Hypo Symptoms - how do they present for you?

bzign

Back story with me is I have had hypo symptoms off and on for about 12 years, I was given thyroxine (I think its just T4) when I was 18 but they did nothing and so Dr said come off them.... so I have been untreated. I usually have a "feeling" that I need my levels checked but they always come back with the normals, even with symptoms as thyroid diagnosis is want to do.
My weightloss has revealed a goiter and I have since had it checked and it is multi nodular, I am waiting to talk to an endocrinologist for the next step. I also have Type 2 Diabetes, I have of course this time done alot more research and forum stalking and so have a better handle on how to move forward.

What I am curious about is the symptoms, I seem to have "attacks" where out of nowhere I suddenly get tired or cold or have an anxiety attack / crazy mood swing. I can be fine for days or even weeks before being blindsided. I am having trouble figuring out what symptoms are real vs me knowing what the symptoms are (yes I also have mild paranoia with this) and making myself have them. If its made up I can ignore them somewhat.

Do people have constant symptoms or do they fluctuate?

Thanks!!!

Syriene

Mine come and go. I think a lot of it has to do with trying to find the right Rx and dose (started on meds in feb). Every time we tweak it a bit, I notice. Also, if I eat something I'm not supposed to (grains, anything with gluten, etc), I will be very sleepy after and even cranky the next day. I think the whole thing is a lot of trial and error. Overall, my symptoms have improved dramaticaly though. I don't have to wear a sweater and huddle under a blanket in the office (even during the summer), my anxiety is pretty much gone, I have so much more energy and finally have been able to lose weight.
The symptoms you mentioned can all be symptoms of a thyroid issue. Definitely mention them to the endocrinologist. I'm thinking they will probably start you on some form of thyroid medication. I am hypo, but no goiter, so I don't have much experience as to which meds are usually prescribed. Just be patient, cause it can take a bit to get right, but I'm sure you will notice a difference in symptoms.
During your "forum stalking", Check out www.stopthethyroidmadness.com or the group "thyroid sexy" on facebook. Loads of great info and people having the same issues.

tomwatso

Mine are sometimes concentration. I have difficulty remembering if I did something. I also had weight gain. I was 238 lbs on May 18, 2012. As of this morning, I am 201 lbs. Lowest was 197.8 lbs. I would have bladder issues. My hair got coarse.

My medication is Levothyroxin (75 MG) every morning. This is helped greatly.
My waist on 5-18-12 was 41 inches.
My waist on 8-3-13 was 33 inches.

toothpastechica

When I am on the right dosage of synthroid my only "hypo" symptoms are that I get cold like no tomorrow....when the dosage is off even slightly, my symptoms are very consistent, being depression (otherwise I am quite a easygoing "happy" person), feeling lethargic and needing more sleep, weight gain (probably more to do with the feeling lethargic...so possibly correlation rather then causation), headaches, getting sick more often (cold/flu like symptoms), irregular periods, mood swings. If any one or all of these lasts for more then 2 weeks I go get my blood tests done and usually results in a dosage change.

kckBxer396

I have a high a1c and a depressed thyroid. My pcp won't put me on meds until late September. She wants me to cut carbs to manage my sugar and see if that helps my thyroid. The issue? It's really difficult cutting carbs. I'm not sure what symptoms are associated with which issue..or if they're even relevant. Here they are though. hope it doesn't sound like whining (as my s.o. calls it haha).

1.) My symptoms:
-Headaches
-Extreme fatigue ( I can get a full 8 hours,but by the time 4:00 rolls around, I can barely hold my eyes open) I even dozed off at the laundry mat in the middle of the day recently.
-I've gained 60+ pounds in 2 years.
-Trouble managing my weight despite efforts. 2008:130 pounds ,2010: 150, 2012: 200+. Currently, I'm a little closer to 190.

2.) I don't know if they're symptoms or if it's from my sugar,but I also have:

-Dry skin (aaaaall the time) and painful dry eyes...like they have dust or sand in them
-muscle spasms
-I'm always thirsty
-Stiffness in my neck,and a tight feeling like there's cotton stuck in my throat (dryness maybe?)
-Sometimes, my neck gets sore. One morning it felt like I had whiplash..so painful.
-mild headaches to debilitating migraines
-irritability
- My body hurts. My feet and hands cramp up and I've had my chest x-rayed several times due to pain.

