreme thirst, reaction to foods (inconsistent) and agitation
Timeline/Description:
I have had these issues for over 4 years... When I first started my job out of college, I would have random bouts with fatigue where I would have to go to my car and nap because I was so tired. As the years have gone on, this has grown more and more constant, to the point where I always have fatigue, brain fog, light-headedness and sometimes feel so "out of it" that I am afraid to drive.
Over the past two years, I have begun experiencing excessive thirst (on top of the fatigue/fog) daily, which leads me to drink well over the recommended daily water intake.
There are many times where the brain fog increases drastically following a meal but this is not always consistent. I find that when I am having a really bad day with brain fog, I am very agitated, fidgety and moody as well (not because I am not feeling well, seems more like another symptom).
More and more I have been having reactions to foods/alcohol, to the point where I turn bright red, get itchy, face gets hot and I start to have a little trouble breathing which tends to go away within an hour or so. I spent over two years getting immunotherapy for external allergens, with no relief. I was also tested for food allergies but nothing came back positive.
Other random issues that I have had over the past 4 years include increased sinus infections, ear aches and back drip, which never used to be issues for me.
I take a multivitamin daily, vitamin b-complex and a probiotic.
Doctors and Tests:
I have had appointments with my primary care physician, ENT, Allergist, Naturopath, Endocrinologist and Pulmonologist. I have been tested for mono, Lyme disease, anemia, diabetes, thyroid and what seems like all of the "go to" tests when a doctor hears fatigue. I tested negative for diabetes and negative for all other initial endocrine system tests, with the doctor feeling confident that it was not an issue within her realm.
The ENT did not see any issues with the sinuses but recommended immunotherapy. The allergist could not figure out why my two years of immunotherapy for external (dust, pollen, trees, grass) allergies did not help at all and did not believe food allergies was my issue.
My Naturopath tested my B12 and other vitamin levels with no problems popping up. After her recommendation, I went on a two month anti-candida diet (cut out all yeast, sugar, alcohol, etc) as she thought it was a yeast build up in my intestines. I stayed on the strict diet for two full months and stopped once the stool tests came back negative for yeast. While I ate extremely healthy, cut out alcohol and lost 15 pounds, I felt no better than before.
I am scheduled for a sleep test within the next two months but I feel that my lack of sleep quality is due to all of the issues I am having, not the other way around. Not to mention, a sleep issue doesn’t seem to answer the excessive thirst problem.
I am also seeing a Neurologist within the next month.
I do not believe that I have depression, though I am starting to get slightly depressed seeing as these issues have gone on for so long and have been very debilitating.
Who I Am:
I have always been a hardworking, focused and career oriented individual who loves being around people and making others laugh. Over the past four years, I have slowly turned into someone who can barely focus on simple tasks (brain fog), has put his entire career on hold hoping to find a cure (too afraid to start a new job as I can barely focus) and someone who has not been his normal self. These issues have become more and more debilitating; to the point where my entire life has revolved around how I can just get back to feeling like my old self (I can't even remember what that is like anymore). I go to bed every night praying I will just wake up and feel better, only to wake up and immediately be hit with fogginess and fatigue. I am not a depressed or suicidal person, but I honestly don't know what I'd do if I looked back in 6 months and still felt this way and/or had no clear direction on how to find a cure.
Thank you so much in advance for your help!
Yes, I would do the Free T3 and Free T4 (not Total T3 and Total T4) and Reverse T3 tests, along with whatever the doctor wants to test for the possibility of any diabetes related issue.
Thanks for all of your insight! I just received my results back and my Vitamin B12 is.. 555 (200-1100 pg/mL range).
As for retesting T3's and T4's... My calcium levels were just tested and came back fine, but you think I should still retest the T3/T4, including the Free T's?
Thanks!
Mike
As for retesting T3's and T4's... My calcium levels were just tested and came back fine, but you think I should still retest the T3/T4, including the Free T's?
Thanks!
Mike
Okay, I do want to see the B12 result. Your D should be adequate. Nothing in your iron/ferritin tests stands out as a problem for you. Your Free T4 is slightly below the recommended level of mid-range or higher.
I wish they had tested for Free T3 rather than Total T3. You should always insist on Free T3 in the future. Your Total T3 is on the low side. If your Free T3 exhibits a similar pattern, then you need to raise your level as necessary to relieve symptoms. Before drawing that conclusion, I would like to see a test for Free T3, Free T4 and Reverse T3 done at the same time. That will give a better idea of tissue thyroid levels compared to serum thyroid levels. Sometimes conditions cause excess Reverse T3 to be converted from T4 and results in hypo symptoms. The ratio of Free T3 to Reverse T3 is reported to be a good indicator of tissue thyroid levels. Also, in view of your symptom of excessive thirst, I would also like to suggest that consider the following and test accordingly.
"Thirst is the feeling of needing to drink something. It occurs whenever the body is dehydrated for any reason. Any condition that can result in a loss of body water can lead to thirst or excessive thirst. For this reason, thirst is a characteristic symptoms of certain medical conditions, most notably diabetes mellitus. Thirst may be accompanied by other signs of dehydration such as decreased urine output, reduced sweating and tear production, muscle cramps, weakness, lightheadedness, and nausea."
