sensitive toes/feet and fingersalso dry mouth

[whispercalm]

Well, it seems like over the last few months I have developed a whole pack of weird symptoms that I never had before. Several times over the summer and if I remember right last winter maybe too, I had such a horrible thirst and nothing could quench it. Mouth so dry. Diabetes test was negative.
Now I have notice an extreme sensitivity in my feet and finger tips. Sometimes standing and walking my feet are just so sensitive. The last week I have noticed that when soaking in the bathtub, my toes turn very white. (I don't mean prunish from being in too long) When I get out my toes hurt and throb for a couple hours afterwards. My fingers seem to be sensitive too.
I now I have fibromyalgia, but now I'm wondering about Reynaulds or something.
I also have low thyroid and am on estrogen replacement. Seems like my body is doing amajor change on me lately.

[ICNDonna]

Sounds like time to see your doctor and ask for some testing to find out what's going on with you.

Donna

[Silverfox]

Wispercalm,

I believe that all your symptoms could be caused by your low thyroid problems. You did not mention how much thyroid hormones and what type of thyroid hormones you take. Sometimes, this can make a big difference in the way that you feel.

I also learned after years of suffering and seeing many medical experts, and undergoing so many treatments and surgeries that it was my low thyroid (hypothyroidism) that was the culprit that causes my poor health and even the painful bladder and IC. I had these same kinds of symptoms and many more from the time that I was a small child. The symptoms just became worse over several decades and I was in terrible pain and began to think I was dying of some strange disease that was attacking all my nerves such as MS.

So finallly, when things were at their very worst, I learned that I was hypothyroid and diagnosed with lots of terrible nerve damage that they then told me was all over my body. That is not good. Nerves are so hard to regenerate and heal, and they are very painful and most pain medications will not help much. I learned that I suffered with sensory neuropathy, motor neuropathy and autonomic neuropathy.

When the thyroid is broken in anyway, there begins lots of problems throughout the body because of all the nerve damage. When the thyroid is broken then there is not good blood flow due to myxedema fluid that accumlates all over in the tissues and puts pressure on the threadlike arteries that block the blood carrying oxygen to the starving nerves, especially the ones in the fingers and toes (most distal).

It sounds as if you have some sensory nerve problem in your hands and feet and I was wondering if you are sensitive to the cold especially in the hands and feet. The fibromyalgia symptoms also can be caused by the low thyroid!
It is also very common for those with low thyroid to suffer with dry mouth and sometimes also dry eyes. This occurs because when the thyroid is low the autonomic nerves are affected and are unable to make the glands work as the message is blocked from the central nervous system.....I had so much of this also.

I hope you ask your Doctor about all your symptoms and maybe you have more that you have not mentioned. I hope you do some reading about this as you must not leave this go on and on without getting it solved. Knowlege is power!!!!! You need to be informed so you can get help from your Doctor.

This is my 2 cents, as I learned this lesson the hard hard painful way! Please don't let it get passed over as incorrectly treated hypothyroidism always gets worse. Hypothyroidism can be fatal, it can take a long time. Myxedema can be ugly!

[whispercalm]

Thanks for the responses. I am currently on .75 mg synthroid. It has been a year since my levels have been checked. I am sensititive to the cold too.
Today my feet are so sensitive they hurt when I walk and typing is not comfortable. I sees a new urologist Tuesday and I will ask if he can check my thyroid, otherwise I will contact mjy regular doctor. I never knew thyroid couold cause those types of symptoms. It was fatigue and hairloss as symptoms for me before.

[ICNDonna]

Have you had a complete physical recently? There are other things that can cause your symptoms.

Donna

[whispercalm]

Ok, I went to my appointment with a uro yesterday. When I called this clinic, I was told all the doctors there work with IC. So, first thing this guy says to me is that he tinks IC is a catch all for alot of different problems. That there is no such thing really as IC...it is symptomatic of other conditions.
Now he did make sense in that he thinks something is casuing my IC symptoms are cuased by something. He wants me to see a new gyn and gave me aname. Icalled and they need his referral. So, called his office and they will try to set it up, but said it could take a long time as she is hard toget into. Also the new office wants my gyn records too. Well, my old gyn charged me $26.60 for 7 pages of bladder test results totake to this uro appt. Her office said even if the uro had requested the records himself, I still would be billed for the records!! ANYWAY, in order to get ALL my gyn records, we are talkiong a major fortune.
The reason he wants me to see a gyn is that he thinks my IC is hormonal related. He says my bladder gets irritated after intercourse because the vagina in that area is sensitive and it is not really my bladder. He also thinks some of my other symptoms I wrote about here are estrogen related, plus the pelvic pain I get. HOWEVER, I had a hysterectomy and no ovaries and am on hormone replacement. I realize that my dose of estrogenis probably off, I have thought so for awhile, so I don't mind seeing a gyn, but this uro really scoffed at IC.
So now I am back at square one. Can't take elmiron, makes me sick. I am drinking marshmallow tea and trying to follow the diet. No answer for the senstations in my fingers and toes.
He was nice and seemed to listen, but just didn't want to deal with it.

[Silverfox]

Wispercalm,

Perhaps, what this urologist is telling you is the honest truth, when he scoffed at IC.

Hormonal, Oh wow!!! As Donna said there could be other things that can cause your symptoms, and you need to be checked out thouroughly.

Patients, need to be made aware that there are some diseases that are confusible with IC, and in the past many patients were thrown into an IC diagnosis without anyone looking at the complete picture. Boy, that is a shame when it happens to innocent patients who are suffering intensely. This happened to me a long time ago, and I realized privately that I had something more systemic going on within my body and none of the top Doctors I saw even bothered to investigate, I just remember feeling so sick and they made me feel so hopelessly alone and ashamed. The cost in time and money was very bad too!!!

Actually, the fact that you do not have IC should be good news for you. Now, you will not have to spend money taking useless medications, and some painful treatments for a disease you don't have.

I don't know what this urologist said about all your hormones. I hope he will write a note to your new Doctor he is recommending and explain further what he is thinking. You must not forget to talk to this new Doctor about your hypothyroidism and how it might influence the entire system and cause so many symptoms. When the thyroid is not treated correctly all female hormones get messed up. Sometimes, this can cause vaginal dryness, which will lead to very irritated dry skin, and this along with all those hypersensitive nerves warning that they are in trouble. You must mention also, the sensations you feel in your hands and feet, and ask if you are suffering with neuropathy. Remember, if there is neuropathy you must not expect instant results as nerves are fragile and very sensitive and depends on the length of time affected.

wispercalm, you will never regret finding a Doctor who will be kind and smart enough to get all your hormones corrected and this will be so much cheaper than running yourself ragged all over the country desparately begging for help. Its Probably safest, simplest and cheapest thing you can do for yourself.

Boy, I wish I knew then what I know now. :rolleyes: