My body is reacting aggressively to EVERYTHING

🙄

Yeah, this is gonna be more of a philosophical deep dive, I know 🙄 I thought about making a clone, but honestly—it’s way too hot out, and I just can't even... 😬

Background: female, 37, diagnosed with Hashimoto's. After one phase of hormonal chaos involving *massive* hyperthyroidism, my treatment worked and things are okay now. My levels are fine, even TSH is good, but my anti-TPO is (obviously) through the roof. I go for regular checkups, just waiting to slip into hypo so I can start taking levothyroxine, which doesn't scare me. Other than that, zero health issues

Family history: just kidding 😁 Let's not go there. If it actually mattered, I'd write it down, but I really don't think it does

The issue: for the last 6 months, my body has been reacting to everything in a way that is, let's say, incredibly intense.
Examples:

1) Coldness — I'm a winter person and I generally love the cold (I love summer too, but only because I'm not some spoiled brat, I'm a normal person born in this climate and I try to enjoy the variety of where I live). But this year, I don't even know how to explain it, but the cold was just... different. Especially my hands when walking. My feet are always cold anyway, but this year I bought two pairs of those heated sock-warmers! And even when I couldn't wear them, there were times I realized I was literally tearing up from how cold my feet felt.

2) Heat — yeah, I feel like I am literally going to die in this heat. I'm a city girl, raised on asphalt, I know what heat means. I wasn't raised in Alaska, so this isn't a shock to my system; I've dealt with temperatures over 95 degrees before (like two years ago during a similar heatwave), and I handled it fine. Now, though... I don't even know how to describe this feeling of weakness, helplessness, and pure dread I've had the last few days. It's not just that I'm hot, damn it—it feels like my whole system is halfway through a shutdown.

3) Mosquito bites — mosquitoes have loved me my entire life; I'm one of those people who constantly gets bitten. And fine, they bite, it stings for two days, whatever. But this 🤷 I've always reacted strongly (huge understatement) to wasp stings, where I'd get welts that would still be visible by Christmas even if I got stung in early August. Well, now it's happening with mosquitoes. I'm getting welts the size of a quarter $1.75 that seriously last for like 10 days. And I get about ten of them. 🙄 All the time.

4) Tetanus shot — back in December I got the first dose, that went fine. In January, the first booster — total disaster. Swollen, inflamed, red, painful... lasted almost 10 days. Yesterday was the second booster, spent the whole afternoon icing it to try and dampen the reaction, but no luck. By tonight I couldn't even sleep on that arm, and I can see it's still swelling despite the ice.

While I was thinking about opening this thread, I had other examples 😳, but they slipped my mind.

What is wrong with me?

Is my autoimmunity going haywire? Can an anti-TPO level well over 500 cause these kinds of bodily reactions? Am I just old? Is it possible I'm hitting perimenopause? Is it Lupus? 😬 (My apologies to anyone who actually has Lupus, it's a Grey's Anatomy joke)

Please don't send me to the doctor. You guys know exactly what my GP would say and how that conversation would end if I walked in there telling her I have massive mosquito welts and that I'm too hot 😳

Anyone got any ideas?

Finally, a bit of philosophy for our little corner of the internet 🙂

So, fair warning, this whole thing is mostly just me speculating and throwing out unvetted thoughts 🙂

Honestly, I’m starting to get really suspicious of the anti-TPO antibody test reagents we're seeing lately over at 🤔 LabCorp
.
I have this patient, maybe 80 years old, whose anti-TPO is sitting near 500—when the normal range is supposed to be around 40.
She’s never had thyroid issues before in her life.
It just seems like, lately, anti-TPO is coming back positive for pretty much everyone.
It makes me want to just grab a needle, draw my own blood, and check 😬 myself
.
Vaccines? Well, you see some pretty intense reactions quite often, even in people with zero history of anything. I usually suggest taking something like a basic antihistamine preventatively—either a bit before or an hour or two after the shot.

