Thyroid Problems

A., I had the same problems most of my life, but because my blood tests were always in normal range, my hypothyroidism was not treated until I was 42. I have found out that endocrinologists are the worst people to see in this situation, because they do not recognize hypothyroidism unless the blood tests are out of range. And my hypothyroidism should have been obvious to any doctor because not only did I have the symptoms you mention, but also my thyroid was quite enlarged. What's worse, my hypoT led to many other, much more serious health problems over time because it was not diagnosed over the twenty years the doctors kept noticing my enlarged thyroid and ignoring it.

Don't delay - get your thyroid treated! Since I started taking Armour natural thyroid hormone my health has turned around significantly and I've lost 40 pounds. One doctor I know will treat you is Dr. Pauline Harding on 75th Street in Aurora. She is an MD with a holistic approach. You have to wait a LONG time in her office, but she will recognize hypothyroidism even if the blood tests are within "normal" range.

I also recommend removing gluten from your diet to see if you feel better without it. Many people with hypothyroidism are gluten-intolerant and I found out I was.

Some people get relief from iodine supplementation. Dr. Brownstein has some books out about that.

Often people with hypothyroidism develop adrenal insufficiency, which can only be tested accurately with saliva testing. You should definitely get your adrenals tested that way. Dr. Harding will most likely do that for you.

There are some good yahoo groups, including HormonesandHealth-Naturally, NaturalThyroidHormones, and Thyroid, the last one moderated my Mary Shomon who has written a lot on the subject.

Hypothyroidism is probably one of the most undiagnosed conditions in this country. Good for you for pursuing this despite what your endo said. Best of luck to you.

2 moms found this helpful

you are totally right keep pursing thryoid med. The same hting happende ot me wiht my tiwns. the endo crynologist did nothing fo rme either but my primary care dr did. I told her that even though the ranges wre low or norma according to her they were not according to my body. She gave me the lowest dose of levoxil and WOW what a difference. I am a new person and so back to almost normal. I also had a problem with yeast causing some of the fatigue and she also put me on metformin to get me to ovulate again and get regulkar and that too helped but after awile it made me tired so we slowly switched to every other day with the metformin and I am good. Keep going till you find someone to give you the meds. I bet your gyne would for sure tell him your symptoms and tell him about your results and you want to try syntrhorid or something. keep telling some dr till they listen. On an average it take the third dr to help and many times up to the fifth so do not get discouraged keep looking for the right one and you will be so happy when you get the right help and meds.
Good luck
J.

I too thought I was text book for Thyroid issues. (MANY of the same symptoms you mentioned) My mother even has some so I thought it was an open and closed case.

Not so. I have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. (PCOS) I am new to it and recently diagnosed so I don't have a lot of info as of yet. -apologies!

I just wanted to be sure that it's something for you think about/look at b/c no one else has mentioned this one yet. It is a big infertility causer.....I know you mentioned this one though I didn't have that problem thankfully!

Again I apologize for the lack of info. I am on a med that has corrected most all of the symptoms that I have. It's a great thing to have your brain "back" again! ....not to mention not so TIRED!

Good luck!!!!!!!

Hi A.. It does sound like Thyroid issues to me also,but I guess it could be a number of things such as candida. Candida is an overload of candida yeast and can cause these kinds of symptoms also. Google Candida and you will find alot of information on it. As far as the thyroid goes,I am very much into natural health and had some blood testing done by a company called Your Future Health. It is very expensive but well worth it. The regular lab ranges can be way off,if you want to learn more go to yourfuturehealth.com and you will find some good information there. You can actually nourish your thyroid with nutrition. One more site you may find some information on thyroid issues and candidia is mercola.com. Good luck to you I know you must be very frustrated at this point. Take care.

I haven't personally experienced these symptoms very severely, but my doctor (Dr. Elvove in Libertyville) treats something thyroid related that blood tests cannot detect called "Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome." You might want to look into it:
http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/
If you want Dr. Elvove's information, let me know and I can give you his website.
Best wishes!

A., I was experiencing similiar symptoms. I had all my blood work done by my gyne. It was normal-low. She sent me to endocrinologist. She redid my blood work and tested for antibodies. She said these are sighs of hyperthyroid and Hashimoto's disease. Did your endo test for these? My antibodies were high and she placed me on synthyroid, the lowest dosage. It has made a difference.

