How to deal with the side effects of hypothyroidism
Just wanted to say Hi to all, I am newto this forum but was reading a thread concerning hypothyroidism and vitamin d defiancy. I was diaganosed approximately 2 months ago with this disorder. I felt horrible for quite a while and suffered form almost every symptom, put on 35 lbs in one year and I eat a healthy diet. I had my internist check my tsh levels twice but he kept saying I had no problems. I got copies of my cbc's and then did major researched via the internet learning the guidelines (numbers) for this disordered had changed within the last 8 years here in the US. My first tsh was 4.38, the second done 6 months later jumped to 5.48. I found a great endocrinologist, top in this area, who immediately prescribed 75mcls of synthroid. He was very compassionate and said you have suffered enough and told me I would start to feel better in the next couple of weeks. He also sent me for an array of blood work. After 3 weeks without any improvement I called his office, and was told my bloodwork had just came in, my vitamin d was a 12, here it should be between 30 and 100. He prescribed 50,000 units of vitamin d to take once a week for 4 weeks and switch to 1000 units per day. I am still constantly fatiqued, could sleep 20 hours a day, sluggish, and suffer from extreme bone pain. I called back the office and asked why I was still feeling this way. The office told me along with my pharmasist it can take up to 3 months to see an improvement. I have only lost 5lbs, but part of that is due to the several tests I have gotten in the last 2 weeks which required fasting. I lost my eldest daughter 07/04/08 after a long battle with cancer and the side effects of chemo. I now am caregiver and guardian to my lovely grandson Nathan her turned 11 yesterday. I am at my wits end. I feel horrible I cannot do anything but sleep, and I force myself to do the bare minumum around the home. Basicly cooking, and laundry. One year ago I was active, at a perfect weight for my age and heighth. My stomach looks like I'm 7 months pregnant (anyone else had this side effect)? I just feel miserable. My next appt. is in June. In the meantime I have had abominal issues affecting my colon and may be facing major surgery, I will be seeing my surgeon tomorrow to see if I will require more tests, and if surgery will be necessary at this point. He mentioned one more test,a laparoscopy, and then will decide how many things will need to be repaired. I am really feeling down and defeated at this point. I would appreciate any veiwpointsm suggestions, anything to help me understand why I have been struggling with the fatique so long. I feel guilty because I cannot physically do things with my grandson like before, and fall asleep anytime of the day without warning. Thanks for letting me vent.
Hi, welcome to 3FC I've moved your post to our Dieting with Obstacles forum, where you'll find more posts about your topic. Hopefully you'll find the answers you need, and others can share their input here as well. I've also closed your poll since your options were not things people could vote on, but hopefully any replies will share input on those topics.
Hi Cindy, I wish I could help you in some way! I can only say welcome, and let you know that I am sorry for the trouble you have been experiencing. I hope you can get healthy real soon, and start to enjoy life again. Hopefully somebody will come along that has experienced this, and can help you along!
to 3FC's CINDYRELLI ~ there are many people who do have that disorder (hypothyroidism); and there are some threads about it in this forum that you can read (you can do a search for them). Maybe this weekend, someone may come by that can help you a bit. You have more than one health issue right now and that adds more stress. Your new doctor sounds like he is very aggressive with his help, so that must be very comforting for you ...
Hope you are feeling better soon ... Rosebud
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 05-14-2010 at 05:08 PM.
I put on 40 lbs over the span of two years. I know that may not sound like much, but I had tried to work on my weight right when it started piling on- to no avail. I also started eating healthy and added a lot of tofu to my diet as my daily protein (I was a vegetarian). Instead, I felt that every time I ate, my weight would increase and then stay there until the next time I ate, at which point it would increase further. I cannot honestly say that I was working out regularly this whole time. I did try on and off though. Same thing with sweets/junk food. I would stop eating anything without nutritional value for weeks or months and there would be no difference. I started added more protein- tempeh, soy milk to my diet.
Then I got engaged. My wedding was in 6 months and gave up junk, started working out regularly, and even started taking a diet supplement (QuickTrim). Around this time, I did some research and found that soy was no good as your only protein. So I started eating fish. I cut out all soy milk and my favorite soy lattes (!!!). Drank tons of water. STILL, no weight loss. I lost about 5 lbs on the Quick Trim but I gained it right back THE NEXT DAY after I finished the 2-week program. I kept going to my doctor, knowing there was something wrong but I didn’t know what. I even had a TSH test done which came back “normal” (it was about 4.50).
Now I know that it was because of my hypothyroidism that I was unable to lose weight. I have quit all soy products (except soy sauce- which is supposed to be ok). I am on .88 mcg of Levoxyl. My TSH is very normal now, (I think it’s somewhere in the vicinity of 1.9 +/-) but I’ve only lost 10 lbs since I started the treatment. I see a personal trainer (who really kicks my ***!) twice a week, am taking swimming lessons twice a week, eat fish every day, take a fish oil supplement, don’t eat any junk at all (though I did have plenty of dessert this past weekend since I was on vacation :O). I think my problem is that I tend to snack on nuts, which I’ll have to quit soon, too. I have yogurt/granola for breakfast, fish/veggies for lunch, and either yogurt/granola or beans with veggies or a protein shake for dinner. STILL NO WEIGHT LOSS. It’s very discouraging and frustrating. Sometimes I’m at the gym, pumping my way through cardio (which I’ve come to hate because it’s not helping with my weight loss efforts) and I start getting really teary. I just don’t know what to do.
