Hypothyroidism?

FatFreeFrolicking

Well, I was always extremely skinny and petite. Four years ago I started putting on weight when I started anxiety medications. 30 lbs soon turned into 100 lbs. Four years later and I have doubled in size (I was lucky I was only 97 lbs when I started the meds!) I began having weird symptoms…. very tired even after 12 hours of sleep and naps, brain fog, weakness, when I walked or even stood I felt as if I was sinking through the floor (it was very strange… this still happens to me), very disoriented, unable to tolerate temperature change. Obviously my anxiety and panic disorder history was alarming as well.

My PCP finally referred me to an endocrinologist after I continued to gain weight. My thyroid came back elevated so my endo wanted me to have it checked again in 6 weeks and if it was still high, we would start treatment. The next test came back only 2 points higher than normal range so he brushed it off. Since then, I've been diagnosed with other endocrine disorders and continue to have my thyroid checked. It always comes back slightly elevated but my endo says it's "nothing to be concerned about."

Good luck!

shor0814

Update: My blood work came back today and it was normal. I'm so frustrated and discouraged. Do I just accept that or do I get a 2nd opinion?

Normal or somewhere at the lower end of normal? Like all blood work "normal" is based on population statistics. "Normal" may not be normal for you. Make certain that your doctor/lab is using the correct reference range.

My doctor has a different philosophy than a GP, if the lab results say one thing but the examination shows something else he tends to follow the exam diagnosis. I speak from experience, I am was on the lower end of the reference range but had symptoms of hypothyroidism. I take Armour Thyroid, visit the doctor regularly to make certain that I have no side effects, and now feel and look like a different person. Sometimes doctors need to follow their instincts.

FatFreeFrolicking

Update: My blood work came back today and it was normal. I'm so frustrated and discouraged. Do I just accept that or do I get a 2nd opinion?

Do you have any other known medical conditions?

lois1585

I have an appointment to physically see my doctor in March. In the mean time, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing.

The only other past medical condition I've had was Melanoma skin cancer. I've been cancer free for 4 and a half years. Otherwise, I'm good. I'm also not on any type of medication.

Vonikins

I was just recently diagnosed with Hypo and I didn't even have that many symptoms. I have dealt with a weight gain, but in my opinion it has just been due to inactivity and bad eating habits because it was gained over a 6 year time frame. Inversly I've struggled to lose every pound when I have attempted to be proactive about my health in the past. My doctor did blood work for me mainly due to concerns I had over some odd acting moles around my neck and the fact my mom is just recovering from her melanoma cancer treatment. Moles are fine but thyroid is not. My dose is pretty small right now and next week I go back for a follow up. I'm slowly losing now, but starting to wonder about things I've jsut lived with like cold hands, dry skin, etc and considering if they are part of the bigger picture. Given your history, and the comments on the different hypo and hyper threads, I would ask what numbers your doctor considers are normal and where you fall into the range, because you might be border line.