Normal Lab Results, but Thyroid Symptoms Persist? Please help!!

[pen_thief]

I am asking this question on behalf of my good friend in the U.K.  Tonight his symptoms have become so severe that he's heading to the hospital and I am just terrified that they're going to misdiagnose him AGAIN.  He has been to several different doctors and had many tests done, but none of them have provided a conclusive answer.  

-He had a scope and scan of his throat and there were no visible nodules.
-Lab Results/Blood Tests came back within normal ranges (I don't think he's had additional Hashi's tests, however, just the standard thyroid tests.)

Despite everything being "normal" on the surface, he's experiencing the following symptoms:
-Tightness in the chest
-Difficulty catching his breath/taking deep breaths, especially after exerting himself.
-Panic attacks (sometimes induced by difficulty breathing, sometimes randomly)
-Tightness of the throat/difficulty swallowing. It's so bad he can barely eat, it takes him hours, and he's losing weight steadily. It's getting harder and harder for him to eat, when he used to be able to "shovel" his food down like a healthy young man.
-Fatigue, unmotivated, depressed - convinced he's not going to live much longer dealing with all these problems
-Recently he noticed a tingling sensation around his face.
-Waking up several times during the night

He's being told that it's probably just "nerves" and it's all in his head.  I refuse to believe this because I have witnessed him getting worse and worse in the last year. Please, if you or anyone you know have experienced anything similar, tell me what he can do or where to begin to seek a proper diagnosis.

He gets so nervous and exhausted trying to sift through the piles and piles of information on the web so I am trying to help him in any way I can.  I put this question in the Hashi's category because I have long suspected it might be that, however I could be wrong.  

Thank you!!

[pen_thief]

I think he's lost the results from his last lab work because the thyroid specialist he went to see said he was fine.  So he calmed down for a bit, but the symptoms never really went away despite the suggestions he was given.  The specialist tried to convince him he might have an eating phobia! One specialist even said it could be "anorexia"!  The incompetence is astounding.  

NHS has been giving him the runaround, that's for sure. I believe his next stop is at a cardiologist (due to the heartbeat issue). I just somehow doubt he's going to get to the source of the problem :( I think he's going to eventually have to make another appointment and have additional lab work done, and when he does, I will post it here. Thanks again!

[Barb135]

We've heard from quite a few members in UK that it's very difficult to get the proper testing/treatment for thyroid issues because the NHS, allows only for certain tests to be done.  From what we've heard, getting the proper treatment requires a lot of "jumping through hoops" to "prove" that additional testing is needed.

I'd be real interested in seeing which tests they actually performed on him, as well as the results and reference ranges, which vary from lab to lab, so must come from a patient's own lab report.  .  

[pen_thief]

Thank you, as soon as I can get the info from him I will update.

[flyingfool]

Sounds like he could be Hyper Thyroid.

you will need his lab data to post.  Specifically his free T3 and Free T4. TSH also as I don't even see that.

A normal range is a statistical range.  it has nothing to do with "proper" levels.  And what is good for one person is NOT good for another.  So just because your friend falls within a "normal" range does not mean that it is what HE needs in order to feel good.

Most of the symptoms you list are consistent with being Hyper (too high of Thyroid).