Those with Thyroid issues???

Supergirl9801

What were (if any) of your symptoms that led to you discovering you had a thyroid issue. I have been working out 5-6 days a week for over a month and eating on average 1200 calories and have only lost 1-2lbs and an inch off my measurements. I'm getting so frustrated. I've also been feeling (for quite some time) very sluggish and tired all the time....even after getting a good night's sleep. My mom mentioned to me having my thyroid checked and told me we have a family history of issues with it. I'm wondering if that could be what's going on here. I'm 34, 5'6", 166 lbs.

Azurite27

The symptoms I attribute to my thyroid are lack of focus and energy, constant tiredness, sleeping a lot but not feeling rested, weight gain, depression, anxiety. Some symptoms are still present when medicated (maybe multiple causes) but my weight loss, focus, and energy have improved with medication. I have to also take a supplement to help me sleep right. Mood is better as well but not as good as it might be.

corbridge

I would switch to a fluoride-free toothpaste also. Flouride is one of the "bad" halogens on the periodic table, and can contribute to thyroid problems and other heath issues. I use Tom's or Jason's toothpaste which comes in fluoride free. You can aquire the products on Amazon, if you desire.

hbwright74

I never realized how tired I actually was until after I got treatment. Looking back that was my main symptom. I also was cold all the time and itchy, again, both signs of hypothyroid. When I first tried to lose weight I worked out hard, counted every single calorie and stayed at 1200 and lost 3 pounds in 3 months, just NOT worth it! I also had a hard time getting a doctor to prescribe T3 and T4 medication because my TSH just tipped the high normal level. BTW--high normal is not normal, but they will fight you on that. If you are even near the top of the normal range have them do free T3 and T4 tests, insist on it. Getting treatment for my thyroid has been a fight because doctors concern themselves with numbers. I finally found an endocrinologist who listened to me and agreed to test more into it and I haven't felt this good in a long time. He also allows me to dose myself according to my feeling. I can tell when I'm high dosing or low dosing my medication. Years ago they dosed according to symptoms, not blood tests. You know how you feel better than blood work.

Supergirl9801

I never realized how tired I actually was until after I got treatment. Looking back that was my main symptom. I also was cold all the time and itchy, again, both signs of hypothyroid. When I first tried to lose weight I worked out hard, counted every single calorie and stayed at 1200 and lost 3 pounds in 3 months, just NOT worth it! I also had a hard time getting a doctor to prescribe T3 and T4 medication because my TSH just tipped the high normal level. BTW--high normal is not normal, but they will fight you on that. If you are even near the top of the normal range have them do free T3 and T4 tests, insist on it. Getting treatment for my thyroid has been a fight because doctors concern themselves with numbers. I finally found an endocrinologist who listened to me and agreed to test more into it and I haven't felt this good in a long time. He also allows me to dose myself according to my feeling. I can tell when I'm high dosing or low dosing my medication. Years ago they dosed according to symptoms, not blood tests. You know how you feel better than blood work.

Thanks so much for this advice!

fleetzz

Cold all the time. Nothing else.

RINat612

I know you were looking for symptoms... but it is really easy to know if you have thyroid issues. A simple blood test will determine it. As someone whose mother and both brothers have thyroid problems, I've gotten tested numerous times over the years. One brother has Graves and the other had his thyroid nuked.

Supergirl9801

I know you were looking for symptoms... but it is really easy to know if you have thyroid issues. A simple blood test will determine it. As someone whose mother and both brothers have thyroid problems, I've gotten tested numerous times over the years. One brother has Graves and the other had his thyroid nuked.

Planning on it...just curious before my appt.

krennie8

Cold (hands and feet like ice bricks)
Brittle Hair (always broken)
Brittle Nails (also always breaking)
Tired ALL THE TIME
Anxiety
Some depression
Inability to Concentrate
Weight Gain (though mine was slowly over time not quick like those who's thyroid just stops suddenly)
Dry Skin

lindsey1979

Terrible Fatigue -- that would come and go and didn't seem to matter if I slept well or not -- this was by far the worst. Some days, I'd literally sleep 13-16 hours and still be just exhausted.
Cold Hands/Feet and Generally Cold -- I never realized how awesome it felt to be "normal" until I got medication. I don't have to always have a fleece on or a space heater at my desk at work anymore.
Constipation
Weight Gain/Inability to Lose weight -- I tracked everything meticulously and had an average daily deficit of over 700 calories and only lost 2.2 bls in THREE months! After getting medicated, I lost like a totally "normal" person. No more forever pushing that sysphian boulder up the hill.
Dry Hair/Brittle Nails -- mine aren't terrible, but it's noticeable.
Difficulty Sleeping -- I never slept through the night in my entire life until I started medication.
Brain Fog -- sometimes, it was just really difficult to concentrate

As for tests, TSH is great, but limited. For example, for those with Hashi's (like me), you can have completely normal TSH levels and still have major hypo (or hyper) symptoms. In addition to the TSH, you NEED to get Free T3, Free T3 and both types of thyroid antibodies. If you have antibodies, that's text book for Hashis. So when people say it's a simple blood test, that's not always the case. It's the case for people with overt hypo, but not for all people that have other forms of thyroid disorders -- like Hashi's that fluctuates, and is the most common thyroid disorder.

