Hypothyroidism

I am so glad that your doctor tested your thyroid and was able to diagnose you. Many times the symptoms of hypothyroidism are attributed to other illnesses, even mental illnesses and are never properly evaluated. After each of my pregnancies I had brief periods of hypothyroidism, but my thyroid always resumed functioning. I began to be able to identify symptoms of low thyroid level. After the birth of my third child, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have been on medication for the past three years. If I skip a dose, I can almost immediately feel the "brain fog" creep in. I just ran a web search and found a pretty good set of info for you:

http://www.thyroid.org/patients/brochures.html

Click on the link for "Hypothyroidism Web Booklet"

My best advice, pay attention to your body - it will give you clues about proper dosing. Have your TSH level tested as often as your doctor recommends - you will stay feeling much better. If you have a family history of thyroid disease, you will probably have to stay on medicine for the rest of your life, but if not, and you begin having symptoms of hyperthyroidism, get tested. It could be Postpartum Thyroiditis - in which case you may resume normal thyroid function and not have to continue taking medicine.

I hope this is helpful.

Blessings,
D.

Your thyroid is just not working as well as it should -- as compared to hyperthyroidism which is where it works overtime. Some of the symptoms you probably had: weight gain, hair is no longer shiny, no energy, skin feels funny and dry ....

You'll be put on synthroid (or an equivalent) which will put your lab values where you need them. The first year or so the doctor may try various milligram amounts and you'll have blood drawn every three months or so. After the "correct dosage" is figured out, you'll just take medication the rest of your life. I always have blood values checked now when I go in every year for the PAP, etc just to make sure. Most "Family Practice/Internal Medicine" physicians are capable of maintaining and some jiggling if needed. Although no one says it, I think when I gain or loose lots of weight the dosage is changed, stress, etc; however, it all evens out over the weeks. This is an easy "pill to swallow" day after day..... figuratively and literally! The lab values are pretty darn stable and the pills don't cost much.

My thyroid has been completely removed -- I've been taking these pills for years, and so far, all is good. I know lots of people who are on them .... no complaints.

M.

Hypothyroidism is not as bad as it seems as long as you are diagnosed and take your meds everyday. It is a condition where your body doesn't make enough thyroid hormones and can send your body all out of wack. Depending on the severity of your particular case it can do as little as make you forget thing but in more stonger cases it makes it to where you do not have the energy to do anything, bruise just by being touched and make you feel extreamly cold. It also makes it to where you gain weight very easily an cannot get it off with diet and exercise. It is EXTREAMLY managable.

Hello.

I sympathize! I was diagnosed with it a few years ago. I'm 55. My mother also had it. All it means is that the thyroid gland is not doing what it should. It is not making enough thyroid hormones. It is underactive, which means you can put on weight. No much, just a few pounds. People with hypothyroidism tend to be overweight. (I was skinny until my 50's. I wish I could lose the 10 pounds I can't seem to shed!)

The only advice I can give you is to take your prescribed medication! Not doing so can cause complications later on. Your doctor should re-test you after several weeks. Then he or she can adjust the dosage, if needed.

Good luck, dear.

when i was 17 I found a knot on my throat witch at the time was small then turned out to be a guiorder sorry cant spell that great anyways it weighed 3 1/2 pounds when it was finally removed at the age of 18 my right side of my thyroid had stoped working and died so my left side was trying to make up for the dead part of the thyroid so now I have no right side and over half of my left side is removed also it has been 9 years and still no meds yet I get my levels checked 1 a year and have told my docs about it so when we try to get pregnate everything is a go for now I was put on synthroid to shrink the goiter but it just kept it from growing good luck get a good doctor that specializes in thyroids they know what they are doing and how they function and keep a check on your levels at least once a year

Hi there,

I was diagnosed hypothyoid more than 10 years ago. I wish I knew then what I know now. I think I would have began by trying to give my thyroid the boost it needed and heal it naturally with iodine and other vitamins and minerals. There is a lot of information out there about healing it naturally. Once on meds, your thyroid begins to get even more sluggish and depend on the meds and over time there is no turning back and you end up on meds the rest of your life.

If you do have to go on meds, my best advice it to not get on synthroid (or similiar meds) as they are synthetic.

Armour Thyroid is a naturally derived medication to treat hypothyroidism and you get it by prescription. From everything I have read, it is much better than the synthetic meds because it contains both T-3 and T-4.Synthroid does not contain both, Synthroid has to convert to T3 from T4 and for some people it does not properly convert. You can do a search on the web, there is a ton of research out there.

The below information I took from www.mercola.com.
It is great information to help you understand your diagnosis.

