Anyone here have hypothyroidism?

lisa4kids
lisa4kids Posts: 54 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
I would love to have input (and be friends with) other hypo people...I find that not only does it make for difficulty in losing weight, but a lot of the symptoms cause a domino effect as far as not feeling great, which leads to not exercising, which leads to feeling worse!!!
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2002 after suffering for a year after having my 3rd child. I went to 4 doctors for help, and they all tried to prescribe antidepressants. I even went with a printout about thyroid issues and they still acted as if I was crazy. I finally went to another doctor and before I could even finish telling him my symptoms, he had me diagnosed. The blood work confirmed what I already knew, and I started on Levoxyl. About 2 years ago, I started seeing an endocrinologist and she diagnosed me with Hashimoto's thyroiditis which makes sense because my levels are extremely difficult to regulate.
Anyway....just wanted to see if I can find some friends who suffer with the same struggles!

Replies

  • FabulousFifty
    FabulousFifty Posts: 1,575 Member
    My husband and daughter both suffer from this. One thing is true for both...they do not do well on the generic form. Ask for the brand name. We pay double for the prescriptions but it is soooooooo worth it. They feel more like themselves. Just some personal experience. I wish you well!
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    Search for the following topic:

    TOPIC: Thyroid Problems..Anyone else??
  • FaeFae
    FaeFae Posts: 243 Member
    I have it as well!!! I have the exact same disease as well!! Auto immune!
  • JBennis1013
    JBennis1013 Posts: 377 Member
    I have hasimotos too. Just gotta work harder because of the hypothyroidism. Slow and steady wins the race. You'll see it come off slower than someone who doesn't have a thyroid problem, but it will come off. This summer I lost 15 lbs from June to mid August. You can do it!!
  • elid
    elid Posts: 209 Member
    Hi there, I have hypothyroidism as well. I'm on Synthroid (well, levothyroxine). I also went through something similar--I kept being put on antidepressants, and it took about 6 years for me to find a doctor who ran blood work to test for thyroid issues. The medication really helps; I've also found that regular exercise helps combat a lot of the fatigue I was running into. When I get tired, sometimes nothing picks me up quicker than a little walk (even 10 minutes). Of course, the hardest part is getting the motivation to get up, but a little kick in the butt now and then never hurt anyone.

    I've had to adjust medications a few times, but right now I think I've found a good level for me. Sometimes the weight loss is a little slower, but as long as I don't let that discourage me and cause me to give up, I've found with a little patience I've still been able to lose weight. Feel free to friend me! :flowerforyou:
  • mactac
    mactac Posts: 3
    I have the same thing as you been years now I take Synthroid for my management. I can tell when I need to have it re-check as I get sleepy in the car while driving. I have loads of issues mostly dry skin, constipation, hard time loosing weight and joint pain to name a few. I just had my third baby 8 months ago and have started to get back into shape as I had a c-section and we moved. I find avoiding things like breads especially in the evening time and trying not to eat after 7pm works great for me. Lots of water and I eat an apple a day which I swear by really helps keep the weight off as well I need to stay active or I really have stiff joints. I like eating spinach salads and adding any greens to my diet where ever I can helps too. Good luck I look forward to chatting with you about this with you any time. Michelle
  • mnalley1022
    mnalley1022 Posts: 1
    I have been hypothyroid for 11 years and struggle hard with my weight. I have to exercise a lot to make the smallest progress. I am determined to keep on trucking tho!:)
  • jcolbrook
    jcolbrook Posts: 7
    My story is a little different but the same. At 50 I began feeling sluggish and weepy, gaining weight at a rate of about 2 pounds a month. I wasn't sleeping and my doctor told me that it was menopause. They gave me hormone replacement therapy because my body's inability to maintain body temperature we thought were hot flashes that seemed unbearable.

    After an annual checkup with another doctor, he found a lump on my neck and I was diagnosed with what they thought would turn out to be hashimoto's disease. Instead, it was a threatening tumor which could not be confirmed benign with needle aspiration. Because I work as a pilot, the FAA would not issue me a medical until this was confirmed, so I underwent a thyroidectomy.

    Now I take 100 mcg of Synthroid (my doctor insists that I not take the generic for some reason) which maintains my TSH level at approximately .3. I have my boold checked every 3 months or so.

    My weight issue is still challenging, however, I have managed fatigue issues with weight training and one hour of cardio 4 times a week. I now feel strong and the fatigue issues are gone. The healthier I eat and the more water I drink (don't know why that helps) the better I feel.

    Working out at a health club helped me to get through the bad times and surround myself with positive affirmations on a daily basis. Otherwise, I don't think I would have been able to go through my transformation.

    There is a website called Women to Women that gives good information on hypothyroidism but getting your TSH level under control I would think would be the most helpful. I'm wondering if your endocrinologist gave you a set diet or are you going it alone?
  • kathzidane
    kathzidane Posts: 3 Member
    Me me me me. Been suffering with this monster for years. I drag my tired *kitten* out of bed every day, and I hate it. All I want to do is stay in bed and sleep. And as soon as I am up, I want to curl up on the couch and go back to sleep. All of my blood work puts me in a certain range to keep me on the same dosage (of synthroid) all the time, so my doc will not up my dosage. It's maddening. My skin is so dry and my hair is like straw. I have all the symptoms. But I can't do anything about it. I have no health insurance. So.....here I am. My weight struggle has been a nightmare.

    I started Nutrisystem on Dec. 14th, and so far I have lost 10.5 lbs. So, hopefully this diet will be something that will work for me.

