Suspect hypothyroidism with crohn's

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hey all,

back story
have had crohn's for years but was diagnosed in jan 09
was on prednisone first, had bad withdrawal because i think i tapered off too fast and then i was on imuran and now i'm only on remicade.

the crohn's symptoms have generally improved, though once in a while i'll have obstruction like symptoms and so, i have an mri coming up and my GI is considering surgery for me, because of my stricture.

but i'm concerned about some other ongoing symptoms, that i suspect are due to hypothyroidism...so i had some bloodwork done last thursday and i'm waiting for the results. i hope i figure it out because something isn't right.

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why i suspect hypothyroidism

risk factors
- my mom has hypothyroidism but she was diagnosed at age 50 and my grandma's sister has hypothyroidism. Then on my dad's side, my grandmother's sister and neice have had hyperthyroid....but on both sides of my family there are lots of autoimmune diseases, plus i already have crohn's....
- also, i read that prednisone can cause hypothyroidism and i do notice these symptoms after pred...

symptoms
- puffiness/swelling - in my face especially around my eyes (it got so bad it looks like i had an allergic reaction) it's worse when i wake up in the morning but doesn't completely go away.... also my ankles are puffy and i've been told my hands are puffy (the nurse who was inserting the iv for my remi infusion mentioned it|)
- general edema - drinking water but still not peeing enough, though recently i stopped drinking as much water and i've been urinating more and the water weight is coming off again.

- weight gain - i've gained over 80 pounds in about a year, most of the gain was less than a year. i have been working out almost everyday and cutting calories, i slowly lose 15 pounds but the minute i take a break, my weight is up 5-7 pounds and i'm puffy.

- constipation - thought it was because of my stricture, maybe not?? or maybe crohns and thyroid

- i often wake up with tingling and kind of numbness in my fingers... and i'm very cold at night... thought it was poor circulation... my b12 is said to be ok too... but yeah it's a weird feeling in the hands

- lethargic

- my hair texture has changed and i thought it was from remicade...it just looks dry and dead.... my skin sometimes has flakiness (especially on the chin)

- general stiffness and soreness in my body (i did have joint inflammation in the past with my crohn's but that's calmed down|)

- hoarsness in my voice...i lose my voice very easily. especially at night. but i've had a weak voice since i was a kid due to allergies so that's hard to know if it's just allergies or another symptom

does anyone else experience these symptoms? anyone with hypothyroidism and crohn's have any feedback or advice please?

i just hope my bloodwork shows something because i'm not crazy i know this isn't normal at all.
 
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I'm undiagnosed with Crohn's, but diagnosed with hypothyroidism of unknown origin. They can obviously go hand in hand.

The symptoms you describe could fit for hypothyroidism, but it sounds a lot like what I've heard a few people describe they suffer on Prednisone. And as you say, it can cause hypothyroidism. It's hard to tell which symptoms are from what, since there are aggravating factors.

Put of curiosity, what are the symptoms you get with an obstruction?
 
hi sorbys, thanks for replying.

i havent been on prednisone for over a year now. but i'm wondering if i was already borderline for developing hypothyroidism and being on the pred set it off... oh well, guess i'll find out soon.

regarding obstruction symptoms - for me i get:
- cramping pain that gradually becomes more severe in intensity (the pain will come in waves or intervals, i.e. comes and goes within a few minutes apart)
- feeling of a lot of pressure and bloating, belching repeatedly as the gas is building up
- nausea that leads to vomiting -- for me, the vomit usually looks watering and light orange (which i think is bile).

the pain is very very severe, and usually on my right side. i feel nauseous and feverish, and the pain is so bad that i can't even sleep...it just keeps me awake all night.

my GI said that when the pain is that bad and i start vomiting, i should go to the hospital because these are symptoms of obstruction.

hope this helps!
 
thanks for the link!

i'm curious, what symptoms have you been experiencing that make you suspect crohns?
i know you said it's undiagnosed, but keep at it, keep getting tests done and do your research because (coming from me - i am considered 'atypical' with how my symptoms presented) the doctors aren't always great at diagnosing it...takes a long time in most cases.
 
It's been off and on (mostly on) for the last year and a half. Right lower quadrant aches, gurgles, bulging movements, consistently loose (but still formed) stools, and an increase in perimenstrual symptoms I never had before.

It keeps changing, but the daily right lower quadrant ache doesn't go away, and the bulging peristalsis in that area is new and makes me freak out about narrowing. My dad had Crohn's and weird autoimmune diseases run in the family on both sides, unfortunately.

I'm going to keep an eye on it, look into SIBO, and try to find a new gastroenterologist that doesn't want to immediately throw me through "the ringer" without some smaller investigations first. Eegh, I'll do a colonoscopy, but I do not do well with endoscopies; it took me over a year to get back to normal from the last one!
 
I have thyroid issues, and I get severe depression when my thyroid levels are out of whack. I take synthroid and feel awesome.
 
@sorbys, good luck! hopefully you get a diagnosis and effective treatment

so i feel like an idiot because i spoke to my doctor today and she said my bloodwork came back normal - not even borderline - except my white blood cell count was a bit up (which isnt a concern since thats typical with my crohns bloodwork)

i feel relieved that my thyroid is ok (i know its not easy to deal with and i want to be able to lose weight) but still i feel like some things are out of wack... only other thing i can think of looking into is food allergy testing... since i've read that weight gain from food allergies/intolerances is common since the body can't metabolize it properly it gets stored as fat..also the inflammation from the allergy can be why i get the edema/swelling.

oh well, i'll continue investigating.

@lydia- awesome, glad your treatment is working for you.
 
Cheeky, can you post your results on here? A lot of doctors are catching on and treating people with symptoms of hypothyroidism even if their TSH is "normal". What was yours? And did you get T3 and T4 tested as well?
 

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