December Thyroid Thread
 

Hello, ladies! It looks like it's time to start our December thread. Christmas is coming just too fast this year...or maybe it's just I'm too tired to get in the mood. Had blood work done last week and am waiting for the results. I think the meds need to be increased yet again.

Getting ready for Christmas parties, 1 on Friday night, next week I have 3 (Tuesday, Friday and Saturday) the the following week I have one on Wednesday and a final one on Saturday. I pray for strength to eat in moderation.

It's very cold for Virginia -- asthma does not do well in the cold. I bundle up like it was 50 below.

Hi everyone,

I have been hypo for over a decade and am learning so much from you all. One question I have that I saw answered somewhere but of course can't find now is that you should take your meds with water and no food or cafeine for about 1 hour is that correct..

Thanks

Can someone please suggest a good multi-vitamin?

Thank you

Hello to all.

Hockeychic I was looking on the Internet for an answer to your multivitamin question. Can't find anything that recommends one brand over another. Did find some good articles in general:

How to select a multivitamin - http://www.epinions.com/content_60672151172?sp=ink

http://www.lifetimefitness.com/magaz...&article_id=52

The following one lists specific vitamins and the benefits they provide.

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/hc/reso...,1573,,00.html

As for me, I have tried several different brands - both from the drug store and from health stores. Found that I just could not deal with that "vitamin taste" and eventually I opted to take individual supplements for those that I thought were targeted to my needs. I've been happy with that regime. These articles might point you in the right direction, then it's trial and error on your part to find one that works for you as is the case with most anything.

Regarding your other question about taking your pill with water, as I was skimming over the articles I saw a question about taking a vitamin with coffee or tea. It said that you should take it with water, that caffenine blocks the nutrients up to 45%. I'd have to think that if it works like that for vitamins, it's probably also true with medicine. Guess I'll be changing my routine tomorrow too. :)

I did go to the doctor on Monday. He changed me over from Synthroid to Armour. Whew that stuff stinks! I can only hope that Mom's old saying of the worse it tastes the better it works is true. He had a hard time finding my thyroid (I've been on meds for 9 years now) and said I'm totally dependent on the medication for thryoid function. Because of this, certain foods (like white flours) would not diminish thyroid activity and just advocated a balanced nutrional diet as I have been following. He also said since my main complaint was being tired and cold that he suspected I might also have sleep apnea and wants me to be tested for that. I do snore loudly (according to my husband). The doctor said he can change the meds to see if something works better for me, but if I was not waking up feeling rested then no amount of medication would make up for a lack of good sleep. I'm scheduled to see the sleep doctor in January.

Your thyroid medication should be taken with water and you should not eat for at least 1 hour after taking it. Do not have calcium within 4 hours, and that includes vitamins with calcium as an ingredient, fortified juices and cereals, etc. as they interfer with the thyroid meds. I take my vitamin (Centrum Silver recommeded by by doctor) right before I go to bed so I don't have a problem.

did any of you have a enlarged gland and had the dr do the blood test and it come back normal? and you still have a problem? My gland is always enlarged however the blood test comes back ok. They now tell me I have the Baby blues and Fibro. I feel so tired all the time and they have given those for the reason. I had my angel boy almost 6 months ago so I have a hard time with the baby blues reason.

My niece had 2 babies a year and a week apart. She came down with pregnacy related thyroid issues AND post partum depression - not related but a double whammy none the less. It took her quite a while to find a good doctor who was familiar with that type of medical situation but she has been under treatment and is doing well. That situation really swings the thyroid from hypo to hyper. Find an endocrinologist or a gyne who is familiar with pregnancy related thyroid and have them examine you. Good luck to you. Don't give up hope.

i think 6 months is the time it takes for thyroid issues to come up after pregnancy; it's when my mom started having problems, and it was also about the time my cousin-in-law had problems.

definitely see a specialist.

i had an enlarged thryroid, but my tests came back in the normal range. however, after i started taking my medication, my symptoms started going away, so it's definitely possible.

the armour pills do stink. i put them in a weekly pill container, and it seems to dissipate the smell a bit. luckily mine are small.

i've been sick all week. i'm finally getting better now, but i'm so exhausted. i wanted to get to the gym this week, but that kinda fell through. maybe tomorrow.

