Underactive Thyroid

bekkyhughes
bekkyhughes Posts: 63 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering what everyone's experience of having this diagnosed is.

My great grandmother had it diagnosed after years of test, my grandmother and mother have been tested for it repeatedly and I show a lot of the symptom. i.e

- Tiredness
- Weight gain
- Prolonged or heavy menstrual cycles (something I control with the Pill but still suffer quite badly)
- Regular pins and needles
- Feeling the cold easily

i have had one blood test that was clear.

BUT... could it be down to the fact I also inherited a bad attitude towards food and exercise? Witnessing crash diets and becoming dependent on caffeine to get through the day can't be doing my body that much good. My mother and grandmother weren't diagnosed so maybe the buck stopped with my great grandmother and all my symptoms are down to a poor diet.

Replies

  • Cherrycandy
    Cherrycandy Posts: 200 Member
    I have a co-worker that had it, her biggest symptom was dry skin and dry/brittle hair.
  • Chazz0r
    Chazz0r Posts: 35 Member
    I am borderline under active thyroid and i am VERY tired all the time, and i am cold a lot too!
  • meshellmybell76
    meshellmybell76 Posts: 139 Member
    look up subclinical hypothyroid. They are starting to recognize people may be suffering from hypothyroidism with levels once thought to be within normal limits. Dr. Roger Murphee is a pioneer in this area. I believe his site has a link to find endocrinologists that recognize subclinical hypothyroidism. Good luck!
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    I have been diagnosed with it and it has made weight loss very difficult. However, very slowly the weight is coming off but I have really had to focus on eating well and exercising lots. To be honest, once I started eating well and exercising I felt tonnes better but I still suffer with the over reaction to the cold and being cold all the time and sometimes bouts of insomnia.

    I have refused to take the thyroid medication as I don't want to be on medication for the rest of my life but I've found that taking sea kelp everyday had helped quite a bit.

    It's been a long and slow journey and I still have 9lbs to lose but it is possible to lose the weight even with an under active thyroid. Stay positive, make small changes each week and soon you'll have it all together. Add me as a friend if you'd like :smile:
  • SJT75
    SJT75 Posts: 134 Member
    I have been diagnosed with an under active thyroid and had all the symptoms you describe......at first when i went to see the nurse and explained my symptoms she just said " you have children of course you will be tired ....you need to do more exercise!" she did the test and told me she was 99 0/0 sure it would come back negative......think she may have eaten her words when it came back positive....lol

    My mum was then tested and came back as underactive so think mine might run in the family.


    Hope you can get some help with your symptoms ..... it's awful when you just feel tired and cold all the time.

    Sam
  • smtillman2
    smtillman2 Posts: 756 Member
    I have hypothyroidism and if I don't take my meds I am exhausted all of the time, dry mouth, sensative to cold, achy, heavy period, excessive weight gain, the whole shebang. If the test was clear you should just have it checked on regularly.
  • barefootbeautiful
    barefootbeautiful Posts: 144 Member
    I used to have a hyperthyroid, but mine was diagnosed rather easily with a blood test. (The technical diagnosis is Grave's disease, because not only were my TSH levels out of whack, but also my Throxine levels.) However, it was overcorrected with medication, and am now hypothyroid. My husband was also recently diagnosed with hypothyroid, so we've dealt with all the symptoms.

    The problem here is that although I am at the VERY bottom level of normal range, they refuse to treat me, which may be what you're dealing with as well. I would ask for your specific numerical levels, and depending on the numbers, find a good endocrinologist.

    Having said that, bad diet coupled with a caffeine dependency can certainly mimic the symptoms of hypothyroid, which do vary from patient to patient. Before meeting with an endocrinologist, I'd try getting off the caffeine (tough one, I know, but you will TRULY benefit in the end), and see if you can start with some small diet changes. Even if you ARE diagnosed with hypothyroidism, you will still need to deal with these issues regardless.
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