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So what are your top symptoms to deal with when your thyroid is off?
By
Auntlello1
April 24, 2011 - 8:17am
I know before any test results when I am off because I will be cold ALL the time and feel like I need a nap every moment of every day. How about you?
By
endorella
June 20, 2011 - 5:57am
I was just diagnosed with Hypothyroidism 5 months ago. It was severe to the point I am off work and also have another health issue. No one thought to check my thyroid (-59.96) Im told this is unheard of. My symptoms were trouble breathing, swallowing, anxiety, sleeping14 hours or more, aching legs, dry hair, and excess calluses on my feet. Now Im Hyperthyroid until they can get it under contol Im at 0 reading so they have lowered the meds. My legs still ache I still have trouble breathing, and now Im hyper and tired. I have my1st appt with endochronologist this Friday so hopefully I can understand more.
June 20, 2011 - 5:57amThis Comment
By
Auntlello1
June 12, 2011 - 10:17am
It can be an autoimmune disorder, but they will need to test you for antibodies first. . . here is a great article for that.
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroidism/a/hashivshypo.htm
Once you know if that is for sure what you have, it can help you better control your symptoms and know when you are having a "flair up".
and here is an article on pregnancy and such regarding thyroid. . .
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/pregnancy/a/postpartum.htm
Hope you get something out of it! :)
Auntlello1
June 12, 2011 - 10:17amThis Comment
By
Tifsturn
June 12, 2011 - 9:51am
Auntlello1 , Thank you so much for all the information...I have found this to be most helpful..despite what I have tried to learn on the internet. Funny that you asked if I had kids about that time...prior to medication or any diagnosis, I did have my last child in 2000, But...I also had a hysterectomy in 2003. after I had my fourth child, My daughter, who's 10 & 1/2....I lost a tremendous amount of weight. I hardly gained any with her or the other pregnancies. In fact, I'm 5"7 and I weighed anywhere from 102 to 110 (pre & post pregnancy). Since this is an autoimmune disorder (am I correct?) I recall having to bring my oldest son to the endochronologist because of his weight and height..he was very tiny for peers his age. Now I'm wondering if he doesn't have the same thing...my son is very thin, yet he eats like a horse....that is the way I used to be. Hmmm. its got me thinking now about if any of this is related...because of the way my metabolism has changed. But because i was not diagnosed until I was thirty four...who knows. Thanks again..looks like there is hope out there somewhere. I appreciate any information you would be willing to provide. Have a beautiful day! I'm glad that you were able to participate with your kids actively...this is something I look forward to doing more often...they deserve it! God Bless & Take care! Tif
June 12, 2011 - 9:51amThis Comment
By
Auntlello1
June 11, 2011 - 10:36pm
Well Tif, first thing is did this happen during or within a year or so of giving birth? That is a VERY common "trigger" for hypothyroidism. And yes, you can swing from hypo to hyper, and for some people they seem to be on a weekly roller coaster :(
Now keep in mind that every person is different: that being said, I was on Synthroid for 20 years, and never felt "normal". On the Synthroid I never noticed my hair falling out, but starting it when I was 13 who knows, maybe I just forgot about it :) In 2006 I finally talked a doctor into switching me to natural dessicated thyroid, and within 6 weeks I was pregnant after being married 4 years. So, for quite a while I couldn't tell if it was helping, but I don't think without switching medications I ever would have had the wonderful son that I do.
So, a couple of years later I notice I am back to feeling not great, and I start searching for answers. I switched from one type of dessicated thyroid medication to a different one, and like it better. I also demanding to have my dosage raised, even though my TSH was "with in" range. (Of course I was told if I just ate less and moved more I would feel fine - BULL-OGNA!!!) I am now on 3 grains of medication, which is equal to 195 mcg. My TSH is lower than 1 for the first time in my life, and I no longer require naps EVERY day just to get through it. This weekend I even played about 18 games of Red Rover and Jailbreak with the kids, and although I can't move my legs anymore it was great to be moving.
As strange as it sounds to anyone else, for the first time in a long time I actually feel "strong" again, like I can feel my muscles are alive again and not so "jello" like!
Now, with that said, I will tell you every time I adjusted my medication, I would feel great for a couple of days and then "crash" again, feeling almost worse than before. But if you increase the dosages correctly, it would be a lot smoother. I did have my hair coming out quite a bit, and even chopped it off because I was sick of choking on it since it was EVERYWHERE in the house, but now I can finally start growing it out again since it has finally gone back to normal.
Finding the right dosage and the right medication takes a LOT of time, and once you do timing the medications around meals, vitamins, and such is a pain in the butt, but well worth it. I guess when I finally admitted that I will never be normal again, and almost treat this like diabetes, where you have to watch everything every day, it sunk in and now I wish I would have done all of this decades ago.
If I can do, you can do it too!
I will post more links for you coming up next week, so you can be fully prepared to discuss this with your doctor.
Best Regards,
Auntlello1
June 11, 2011 - 10:36pmThis Comment
By
Tifsturn
June 10, 2011 - 12:42pm
Auntlello1 , Thank you for the link that you provided. Right now the medication I have been on for the past four years is Levothyroxine..it seems to me that although I feel a bit better than I used to,before the medication, I still have lack of energy, brain-fog, and of course cold spells. It is really getting to me that when I visit my doctor, she tells me to exercise...take my vitamins, eat high fiber foods...yet, first off, If I had the energy to exercise..I would. Secondly, taking some vitamins and fiber counteract or render the medicine less effective. go figure. LOL. I also find much conflicting information about whether or not someone can go from Hyperthyroidism to Hypothyroidism. a little over four years ago,I was thin, as I was my whole life...then suddenly I gained over 70 lbs. within a period of 5 months. I went to the doctor, she told me to exercise, lose weight and checked my thyroid...and there was the diagnosis. I'm just curious as to how or why this occured so rapidly....and has not been under control since then. I have lost some weight, but not enough compared to what I used to be. right now I'm taking 100mcg. And I still feel like its not "right" Frustrated at this point. Not to mention the lovely side effects, my hair starts to falls out..brittle nails, etc..everytime they raise my dosage. Is there something I am missing here? Something has to be done, my kids deserve to have their real mom back. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks a million! have a great day! Sincerely, Tif
June 10, 2011 - 12:42pmThis Comment
By
Auntlello1
June 9, 2011 - 9:25pm
My mantra is "sick and tired of being sick and tired!" After two doctors and finally driving to Loyola in Chicago I have now learned that I will have to live with random swelling of my Paratid gland, a somewhat common problem for people with auto-immune disease. Sometimes I don't know what those doctors think, I am not about to "learn to live" with anything. If my body was not suppose to do this in the first place, then by God I am not about to just sit back and let it. And neither should you :) we have the right to feel as good as everyone else, even if we have to raise a little cane to get it :)
Good luck with your doctor, and stick to your plans of feeling better!
June 9, 2011 - 9:25pmThis Comment
By
Lynda F
June 9, 2011 - 8:46pm
Thanks for the article. I'll bring that to my doctor's attention! I'm just tired of feeling so tired all the time.........LOL
June 9, 2011 - 8:46pmThis Comment
By
Auntlello1
June 9, 2011 - 1:24pm
Lynda, I find it funny that I have been told if I just ate better and moved more, I would feel fine. Amazingly, when my thyroid is screaming at me I don't even have enough energy to open up a box to make dinner, let alone cook a healthy meal!
I was on Synthroid for 20 years, then all of a sudden the pharmacy started giving me generic. Within a month I was as sick as dog, and with the wonderful help of a great DO at the time, he realized that I could not tolerate the generic, and that the new protocal for the pharmacy was to only give generic unless the doctor specifically stated "Do Not Substitute". That was a horrible lesson to learn, but we did learn from it.
I will say, since switching to Naturthroid, I have been able to actually DO more, and as my husband puts it, my cooking is getting not only healthier but tastier! It is simply easier to cook healthier foods and move more when you actually feel better first. A vicious circle it has become, but for me there was no way I was going to feel better without first addressing my thyroid.
Here is an article worth checking out, although some doctors would not agree with it, at least it comes from medical community so it is not just "stuff" us desperate thyroid patients are making up. . .
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/t3controversy/a/NEJMT3study.htm
it is at least worth reading :)
Take Care!
June 9, 2011 - 1:24pmThis Comment
By
Lynda F
June 9, 2011 - 1:06pm
I take my Synthroid daily and STILL feel the cold easily, STILL want to nap several times a day, and STILL have little energy. I have blood work done once or twice a year to be sure I'm taking the right dosage also. I have been on the generic drug, but we found that I had to change my dosage every other month, so now I can only take the Synthroid as that at least keeps my thyroid level stable. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to matter where the cold and tiredness are concerned.
Can't imagine how bad I would feel if I weren't on meds for my thyroid, given how cold, tired and lethargic I still feel on them.... LOL
There really has to be a better way. Then I was told I was deficient in Vitamin D when I told my doctor about the chronic fatigue. Well, I can't say taking a Vitamin D supplement has helped all that much either, neither has the B-12 shots I take twice a week.
So I really have wonder if a lot of the tiredness is not from the foods I eat. I have noticed I do feel better when I eat better. It's just not always easy to afford the good/natural foods as much as I want. Though I'm getting better at that too!
June 9, 2011 - 1:06pm
endorella,
I truly hope you the best with the endo! My first question is, the test they did, was that the TSH? If so, was it REALLY negative or is that just a dash before it? (I have never heard of that either!)
I am so sorry you have to deal with these symptoms, as we all know how much it takes to deal with every day. As far as the 0 number, how many decimal points out did they do? Mine is 0.006, but if a company only goes out two decimals they wouldn't have picked up that last number 6, so just wondering.
Another thing is, have they diagnosed you with an autoimmune condition that has caused the thyroid disorder to begin with? Some doctors may say that it doesn't matter, but BELIEVE me, it does.
So many things to look at together, and so much to learn, but taking control of your health early on will save you a lot of misery in the long run :)
Best Regards!
June 20, 2011 - 9:58amAuntlello1
This Comment