3.) Maybe symptoms from just being overweight?

-Even though I feel like I should be in better shape, walking up 10 stairs makes me short of breath...long flat walks are ok though.
- Painful tingling in my hands and feet and pain in wrists. My ankles pop a lot.
-Feeling like I can't get air into my lungs when I breathe.
-Legs bruise easily


I don't know how many of these symptoms are relevant. If anyone has any tips, that would be great. I would like to see some success before my follow up blood work in late September/ early October.

jadedone

So far:

My hair is really fragile and dry. It breaks easily.
My skin is super dry (on top of its normal dryness)
I have trouble sleeping well
Low energy
Period irregularity

fiberartist219

When my levels are too low, I feel really tired. For example, I was sleeping 10-12 hours a day and still dragging. I generally ate a lot to try to get some energy. I felt light headed and scared to workout much for fear I'd fall over (but it turned out that exercise actually started HELPING to get rid of the dizziness... so who knows.) This went on for years. It was very consistent. It was so consistent that I thought it was normal until my coworkers urged me to see a doctor. I was just grouchy and tired and hungry all the time.

On the other hand, when I was on too high of a dose, I felt agitated, but it was intermittent. I would feel a rapid heartbeat and get kind of clammy and couldn't sleep one day, and the next day I was fine.

If you think you have a thyroid issue, and your labs are normal, you could ask for a small dose, like 25mcg and see if things improve. If they don't get better or if you start feeling strange, you can stop taking them. Of course, your doctor won't go along with that idea if you have certain risk factors. It can't hurt to ask though.

fiberartist219

You're not whining. These experiences are real, and it's natural to complain about it if you're not sure how to make the symptoms go away.

I have had the migraines, muscle spasms and random aches and swelling. My blood sugar was normal when it was checked, but I do have a family history of diabetes.

I think you should get a second opinion and see if another doctor will put you on meds sooner. Waiting for a couple months is just dragging out your misery. Yes, a healthy diet and exercise will help you, but it will be so much more effective if your hormones are right.

I have a high a1c and a depressed thyroid. My pcp won't put me on meds until late September. She wants me to cut carbs to manage my sugar and see if that helps my thyroid. The issue? It's really difficult cutting carbs. I'm not sure what symptoms are associated with which issue..or if they're even relevant. Here they are though. hope it doesn't sound like whining (as my s.o. calls it haha).

1.) My symptoms:
-Headaches
-Extreme fatigue ( I can get a full 8 hours,but by the time 4:00 rolls around, I can barely hold my eyes open) I even dozed off at the laundry mat in the middle of the day recently.
-I've gained 60+ pounds in 2 years.
-Trouble managing my weight despite efforts. 2008:130 pounds ,2010: 150, 2012: 200+. Currently, I'm a little closer to 190.

2.) I don't know if they're symptoms or if it's from my sugar,but I also have:

-Dry skin (aaaaall the time) and painful dry eyes...like they have dust or sand in them
-muscle spasms
-I'm always thirsty
-Stiffness in my neck,and a tight feeling like there's cotton stuck in my throat (dryness maybe?)
-Sometimes, my neck gets sore. One morning it felt like I had whiplash..so painful.
-mild headaches to debilitating migraines
-irritability
- My body hurts. My feet and hands cramp up and I've had my chest x-rayed several times due to pain.

3.) Maybe symptoms from just being overweight?

-Even though I feel like I should be in better shape, walking up 10 stairs makes me short of breath...long flat walks are ok though.
- Painful tingling in my hands and feet and pain in wrists. My ankles pop a lot.
-Feeling like I can't get air into my lungs when I breathe.
-Legs bruise easily


I don't know how many of these symptoms are relevant. If anyone has any tips, that would be great. I would like to see some success before my follow up blood work in late September/ early October.

RozayJones

There are so many different symptoms when you have thyroid issues. I had two surgeries to make it a complete thyroidectomy. For the period of time I had NO thyroid and NO meds I slept 20 hours a day, went through menopause (hot flashes, cold flashes, mood swings, no cycle), my hair was falling out, I gained 60 pounds, headaches, concentration issues, anxiety. Once my medication was started I seen a world of difference worst side effect to meds was having insomnia. I can tell and my family can tell if I have missed even a day of my meds (yes I am on a high dose). I can say I feel much better taking them and making sure my doses are correct.

chaoticrunner

I've had a lot of different symptoms come and go for the last few years. Everything from sleep to problems with my menstrual cycle. It normal creeps in, where I'll just start feeling a bit depressed and start sleeping a bit more. And I'll blow it off as, oh, I guess I'm depressed about life, and depressed people sleep more. Then the cold sinks in. That's when I'll know it's my thyroid. I can feel cold on a 102 degree day. From there, it's horrible dry skin that ends up looking like snow, sleeping 20 hours a day, again with the unfathomable cold, and lastly the brain fog. That's the worst. By far. Brain fog makes me feel as though everyone around me is speaking in a foreign tongue. Which, just sort of adds to the depression.

Speaking of, these symptoms themselves can be depressing! Sheesh. Hang in there!

ELEANOR43da

Its not something I talk about much as I get so frustrated but I am cold most of the time, sleep l night and til noon the following day. If I manage to get up I have to nap in the afternoon.My hair falls out at times, I get depressed easy and live with anxiety all the time . Depression is a difficult thing for me and hits me hard around my period. The joints in the my fingers and toes pain all the time and skin goes dry. I am taking synthyroid.Don't see many taking it here. Its frustrating because so many times my irritability comes out on my family.

RozayJones

Its not something I talk about much as I get so frustrated but I am cold most of the time, sleep l night and til noon the following day. If I manage to get up I have to nap in the afternoon.My hair falls out at times, I get depressed easy and live with anxiety all the time . Depression is a difficult thing for me and hits me hard around my period. The joints in the my fingers and toes pain all the time and skin goes dry. I am taking synthyroid.Don't see many taking it here. Its frustrating because so many times my irritability comes out on my family.

I take a high dose of synthroid everyday but livothyroxin. It took a year to get me on the right dose of synthroid and i deal with the insurance company not wanting to cover it each month because I take more than the "average" person. I understand being frustrated
If you are on the right dose you should notice some of your symptoms going aways.

bex6957

I just got diagnosed with hypothyroid about two days ago. My symptoms usually come and go also. My weight will fluctuate dramatically without changing my diet and staying on a certain exercise regimen. There will also be periods of time that I am exhausted daily no matter how much sleep I get and I will take naps but other times I'll feel fine and like there is nothing wrong with me. Then theres the depression. Before i was diagnosed my family would notice that there would be times where i wouldn't be myself for a number of weeks. I'd be sad sluggish irritable and would just feel terrible about myself. I am so happy i finaly found a reason for all my symptoms! lol. Before I definitely thought I was crazy!

YAYJules

When my symptoms began to present, I literally thought I was going to die. I had the heart palpitations, was getting cold and my fingers and toes would turn blue (Reynaud's Phenomenon). I had what is called "brain fog," and I'd get terribly confused and I could tell my reaction time was definitely slow. I had difficulty swallowing, and my hair was falling out in chunks, especially in the shower. I was having terrible gastro-intestinal issues too, to the point of having to have a colonoscopy to see if I had Crohn's Disease. Oh, and the fatigue was AWFUL!

It wasn't pretty. It took 3 years to diagnose the issue, and I was bounced between several specialists, none of which thought to run my thyroid levels. I finally found my now GP, and I explained to her my "mystery illness," and she figured it out. I'm definitely feeling lots better now that I'm on Synthroid, but I definitely wonder what the full T3, T4, Free T3 & T4 picture is. Make sure your doctor runs those tests for you. If you're on synthetic hormones, it's only composed of T4, which has to convert to T3. If your body has any issues converting, the TSH test will not show it.

tokataro

I just had my dosage cut drastically, so I got to relive all of this last month:

depression
hair loss (just in the eyebrows)
difficulty focusing
the kind of deep, unending lethargy that caffeine cannot even touch

Pretty standard, I guess. Even now that they've bumped my dosage back up, I still seem to feel more lethargic than most people, regardless of the amount of sleep or exercise I get.