New Range for TSH to Diagnose Hypothyroidism

The basic problem that traditional medicine has with diagnosing hypothyroidism is the so-called "normal range" of TSH is far too high: Many patients with TSH's of greater than 2.0 (not 4.5) have classic symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism (see below).

So, if your TSH is above 2.0 there is a strong chance your thyroid gland is not working properly.
Free Thyroid Hormone Levels

One can also use the Free T3 and Free T4 and TSH levels to help one identify how well the thyroid gland is working. Free T3 and Free T4 levels are the only accurate measure of the actual active thyroid hormone levels in the blood.

When one uses free hormone levels one will find that it is relatively common to find the Free T4 and Free T3 hormone levels below normal when TSH is in its normal range, even in the low end of its normal range. When patients with these lab values are treated, one typically finds tremendous improvement in the patient, and a reduction of the classic hypothyroid symptoms.

Secondary or Tertiary Hypothyroidism

There are a significant number of individuals who have a TSH even below the new 1.5 reference range mentioned above, but their Free T3 (and possibly the Free T4 as well) will be below normal. These are cases of secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism, so, TSH alone is not an accurate test of all forms of hypothyroidism, only primary hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of Low Thyroid

The most common is fatigue.
Skin can become dry, cold, rough and scaly.
Hair becomes coarse, brittle and grows slowly or may fall out excessively.
Sensitivity to cold with feelings of being chilly in rooms of normal temperature.
Difficult for a person to sweat and their perspiration may be decreased or even absent even during heavy exercise and hot weather.
Constipation that is resistant to magnesium supplementation and other mild laxatives is also another common symptom.
Difficulty in losing weight despite rigid adherence to a low grain diet seems to be a common finding especially in women.
Depression and muscle weakness are other common symptoms.
Treatment of Hypothyroidism

You can click here for an article on how you can treat your thyroid problem with natural hormone therapy.

If you find this information helpful click here to subscribe to the FREE weekly newsletter so you will get all the updates.

If you are interested in a more comprehensive articles directed towards health care professionals click here. Also available is an excellent text book article on thyroid testing for those with more technical interests.

Living Well With Hypothyroidism
Mary Shomon is the www.about.com thyroid expert. Her $11 352 page book published in March of 2000 is one of the most cost effective and valuable resources that you could own on this subject. If you have thyroid disease this book should be in your library.

I use Armour and it has been wonderful, you can even be on it while expecting. Very natural and controls my hypothyroidism well, contains everything a thyroid needs. Witrh armour my dosage was stablized within 6 months. I have friends who have been on other meds and it has taken years to level out.
**** YOu may have to ask for it by name because some doctors do not know it is still around or even exist. It is made from desicated pig tyroid not a chemical equiv.

I have had it for several years now. Ask your doctor to put you on (Armor Thyroid) instead of that synthetic (Synthroid). Armor thyroid is a natural pig thyroid & doesn't have any side effects. Synthroid will make your hair come out like crazy. I think we should use all the natural medicine that we can instead of synthetic stuff. The doctor will not tell you about Armor Thyroid because the pharmaceutical companies don't make any big money off this & the doctor doesn't get a kick back. I did my own research & asked my doctor if I could try it. He said ok, & I quit loosing my hair after about 3 months on the Armor. Most regular doctors don't know enough about the thyroid. I suggest going to an Endocrinologist. The best way to tell if your thyroid is working well enough is to take your temp under your arm every morning for a while. Check it as soon as you wake up before you start the day. If your temp is low consistently, you need more thyroid. Also ask them to check you for a Gorder in your throat.

Hello, I was diagnosed after my fourth child with hypothyroidism. I didn't know what was wrong with me and I was miserable. I couldn't think, I couldn't drive between 1-3pm because I would fall asleep driving. Even with 4 kids in the car. (SCARY) I also was very anxious, I couldn't go into a big city, which isn't real big, because I was so anxious. I talked to my aunt and she told me to have my thyroid checked. I went in for my yearly exam and told the doctor my symptoms. Much to my suprise all he had to say was, "maybe it's because you have four kids." I was so mad at him and asked him to please check my thyroid. It came back with hypothyroidism and he put me on the lowest dosage available. That worked for about 3 years and I had to be upped a little. I still take the second amount and it has been 6 years total. The difference I felt after two weeks on the pill changed my life. I'm so thankful I asked him to check it because I can't be in a fog like that and raise 4 kids. Like the other lady said it's very easy to take, the only annoying thing about it is you need to take it first thing in the morning and should wait an hour before eating.. Sometimes that can be annoying but mostly I worked it out.

I am a nurse and can tell you some about it. It is where your thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormone and can cause fatigue, weight gain and other issues. It happens more in women that men and it tends to develope in women after pregnancy which is weird if it is after pregnancy it can sometimes go back to normal, if it does not meds such as synthroid can help