Sounds like a combination of thyroid and perimenopause. Go to your gynecologist and get a hormone panel done asap.

Dr Kevin Hunt is a great internist who referred me to a great endocrinologist - Dr. James Sheinin. Both are downtown. I'd suggest a second opinion. I struggled with hypo thyroid for just 10 months and it was the worst time for my health and spirit ever. It's worth getting the help you need.
Dr. Hunt
111 W. Washington Ave
Ste 1801
(between Clark St & La Salle St)
Chicago, IL 60602
I wanted to add that even after my thyroid was normalized, I still felt terrible. Dr ran tests and found very low iron stores - i've been taken prescription iron since and feel 100% back to my old self.
Good luck!
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Hi A.,
i have graves disease which is connected to hyperthyroidism. I am putting out too much hormones. This runs in my family, so check to see if you have a family history of thyroid disease. Some other symptoms of hyperthyroidism is trembling fingers, rapid or irregular heartbeat, sensitvity to heat and excessive perspiration. You also go to the bathroom more than usual. I have not heard of anyone with constipation. My hair is also falling out at a tremendous pace.there is also itchy and swollen eyes. I hope and pray for your benefit you do not have thyroid disease. Listen to your doctor, thats what makes her a specialist.the blood test would tell you right away, it did in my case.i hope this helps you know the disease a little better. You can go on line and find out more about graves disease, www.hormone.org. Good luck and god bless.
B.

I have had my thyroid tested several times over, as every doctor who has gotten to hear the entire list of my symptoms has immediately said that I need my thyroid checked. Every time, however, it has come back fine.

I have, however, found out that I have had a bunch of other problems instead. I would suggest getting a full physical workup done. I ended up finding out I had high blood pressure (a new symptom since my last pregnancy) and high cholesterol too. I've also found out I had a disc in my back collapsing, and some mild sleep apnea. I've been busy joining a health club and altering my diet some in order to remedy these problems so that hopefully I can get off all these new medications and be healthier.

It would be worth having a second opinion on the thyroid - I've had several tests done over the last few years as I kept changing doctors and every one of them wanted to test my thyroid first. But it would also be worth checking on many of your symptoms individually to see if they have a source of their own. I was shocked how much my body had changed over the course of my two pregnancies and I'm having to work hard to try and get my body back.

This winter has been rough on skin, by the way - I've found that Gold Bond's healing formula with the vitamin E in it has been helping a lot with that. :-)

Best of luck to you!

Hi A.,
Congratulations on having twins and working to improve on your health! I agree that its wise to get another opinion on your thyroid. I have two daughters with PCOS, one is also hypothyroid and she feels much better now that she is taking synthroid. We have worked to implement dietary changes - whole grain carbs, fruits, veggies, protein to combat their insulin resistance. It is important to find endocronologist and keep going on a regular basis for blood tests etc. I agree that having exercise on a regular basis can help to bring you endorphins. Your breathing can be improved through taking yoga. I recommend www.universalspirityoga.com. This is not a substitute for having assessment of possible sleep apnea but yoga can help you have good breathing patterns and more relaxation techniques.

Thyroid condition does come to mind, however, that's been almost ruled out (my sister does have nodules, too, however, she is on thyroid med's). Did you get a complete blood work panel done to make sure everything else is at the level it should be???

Have you taken any sleep tests??? You could have sleep apnea. It's amazing how many people have it and are unaware. Your doctor's office may give you a simple, home diagnostic test that will give you preliminary results. (i.e. when you are ready to go to bed, you attach the finger device and go to sleep as you normally would. Then, return the device to their office the next day, for an evaluation.) If you do not pass the test, they will refer you to a sleep specialist who will have you evaluated at a facility, overnight (i.e. sleep study). If you have any kind of allergies/asthma breathing or heart conditions, or if you know you are a snorer or awake suddenly in the middle of the night for no good reason,
you could have some sleep apnea. Foggy thoughts, weight gain, severe fatigue are all symptoms of it. As far are the other symptoms like your hair - could be just the season or you could be lacking some kind of vitamin in your diet.

