What Causes Muscle Weakness When Having History Of Thyroid Gland Removal?

Posted on Mon, 28 Mar 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 Answered on

Sat, 4 Jun 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I am 45 and had my thyroid completely removed 6 years ago. My levels seem ok, so I am concerned because I am experiencing muscle weakness, loss of appetite, some difficulty breathing, I am always fatigued, and always very tired. My daughter says I just pass out and snore just about every night. Some of these symptoms have been going on for months, and the loss of appetite is recent.

A woman that I know said she had a section of her parathyroid removed and she is doing much better. I am scared. I don't want cancer again.

Answered by Dr. Prof. Kunal Saha (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Parathyroids could indeed be the cause.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

When the thyroid gland was removed, it is likely that the parathyroids have been removed as well and that could be the cause of the problems like muscle weakness. The snoring is probably unrelated and indicates some obstruction in the airflow while you are breathing.

You need to see your doctor and discuss the issues. He would be able to clinically examine and correlate the factors and would be able to guide you accordingly.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar