JennieT - I agree that exercise is very important, especially for those of us who have metabolisms in the toilet lol. Congrats on your sucess though! You are doing great. I used phentermine for a short time by a suggestion from my endo. It shot my bp through the roof and I had to come off of it after 3 short weeks. I lost about 10 lbs so I was sad to see it go. It took 2 months to stabilize my bp after that -_-. Terrible. I used phendimetrazine when I was doing Medi Weight Loss though and it did just as good of a job staving off hunger but did not raise my bp. I'm thinking about asking my endo for an Rx when I go see her again to compliment my diet regime.
astrophe - "I sometimes feel like the walking endocrine disaster" -> I feel your pain sometimes with that stement. Sometimes I feel like what can I eat without making my ocndition worse? (I'm not supposed to eat gluten or dairy) -_- But you move forward, follow your dr's advice the best you can and keep going!
The funny thing is I had a baby boy about 4 months ago and had preeclampsia (high BP and such) through my pregnancy so my doc was concerned about my BP going high with the phentermine too. But honestly its been a little low since i started taking it. Just now it was 100/60 and my normal is 120/80. I've actually been passing out the last few nights due to dips so kind of odd right?
I've got to talk to my doc about it tomorrow and might have to come off it
That is odd, you've had the exact opposite happen to you that I did! lol, I had non-stop headaches the second half of the second week and felt like I was running on a jet pack of energy. I couldn't sit still for 5 minutes!
Wow, I'm actually really glad I came across a thread like this. Truly makes me feel less alone, haha.
When I was younger my thyroid was tested because it runs on both sides of my family, but I never really had a follow up until last summer (July, actually) when my dad found out he had hypothyroidism. Turns out I have the same exact thing, so I've been on Synthroid (50mgs) since last July. I also have insulin resistance so I've been on metformin since last October, as well.
I think I just hate the fact that apparently having an underactive thyroid is what makes it harder in terms of losing weight (at least that's what my doctor told me). And I tend to get bloated really quickly.
idiotpoetry - I feel you, sometimes I feel really alone because I don't personally know anyone with my condition and sometimes the people I do know just don't understand the struggle we deal with. It does make it very difficult to lose weight...but not impossible. Just have to find the route that works for you. Like for me: I KNOW that a low carb diet works for me...but isn't sustainable long term because I get too bored...and a lot of the "products" like snack bars etc have gluten and I can't have that..well I shouldn't. I haven't fully converted to not eat that yet...a work in progress! :-)
I have just recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I have to admit, I am devastated. No one in my family (either side) has it and the only people I know who have it keep telling me to "not bother trying to lose weight because you can't with it". So I am glad that I came back to this site (I haven't been on in a few months because I have been so discouraged) to find out how others deal with this.
I do have two questions for everyone though. How long did it typically take for people to see improvements in their energy levels? I have been on the medicine for 5 weeks and while I initially saw an improvement, I have gone back to feeling like a truck ran me over.
How do you keep exercising despite being exhausted? I can usually make myself go on Monday/Tuesday, sometimes even Wednesday, but by Thursday I can barely get out of bed for work, let alone to exercise.
Hello srt4852 - I know how devastating it can be. I felt the SAME way back in 2006 when I was diagnosed. Nobody in my family has it either that I can figure out. It made me feel even worse when I found out I had the autoimmune version which is normally genetic -_-. Honestly though, I've been on/off meds since 2006 and just like you described: when getting back on or getting my dose increased I initially feel more energy, but once my body adjusts I'm back to how I felt before meds. If you can, talk to your doctor about other medication options once they feel your levels are stabalized and you "should" be fine, if you still don't feel right, maybe a T3/T4 combo or natural meds option would work for you. I'm going to look into adding T3 to my med regiment toi see if it helps. I've read in a few places that T3 actually makes hashi's worse though so I'll have to ask my endo about that.
But don't give up hope, while life may be a bit harder with being hypo...it's not impossible :-)
How long did it typically take for people to see improvements in their energy levels?
I do not know. It's been too long since I started them. I do remember it was like night and day when I started taking the Levoxyl. I felt like I was walking in a fog or something before and it was like the sun came out.
That said, as a long time patient I can tell when it gets off. I feel it. And I've had to have it adjusted a few times.
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I have been on the medicine for 5 weeks and while I initially saw an improvement, I have gone back to feeling like a truck ran me over.
But energy dips are not always due to the thyroid meds. It is possible to have more than just the thyroid off.
I recently had labs with low B12 and D. Then from my food log I noticed low magnesium too. I changed up my vitamin routine and wow! So much better!
Check your sleep habits too -- dark enough? Warm/cold enough? Free of noises enough? Breathing ok?
It's hard to feel rested if your sleep isn't restful. You may close your eyes and sleep some, but you aren't getting enough deep sleep.
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How do you keep exercising despite being exhausted? I can usually make myself go on Monday/Tuesday, sometimes even Wednesday, but by Thursday I can barely get out of bed for work, let alone to exercise.
Are you doing to much at once? What is your workout?
If your thyroid is pooped and your adrenals are pooped, jumping into heavy exercise is pooping too. You have to build up a base and work up.
Hello,
I have Hashi's and Celiac's both are very mean, but I don't let them win. I had to cut out gluten in order to get the Celiac's under control...do to it I wasn't making enough iron so I was anemic and deficient in vitamin d...very painful experience. I also have a form of MD (yet to be named) so I have trouble with muscular pain. Not to mention Bipolar Disorder and hyperextended ligaments. I was told NOT to exercise.
Just dropping gluten out of my diet started me losing weight fast. Then I put in recumbant bike as I can't walk a great distance, but I sure can bike. Without doctor's knowledge I lift weight (only 5lbs). Every doctor I have been to has told me low carb dieting. Carbs/white food burns off quicker than proteins so we never actually burn off the right calories. I know how hard exercise and dieting are for a "normal" person but for us it almost seems impossible. I want to get the most out of every stinking calorie.
I am a sweets junky too. But after two weeks of clean living (and 10 easy pounds down) I crave less. However, the moment I put sugar into my mouth I want more. So I try my best to stay away from that all together. For sweets I use low carb things (Mostly Atkins bars right now). I stopped eating processed food because a lot of it has hidden gluten and that does a number on me.
Since changing my diet, I have less mood swings with Bipolar disorder, I have more energy, I losing weight at a great pace (enough to keep me motivated), I am sleeping better, I have more endurance. The only thing it really hasn't helped with is pain management, except for being gluten free. Who knew gluten causes physical pain? I didn't, but it does or at least for those of sensitive to it. I stopped seeing an internist for my thyroid as he just treated the numbers. Turns out theres a lot more to it and he was being lazy about it. I get ultra sounds now.
I wish you all the best. It can be done even with tons of stuff thrown at you. Every day I have to tell myself I will fight for another day and I do. Good luck
I stopped seeing an internist for my thyroid as he just treated the numbers. Turns out theres a lot more to it and he was being lazy about it. I get ultra sounds now.
hey there mamakat! I was wondering - what type of doctor do you see to manage your Hashi's? I was seeing an endo, but lost my referral and my insurance was in the middle of renewing...so I still gotta get back to her to see about possible T3 supplementation or what else I can try to get my energy back. I find my levels are very hard to keep stable. I feel like once my meds are to a point my tsh is normal, I go back to test again a few months later for a check and the meds need to be lowered. Go forward a bit and I need my meds raised again. They can't keep it stable, I guess that the autoimmune part that's making it so hard since the thyroid sputters in and out of working so often.
I was trying to see about getting a better understanding my gluten intolerance vs celiac but when I went to a GI doctor and told him about my symptoms/gluten intolerance diagnosis and shared my gene testing for gluten sensitivity/autoimmune reactions; I was answered with the fact he felt it would be a waste of his time to biopsy me. *shrug* I left there, cried out of frustration from being let down by yet another doctor, and just moved on with my life. * They can sometimes be so awful!!!
I've been treated for Hashimoto's disease for the last 8 years(I'm 48) with T4 only at first then with added T3, huge improvement! It's like my "braincloud" had lifted and my energy came back. I still gained weight 'cause let's face it, overeating+couch potatoeing= weight gain, regardless of anything else.
For what I gathered, the acceptable levels of TSH vary greatly from doctor to doctor and the lab they use for blood tests.
Educate yourself and do what's right for you with the right doctor on your side and good luck.
I've been treated for Hashimoto's disease for the last 8 years(I'm 48) with T4 only at first then with added T3, huge improvement! It's like my "braincloud" had lifted and my energy came back. I still gained weight 'cause let's face it, overeating+couch potatoeing= weight gain, regardless of anything else.
For what I gathered, the acceptable levels of TSH vary greatly from doctor to doctor and the lab they use for blood tests.
Educate yourself and do what's right for you with the right doctor on your side and good luck.
I've been hearing that about adding T3 to a regime. I'd love for my brain fog to dissipate. Some days I feel so confused and spacey I'm surprised I can get myself dressed! lol Thanks for posting. I've noticed some labs are slowly converting. Like my endo office uses 3 as the high end now, and my primary doctor office lab still uses 5 as the high level. smh..they need to get it together!
I feel like I hijacked this thread, my bad! I am just thrilled to have found a place where people actually post and I can chat with other hypo/hashi's people. I enjoy reading what others have to say and seeing what people have found that helps or what doesn't, etc. So to the original poster: don't run away! :-D
MsModel,
I see an Endo for my thyroid, but my blood gets tested every six weeks for lots of stuff. Hashi's plus Celiac's really screws with what I can absorb and without the vitamins and iron, theres no energy. I can automatically feel when something is off. I feel like lead. I have to see a Hematologist every 3-6 mos. whether I'm feeling well or not because I just don't make iron. When it's not sweltering I sit outside for a bit (I hate the sun) so that it helps with vitamin D. A few years ago we found out I didn't absorb that either and that is so so painful...I was doped up so much that year.
I love that all these different diseases reek havoc on us. I never know why I'm dizzy/ditsy that day. One day I got lost in a mall that I had frequented a lot. I had to go back into the store I had just left and ask where the heck I was. Today is one of those days, so I'm sticking close to home. I couldn't add or subtract real simple numbers so I knew I wasn't on my game. I learned Celiac's can cause just as much trouble as Hashi's.
I have a gastro who did every test known to doctors last year on me...even swallowed a camera pill! This doctor swears I have Celiac's and was bound to find it. She cracks me up, but I don't enjoy her ventures. One thing I have discovered with doctors is they become complacent (hoping that's the word I'm looking for). I had one doctor chalk up every ailment on weight and depression. For years he medicated me for depression. Turns out I'm Bipolar and all the meds he gave me caused mild brain damage. All my little medical problems could be the cause in part to my weight so getting a handle on those were much more important to me. I just knew something was off, I could feel it. And I was right! He's no longer my doctor.
If you don't like their answers go for a second opinion. They get paid no matter what their answer is, but you don't always get results. That's a one sided relationship that I'm not willing to pay for anymore. Good Luck
I do have two questions for everyone though. How long did it typically take for people to see improvements in their energy levels? I have been on the medicine for 5 weeks and while I initially saw an improvement, I have gone back to feeling like a truck ran me over.
5 weeks is enough time that if you still don't feel good, tell your doc you need your bloodwork checked again. They should have scheduled you for a check at 4-6 weeks anyhow, since the initial dose is just an educated guess. Good luck!
I had to cut out gluten in order to get the Celiac's under control...do to it I wasn't making enough iron so I was anemic and deficient in vitamin d...very painful experience. I also have a form of MD (yet to be named) so I have trouble with muscular pain. Not to mention Bipolar Disorder and hyperextended ligaments. I was told NOT to exercise.
They can sometimes be so awful!!!
