I was diagnosed as hypo with Hashi's when I was 31 and pregnant with my fourth child. I am now 38 and have not felt good, or even normal, in the last 7 years. I am taking synthroid, but I have never been able to get over the skin problems, lethargy, and horrible pains in my hips. I also have chronic migraines and Fibromyalgia. I have tried to get my doctor to try armour to see if my symptoms will improve, but my regular doctor is not willing to do it and we only have one endo in our town who is also not willing. My levels have not been stable for over a year as I swing from Hypo to Hyper, but I don't notice a difference in symptoms regardless of where my levels are at the time. I always fee like crud. I have decided, again, that I am going to commit myself to diet and exercise and I am praying that it will help me feel a little bit better. Any suggestions from anyone would be great. I'm so glad this forum exists, so I know that there are more people like me out there.
Your body may have difficulty converting T4 to T3. Synthroid is synthetic T4. The body has to convert T4 to T3 in order to use it. Armour has both T4 and T3, as does Westhroid and Naturethroid. If your normal doc doesn't prescribe it, look for a holistic or naturopathic doc. I see a Naturopath and she prescribes Thyroid UPC to me which is just a generic version that has T4/T3. It's also ridiculously cheap- about $13 for a month's supply and that's with no insurance.
Hello, everyone! How nice it is to find this thread! I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a little over a year ago. I had all of the classic symptoms which were ignored by myself and my doc for a few years. She said it was my age....I am in my 40s....and I agreed with her. I was packing on pounds, tired, fuzzy headed with headaches, anemic and was having terrible periods. It took a trip to the emergency room and the advice of a wonderful nurse to get tested for thyroid issues. Looking back, it seems my symtoms were obvious and I am really suprised my former doctor didn't recognize them.
Needless to say, I gained alot of weight before I was diagnosed and then, before we got my meds right! I am having a very difficult time losing what I gained. For months I would exercise and watch what I ate and still gain. I think I must be normalizing because I have actually lost 3 lbs in the past three weeks. I am really motivated to continue this trend!!! This weight gain has really gotten me down. I am not used to it. I never, ever had weight issues before!!!
I welcome any advice...encouragement.....kick in the rears....etc! I hope I can be helpful to others as well!
Thanks everyone!!!
EagleRiverDee - Thank you very much for the reply. I am going to take your advice and start looking for a holistic doctor. I have to do something.
My biggest complaint/symptom right now (besides the lethargy) is the constipation. It is killing me. I apologize, in advance, for the TMI, but I can't be the only one of us dealing with it. It is so bad that I would estimate that I am only going to the bathroom every 5-7 days. At times it is bad enough that I vomit every time I eat. I have tried taking a laxative/softener combination and I have tried Miralax daily and NOTHING works. I don't drink caffeine, which I know can aggrivate it and I eat tons of fruits and veggies. I also drink a LOT of water. I would estimate 14-8oz glasses a day. I have no idea what else to try. My Doctor will only recommend the Miralax and at this point I am super frustrated. Just wish I could find a Doctor who will treat the symptoms instead of going by that stupid TSH test. Anyway, sorry again for the TMI, but if anyone has battled this and won, would love to hear how.
Fruits and veggies won't really help with a problem like that. You need some good fiber. Fiber One works for me as well as oats.
I had problems with horrible constipation and I started eating steel cut oats for breakfast. The instant oats won't do any good, btw. I'd also throw in some sort of dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, or dates.
I agree with Euphy. You need fiber. And you should drink coffee. Trust me, I'm Greek. We've been solving such problems with frape for 60 years.
This is the recipe:
1.Get nescafe.
2. Add 2 tsp of it, together with as much sugar as you want (preferably more than 2 tsp, because it's bitter and strong) and a tiny bit of water into one of those things you shake cocktails in.
3. Shake them until you get a lot of foam that doesn't look like the one soap produces. Usually it takes ~2 minutes.
4. Pour it in a glass with 5-10 ice cubes in it.
5. Keep adding water to the cocktail thingy and pouring it into the glass, until the thingy doesn't have any more coffee in it, or until the glass is full, whichever comes first.
6. Add milk. This is optional, but it is highly recommended, especially since you don't drink coffee.
7.Drink from a straw, because the foam is the stuff the **** is made of.
8. ???
9. PROFIT! In this case, mad dash to the bathroom. Seriously.
On another note, is there anyone who also has iron deficiency? I've had severe iron deficiency since I was 13. It gets worse every year and the doctors just say that it's because of my period. But it kept getting worse even when I was at my highest weight at which point I stopped getting my period for more than a year. It's probably affecting the Hashimoto's and I'm tired of it. Any ideas as to how to fix it?
I finally found a doctor to take me in, and have an appointment next week to have my thyroid hormones checked. I'm going to see if she can check for diabetes, my iron and b12 levels as well since blood is being drawn might as well get as much tested as I can. Anything else I can ask to check?
I am really nervous... haven't been to a doctor in like 10+ years and that was just for a cold. Scared too, while I hope I am ok, I'm also hoping something does come up so then I can find out why I always feel so tired and fatigued.
I also was diagnosed with hypothyroidism... my labs have been coming back borderline for a few years and then finally this past fall I was started on Synthroid. Since then I've gone from 50 to 88 and now 100mcg. I go back at the end of May to get checked again. Hopefully we are getting close to the correct dosage; I just want to have some energy again!
Thankfully so far my doctor has been very sympathetic.
I think our poor thyroids get blamed for a lot. You're metabolism should work just fine w/o a thyroid if you are managed correctly on your T4.
How likely your hypothyroid is to be correctly managed depends hugely upon where you live. The US national average lab norm value for TSH is around 2.4*, so a value of 4 is considered to be high. In many parts of mainland Europe the norm value goes up to 3.5. In the UK it has just been increased from 7 to TEN. Once your TSH is back within the norm values you get your dosage levelled off, even if it's within the norm by a tiny margin. I have just had my bloods done again today, and if my TSH has falled to below 7 then I will be stuck with the dose I have now, which is 1/3 of the dose I had when I lived in France.
(* All figures are given in the units we use here in the UK. These may not be the same units used in your own results)
Hopefully I can manage to persuade my doctor that the other medication I am taking messes with these blood tests, and perhaps we should keep going to a point where I do not have to wear a thermal vest, T-shirt, hoodie top, lined trousers, ski socks, heat pad and blanket in a room that is heated to 75 degrees. I am not confident of success. Till this week I had not had my arms uncovered by clothing since 2006. It felt weird not wearing a sweatshirt for 15 minutes, like being naked in public. Even in the summer months I have 2 duvets and an electric blanket and sleep in PJs with a fleece top and a vest underneath, and having to undress to get washed and changed is bone-shatteringly cold. But if my bloods show that my condition is "under control" that's all the T4 I'm getting.
Last edited by RoseRodent; 04-25-2012 at 02:24 PM.
Hi, I am new to this board. While I have not been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, I suffer from many of the symptoms and show signs of hypothyroidism. I have done an ultrasound, and a nodule was found on my right side. It is 9mm, and since that time ( which was in march 2012) I have progressively felt worse and worse.
As of now, I will be waiting for a call from my endo, to get an earlier appt than I had made ( in June) or I will see another endo, to get a 2nd opinion.
I wanted to leave a comment regarding what helps me keep regular. Every morning, I get an 8oz glass and put about 1 Tbsp of lemon juice and fill it up with water. Once I drink that, I make a cup of coffee, use sugar ( I use splenda) and 2 Tbsp of half and half. I'm not sure if this helps but drinking my coffee while watching tv in a relaxed state helps me to relieve myself in the morning.
I went to a new doctor today and he didn't even ask about whether I have any symptoms. He said that I seem to be doing fine with the dosage I'm on (125 mcg) and he's waiting for the lab results. I was so happy to be able to get an appointment with him, because he's considered to be such a great endo, but I'm disappointed. What if my labs come back normal despite the fact that I have a boatload of symptoms? Do I keep taking the same dosage? What if he asks me to lower it? This was not at all what I expected...
EagleRiverDee - Thank you very much for the reply. I am going to take your advice and start looking for a holistic doctor. I have to do something.
My biggest complaint/symptom right now (besides the lethargy) is the constipation. It is killing me. I apologize, in advance, for the TMI, but I can't be the only one of us dealing with it. It is so bad that I would estimate that I am only going to the bathroom every 5-7 days. At times it is bad enough that I vomit every time I eat. I have tried taking a laxative/softener combination and I have tried Miralax daily and NOTHING works. I don't drink caffeine, which I know can aggrivate it and I eat tons of fruits and veggies. I also drink a LOT of water. I would estimate 14-8oz glasses a day. I have no idea what else to try. My Doctor will only recommend the Miralax and at this point I am super frustrated. Just wish I could find a Doctor who will treat the symptoms instead of going by that stupid TSH test. Anyway, sorry again for the TMI, but if anyone has battled this and won, would love to hear how.
Have you tried Magnesium? Oh, and if you take calcium supplements switch to a liquid. Solid calcium supplements, even TUMS, will bind me up like no tomorrow. I take a liquid calcium supplement that is a 1:1 ratio with magnesium (500mg of each) and one to two doses of that a day can really help to get things moving.
I think our poor thyroids get blamed for a lot. You're metabolism should work just fine w/o a thyroid if you are managed correctly on your T4.
I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you. I don't have a thyroid gland and my t4 numbers had been within the suggested range for years and I still had muscle weakness, dry hair and skin, fatigue and plenty of other symptoms associated with hypothyroidism.
I finally realized I needed to take vitamins and other supplements to help replace most of the things my body was missing. It's a constant struggle with my doctor because all she looks at is my bloodwork. I believe we shouldn't judge whether or not we're better by some preset T4 number. That may work out okay for some folks who have a thyroid gland but if you're like me and ya got nothing I say you should judge yourself by how you feel and not by how others say you should feel.
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 6 months ago at the age of 27. My TSH was 19 (yikes) but the doc started me on 100 mcg levothyroxine, and six weeks later my my TSH was 0.43 (yay!).
Prior to being diagnosed, I gained 25 lbs, was moody, depressed, irritable, and very tired. I feel so much better now-especially energy level and mood! I haven't lost any weight since starting the meds, but I wasn't trying at all-eating whatever I wanted and not exercising.
A week ago I saw a nutritionist and we are going to work together to help me lose 50 lbs (currently 191 lbs, 5'8). It won't be easy but I am going to go for it.
Thyroid issues can be a real pain but when you get the right endo and get your meds at a good dosage, it can make such a difference!
