Hypothyroidism

[A10CalGal]

Whew, it took me two sittings to catch up on this thread! Lot's of action.

 

So, to update you on my gig....I cannot believe it's been over a year since I started this journey!

 

Short version, as I'm running low on time, is that I am

WAY better. I have been treating w/a naturopathic doctor. She treats based on symptoms and blood test results. I am on a thyroid complex, adrenal complex and pro-tri-est(progesterone & the 3 estrogens) along with regular vitmin/mineral supplements. I feel really good. It's almost hard to remember exactly how bad it really was (fatigue, depression, weight gain for no damn reason, low sex drive).

 

I need to come back and do a more thorough update, but I didn't want you to think I didn't see the thread Jaime.

[JaimeLynne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyCheese This is a realy good thread...! I'm sorry to hear a few of you are dealing with all this. It motivates me to go to the Dr and get some bloodwork done. Last year my bloodwork showed my thyroid levels were elevated and was referred to a endocronologist. She suggested that the birth control may be to blame for the elevated levels. She had me stop the birth control and retest and levels seemed normal. She also tested me for thyroid-specific gene and said it was negative and basically sent me on my un-merry way. Lately I've been feeling extremely exhausted and lethargic, the weight has been very, very slow to come off and I'm wondering if it could be thyroid related. My mom has been on synthroid since she was 19 yrs old. I seriously need to get tested again!

Unfortunately this is sounding all too common! It sounds like she only tested you for the TSH. You need to find a doc who will test you for the others (Free T3 & 4), as well as look at all of your symptoms. (sorry if I'm beating a dead horse here, I just feel so passionate about this)

My doctor did not even draw my blood until after we had talked for 2.5 hrs. He diagnosed me without having the lab tests results in. If there's one thing I want to get out about this it's that lab tests are not always correct in diagnosing this disorder so it is very important to see a doctor who listens to you. As Dr. Mark Starr said in his book, it is still common for doctors to have the mentality that "patients should be seen and not heard". Many hypothyroid patients go to several doctors before finding the right one. If you know what to look for and do adequate research it can make the process so much easier on you!

I'm so glad this thread is here so that we can all pass on the info we've learned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christa Whew, it took me two sittings to catch up on this thread! Lot's of action. So, to update you on my gig....I cannot believe it's been over a year since I started this journey! Short version, as I'm running low on time, is that I am WAY better. I have been treating w/a naturopathic doctor. She treats based on symptoms and blood test results. I am on a thyroid complex, adrenal complex and pro-tri-est(progesterone & the 3 estrogens) along with regular vitmin/mineral supplements. I feel really good. It's almost hard to remember exactly how bad it really was (fatigue, depression, weight gain for no damn reason, low sex drive). I need to come back and do a more thorough update, but I didn't want you to think I didn't see the thread Jaime.

Christa! There you are - I am SO glad to hear that you're doing well

It sounds like you've got a great doctor there! For now, I am sort of on the opposite site of the spectrum (i.e. traditional medicine). However, once I get out of what the doc referred to as "crisis mode" then I may look into more natural remedies. I've felt pulled in a million different directions and for now am happy with this doctor. I was very adamant about going on dessicated porcine thyroid (Armour) and had no idea it would be such a challenge to find docs in the DFW who prescribe this. He does have me on two other pharmaceutical meds to treat different things, but hopefully I will be able to come off of those as the thyroid balances out.

How does the thyroid complex compare to Armour?

Again, it's good to hear from you

[LadyCheese]

Thanks for the info...I agree I need to find a doctor who really, really listens to me and my concerns. I need to start going to several doctors until I find the right one instead of always settling for just one because I'm used to him/her.

[JaimeLynne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyCheese Thanks for the info...I agree I need to find a doctor who really, really listens to me and my concerns. I need to start going to several doctors until I find the right one instead of always settling for just one because I'm used to him/her.

Thyroid Top Doctors -- Best Thyroid Doctors in the World as Nominated by Patients, from Patient Advocate Mary Shomon

Try that website. That's where I found my doc.

[LadyCheese]

cool thx, I found some doctors in my area with positive feedback!!

[JaimeLynne]

Since many people may be unsure if they have Hypothyroidism, I thought I would post a checkmark list of symptoms (of course you do not have to have all of the symptoms, and likewise you may have other symptoms not listed):

 

____ I am gaining weight inappropriately

____ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise

____ I am constipated, sometimes severely

____ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)

____ I feel fatigued, exhausted

____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic

____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out

____ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick

____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice

____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face

____ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet

____ I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or it's getting worse

____ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (longer, or heavier, or more frequent)

____ I am having trouble conceiving a baby

____ I feel depressed

____ I feel restless

____ My moods change easily

____ I have feelings of worthlessness

____ I have difficulty concentrating

____ I have more feelings of sadness

____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities

____ I'm more forgetful lately

____ My hair is falling out

____ I can't seem to remember things

____ I have no sex drive

____ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer

____ I'm snoring more lately

____ I have/may have sleep apnea

____ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest

____ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen

____ My eyes feel gritty and dry

____ My eyes feel sensitive to light

____ My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have headaches

____ I have strange feelings in neck or throat

____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)

____ I get recurrent sinus infections

____ I have vertigo

____ I feel some lightheadedness

____ I have severe menstrual cramps

[JaimeLynne]

I just realized I haven't updated this thread at all lately.

 

A LOT has been going on...