Hi ladies, I've just signed up with 3 fat chicks and found this.
I have hyothryoid. And I like what I'm seeing here. You guys are confirming what I have been reading that my doctor has not told me about.
Mind if I join you.
Jeanette:)

I wish I could remember the article I read years ago in a magazine i.e., Family Circle or Woman's. It stated that some Dr's were considering doing thyroid profiles on women after delivery.
I was hoping it would be a 'GO', since I had gone through it with my last child. In my case it was immediate, by the time he was 4 months I'd gained 40 pounds. Getting a Dr. to pay attention to the cause was the problem.

I told you guys I went to the Dr. a couple of weeks ago and how good my Dr. looks since her weigh loss. Well she informed me a few days later that my TSH was 17.63, range being [.3 - 5.] she changed my med. from Levoxyl 2.50 to Synthroid 3.00. Is there anyone else out there taking a dose this high or is it just me? :^: Does anyone else feel theres a difference between those two meds? Welp... it explains once again within a year, the weight gain, cold, exhaustion and muscle cramps. Maybe bi-yearly testing would be better for some of us. What say you? :)

Hi Jeanette and Welcome!
I'm new also, everyone here has made me feel welcomed and at home, believe me these ladies know their stuff! :)

Couldn't have said it better myself... the info I've gotten here is great. I would also have to agree about finding a good doctor and not being shy about being retested. I just accepted that this was the way I had to be .... WRONG!

It's only been a couple of days but I'm feeling better on the Armour meds already.

My mom was on Synthroid and switched to Levoxyl. Said she didn't notice a difference at all (the doctor switched brands because of the price difference on the prescriptions). I was telling her about the Armour, she said she'd talk to him about it on her next visit. Is waiting to see how it works for me. And just because you asked Calil, I've never heard of anyone with such a high Synthroid dosage or a TSH so high... biggest dosage I know of anyone on is 1.5 mg.

one of the case files in the thyroid book i was reading had levels that high. i think the author got pretty high during her pregnancy also, because of all the hormone fluctuations of pregnancy.

i'm surprised that people are only getting tested once a year. my mom's doctor (and mine) both want us in every 3-4 months for blood testing to make sure everything is okay. i know with armour, you definitely need more frequent testing because the pills are organic instead of synthetic, and are thus prone to more fluctuations.

That's what's trippy to me, the dosages and my out of whack ranges, I take my meds faithfully. I learned to take the thyroid med alone and the others (vitamins etc...) just before bed. All those years I was on Synthroid, then came the Civil law suit and I'm switched to Levoxyl. Now I'm on Synthroid again, which is a higher priced med for not a lot of change in how I feel or gonna feel. I didn't know she changed the brand until my husband picked it up for me, bless his heart :)

In three days time she went from prescribing (3) 1.0 Levoxyl tablet to (2) 1.50 Synthroid tablets, less drugs, more money? I'll pay for feeling better if this time around it works and label her Dr. Feelgood, but if this doesn't ring true in a minute (which I know will take a couple of months) I'm going to have to speak to her about this. Right now I'm a LOT null and void :)

If I had a nemesis, I'd rather have a butt kicking contest and get it over with than wish this on them, hmm... well there was this girl in junior high, hahahahahaaaa.

You all have a good weekend!

I have a question for you ladies. How many calories and water are you consuming? Most diets recommend 64 oz of water but my body just can't handle that much water.

:shrug:

Right now I'm doing the Richard Simmon's Food Mover and do to my weight, I'm starting at 2000 calories and will cut down as I lose. Problem is I can't eat that many calories in a day, it's a battle. I love water, I have a gallon container, something I got at a gas station, it has a handle and a nifty straw. I get a lot of compliments on it. :lol: Some days it takes all day for me to finish it, other times I just can’t drink it all, I don't care how much I love it. It can be hard choking down all the liquid. Did you guys read the article on CNN, some pros don't think we need 8 glasses a day? http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/diet....en.water.otsc/

Being Hypo... my skin is so dry I really need the water, and a good moisturizer, but when my TSH is out of range nothing helps until the meds kick in. Since my thyroid gland was eradicated through radiation Iodine, I depend solely on the medication.

When I'm completely on plan I'm doing 100 oz of water - 3 of the large 1 liter bottles of water. I'm finding it a little tougher to get all this water in during the winter and it does make for a middle of the night potty run which I don't like either.

One of the other ladies on this forum posted a wonderful article on water - if you like, I'll copy it in here. I knew water was good for weight loss but this really opened my eyes to many other ways your body needs and uses the water and why you have to get in as much as you can. I was slacking off and after I read it, I got back on the bandwagon again.

I realize that for some people getting enough water is just as hard as portion control or giving up favorite fatty foods, but it's so important to get in as much as you can. I recently read an article in Reader's Digest where one study was questioning whether you really did need 64 oz of water. All I can say is that I notice a huge difference when I'm not taking in as much as I should.

Since hypothyroidism lends itself to dry skin, constipation and a general feeling of being tired - getting your water in will greatly help in alleviating these symptoms.

So as to your question, 64 oz minimum, more if you can get it down. One trick I heard of was to drink with a straw from your water bottle - you take in more liquid when using a straw. Or start out at 48 oz and each day increase your intake little by little to work you way up to 64 oz.

I'm a purist - I buy bottled water and drink it plain or occasionally with a slice of lemon, lime or orange in it. Liquids with caffine (coffee, tea) don't count towards your water goal - I think because caffine is a diuretic, but I've heard that herbal teas, Crystal Lite or low sugar flavored waters are ok if you can't deal with the plain stuff - tho make sure you get some of that in too.

Good luck, let me know if you want to see the water articles.

I'd love to read it. I'm the same way, I'll get away from it until someone or something put a little fire under my feet and then I'm gong ho again. I'm finding out as I grow older that I'm becoming a visionary and need to have all sighted messages where I can see them to stay focused.

I agree with you water is essential for our chemical makeup, I spruce mine up with citrus fruits every now and again also, a simple change can make it so refreshing. Sometimes I slip in a teaspoon of 100 % Fruit Juice, but my favorite is just plain old ice. Sometimes I put small pieces of fruit (citrus slices, marachino cherries, pineapple tidbits) in a couple of ice cube trays and use that.

I want water more at night than I do the daytime hours, which means I'm running all day and night because of the blood pressure med I have to take because of the weight I've gained from being HYPO... aaaaargh! :lol: Ahhhh... that felt good. Guess that explains why I like water, I can't keep it, unless I over do the sodium.

May I ask how you all got your Dr. to listen to you. And what test can they do if the first blood test comes back normal. But your gland is enlarged everytime you go to the Dr. I have had the first blood work done many times and it always comes back normal and my glands are still enlarged.

Mellisa, all I can say from my own experience and what my niece had was if your doctor is not listening to you, find another doctor that will. As for my niece, she did alot of calling to various hospital physician referal services asking specifically for a doctor who specialized in pregnancy related thyroid issues, it took her months to find a good program. She lives in Wisconsin and at first had to travel to the south suburbs of Illinois to get in a program, now she's found another doctor closer to her home. She seems to go in spurts, will get stabilized and feel better for a while, then it fluxuates and she goes back to get checked.

I went to my gyne this week. She originally prescribed my Synthroid. When I told her that I went to see an endocrynologist last week she gave me the hairy eyeball and started asking why I did that and all sorts of questions. She was rather stern but I just chalked it off to having the last appt of the day and figured it was a bad day for her because usually she's quite nice. I stuck to my guns tho about my decision. Since I switched to the Armour brand I feel incredibly better - I still get cold/frigid but not as often during the day, I'm sleeping better, I feel more energetic, my skin is not quite as dry and I just feel a big difference. I figure after 9 years on Synthroid, I should be the one to judge so I think for me, getting another opinion and different meds was crucial.

Here's both of the water articles
 

Copied from Mooz49's post. Thanks Mooz!!! Here is some information on water. Hope you find it useful.

.The importance of water in your diet.

Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true "magic potion" for permanent weight loss! Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. Here's why: The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When the kidneys don't work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. If the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body, and weight loss stops.
Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop. Water is stored in extra cellular spaces (outside the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs and hands. Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns. The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give the body what it needs…PLENTY OF WATER. Only then will the stored water be released.
If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. Your body will tolerate sodium only in a certain concentration. The more salt you eat, the more water your system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of un-needed salt is easy - just drink more water. As it's forced through the kidneys, it takes away excess sodium. The overweight person needs more water than the thin one! Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water.
Water helps maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss - shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy, and resilient. Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of - all the metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste. Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result? Constipation. But, when a person gets enough water, normal bowel functions returns.
So far, we've discovered some remarkable truths about water and weight loss:
The body will not function properly without enough water and can't metabolize stored fat efficiently.
Retained water shows up as excess weight.
To get rid of excess water you must drink more water.
Drinking water is essential to weight loss. How much water is enough??
On the average, a person should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day. That's about 2 quarts. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink also should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry. Water should preferably be cold - it's absorbed into the system more quickly than warm water. And some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually help burn calories. When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its fluids are perfectly balanced. Once this happens you have reached the "breakthrough point". What does this mean?