Mosquitoes? Or bugs in general? When it's bone-dry and scorching hot like this, the venom in biting insects tends to be more "concentrated," so most people end up having a much nastier reaction to any bite.
And apparently, there are these "new" kinds of mosquitoes or bugs going around; people are showing up with these weird, atypical bites that get secondary bacterial infections or sometimes even look almost necrotic. Spiders? Some other kind of bug? Usually, they need antibiotics paired with an antihistamine.

Total chaos.

Yeah, when the immune system basically loses its mind, it starts swinging wildly and hitting way too many targets with way too much force.😵
I feel like I've lost my compass here...
You can sort of view anti-TPO as a gauge for how hyperactive and agitated an immune system has become.
It’s rare for an autoimmune disease to just exist in a vacuum.
There’s usually this "disease progression" where different organ systems start getting caught in the crossfire. For instance, I had this young patient with high anti-TPO who is now "developing" diabetes. Her HbA1c is up, and she'll probably fail the glucose tolerance test.

The question is: should we be more bold—and I won't say aggressive—in treating patients with autoimmune diseases that don't fit neatly into our standard boxes? If the patient is clearly getting worse, but hasn't technically ticked every single box required by the official treatment protocols, do we just sit on our hands?
Basically, what happens when the patient "doesn't follow the textbook."

I had more points to make, but honestly, even I am feeling extra forgetful in this heat, especially with the pace of things lately where half the staff is out on vacation but we're still expected to give 100% productivity. 🙂

Kemik, what was the basis for your Hashimoto's diagnosis? Have you been stuck in hyperthyroidism for years now?

I suspect those issues you have with feeling freezing or overheated could definitely be thyroid-related since it messes with your body's ability to regulate temperature. For instance, whenever I step out from the AC into the intense heat, I get this suffocating sensation in my neck and my head starts spinning—it’s like my system just can't keep up with the sudden shift. That tightness hits right where the thyroid is.

As for the mosquito bites, I honestly think they've just gone rogue lately. I'm getting blisters like nothing I've ever seen before (and living in a place like Florida, we're used to mosquitoes being everywhere 😁 and I've been getting bitten for years), so I'd love to blame it on my own immune system overreacting because of all my autoimmune crap. But honestly, plenty of perfectly healthy people I know are dealing with massive welts lately too. I don't know if they're acting up because of all the pesticides being sprayed or if we're dealing with some kind of mutant hybrid species now.

I don't know... maybe I'm just overthinking things, but there's something about the way people talk about body language that feels a little off—like we're all just trying to decode some secret manual that doesn't actually exist... It's more about the vibe you put out, honestly. If you're feeling tense, people pick up on that regardless of how "correct" your posture is. It's subtle, but it's definitely there... kaže:
So, basically... Look, I’ll be the first to admit it—most of what I wrote there is basically just me guessing... nothing more than some unproven theories and random thoughts flying around my head... Pop:

Well, that’s exactly what I was expecting... ☕

Anyway, thanks for finally getting back to me. Seriously—I was starting to think I’d have to volunteer to be a moderator around here just to get a single response... lol...

Honestly, lately the whole anti-TPO vibe has been pretty negative—but, man, I'm seeing positive results with almost everyone...
I'm gonna head over to the clinic to grab some blood for testing... just wanna see where my levels are at... 😬

I’d probably say something right now, but I won't—because then we’ll just end up heading down the wrong path... and honestly, damn, go ahead and try. Someone’s gotta be the one to play devil's advocate anyway... 🤷

Question: Should we be more bold (I won't even get into the details here... Needs more teeth... maybe even a bit more grit—it’s just not hitting quite hard enough yet...So, what happens when we’re treating patients with autoimmune diseases who just don't fit into our little "standardized boxes"? You know the type—the ones where the disease is clearly progressing right in front of us, they're getting worse by the day... but because they haven't ticked every single specific box required by the official insurance protocols or hospital guidelines, we're stuck. It's like, even though their condition is visibly spiraling, we can't justify the next step in treatment because they don't meet some arbitrary metric... it feels wrong, doesn't it?