Are you taking a good multi-vitamin? During this time of year, we all are getting lower doses of Vitamin D and recently, there have been so many studies out about the benefit of Vitamin D3 (even working in conjunction with Vitamin C)

Don't rule out the physical aspect of raising twin girls. That has to be a constant, physical challenge and I'm sure you are in constant motion. And it would be natural for your libido to be lacking if you are that tired.

Back to the sleep test - It's the road I am taking now. My dr. mentioned that she wanted me to take a home test and I told her it wasn't necessary. Flash forward - I have failed two home tests and it's been enlightening. Looking back, I may have had sleep apnea for years without knowing. Good luck.

Have you checked with your doctor about possible Post Pardom Depression? Just a thought.

Here a link to a thyroid on-line support group if you have any questions.

____@____.com

hugs n' prayers, gratitude and peace,
Linda

There are many people that have hypothyroidism even though their test results are in the "normal" range. This happens quite a bit in my family. What's normal for most is not normal for all of us. Although, he's could be right in the fact that this may be not the only problem. I would get a second opinion.

A.,

Have you been tested for thyroid antibodies? I had a lot of the same things going on about six months after the birth of my son in 2005 and while my TSH, T3, and T4 levels came back withing the normal range, my antibodies were through the roof. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and have been on synthroid ever since. My doctor who diagnosed me back then said its somewhat common for thyroid issues to appear after the birth of a child. If you haven't already had your thyroid antibody levels tested, I would ask your doctor about having it done. It may give you some answers. Good luck!

Have you thought about a possible autoimmune disorder such as lupus? There are many different kinds of autoimmune diseases that could explain your symptoms. If not try to get a second opinion from a different endocrinologist. For someone who feels as bad as you do it will be a lot of hard work to find an answer. But you are not imagining things no matter what the doctors tell you. If you feel like there is something wrong then there is. No one knows your body better than you do.

I would suggest taking your lab results to an endocrinologist. My gyne tested me after a miscarriage and said my TSH was normal- it was around 7. After my son was born, I got retested and it was 54! Now I am on Synthroid and doing somewhat better. My endo keeps my TSH around 1 now. I would suggest getting a second opinion. It's also VERY important that you be on medication if you plan to get pregnant again. The baby depends on you for thyroid hormone for the first 12 weeks. If they don't get enough, it can affect their brain development and lead to issues later.

T.
www.ReadandGrow.com

It does sound fishy. I would encourage you to seek a second opinion. I do want to point out though, that a low T3 would be hypothyroidism, while a low TSH would be hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism runs in my family, so I've always assumed I'll have it at some point. TSH is the thyroid stimulating hormone, so if it's high then your thyroid is not responding well, and your pituitary is putting out more TSH to try to get it to respond. If you have low TSH then your thyroid is overproducing and your pituitary doesn't need to produce as much TSH to get the right levels. So having a low TSH and low T3 seems odd.

I'm not sure what would best explain your problems, but with two abnormal test results, I wouldn't be as dismissive as your Dr has been.

This may sound out there, but I think you should go see a NAET specialist (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Treatment.) I used to have hypothyroid and was on cytomel. I went to a naet doc and i no longer have to take cytomel- there's a book you can read called "Say Goodbye to Illness" by Dr. Devi Nambudripad. You can also read about it on the web- just look it up on Google or go to the www.naet.com website. You would be surprised what it can do. It's basically just acupressure with a cold laser. It works wonders. Good luck and I hope your condition improves.

Hi,
I was recently researching thyroid related illness, and came across something that said brittle hair is a side effect/symptom... That said I am sure that having twins is enough work to cause fatigue, memory etc.
Take Care of yourself. (:

I developed hypothyroid after my first child was born 5 year ago. I had almost all the symtpoms you stateed (and brian fog remains but I think that's just part of motherhood for me!). My blood test were below normal but just slightly. Since then I've been on a low dose of levothyroxine which has helped the sypmtoms considerably. Even while on the meds my blood work has come back on the low end of normal and I could feel the difference between that and a solid normal range. So, we altered the medication. I now alternate between two different doses each day. Some people are more sensitive to imbalnces in their system. I'm one and you may be as well. I could tell when things were off in my system and the low levels in my blood work weren't "proportionate" the the lager imbalance I was feeling. Also, if you believe it's your thyriod it's worth persuing that. May be worth doing a 2nd or third blood test and/or getting another opinion. Good luck, feel well...

B.