Hypothyroidism
 

There are various posts on here for different specific things for hypothyroidism, or that matched with other things, but in the search I didn't see anything that I was looking for, so hopefully this isn't overdone.


What symptoms do you have or did you have that prompted you to get tested? And if you take medication for it, did all or some of your symptoms go away?




I just got health insurance back so I'm going on Tuesday to get tested. I've wanted to for a while based on the symptoms I've had, but didn't have the insurance. And then my mom just told me that my grandmother took medication for hypothyroidism for her whole life, and my mom did for a long time too. These are the symptoms I've had (this was a checklist, I just deleted all the ones that didn't apply):



____ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)
____ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
____ I have pains, aches in joints
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless
____ I have difficulty concentrating
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately

Hi, Danielle:

I was diagnosed as hypothyroid about 5 or 6 years ago. What prompted me to get tested was the fact that I was on the South Beach Diet and followed it to a T--I did not eat even a crumb that was off plan. After the first two weeks, my mom (who was also on South Beach Diet) lost 5 pounds. In that same time, I lost less than a pound. In the past, I had always had decent weight loss when I started a new eating plan and this just didn't make sense. It just so happened that, at that time, I was scheduled for my annual doctor's exam, so I asked my Dr. to check for a thyroid problem. It turned out that I am hypothyroid. I have been taking synthroid since.

About two years ago, all of the sudden I was very fatigued and was losing a lot of hair. When I went to the Dr., my blood tests showed that my thyroid hormone level was off. The Dr. increased my synthroid dose. That fixed the problem.

Apparently, hypothyroid is fairly common among women. I have read some articles that suggest that there is a connection between hypothyroidism and mono (i.e., there is a high correlation between people who have had mono and are diagnosted as being hypothyroid), which is certainly true for me. Also, hypothyroidism tends to run in families.

I hope that your doctor is able to help you figure out what is going on. If you end up being hypothyroid, medication will help a lot (whether you go the synthroid route or choose natural thyroid medication).

Good luck!

J

From your list?

____ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise ( to a point, i could lose VERY slowly, but much slower then I should have been)
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ I have pains, aches in joints
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless
____ I have difficulty concentrating
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately

Mainly for me I thought I was having fertility issues though and they guessed maybe PCOS but they then tested my thyroid and found out hypothyroid was messing up my cycle. I was also getting frustrated with how much work I was putting into losing weight but figured maybe my metabolism hated me.

Now I am on a low carb diet, taking synthroid (still working on the dosages due to soy or something) and an anti depressant/birth control. For the most part it has helped. For the diet I have been on I am a slower loser then average but I am okay with that. Its hard to tell about the cycle as I am back on the pill. My hair is still very thin but seems to be improving (though I am taking more supplements) and my depression and anxiety have lessoned though I am taking Celxa. Hope this helps!

best of luck!

I noticed the last time I tried to lose weight (which was when I was here in 2008) I only lost 12 pounds (I literally could not lose more, no matter what I did), and I was eating and exercising (3-5 times a week). Since I was so heavy, I knew I should have lost more than just 12 pounds. However, it didn't occur to me that my thyroid would be the problem since I checked it in 2006.

Then I got pregnant and had a baby (in 2009), and the doctor never said I had hypothyroidism (they do a lot of blood tests etc). So, I am not sure if they just don't check that sort of thing during prenatal care.... Because this year, I went to the doctor (since I had an ear infection) and they did a routine blood test. Sure enough, I have hypothyroidism. I think my thyroid was showing signs all along that my thyroid wasn't working properly or at least a tad sluggish. I recommend everyone having issues with losing weight (and are sticking with their plan) to get checked repeatedly. Good luck!

I fit alot of your symptoms

The first of course was a weight gain and not being able to lose it as fast I could in the past.

The next biggest thing was that I always felt tired.

The I was forgetful, I couldn`t find things and focus the way I did before. (Ok I also started to go into perimenopause and perhaps it was attributable to that.)

I also started retaining water - ankles but mostly fingers especially when I ate foods seasoned with salt.

But all these symtpoms can be attributed to something else as well. Our bodies change as we age.

There is a fabulous book called The Thyroid Solution. If your blood test reveals that you are hypo you might want to check it out.

I take synthroid every night before I go to bed - no big deal.

Good luck on Tuesday.

I was diagnosed about 6 months ago. I was losing weight (over 100 pounds) and suddenly my weight loss just stopped. I guess I just thought my body was adjusting. Then I started losing hair around my facial hairline pretty bad and I was in a soul sucking depression. The kind where I was not looking forward to anything at all, absolutely no joy. Very unlike me! I was finally diagnosed when I complained about the hair loss and found I had hypothyroidism. I was having an extremely hard time concentrating and finishing tasks. At times I thought I was losing my mind. Then I thought maybe it was early menopause. I also suffered with dry skin and I stayed freezing cold the majority of the time. (again, very unlike me).

