It would require writing a booklet if I wrote down all that I have experienced with this disease. Although this post may be lengthy, it will not tell all. And I want to say thank you for letting me vent today! I began getting sick in 1995. I went for 10 years undiagnosed with hypothyroidism. Because the doctors were going by old testing standards, I wasn't put on hormone therapy. I had all the symptoms of thyroid disease. It was exhausting going from doctor to doctor. Some thought I was just stressed out being a single mom. One told me that it was my age- at that time I had just turned 30! I even had one doctor pat me on the hand and say that I would be alright!?. Seriously? It was a male doctor. I have not found one male doctor that hasn't just written off my issues as a "woman thing or a single mom thing". One day I had a bad sinus infection and decided to go to a new doctor. Since she was so close to my work, I told her I would continue to see her. That is when she decided to do a complete physcial and found I had thyroid disease. I can remember the day that I woke up feeling like I had slept for the first time in all those years. I was constantly tired before then. My hair was falling out, weight gain, muscle twitches, cold- cold- cold, vertigo, reynauds syndrom, heart palpitations, weird rashes, bleeding gums, etc. When I went back to her I started crying because for years people thought I was a hypochondriac. But I was really sick for all that time. That was in 2005. The wonderful doctor stopped working to raise her daughters. It figures, once I found a doctor who wasn't offended by my proactivity, she's gone. I still experiene those things above, but I have periods when I feel well again. Because I have had many ups and down, I decided this year I to go to an Endocrinologist. I had cytomel added to my synthroid, then had to stop taking it. I was in a hyper mode instead of hypo. The doctor tested me for Hashimotos and low vitamin d. I have been officially diagnosed with both and was promptly put on 50,000iu vitamin d a week. I have good days and bad. My aunt asked me if I was getting b12 shots because she also has Hashi's and gets them. My Endo did not put me on it. I found out that b12 is not easily absorbed by people with hypothyroidism. Mostly because of the constipation issues. A co-worker told me she has muscle twitches and her chiropractor put her on b complex. Her symptoms have improved. Tired of being tired, I decided to try b complex with 1200mcg of b12. I chose a sublingual because I read that it is better absorbed this way. You can find this at a local grocery or Walmart for around $5. After taking it for a week, I forgot a couple of days and really could tell the difference. I still have issues, but my muscle twitches have improved some and instead of feeling foggy, I am more clear headed. I am making it a point to take my B complex/B12. Every day. Keep in mind that it has to be taken 4 hours after thryoid meds. This information came from my pharmacist not my doctor. Also he said that I should not be taking any cold meds at all. I found out that certain foods should not be eaten if you are hypothyroid. Of course it was NOT a doctor who told me this. My aunt's doctor told her that muscle twtiches/spasms come from having Hashimotos and that it was something she would just have to live with. She was fine with that because at least she knew it wasn't something else. My endo (been one for at least 20 years) told me that this was a neurological problem and I need to see a neurologist. I do not have the resources to go from doctor to doctor nor the energy. I told my endo "I know you are not Walmart (a one-stop shop), but it would be nice to go to one doctor who could rule out all these "other" things before quickly saying I need to see a different specialist. He just looked at me funny and said that I need to go through the proper process. I have couple thousand dollars worth of medical bills and still need to go to a Rheumatologist in October because I had a positive ANA test. I read somewhere that people with Hashi's can have a positive ANA- my endo says no. I go through periods when I don't want to know anything because one doc says one thing and another says something completely different. I am not very happy with my Endo but I don't even know where to look for a new endo since the area doctors always refer patients to this guy. And although I am now married, we have no extra money or good health insurance. I would like to find a naturapath who takes insurance and can combine natural and conventially remedies/meds. But the thought of even trying exhausts me. I guess it is the "thyroid" brain at work again! haha.. Thank you again for letting me vent!
~Chris
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It would require writing a booklet if I wrote down all that I have experienced with this disease. Although this post may be lengthy, it will not tell all. And I want to say thank you for letting me vent today! I began getting sick in 1995. I went for 10 years undiagnosed with hypothyroidism. Because the doctors were going by old testing standards, I wasn't put on hormone therapy. I had all the symptoms of thyroid disease. It was exhausting going from doctor to doctor. Some thought I was just stressed out being a single mom. One told me that it was my age- at that time I had just turned 30! I even had one doctor pat me on the hand and say that I would be alright!?. Seriously? It was a male doctor. I have not found one male doctor that hasn't just written off my issues as a "woman thing or a single mom thing". One day I had a bad sinus infection and decided to go to a new doctor. Since she was so close to my work, I told her I would continue to see her. That is when she decided to do a complete physcial and found I had thyroid disease. I can remember the day that I woke up feeling like I had slept for the first time in all those years. I was constantly tired before then. My hair was falling out, weight gain, muscle twitches, cold- cold- cold, vertigo, reynauds syndrom, heart palpitations, weird rashes, bleeding gums, etc. When I went back to her I started crying because for years people thought I was a hypochondriac. But I was really sick for all that time. That was in 2005. The wonderful doctor stopped working to raise her daughters. It figures, once I found a doctor who wasn't offended by my proactivity, she's gone. I still experiene those things above, but I have periods when I feel well again. Because I have had many ups and down, I decided this year I to go to an Endocrinologist. I had cytomel added to my synthroid, then had to stop taking it. I was in a hyper mode instead of hypo. The doctor tested me for Hashimotos and low vitamin d. I have been officially diagnosed with both and was promptly put on 50,000iu vitamin d a week. I have good days and bad. My aunt asked me if I was getting b12 shots because she also has Hashi's and gets them. My Endo did not put me on it. I found out that b12 is not easily absorbed by people with hypothyroidism. Mostly because of the constipation issues. A co-worker told me she has muscle twitches and her chiropractor put her on b complex. Her symptoms have improved. Tired of being tired, I decided to try b complex with 1200mcg of b12. I chose a sublingual because I read that it is better absorbed this way. You can find this at a local grocery or Walmart for around $5. After taking it for a week, I forgot a couple of days and really could tell the difference. I still have issues, but my muscle twitches have improved some and instead of feeling foggy, I am more clear headed. I am making it a point to take my B complex/B12. Every day. Keep in mind that it has to be taken 4 hours after thryoid meds. This information came from my pharmacist not my doctor. Also he said that I should not be taking any cold meds at all. I found out that certain foods should not be eaten if you are hypothyroid. Of course it was NOT a doctor who told me this. My aunt's doctor told her that muscle twtiches/spasms come from having Hashimotos and that it was something she would just have to live with. She was fine with that because at least she knew it wasn't something else. My endo (been one for at least 20 years) told me that this was a neurological problem and I need to see a neurologist. I do not have the resources to go from doctor to doctor nor the energy. I told my endo "I know you are not Walmart (a one-stop shop), but it would be nice to go to one doctor who could rule out all these "other" things before quickly saying I need to see a different specialist. He just looked at me funny and said that I need to go through the proper process. I have couple thousand dollars worth of medical bills and still need to go to a Rheumatologist in October because I had a positive ANA test. I read somewhere that people with Hashi's can have a positive ANA- my endo says no. I go through periods when I don't want to know anything because one doc says one thing and another says something completely different. I am not very happy with my Endo but I don't even know where to look for a new endo since the area doctors always refer patients to this guy. And although I am now married, we have no extra money or good health insurance. I would like to find a naturapath who takes insurance and can combine natural and conventially remedies/meds. But the thought of even trying exhausts me. I guess it is the "thyroid" brain at work again! haha.. Thank you again for letting me vent!
July 9, 2011 - 8:56am~Chris
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