Unsecure chicken perches

[Chickendoodle]

I think my OH might have an overactive thyroid and I am trying to persuade him to go and get it checked out at the doctors. I have had a look at the symptom checker on the NHS site and he has a few but not all of them.

 

Has anyone had experience of this. I don't know if I am over reacting.

 

He has

 

An enormous appetite and never puts on weight - a typical day's food is

 

Breakfast - cereal with yogurt and fruit and a banana followed by a huge slice of buttered crust off my home made bread (lots of butter)

Mid morning - large slice of cake

Lunch - 2 rounds of sandwiches with pate/cheese/ham etc and fruit

Afternoon - another slice of cake

Dinner - healthy meal, sometimes with a bottle of beer followed by fruit and ice cream

 

He walks the dogs for about 40 mins each day but I don't think that is enough exercise to cope with that amount of food

 

Over Christmas he ate the entire Christmas cake over 4 weeks and it was huge - 11" by 11" made with 8 eggs with no weight gain

 

He never never sits still - if he is watching TV or reading he is always jigging his leg or moving around in some other way. In the car at traffic lights he will be jigging his leg up and down while waiting for the lights to change. He never used to do this. It drives me insane

 

He goes to the toilet 3-4 times a day (sorry )

 

His hair is thinning - he is 65 so this might be normal but his Dad didn't lose his hair

 

He is tired and falls asleep most evenings but he doesn't always sleep well.

 

All of the above might be absolutely nothing - the constant movement will be burning up calories so maybe that is keeping him slim !

 

I have got an uphill battle trying to persuade him to make an appointment - should I be pressing him to do it or am I making a mountain out of a molehill? He is very fit and well generally and doesn't normally even go down with a cold.

[Duncan08]

I didn't think that his diet sounds overly excessive and I am a female. I have a big appetite, but do put on weight very easily.

As you age you will tend toward an afternoon nap, and your sleep needs change.

Has he just retired at reaching 65, this change in lifestlye can affect you phyisically too.

 

One of the main things to look for in aging v illness is sudden changes in weight, appetite, stools, even the hairloss.

 

Most doctors now do positive preventative screening which is always worthwhile for everyone, regardless of age.

 

If it were my hubby, I would send him to the doctors for an all over check up, for my sake, not his use a bit of emotional blackmail. Whilst overall I wouldn't say the symptoms you describe are too scary sometimes we instictively feel that something is not right and he needs to go and have a check to put your mind at rest.

 

My mum "forced" my dad to go and have a tiny lump on his neck checked out about 15 years ago he had no other symtoms whatsoever - it saved his life and he is a spritely 72 yo now

[chickencam]

Is there any family history of overactive thyroid in his family, if it anything like the underactive thyroid then there is a strong genetic link. We have several members of our family including myself with underactive thyroid and I was diagnosed quite young 40.

 

His food intake and excercise doesn't sound excessive, you don't say how tall he is and whether he looks skinny rather than slim. Men can eat and unfair number of calories more than us ladies. My OH is a terrible fidget, he eats loads, constantly snacking on biscuits crisps chcolates, he is tubby, but no where near as fat as he would be if he didn't walk around a fair bit and fidget for England including in bed.

 

Given his age is probably worth him getting checked out, some surgeries do a sort of MOT for people over 45 where they take various bloodtests etc, maybe you could sell it to him that way, perhaps you could both go together.

[rachel19]

Regarding hair loss, this is passed through the maternal not paternal line I believe so it will be irrelavent whether his father kept his hair or not. Probably worth him getting checked out by the doctor if he hasn't always been like that though - sudden changes do really need checking out to be on the safeside.

[Saronne]

Hi, I'm not a doctor, but has he been checked for diabetes? Excessive hunger and tiredness, going to the loo a lot - especially if he's weeing a lot (sorry, you didn't specify! ) could be a sign of this. Is he drinking loads of tea/water/ liquids in general?

 

Saronne

[Egluntyne]

Those symptoms can fit any number of illnesses. I'd urge him to get checked by the GP.

 

I had many of those symptoms and last year was diagnosed with coeliac disease! He does seem to eat an awful lot of wheat!

[Minnie&Moose]

As someone who had an overactive thyroid for 6 years (until they finally removed the dratted thing) what you describe could be symptoms of hyperthyroidism but, as others have said, could equally be any number of other things. However, if there's any history of over or underactive thyroid in his family it's worth having it checked - it's a simple blood test. Other symptoms to look out for are racing heart beat, inability to concentrate or focus, almost manic activity followed by exhaustion but combined with an inability to sleep very well, and very rapid mood swings. If poorly controlled it's definitely not a pleasant condition to either have to live with or live around - my poor family can confirm the latter!

[Willow]

Whilst the symptoms don't sound particularly worrying (some could be diabetes but I think he would be drinking and urinating a lot as well) if it is worrying you and you feel he is doing somethings he never used to like the leg jiggling insist he gets himself checked to give you peace of mind if nothing else.

 

But I don't think they are going to be too concerned about hair thinning in a 65 yr old male