- Endocrine-gland function improves.
- Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.
- More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat.
- Natural thirst returns.
- There is loss of hunger almost overnight.
If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again, and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain and loss of thirst. To remedy the situation you'll have to go back and force another "breakthrough". By Donald S. Robertson, M.D., M. Sc.

Sometimes drinking our eight glasses of water a day can be a real challenge Here are 20 tips to help you accomplish that feat! .
1. Make a bet with a co-worker to see who can drink more water in the course of a day.
2. Have a big glass of water at every transitional point of the day: when you first get up, just before leaving the house, when you sit down to work, etc.
3. Make it convenient - keep a big, plastic, insulated water bottle full on your desk and reach for it all day.
4. When you have juice (apple, grape, or orange) fill half the glass with water.
5. When you have a junk-food craving, down a glass of water immediately. You feel full quickly and avoid the calories, and it lets time pass till the craving fades.
6. Have one glass every hour on the hour while at work. When the work day is done your water quota is met.
7. Substitute a cup of hot water with a drop of honey for tea or coffee.
8. While at work, get a 20 ounce cup of ice and keep filling it up from the office water cooler. The key is drinking with a straw - you take bigger gulps and drink much more.
9. Freeze little bits of peeled lemons, limes, and oranges and use them in place of ice cubes - it's refreshing and helps get in a serving or two of fruit.
10. After each trip to the restroom, guzzle an eight-ounce glass to replenish your system.
11. Don't allow yourself a diet soda until you've had two to four glasses of water. You will find that you won't want the soda anymore or that just half a can is enough.
12. Let ounces of water double grams of fat: When eating something containing 10 grams of fat, I drink 20 ounces of water.
13. Drink two full glasses at each meal, one before and one after. Also, drink one glass before each snack so you don't eat as much.
14. Carry a small refillable water bottle at all times and drink during downtime; while waiting in a bank line, sitting on the train, etc.
15. Use a beautiful gold-rimmed glass and fill it with cold water from the tap.
16. Drink two glasses of water immediately after waking up.
17. Bring a two-liter bottle of water to work and try to drink it all before you leave work. If you don't finish, drink it in traffic on the way home - it's like a race.
18. Always keep a 24-ounce bottle of water handy while watching TV, doing laundry, making dinner, etc.
19. Add drinking two glasses of water to your daily skincare regimen. Drink, cleanse, moisturize, etc., then drink again.
20. Drink your water out of a big Pyrex measuring cup - it's a good way to keep track of how much water you are drinking

Thanks for the information on the water--Maybe I'm just not being truthful to myself. I've been in denial for some time now about these yo-yo pounds. I will increase the water intake. So for tomorrow I'll pledge half my weight in water which will be around 80 oz. Then I'll increase.

Need to do some laundry before bed time.

Till tomorrow.:wave:
Bye for now.

Melissa in NC and Happy2bme
 

Hi Melissa,
When I noticed a change in myself, the only symptoms I had were rapid weight gain and I was tired to the bone. I'd just given birth, after several months I spoke to my OB about it, he told me to eat less and exercise more, I was never so insulted. I knew it was more than that... we certainly know our bodies better than anyone.

I found another GYN (surgeon) who kept an eye on my thyroids, it was years before it showed up. He caught it within a 6-month period, I was checked in June, notta, in Dec. it was off the charts. He referred me to an Endocrinologist, he didn't know personally, but was suppose to be one of the best. I guess that's why he had such a cocky attitude. I wouldn't take my dog to him today, if I had a dog. At that time my gland and neck had swollen, I had a nodule on my gland and I was afraid I had throat cancer, my voice had become raspy and I was losing weight like crazy. It's odd, as sick as I was, I was so glad I was finally losing the weight that the sickness had become secondary.

