| Confusing symptoms - Anemia and swollen thyroid caused by chicken pox?
Hi everyone, if anyone has any similar experiences I would be grateful to hear them as I am going out of my mind with worry right now. Here is a little of my medical background - I'm female, ages 39. FIVE weeks ago I developed chickenpox. This started off with flu like symptoms, headaches, fever, aches and pains and tiredness with the onset of the spots two days afterwards. It was at this time that I first noticed a swelling on my thyroid. I didnt mention it to my GP as I thought it was a lymph node swelling in reaction to the chickenpox virus and nothing to be concerned about. I was put on Aciclovir and two weeks into the chickenpox the symptoms started to clear up, everything seemed fine and I thought I had got away with it quite lightly for an adult. However, fatigue and overwhelming tiredness did NOT go away and i went back to the GP.
Short story of it is that I had blood work done and results came back as having anemia (Haemoglobin 8.4, ferritin 2). Pretty sure I was NOT anemic BEFORE the chickenpox. BTW thyroid tests came back CLEAR. GP put me on ferrous sulphate tablets 200mg one x three times a day. That was one week ago and still feeling very tired but I appreciate they're going to take a few weeks to have any effect.
Whilst seeing the GP about the anemia, I mentioned the neck swelling which had still not gone down. He said it was a swollen thyroid. On further inspection he found two more swollen lymph nodules on my neck, one either side of the thyroid but slightly higher up. The thyroid swelling is quite large, slightly larger then walnut size. the lymph nodules are pea sized. Just to mention again, blood tests ten days ago did NOT show any thyroid problems.
He has referred me to the ear nose throat specialist which is the appointment I have tomorrow.
So, does anyone have any idea as to what might be going on here? I am trying very hard to stave off thoughts of lymphoma and all sorts of scary things. I have read about post viral thyroiditis which would make sense, but is there a connection to anemia? Could both the anemia and thyroid swelling be triggered by the chickenpox virus?
Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading and any comments would be most appreciated.
P.S Have posted this on the thyroid forum too.
Rxx
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