So, how exactly are you planning to go all guns blazing with my treatment? Honestly... with this Hashimoto’s autoimmune stuff I'm dealing with, I'm just trying to figure out what the actual game plan even looks like... treatment...Man, it honestly feels like you’re just plugging holes with hormone replacement—it’s almost like you’re only treating the symptoms instead of actually getting to the root cause of the problem... Can we maybe try something a bit more aggressive? 🤷

I don't have any text from leeloo27 to work with yet! Send over the posts you want me to rewrite, and I'll get to work making them sound like a real person living in the States... just let me know when you're ready. kaže:
Hey Jose Miller3—what was the actual basis for them giving you that Hashimoto’s diagnosis? And have you been stuck in hyper mode for years now? I feel like I remember you mentioning something like that before...

I honestly think these sudden swings between freezing cold and intense heat could be tied to your thyroid—it plays such a huge role in how your body handles temperature regulation... For me, whenever I step out of a heated building into this crazy heat, I get this weird, suffocating sensation right in my neck and my head starts spinning—it’s like my system just can't keep up with the whiplash of those temp changes. That tightness in my throat area where the thyroid is... it's pretty intense...

I’m not in hyper mode anymore—I was stuck there for a while, maybe a year or so... but after finishing my treatment, my hormone levels have been totally fine. Honestly, for about three years now, all my labs have come back looking good—well, everything except for the antiTPO...

I honestly thought I was going to drop dead during my walk these last two nights—like, I seriously couldn't catch my breath... So, naturally, I ended up grabbing some Ventolin from my boyfriend... which is just great, because I don't exactly have freaking asthma for that to actually work... 🙄 ), at least if it helps me out somehow... I honestly feel like my thyroid's role in thermoregulation is totally shot to hell 🤷

Regarding those mosquito bites—I swear these things have just gone insane lately. I’m getting blisters like nothing I’ve ever seen before (and living in a place like Orlando, thank God, we've always had mosquitoes 😁 and it’s not like they haven't been biting me for years), so I'd love to blame it on a stronger immune response because of all this autoimmune crap I deal with... but I know so many perfectly sane people who are suddenly reacting to bites with huge blisters too. I don't know if the mosquitoes are losing it from all the heavy spraying or if we're dealing with some kind of mutant hybrids now.

And who knows, maybe it really is just the mosquitoes 🤷 Or the swelling. Or even that spider I saw nip me 🤷

I mean, look, I get that these could be completely unrelated issues and the actual answer might just be that I'm—well, old. Dammit. At least that's one way to look at it. That's "good news," I guess...

velvetmoose9 said:Mosquitoes? Most biting insects—in general—tend to carry more concentrated venom during heatwaves and dry spells; it’s why you see such intense reactions from most people after a bite.

That's an interesting point. 👍

I had more notes ready, but even I am becoming increasingly forgetful in this sweltering heat—especially given the current pace where 50% of the staff is out, yet we're still expected to hit 100% capacity. 🙂

In my case, 75% of us are out—out of four people, I'm the only one left on the floor—yet the production targets remain unchanged. 😁

OT:
@kemik, you are the perfect patient for the real Dr. House—the one who actually understands medicine, unlike that fraud on TV who just pretends to. 🙂

Rachel Brooks63 said:I get these blisters about the size of a quarter $1.75, and they can hang around for ten days straight. I deal with about a dozen of them 🙄 constantly.

What could this be?

Anyone have any thoughts?

What’s wrong with you? - you're hitting that age where everything starts to creak 😁. You’re entering that phase of life where people stop talking about going out and start talking about their ailments.