Unfortunately the one Dr. that took time to listen to me and found my problem passed away a year after he found my problem and I had to find another Doctor. Since then I have been to 13 Endocrinologist and 2 GYNs. The last female Endo said that since I have no thyroid function, it would be in my favor to have my Thyroid Profile done by my GP and get this… “It would be less costly.” If they made a kit for us to check ourselves and adjust our dosage I would rather do that than mess with another Dr.

Thanks Happy2bme for the water article! :)

The saddest thing is all the examples of poor quality of care and attitude that people have had to deal with related to this. Why???? I know that as doctors have to negotiate fees for health care and as the insurance cuts more and more, in many cases doctors are rushing quality for quantity but in my case, I have a traditional plan, pick my own doctors and pay a higher out of pocket fee. I think it's worth it in the long run, have gotten much better care than when I was in a PPO or HMO. But still, the whole medical field has gone to pot... I'm really glad this thread is here.

Good luck Mellisa. And you're welcome for the water articles. I thought they were good and worth passing along.

I agree 100% on ppo's and hmo's I hate it. Went to my gyn and found out that he is not listed--They didn't pay one penny--Was I upset.

As far as doctor's go-- I guess I'm lucky--I trust him and know him personnally--used to work for him. Thyroid disease runs in my family history--except my uncles have hyperthyroid problems--
My doctor got upset with himself over the fact that he gave me a Rx for a year of synthyroid .112 but before the year was up that dosage quit working--I was just beyond going!!! He gave me a higher dosage and to come back with in 3 months for another test. Now he wants me in every 6 months or earlier if I feel the symptoms coming back.

I didn't get all the water in today--but I tried. Will work on it again tomorrow.

Hi everybody,
I haven't been here for awhile, Sorry I haveen't been doing very well. I give up too easly I think. I have been having little flares from my Lupus joint pain and stuff, Feel sorry for myself then eat. Pretty bad eh.
I am starting out fresh again today, I know I can do it. I've done it before along time ago. On WW I lost 50lbs. But I fined then soooo expensive now. I am trying a low carb one now! Any suggestions???
Anagram your family are in my prays. Please take care of yourself.

thanks for the advice.. I went to the Oncoloigest (sp?) the one that took my ovary out when I was 5 mo. preg. 4 months after I had David and she commented on my glands being so big but did nothing about it.
I just do not understand dr.s.. I had on PA to say that she would deal with the gland issue after she had my gallbladder sucked out. I did not go back to her because That is no way to talk to someone who is going to have to have surgery. and they did not catch that I was preg. at the time so they do not check things as good as they should.

the drs in the hmo i go to are okay. i have my hmo for when things go wrong, and for basic maint. however, for my thyroid, i will continue to see my other doctor. i pay for her services on my own, but she is wonderful and she listens to me. a lot of drs get so caught up in the test results that they don't listen to how the patiend feels. blood values are easier to justify in patient records, and i think it is a cya policy.

what is difficult is when there is a conflict between the 2 doctors points of view. my mom is at that point now. she finally feels normal and alive, and her hmo dr is telling her to cut her dose 2/3. she'd be taking what i'm taking, and she was at 9.5 i think last year. thankfully she'll run the test results by her other doctor before changing things.

on the upside, i weighed in yesterday, and lost 1.8 lbs. yay! i should get the flu more often. i skipped the ww meeting though. they are so boring and don't help me much right now. it's really helped to just eat less overall. maybe i'll market the flu diet and make millions....

sample day:
breakfast - wake up and feel queasy. drink herbal tea with a spoonful of sugar and a few saltines to dip in the tea.
lunch - still feel sick. have some cream of chicken soup with a slice of french bread.
dinner - glass of orange juice and some foccacia bread that has been toasted in the oven.
snack - realize you are somewhat hungry, but because you can't smell things well, and moving is such an effort you go to bed.

Calil, I take Levoxyl 3.00 and my reading was 22 when I was switched from Synthroid. It's like everything, nothing works for everyone so you have to find the one that is right for you. I'm doing much better now, down to 3 now that the dosage has been increased.

QuilterInVA, does it normally take more than a couple of months for you to feel better once your dosage has been increased?

one more question, for anyone who's lost an excessive amount of weight, what did you do or did you /HAVE\ to do anything about the 'extra skin'.