Thank God my doctor discovered what it was. I bet I have been tested 100 times over the years because of my weight but this is the only time I had it. After about a month on 75 mg of Levothyroxin a day, the symptoms improved and the hair loss stopped. The improvements were slow but I am getting better all the time. The ability to lose weight has fully returned, so hopefully I will be able to get the weight I have been gaining back off and finish my weight loss journey once and for all. Good luck!

I've been tested and been just barely within "normal" and been told the symptoms are all in my head. My current doc took me seriously, and tested me for the genetic marker and further info - found that despite being in "normal" some of my other numbers were off, AND I have the genetic marker. He decided to treat when other docs wouldn't - and I've been feeling SO much better. The weight is still stagnant - but at least I'm not gaining anymore!

I was diagnosed with Hypothyroid when I was 14 years old. I have been on medication for 10 years. Same dose 250mcg for all that time. I had many of your symptoms in addition to not getting my first period until I was 15. I recently decided to go off my synthroid.... and I gained 15 pounds (which is effectivly why I am participating on this site to begin with).

I am now positive that synthroid helps keep my metabolism in check and my weight managed. I am still positive that without regular exercise and a good diet that the synthroid will do nothing on its own as far as weight loss goes.

Good luck with your blood tests! Hopefully your not Hypothyroid, but if you are all will be well, a pill a day is an easy solution.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroid 8 years ago. I had the doctor check my hormone levels because I have been trying to get pregnant for over a year and nothing was happening. Plus, my periods had started skipping all over the place (27-35 days).

My doctor put me on synthroid, 50mcg. The worked until this past year. I had some symptoms of it that I hadn't had before. We needed to increase my dose. I go back in 3 months to see if that is working.

The synthyroid worked really well until I needed it to be increased.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism almost a year ago. I hadn't noticed most of the signs, because I was in a crappy living situation in college dorms and I attributed my depression, forgetfullness, and exhaustion to that. I went in to the doctor because I hadn't had a period in 6 months, and my doctor ordered some bloodwork and told me that my thyroid gland was underproductive. In the last 5 years I have gained 120 lbs and during that time I exercised moderately and didn't really over eat. I am still struggling to get my hormone levels regulated (have had my dose increased twice already).

Hi, Danielle...I've been hypothyroid for 12 years. What prompted me to get tested was I was bone-tired ALL the time, and felt like I had a lump in my throat all the time.

My hair and skin got really dry, and my hair started falling out. My eyebrows got very thin, and I no longer had to pluck them--and I rarely had to shave under my arms or my legs because the hair pretty much just stopped growing.

I've had dry eyes, dry mouth and throat, a feeling of not being able to get a full breath, being cold when I ordinarily usually am not...and a bunch more that I can't think of offhand.

I was put on Synthroid, then switched to Levothyroxine. My doses have increased over the years to my latest dose of 75mcg.

At first, I felt much better, but after a few years, I started feeling sick again. My TSH always came back "normal", so the doctors never did anything more.

Fast forward to this week...I've had a horrible summer. I've been SO exhausted I can barely move, as in I have to run a sinkful of water for dishes, then go sit down to rest before I can wash the dishes.

I just found out that my thyroid medication stopped working, and as I continued to take it, it was making me sicker and sicker.

I'm now switching to Armour, which is a natural thyroid (made from dried pig thyroid). Hopefully that will be what I need.

During this 12 years, I've gained 125 pounds (!), and haven't ever been able to lose more than six pounds before zooming right back up the scale. It's been discouraging.

One thing I'd suggest is that you do a lot of reading because there are not many doctors who know how to treat the thyroid correctly.

Most of them go by the TSH result in your bloodwork, and this is NOT the measure of how much thyroid hormone you have to be used. It is a measure of the effect the pituitary gland has on the thyroid. Your limits may be "normal", but you could still be sick. Some people find that doctors won't treat them at all as long as they're remained in a "normal" range.

Here are a couple of places to start your reading if you're interested in learning more about thyroid problems and treatments:

Thyroid about dot com
Low carb friends dot com (once you get to the discussion boards, scroll down to the Medical Issues section, and click on the Thyroid board)

Hope this helps, and I hope you get some answers soon.

i found out by accident 2.5 years ago, i went to the doctors for what appeared to be gallbladder pain and he tested me
when i found out and i looked at the symptons i was shocked about how many i had

from your list i had
____ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)
____ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless
____ I have difficulty concentrating
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately


a lot have went away, some had eased up but the biggie for me is i still struggle to lose weight, since being diagnosed i have lost just under 2 stone but it has been a struggle

thank you for this info.
 

Thank you..I def.fall into this catagory.