Mosquitoes? Well, don't let them bite you. Use some repellent, or just stay indoors.
It might be an allergy to mosquito bites. Grab some antihistamines, use some Sinopa cream, and if the swelling gets really bad, take some Zyrtec for a couple of days until it clears up.

Any ideas? 🍿 A thousand things come to mind... honestly, I could go on forever...

Just give us more details—what other symptoms are you seeing? What else is bothering you?

Brenda Stewart59 said:What's your deal? - "manufacturing year" is getting shaky 😁. You're hitting that stage where people talk less about going out and way more about health issues...

honestly 🙂 Like I said, it’s not even a bad thing—it’s actually kind of a life milestone 😉

Mosquitoes? Just don't let them bite you. Use some plug-ins, put on some repellent.
You have a mosquito allergy.

A brand new mosquito allergy? At 37? It’s not even weird that an allergy like that would just pop up out of nowhere... especially after being bitten by the exact same mosquitoes my whole entire life.

Rachel Brooks63 said:A sudden allergy to mosquitoes? At 37? It doesn't seem particularly logical to me that an allergy would just spontaneously manifest out of thin air after having the same damn mosquitoes biting me my entire life without issue.

🥱 Unfortunately, yes.
Swelling the size of a $1.75 quarter isn't just some minor irritation; that's a significant inflammatory response. Whether you're using Sparta cream or any other topical ointment, they work because they're antihistamines. When you get bitten, your histamine levels spike locally, causing inflammation and swelling. An antihistamine essentially clears that histamine away so the symptoms subside.
The real question is: why is your histamine spiking now when it wasn't yesterday?

Yesterday was one thing, today is another. Your immune system was functioning perfectly fine until recently, and now it’s decided to change the rules. That's just how it goes.
I spent my whole life eating tomatoes and salad, and now suddenly I can't touch them. All because of allergies.

Anyway, aside from the mosquitoes and this heatwave (which is miserable for everyone), is there anything else bothering you? 🍿

Sitting here tonight waiting on some urgent lab results, I found myself drifting into a bit of a functional-philosophical deep dive regarding insect bites and whatever creepy crawlies decide to target us.

During the summer—basically whenever the heat starts cranking up—most of us end up in this sort of "vasodilatory" skin phase; our blood vessels and capillaries tend to dilate more, making them more permeable and prone to leaking fluid, which is just physics doing its thing under the heat.
Every little bug bite triggers a local inflammatory response (mostly allergic, usually), though sometimes things can escalate into a full-blown systemic reaction.

So, to put it very simply, you’re dealing with two sides to a bug bite: a physical component and an immunochemical one.

Those summer temperatures can definitely crank up the physical side of the equation.

Since I'm already philosophizing...
From my own experience, once you take that first hit of the season from a mosquito or something similar (just so we're clear on what kind of bugs we're talking about 😬 ), it helps to take an antihistamine—think Telfast, Xyzall, Aerius, or Claritin—for a few days straight. At the same time, get some Synopen on the bite site immediately (just don't let it sit in direct sunlight!), then after about an hour, wash off the residue with soap and follow up with a decent local corticosteroid, like a mometasone or Elocom cream.
Doing this has really helped me dial down the local inflammation.
In my experience, if you follow this routine, every subsequent bite tends to be significantly milder for a good chunk of people—for some, they become almost negligible.
Why that happens might be something worth pondering at another time 👋
The bottom line is: act fast and be aggressive with it 🧐

-Just a heads-up, these are just my own philosophical, medical, and empirical musings; they aren't necessarily a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone in every situation.

You realize you’re about six months late to reacting to the "first" sting of the season, right? 😬

But hey, I'll apply that logic to the first sting of autumn—which hasn't happened yet, but let's be real, it's coming... 😉 Aside from skipping the local sinus meds, since my body always overreacts to them anyway (though honestly, that's nothing new 😬 )...

I wouldn't say I'm late to the party, but you're definitely trailing behind on this question 😬

you're getting old 😁