    I am right there with you sisterfriend. Hyprothyroidism sucks!!
  • suziehomemaker
    suziehomemaker Posts: 116
    hi all!.... I too have the same monster...was diagnosed while in my second trimester, with my second son.....i couldnt figure out why all i wanted to do was sleep and cry......thought it was normal because i was pregnant and had a toddler.....so i havent had it for long but i do notice that this time the weight will NOT come off like it has before.....guess im going to have to work a whole lot harder this time, but my boys are worth it......feel free to add me as a friend so we can keep each other motivated

    stacey
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    Me me me me. Been suffering with this monster for years. I drag my tired *kitten* out of bed every day, and I hate it. All I want to do is stay in bed and sleep. And as soon as I am up, I want to curl up on the couch and go back to sleep. All of my blood work puts me in a certain range to keep me on the same dosage (of synthroid) all the time, so my doc will not up my dosage. It's maddening. My skin is so dry and my hair is like straw. I have all the symptoms. But I can't do anything about it. I have no health insurance. So.....here I am. My weight struggle has been a nightmare.

    I started Nutrisystem on Dec. 14th, and so far I have lost 10.5 lbs. So, hopefully this diet will be something that will work for me.

    I am right there with you sisterfriend. Hyprothyroidism sucks!!


    Besides checking your TSH, ask your doctor to check T3 and T4 leves. Mine were a bit off (too high), even when my TSH was within normal limits. So I am now taking 2 medications (Levothyroxine and Liothyrosine), at a low but steady dose and feeling very good. Weight down, skin better and no hair problems. By the way, I am better when TSH levels are below 3. Good luck!
  • LauraSchaller
    LauraSchaller Posts: 106 Member
    ANOTHER PART TO THIS TOPIC...

    Has anyone ever been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism.. and then 4 years later, told that their levels were "fine" and they didn't need to continue on Synthyroid?

    I was diagnosed when I was 19.. and last Summer my Doctor did blood work and said my levels were fine. I felt great for a little while off the Synthyroid - but lately I can feel the fatigue, feel unmotivated at times, I'm working out just about everyday and am losing VERY little at a time. Nothing like before when I was on Synthyroid.

    I'm so frustrated.. but I'm inbetween jobs right now, no health insurance, and probably wont have insurance for another 3 months.

    Any thoughts?
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    ANOTHER PART TO THIS TOPIC...

    Has anyone ever been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism.. and then 4 years later, told that their levels were "fine" and they didn't need to continue on Synthyroid?

    I was diagnosed when I was 19.. and last Summer my Doctor did blood work and said my levels were fine. I felt great for a little while off the Synthyroid - but lately I can feel the fatigue, feel unmotivated at times, I'm working out just about everyday and am losing VERY little at a time. Nothing like before when I was on Synthyroid.

    I'm so frustrated.. but I'm inbetween jobs right now, no health insurance, and probably wont have insurance for another 3 months.

    Any thoughts?

    Laura
    I don't see how they can tell you your levels are fine and you don't need the medication anymore while you're still on synthroid because it might be the medication that makes your levels look fine, kwim? I can understand if you went off the meds and then a couple of months later told you your levels were fine, that would make sense.
    But the thing with thyroid problems is that unfortunately we're never "cured".. it might go from worse to better but the problem can come back any time I think..
  • lisa4kids
    lisa4kids Posts: 54 Member
    ANOTHER PART TO THIS TOPIC...

    Has anyone ever been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism.. and then 4 years later, told that their levels were "fine" and they didn't need to continue on Synthyroid?

    I was diagnosed when I was 19.. and last Summer my Doctor did blood work and said my levels were fine. I felt great for a little while off the Synthyroid - but lately I can feel the fatigue, feel unmotivated at times, I'm working out just about everyday and am losing VERY little at a time. Nothing like before when I was on Synthyroid.

    I'm so frustrated.. but I'm inbetween jobs right now, no health insurance, and probably wont have insurance for another 3 months.

    Any thoughts?

    I would find a new doctor if you can. if your levels were fine, that just meant you were on the correct dosage of Synthroid and it shouldn't have been messed with. Do you still have any leftover meds or is your prescription still current? If so, maybe you could restart yourself..??? I get SO frustrated with doctors who do not seem to know how to treat hypothyroidism. About 2 years ago, my endocrinologist kept having to lower my dosage and I was on the lowest dose there was and still had really low TSH levels. At that time, I asked if it was possible that my hypothyroidism was "cured" and she said "probably not". I took a half of a tablet for 6 weeks and my levels went up to the mid 3's...so I had to adjust again. I take a half of a 75 mcg tablet now per day and that seems to work for me, but I have at different times, taken as much as 100 mcgs per day.

    I don't know if you are able to pay for a doctor's visit, some blood work, and a prescription...but it does sound to me like you should probably be back on meds.
  • LauraSchaller
    LauraSchaller Posts: 106 Member
    This happened in July 2009 .. so I don't have anymore of the samples, or prescription left. It's been a very frustrating thing ... When I was first diagnosed, I was put on a low level .. a couple months later they took my dosage to 88mcg / day. When I had the blood work done, my thought too, was that the Synthyroid that day had put me at my level. However, the Doctor told me this was not the case (how, I have no idea) and that I did not need to continue on the medication. I see everyone talking about going to an Endo... I was never referred to an Endo, and never told that I needed to see one. Even during the time I was on the medication.. wow!

    Guess I'll be making some phone calls on Monday.. I'm sure that a Dr's appt and blood work is not going to be cheap.. but getting this back under control, feeling better, and losing the weight is worth every penny.

    Thanks for the feedback :)
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