Hypothyroidism? (Read 981 times)

I do. I've been on thyroid meds for about a year and a half (it's fairly common among diabetics like myself). Good news is, once you've got the right meds and the right dosage you're in great shape... Bad news is, thyroid meds are extremely potent.. meaning you have to find the perfect dose (and often brand) for you... Along the way, you shouldn't feel any worse then you do now but because it takes your body at least a month to "reset" after a new dosage, it takes time between blood tests... Because the meds are so important, many docs recommend you avoid generics (I do, and brand names for this aren't expensive anyway). I'm pretty sure I finally reached the magic dosage but it's taken me over a year to get there. And while I have lost ten pounds since then, I also started exercising since then, so it's hard to say which came first... As far as energy level goes, I have a bit more now, but nothing dramatic. Yeah, this getting old stuff sux.

Marcus, that's really interesting...I know thyroid issues aren't nearly as common in men. How did you end up being diagnosed...what sorts of symptoms were you having? Could you lose weight much at all prior to starting your meds? I *can* lose weight, but I end up nearly obsessing over food and exercise, having to cut my calories down near "starvation" levels, and after a while usually end up with the "fluck it" attitude and go the opposite extreme...which has been my biggest issue in the past year. If it turns out I'm not hypo, then I don't know what my next step will be. My metabolism seems to be abnormally slow for someone who runs as much as I do (or was prior to the family issues of the past couple of weeks and lots of time on the road). I have heard that it can take years to come to the correct doseage--and that it will likely need to be increased as time goes on and the thyroid function lessens.

How knowledgeable are most general physicians?

Well, I'm not a GP, only a child psychiatrist, but even I know from my medicine studies that palpating the thyroid gland is the first thing you should do when suspecting a thyroid problem, so I'm quite sure your GP does know. But not all thyroid problems show themselves that way. If you have a blood test done, that's a very reliable way of diagnosing a problem. If it really turns out you have hypothyroidism, then I should ask for a referral to a endocrinologist. Tiredness is a very common symptom of hypothyroidism, but you don't see it in each and every patient.

I would suggest you go see an endocrinologist if there is the slightest chance that you have a thyroid issue. I dealt with symptoms for months before a GP suggested I get thyroid testing. The endocrinologist has some very easy non-intrusive tests that are run quickly and painlessly. You will have an answer almost immediately. When I was researching thyroid issues I found it comforting to know that nearly all thyroid disorders can be corrected with medication. Hang in there! Good luck

How did you end up being diagnosed...what sorts of symptoms were you having?

The story of my diagnosis is a bit different than most thyroid issues.... My employer actually had a free thyroid screening clinic which my boss twisted my arm into going into fifteen minutes before it closed... The guy doing the screening found a lump on my thyroid, so I went to see my endocrinologist (the funny thing about this is since I'm diabetic I see my endo every four months (have seen my family doc. once in the past three years)).... While I had been feeling a bit more tired in the previous months, I hadn't been feeling terribly so and my last TSH test had been ok (again, being diabetic, I'd gotten it tested periodically). So they take a TSH and it comes back low... dr. says well, the bad news is if we remove part of your thyroid, you'll need to take meds for the rest of your life... good news is, since your TSH is low, we're putting you on meds for the rest of your life anyway... So I go on meds and get scheduled for surgery... I wasn't too scared.. thyroid cancer is like the 2nd most curable of all cancers.... Anyhow, they removed half my thyroid and the tumor was benign... though the fact that my TSH levels were dramatically affected by the surgery could be why I've taken longer to get my meds stabilized... As far as weight gain goes, the only thing I'd noticed was that at the time I was keeping my carbs pretty low and was still about five pounds overweight... however, I wasn't exercising at all at that point... so it's hard to say if that was responsible for the weight retaining or not... I started running in July of this year and have lost nine pounds since I started running, but it's come off faster in the past six weeks, even though my miles are down (still having some leg problems post half-marathon)... which I think is partially because I've finally gotten the meds in line. To me, the only thing frustrating about thyroid issues is that they are sooo much more subtle than other things... with diabetes, it's easy to know if you're messed up... the thyroid thing is so much more delicated. But you've taken the first step.. and that's always a good place to start!

Shoot...I wish I had squeezed that appt. in right before Thanksgiving. I was supposed to go in tomorrow AM to be tested, but the PA has jury duty, so now it's been pushed back to Monday. I really want answers. k

So still no obvious cause for all of the other issues, either. I had really been hoping to find some explanation for many bothersome symptoms that fall under hypothyroidism.... Poo.

that's frustrating. I'm trying to figure out whats going on with my poor head - low grade headache since mid november! The good news tho appears to be you don't have hypothyroidism I know people with thyroid issues and I hear getting the balance of medications is really touchy.