Tell Me About Hypothyroid

[julie5914]

Hey guys, I had my thyroid testing in the Fall, I think, and everything came back perfectly fine. However, I want to be tested again. Since September, I have been trying to lose about 5 lbs, only to gain 10. I have even kept a food journal to make sure I have not been lying to myself about what calories I'm taking in, and I have been exercising 5 days a week (have been doing this about 2 years though). The inches are more troublesome than the pounds - my bottom half is twice the size, although the rest of me has gotten bigger too. I have always been cold all the time, something I attributed to anemia and bad circulation, but really it seems to be more of a problem of not being able to regulate my temperature. I can overheat outside in the summer rather quickly too. I haven't had any voice changes, but my muscles have felt sore and heavy and my neck just feels funny, almost like it does when you are fighting a cold, a little stiff. I have ance, which has never been a problem before, and even my face feels swollen.

I hate it - Even though I work out regularly, drink water and eat healthy, my body is acting like I eat a fast food value meal 3 meals a day and then smear the grease all over my face. Should I shell out the money to get another thyroid test, or is this just celiac stuff?

[PreOptMegs]

The same thing had been happening to me.... I would eat approximately 1200 calories a day, only to not lose a single pound. My doctor said it definately sounded like I needed to get my thyroid levels checked again. I would definately check that first. It sound like classic hypothyroid!

[mommida]

What type of testing did you have done for your thyroid? Hashimoto's thyroiditis is diagnosed through blood test - ultra sensitive tsh (thyroid stimulating hormone) T3 and T4 levels should be looked at , thyroid uptake/functioning, and ultrasound of the thyroid. For the record, it is speculated that underactive/hypo - thyroid is in the top 10 undiagnosed problems.

Laura

[sspitzer5]

I have Hasimoto's thyroiditis and have done a lot of research on it. My advice is to get copies of all your test results and make sure that your TSH is below 2. They've changed the guidelines in the last few years and some doctors don't realize it. Also, it is possible to have a thyroid problem even if the test results don't show it. So, find a doctor who is willing to work with you and who would be willing to give you a trial of the medication to see if it helps, even without the tests to back it up.

Susan

[julie5914]

I can't remember what all the numbers were - I don't think they tested for everything, just TSH, T4 and something else. The only one I remember was TSH, which was .7, so that's not even close to hypothyroid. The others were well within the normal range too.

[slb]

I have no information (or a possible diagnosis) for you but I just wanted to send you some support. You described the symptoms tha tI have been dealing without almost exactly. I was so encouraged by your post... just knowing that I'm not alone. I too can't get warm (I stare longingly at those people able to wear sandals and skirts early in the summer) but when I do get warm (which takes a lot) there is a very narrow range in which I am comfortable. I also suffer from teh muscle fatigue and the inability to lose inches.

My docotor is running the celiac blood test (no results for another 3 weeks) so I'm not sure where I stand. Sometimes I wonder if she's humoring me by running all of these tests and just thinks its all in my head.

Anyway, I just wanted to say stick with it because they will eventually find out what's wrong.

[skbird]

I have a narrow range of comfort when it comes to temps. I prefer cool to hot, though. Because I can always put on more clothes but when it's hot there's nothing you can do. I tend to bring sweaters to work in the summer - too much air conditioning.

This is interesting to me because I just got my thyroid tested today - and complete tests, not just TSH like they usually run, but also T3 and T4 and whatever else they do. Last time I got my TSH run it was dead center in the "normal" range which used to be higher than it is now - I think it was a 3 or 3.5 which I believe is now indicative of hypothyroid. We'll see.

STephanie

[cdford]

Fat and sluggish no matter what...sound like hypothyroid to me. Welcome to my world. Make sure you get the full range of tests and not just the basic ones. My docs had done several. It was not until I went to an endocrinologist who did the full range of tests and looked at the big picture that we found the problem. A couple of medications later and it stabilized some. Went gluten-free and it stabilized well, it just took a while.

[Guest jhmom]

Here is a great link on Hypothyroidism

Open Original Shared Link

I too have Hashimoto's, which started out as Hypothyroidism in 1999. I have been on thyroid replacement since then. My suggestion is to see a specialist (Endo) as some GP's don't read the numbers right and may not check all three tests.

Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.

[2kids4me]

I agree, get re-tested - just because levels were normal before doesnt mean they havent changed since then. Other endocrine conditons can cause metabolism problems, including the "feeling cold" - adrenals and estrogen/progesterone imbalance. definitely find a doctor willing to re-test, and check out everything

[ShellyT]

I also have Hashimoto's. It took me 12 years to get diagnosed. My levels were always well within the "normal" range. I finally went to a Dr. that did a thyroid antibody test. My numbers were through the roof!

Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease as is Celiac. Many people that have one autoimmune disease often have another.

Find a good Endocrinologist and have the proper tests run. When you get your medication to the right levels symptoms go way down. I have gone down 2 sizes as well.

Good luck.

[KrissyG]

I actually have also been having very weird symptoms for the last year and have been to many drs including neurologists. Each time I would see a new doctor I would be asked about thyroid although every time my blood was tested it would come back normal (I was tested 3 times in the past year and a half by various doctors). I found a nearby integrative MD who did a urine test for hypothyroidism. He told me that the blood tests are not very accurate - maybe only for the more advanced cases but I'm not sure. The urine test came back positive for very low thyroid. He put me on meds and I definitely feel better - still not great b/c I think I need to go gluten-free but am not wanting to. My blood tests for celiac came back normal but I'm still considering the Enterolab test. Anyway, I think the lab that does the urine test is Vitamin Diagnostics in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey. My insurance wouldn't pay for it and it was about $100. I know how frustrating it can be to not have answers and having doctors think it's all in your head. I was put on antidepressants b/c they thought all my problems were anxiety related .

I really hope this helps!