Anyway, thyroid-info and Mary Shomon are some great resources for information on hypothyroidism.
Cindyrelli57 Hi and Welcome! I, too am hypothroid. When I got married I was about 185 pounds. I was diagnosed hypothroid around the time of being married 5 years, I think. Maybe it was 7 years. Anyways I went from 185 pounds to 356+ pounds. I have never felt so tired in my life. It was the worse feeling. I had that achy feeling all the time. I went to the Dr. 3 years in a row and was tested for hypothyroidism and nothing showed up on the tests. Finally, I got a diagnosis and was put on synthroid. I started feeling better, but it took time. I lost 140 pounds. I went through a car wreck, and my Dad being diagnosed with Cancer and passing away. My weight crept back up. I have been going to an Endocrinologist for the last 2 1/2 years. She has been wonderful. She upped my Synthroid and I am back to counting calories and working out. I am starting to lose weight again. I have always been on a higher dosage of Synthroid than most people, I think. I don't know why. I am taking two .112 mg Synthroid a day. I was taking a higher dosage at one time. It does take time to get your dosage correct and to start feeling better. Also, based on your post it sounds like you have multiple health issues going on, on top of losing your Daughter. I'm sure all of that is weighing very heavily on you physically as well as emotionally. Take things one step at a time. It's going to take a while for you to feel better.
How to deal with the side effects of hypothyroidism
Just wanted to say Hi to all, I am newto this forum but was reading a thread concerning hypothyroidism and vitamin d defiancy. I was diaganosed approximately 2 months ago with this disorder. I felt horrible for quite a while and suffered form almost every symptom, put on 35 lbs in one year and I eat a healthy diet. I had my internist check my tsh levels twice but he kept saying I had no problems. I got copies of my cbc's and then did major researched via the internet learning the guidelines (numbers) for this disordered had changed within the last 8 years here in the US. My first tsh was 4.38, the second done 6 months later jumped to 5.48. I found a great endocrinologist, top in this area, who immediately prescribed 75mcls of synthroid. He was very compassionate and said you have suffered enough and told me I would start to feel better in the next couple of weeks. He also sent me for an array of blood work. After 3 weeks without any improvement I called his office, and was told my bloodwork had just came in, my vitamin d was a 12, here it should be between 30 and 100. He prescribed 50,000 units of vitamin d to take once a week for 4 weeks and switch to 1000 units per day. I am still constantly fatiqued, could sleep 20 hours a day, sluggish, and suffer from extreme bone pain. I called back the office and asked why I was still feeling this way. The office told me along with my pharmasist it can take up to 3 months to see an improvement. I have only lost 5lbs, but part of that is due to the several tests I have gotten in the last 2 weeks which required fasting. I lost my eldest daughter 07/04/08 after a long battle with cancer and the side effects of chemo. I now am caregiver and guardian to my lovely grandson Nathan her turned 11 yesterday. I am at my wits end. I feel horrible I cannot do anything but sleep, and I force myself to do the bare minumum around the home. Basicly cooking, and laundry. One year ago I was active, at a perfect weight for my age and heighth. My stomach looks like I'm 7 months pregnant (anyone else had this side effect)? I just feel miserable. My next appt. is in June. In the meantime I have had abominal issues affecting my colon and may be facing major surgery, I will be seeing my surgeon tomorrow to see if I will require more tests, and if surgery will be necessary at this point. He mentioned one more test,a laparoscopy, and then will decide how many things will need to be repaired. I am really feeling down and defeated at this point. I would appreciate any veiwpointsm suggestions, anything to help me understand why I have been struggling with the fatique so long. I feel guilty because I cannot physically do things with my grandson like before, and fall asleep anytime of the day without warning. Thanks for letting me vent.
I've moved your post to our Dieting with Obstacles forum, where you'll find more posts about your topic. Hopefully you'll find the answers you need, and others can share their input here as well. I've also closed your poll since your options were not things people could vote on, but hopefully any replies will share input on those topics.
Jennifer
to 3FC's CINDYRELLI ~ there are many people who do have that disorder (hypothyroidism); and there are some threads about it in this forum that you can read (you can do a search for them). Maybe this weekend, someone may come by that can help you a bit. You have more than one health issue right now and that adds more stress. Your new doctor sounds like he is very aggressive with his help, so that must be very comforting for you ... 
I, too am hypothroid. When I got married I was about 185 pounds. I was diagnosed hypothroid around the time of being married 5 years, I think. Maybe it was 7 years. Anyways I went from 185 pounds to 356+ pounds. I have never felt so tired in my life. It was the worse feeling. I had that achy feeling all the time. I went to the Dr. 3 years in a row and was tested for hypothyroidism and nothing showed up on the tests. Finally, I got a diagnosis and was put on synthroid. I started feeling better, but it took time. I lost 140 pounds. I went through a car wreck, and my Dad being diagnosed with Cancer and passing away. My weight crept back up. I have been going to an Endocrinologist for the last 2 1/2 years. She has been wonderful. She upped my Synthroid and I am back to counting calories and working out. I am starting to lose weight again. I have always been on a higher dosage of Synthroid than most people, I think. I don't know why. I am taking two .112 mg Synthroid a day. I was taking a higher dosage at one time. It does take time to get your dosage correct and to start feeling better. Also, based on your post it sounds like you have multiple health issues going on, on top of losing your Daughter. I'm sure all of that is weighing very heavily on you physically as well as emotionally. 