 

Turns out the doc I was seeing is a QUACK and I am no longer seeing him. (Looong story)

 

Anyways, I got into an excellent Integrative (holistic) doctor who is absolutely wonderful. He put me on several high quality supplements and compounds (Adrenal Compound (called Drenamin, OTC), Armour Thyroid Hormone (Prescription required), B12, Vit D, Vit. C, and this complex juice-like thing that you drink that has all of your vitamins and helps balance the neurochemicals in your brain). He confirmed the diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism as well as Adrenal Fatigue (my adrenals are shot!). Also, he agrees with the gut reaction I've had for a long time that all of this is tied to a freak accident which occurred during a wisdom teeth removal surgery last May. It is just too big of a coincidence - before the surgery I was a happy, healthy 23 year old, and now I'm a 25 year old who feels like she's 80.. He suspects that I have something called a "cavitation" Understanding Jawbone Cavitations & Their Relationship to Disease. Basically if this is the case then there could be lots of bacteria and toxins where the dry socket was (they accidentally left a medicated gauze in the wound for 1 month+ and that is when all this illness began). These toxins then leak into your bloodstream, and have the possibility of affecting every organ in your body. Very bad news. One of the ladies who works with my current doctor said that after hearing my case she spoke with a holistic dentist in AZ who had a patient in his early 20's who was bed-ridden for months. No one at the MAYO clinic could figure out what was wrong. This dentist found a cavitation in his jaw bone, fixed that and 6 months later he is healthy as a horse and back at school. If this is what has been causing everything then we will be filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. Unfortunate, but we do not have insurance so all of this has been costly not to mention has pretty much ruined my life for the past year and a half!!!

 

As for the Hypothyroidism/Adrenal Fatigue (which I may still have), the doc said I should start feeling better in 2-3 months, at 6 months I will feel very good, 6-8 months the extra weight will come off (right in time for my wedding - yeah!! ), and in a year I will "be jumping over buildings". Very exciting! For now he is keeping me on all the meds the other doc prescribed (pain, muscle relaxers, anti-anxiety, etc.) and then as I start to get better in about 6-8 wks he will begin to ween me off of those.

 

I definitely have my "good" days and "bad" days but there is hope in my future! (Although I am kinda dreading Aunt Flow coming to visit because that is when the pain and fatigue seem to be at their worst)

 

Anyways, just thought I'd share my progress with y'all. Please keep your stories updated as well so that we may all continue to learn and grow with each other. I'm sure other ladies will face this as well and this thread will be an invaluable source of info and support for them

 

Best wishes to all of you out there going through similar situations!

[JoLo908]

I just had to get a blood test for this, or had to convince my doctor to give me one. Not to sounds completely weird, but lately I have had bad Body odor under my arms and I was freaked out! I wouldn't even sweat, just smell,,, and I shower at least once or twice a day and pride myself on being a clean person... Also, my toenails have become very brittle... at a bbq at my brothers house, I was talking to his friends fiance who is a nurse, and she said these were symptoms of a thyroid disorder. I am waiting to hear back from my doctor...

[townie princess]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 10. I'm now 32.

My thyroid gland decided to go on strike when I was 8.

 

I go for blood tests yearly, unless they change my meds, and then it's every 2-3 months until it levels out.

 

Luckily I don't have to pay to see my doctor (although when I finally found a great one, he's now left town).

 

Make sure you know info about the condition and about your body when you meet your doctor. He/she can help diagnose you, but you know your body best and when it's not doing well.

 

Before they diagnosed me as a kid, I was super tired all the time, I had no energy, didn't even want to eat, gained lots of weight. After I was diagnosed, I had normal amounts of energy and the weight dropped.

 

A few years ago, my dr was trying to get my levels normal. Apparently my blood test showed I had now gone HYPER! So he dropped my med levels (I'm on Synthroid). I started getting tired again and gained a good bit of weight. I attibuted it to a stressful job and turning 30. (he had a good laugh at that one). So after 18 months of fiddling with med levels, I'm finally "normal" LOL

 

I don't make too big a deal out of it, thyroid problems exist on both sides of my family. I just try to keep check of my energy levels and my weight (finally joined the gym) and go for my yearly check-up. Luckily I haven't had any serious problems or complications from it (knock on wood).

[Martha]

Holy Smokes! I have been kinda MIA from the board (just checking on the mommies-to-be thread, really) because of some personal stuff going on....I decided to check on this thread and I am so sorry I missed all this. Jamie, I am glad you got rid of the quack! Hopefully this new holistic doctor can get you feeling better in no time!

 

For everyone else thinking there is something wrong, go get blood work done. BUT, make sure you ask for the Free T3 and T4 tests. My doc doesn't normally test these but when I asked him to, he did. That's when it came back that my thyroid was underactive.

 

I think I stated here that I originally started taking Levoxyl but only for like a month or so...for a little over a year I have been taking 25mcg of Synthroid daily. It's a low dosage, but I believe it's helped. I was also diganosed with insulin resistance right after that and take 500 mg of Metformin daily.

 

I really want to go the holistic way, but because I am pregnant do not want to change anything until he is born. I got pregnant on these meds and do not want to switch them....I am a paranoid freak about this baby. Call me obsessive.

 

I do not have any refills on my script for the synthroid, so I think I will make an appt next week to check my levels again. It's been over a year, so I think it's time to get them checked anyhow.

 

Christa, I am so glad you are feeling better!

 

Everyone else, I hope you feel better real soon!

 

Hey, Jamie, there is a group I jpined, I think it's a Yahoo group that was very informative. I was only on there two or three times reading what everyone wrote and it was great. I will try to look for it again and post it. It was recommended to me by a lady that is on the low carb board I used to post on.