Swollen tongue for 4 months

Have you had your thyroid numbers checked? This can occur for varying reasons but being hypothyroid is one of them. Also note that the thyroid is effected often with Lyme/co-infections (i.e. it's not functioning optimally). I listed the full panel below for reference and you can click on each one for an explanation of each test.Total T3 is pretty useless though so ignore this one. And don't let the doctor only test TSH as they often like to do. It's not going to give you a total picture of your thyroid health.

https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroid-panel/tab/glance/

Thanks for the responses. I have had my Free T3 and Reverse T3 Tested. My reverse was high and free was a bit low. I tried to take cytomel and cortef but couldn't tolerate them. However, I don't think I have hypothryoidism since I keep losing weight and weigh less than I did when I graduated from high school 40 years ago.

My tongue feels swollen all the time. It seems to feel worse in the evening before I go to bed. I don't have a white or yellow coated tongue. I don't feel comfortable with my mouth closed and my teeth together because my tongue feels too large.

dmw52 -

This might be a long shot - but have you ever seen a traditional chinese medicine practitioner (TCM)? They might be able to steer you in the right direction. I'd try to find someone highly recommended, or someone who is 5th generation chinese.

-p

dmw52 said...
Thanks for the responses. I have had my Free T3 and Reverse T3 Tested. My reverse was high and free was a bit low. I tried to take cytomel and cortef but couldn't tolerate them. However, I don't think I have hypothryoidism since I keep losing weight and weigh less than I did when I graduated from high school 40 years ago.

My tongue feels swollen all the time. It seems to feel worse in the evening before I go to bed. I don't have a white or yellow coated tongue. I don't feel comfortable with my mouth closed and my teeth together because my tongue feels too large.

Sorry but this most certainly sounds like hypothyroid (high RT3 and low T3) induced by the Lyme, etc. Also please note that you do not have to gain weight with hypothyroidism. I am hypo and I am one of those people who loss a lot of weight though I believe this was from the co-infections as some people do lose a lot of weight. Also please note that for me that was a telling sign that something was going wrong (high RT3, low T3, loss of weight) and this was despite adding more thyroid meds.

You said you tried cytomel and it didn't work for you. I didn't do well on that either due to the fillers. I am currently taking compounded thyroid meds but you may want to try nature throid. I couldn't take that because I was allergic to some of the fillers but may try westhroid in the future.

I read on a couple of different blogs recently that swollen tongue can indicate that your body is high in toxins.

http://hypothyroidmom.com/what-your-tongue-tells-you-about-your-thyroid/

dmw52 said...
Thanks for the response Krimpet. I didn't know that you could lose weight with hypothroidism. I am waiting for an appointment to see if I have MCAD and EDS, which it looks like I do. What kind of compounded thyroid meds are you taking? I react to anything that kills bacteria or alters the immune system, so I don't think I can tolerate any thyroid meds. Did the thyroid medication cause a herx for you?

I have tried acupuncture and it makes my symptoms flare. I think that is why my tongue is even worse lately. I am in a flare from a treatment.

My meds are made at the pharmacy which means that they don't have additives. So I take a mix of T4/T3 and they add in a little probiotic as a filler. There are some natural products that you can take as well. I know that several persons on this forum do and perhaps they can chime in.

Yes I stopped acupuncture as well because it was really agitating things a bit.

Nosilas, yes high toxins can cause swollen tongue as well.

I think there may be a few things going on here.