I wish they had tested for Free T3 rather than Total T3. You should always insist on Free T3 in the future. Your Total T3 is on the low side. If your Free T3 exhibits a similar pattern, then you need to raise your level as necessary to relieve symptoms. Before drawing that conclusion, I would like to see a test for Free T3, Free T4 and Reverse T3 done at the same time. That will give a better idea of tissue thyroid levels compared to serum thyroid levels. Sometimes conditions cause excess Reverse T3 to be converted from T4 and results in hypo symptoms. The ratio of Free T3 to Reverse T3 is reported to be a good indicator of tissue thyroid levels. Also, in view of your symptom of excessive thirst, I would also like to suggest that consider the following and test accordingly.
"Thirst is the feeling of needing to drink something. It occurs whenever the body is dehydrated for any reason. Any condition that can result in a loss of body water can lead to thirst or excessive thirst. For this reason, thirst is a characteristic symptoms of certain medical conditions, most notably diabetes mellitus. Thirst may be accompanied by other signs of dehydration such as decreased urine output, reduced sweating and tear production, muscle cramps, weakness, lightheadedness, and nausea."
Thanks so much for helping!
Thyroid info:
TSH: 1.37 (0.40-4.50 mIU/L)
T4, Free: 1.2 (0.8-1.8 ng/dL)
T3, Total: 99 (76-181 ng/dL)
Iron: 70 (65-175 ug/dL)
Iron Binding: 326 (250-450 ug/dL)
% Saturation: 21 (20-55%)
Ferritin: 72 (26-388 ng/mL)
Vitamin D, 1,25 Dihydroxy LC/MS/MS
Vitamin D, 1,25 (OH)2, Total 43 (18-72pg/mL)
Vitamin D3, 1,25 (OH)2 43
Vitamin D2, 1,25 (OH)2 <8
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy, LC/MS/MS
Vitamin D, 25 OH, Total 54 (30-100 ng/mL)
Vitamin D, 25 OH, D3 54
Vitamin D, 25 OH, D2 <4
I was just retested for my B levels and told they were within range. I will post the exact numbers once I get the faxed results...
Thanks for all the help!
Mike
Thyroid info:
TSH: 1.37 (0.40-4.50 mIU/L)
T4, Free: 1.2 (0.8-1.8 ng/dL)
T3, Total: 99 (76-181 ng/dL)
Iron: 70 (65-175 ug/dL)
Iron Binding: 326 (250-450 ug/dL)
% Saturation: 21 (20-55%)
Ferritin: 72 (26-388 ng/mL)
Vitamin D, 1,25 Dihydroxy LC/MS/MS
Vitamin D, 1,25 (OH)2, Total 43 (18-72pg/mL)
Vitamin D3, 1,25 (OH)2 43
Vitamin D2, 1,25 (OH)2 <8
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy, LC/MS/MS
Vitamin D, 25 OH, Total 54 (30-100 ng/mL)
Vitamin D, 25 OH, D3 54
Vitamin D, 25 OH, D2 <4
I was just retested for my B levels and told they were within range. I will post the exact numbers once I get the faxed results...
Thanks for all the help!
Mike
Calcium and PTH work in a seesaw effect. My calcium and PTH were both low so my seesaw was broken lol. I had hypoparathyroidism due to magnesium severe deficiency. Your seesaw looks alright though.
I personally had excessive thirst from insulin resistance which worsened with severe magnesium deficiency. My blood glucose levels have always been normal though.
I personally had excessive thirst from insulin resistance which worsened with severe magnesium deficiency. My blood glucose levels have always been normal though.
We need to see your thyroid related tests and reference ranges shown on the lab report , such as TSH, Free T3, Free T4, or even Total T3 and Total T4. Also, any results for vitamin D, B12 and ferritin (iron related)
Forgive me, as I am a finance major trying to read and understand my test results! I will try and include everything below. Please let me know if I forgot to list something you would like to see and thanks so much!!
Calcium: 9.9 (8.6-10.3 mg/dL)
eAG (mg/dL): 103
eAG (mmol/L): 5.7
PTH, Intact (without calcium)
Parathyroid Hormone, Intact: 16 (10-65 pg/mL)
This part was confusing to me so I will try to type this out how I see it on the page...
Intact PTH Calcium
Normal Parathyroid Normal Normal
Hypoparathyroidism Low/Low Normal Low
Hyperparathyroidism
Primary Normal/High High
Secondary High Normal/Low
Tertiary High High
Non-Parathyroid Low/Low Normal High
Hypercalcemia
Calcium: 9.9 (8.6-10.3 mg/dL)
eAG (mg/dL): 103
eAG (mmol/L): 5.7
PTH, Intact (without calcium)
Parathyroid Hormone, Intact: 16 (10-65 pg/mL)
This part was confusing to me so I will try to type this out how I see it on the page...
Intact PTH Calcium
Normal Parathyroid Normal Normal
Hypoparathyroidism Low/Low Normal Low
Hyperparathyroidism
Primary Normal/High High
Secondary High Normal/Low
Tertiary High High
Non-Parathyroid Low/Low Normal High
Hypercalcemia
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