Here's a good article explaining the tests: http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/woliner.htm
Also, http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ is a great resource.

I too have a family history of thyroid issues and it took me seeing 5 different doctors (including 2 endos) before I found someone that really took me seriously. I wasn't grossly overweight (only 35-40 lbs), so most didn't seem to take that very seriously. I'd say the same for most of the other symptoms. It wasn't until I really pushed for it myself and searched out for someone that specialized in thyroid and metabolism, that I was finally diagnose -- prior to this, I'd only had TSH checked. It angered me so much that none of the previous 4 doctors ever looked beyond TSH. Plus, my current doctor also looked for a host of other contributory issues -- he checked adrenal levels, liver enzymes, etc. He found 2 major vitamin deficiencies (D and magnesium) as well as insulin resistance -- which was a total surprise to me, but he told me that he often found it with patients who had a long untreated hypothyroid problem like I did.

I can't tell you how much better I feel with the proper medication and diet (for both thyroid and my insulin resistance). Generally, I hate the idea of medication, but, wow, is this different. My entire notion of what was "normal" for me has completely shifted. I sleep through the night generally, no longer cold, no more brain fog issues, etc. --- and I can finally lose weight like a "normal" person. It's awesome. Just so frustrating that I didn't learn of this 10+ years ago when I first suspected it and spoke to my doctor about it!

camifit_

I also didn't realize at the time that what I thought was normal wasn't normal. I was always tired, sluggish, constipated, cold feet, dry hair for as long as I could remember. To lose weight I had to eat 800 cals per day with 2-4 hour workouts. I had doctors telling me that I must be counting calories wrong - that I did have a thyroid problem but that I just had to live with it (TSH at the time of 7). Five years later...if it weren't for my hair falling out, I probably wouldn't have realized that, yes, there is a huge problem. My general doctor still follows the old number range, so refused to even refer me to an endocrinologist when my free t3 and free t4 were on the very low end and my TSH was 6. I started seeing a naturopath, started on nature throid, and the difference is like night and day!

I second what Lindsey says: get TSH, free t3, free t4, and antibodies tested. Working with doctors can be a real pain, so I really suggest NDs if it's possible for you. NDs know that if TSH is above 3, then there's a problem, and it's ideal to be below 2.

Good luck!

I've posted some more of the symptoms on my instagram: thyroidgladiators - http://instagram.com/thyroidgladiators (started a team on wholelifechallenge.com for those who have the extra thyroid challenges).

gaelicstorm26

When you go, please insist that the doctor order not only TSH, but your Free T4 and your T3, as well as an antibody test.

I have a version of autoimmune thyroid disease that has left me hypothyroid. I was feeling exhausted and just had my labs checked again and my levels were almost 20!!!!!! Horrible!!!!!

My symptoms (remember that mine is autoimmune) are: hair loss, extremely dry skin, very tired (can barely get out of bed), difficulty focusing.

sharriso371

Hey, diagnosed with hypothyroid about 2 years ago, diagnosed with only TSH level. What triggered the initial diagnosis was weight-gain (40 lbs in under two years, with no change in activity level and decreased caloric intake) and crippling depression. I've had on-again, off-again struggles with depression my whole life and could usually soldier through it, but this was major-mood-swing, curled-up-in-the-back-of-the-closet, I'm-not-doing-anything-today type depression that didn't go away after a few weeks. I was always cold and tired, but didn't know that was a symptom ( I thought it was stress or depression). I hadn't noticed that I was so foggy-headed until I got treated. After I started synthroid, I also found out that my "eczema" was actually dry skin from the thyroid. Cleared right up.

If you're diagnosed by your primary care doctor, they'll tell you to go see a specialist. Do it. I put it off for two years, thinking I could just soldier on through it and lose the weight if I really, really tried hard enough. It didn't work. Endocrinologist looked over my labs (I was at TSH 2.7, so just under the new-normal range of 0.3-3.0), and he insists we get it down to 1.0. He also tried referring me to MFP, so I flashed him my logs. I think he got annoyed when I told him I'd already incorporated a limited-carb, high-protein, high-fiber diet.

I also second Stop The Thyroid Madness as a resource.

Lyenny

Definitely get it checked...it's an easy blood test....even if it comes back normal, get it tested again in a couple of months....sometimes your levels may vary. Good luck!

StephBendo

I was diagnosed with Graves disease in 2003, had radiation in 2005 because it couldn't be controlled by meds and they were worried about my kidneys etc, I had hyperthyroid but all the symptoms of hypothyroid, I gained weight very quickly (went from 105 pounds to 150 in 2 weeks) and these were my symptoms aside from weight gain:

I was exhausted but I also couldn't sleep, I was ridiculously emotional, EVERYTHING made me cry, I had anxiety and I couldn't sit still I was jittery and irritable, I was freezing all the time, my neck was considerably swollen, my hair was dull not shiny.

I would get a blood test to check your TSH and T4 levels, but I would also get your iron checked, even on L-Thyroixine (as I have no thyroid) unless my iron levels and my thyroid levels are both good, one can really throw the other one way off, so iron might be key here too.

arabianhorselover

Do not go by the TSH test! It is actually only accurate in testing pituitary function.