Those with Thyroid issues???

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.

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.

Cold all the time. Nothing else.

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!

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.

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!

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