# have any of you been test for a complete thyroid panel



## clamhr (Apr 14, 2004)

hi, i was dx'd with fibromyalgia for 5 years; constant pain, severe fatigue at times that kept me from working. in 2002, i had an onset of pain that was the worst i've ever had. it was not only JUST the usual tenderpoints, but it was an overall body pain that was unusual for me. my gp ran a series of tests, cbc, cmet, sed rate (esr) and a COMPLETE thyroid panel (tsh, t3 & t4, free t3& 4) and discovered that also my tsh was at the very low end of normal(where it had always run in the mid range of normal), the rest of thyroid panels were totally off. then she did a graves' disease antibodies test on me as well as the lab for hashimoto disease, and found out that i have graves' disease.apparently, fibromyalgia and graves' disease mimic each other and until a lab tests is actually done to see if graves' disease or anything else is wrong with the thyroid (i was lucky enough to have a gp who caught it) i would still be running in circles asking why am i in so much pain, and there must be a life beyond pain pills and rest.well there is.you might want to consider tactfully demanding your doctor run a complete thyroid panel on you to MAKE SURE there is nothing lurking within the thyroid. had my doctor just run a tsh, i'd still be dealing with pain meds.just a little note to everyone that also fibromyalgia is indeed a syndromatic disease, it can also be related to other conditions. make sure your doc is looking at the WHOLE picture, not just a part of it.good luck everyone. i know how you are all suffering. just make sure you're not dealing with something else. the patients sometimes have to do their own investigating. bye


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## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

clamhr,Thanks for the info. Although I have had a number of panels run over the years, it never hurts to have a reminder to check it out again.And you are so right, we have to do our own investigating most of the time. I'm sorry to hear you have Graves Disease. I'm glad that you have a definite diagnosis, though, so that you can get the right treatment. Good luck to you.


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

Thanks for the good reminder clamhr! Thyroid function tests really should be done before considering a diagnosis of ME/CFS, and I guess Fibro too. I was hypothyroid for a couple of months and that, on top of ME/CFS made the pain and fatigue unbelievable. I was also extremely depressed, had very dry skin, was loosing hair, no appetite but a lot of weight gain. Fortunately my thyroid levels righted themselves after a couple of months.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

I agree. A good suggestion, as some thyroid disorders can mimic Fibro and CFS symptoms. Should definitely test all those levels to rule that out as a possible cause!


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