Hashimotos disease and lost!

marlenadew wrote: »

I was just disgnosed with Hashimotos disease! Ive been given a slew of supplements to take and was told to eat gluten free! Sounds simple enough right? No! I havent a clue! What can i eat. What has gluten? What does this all mean? I know what ive read but really hoping anyone with experience can give pointers on doing this and losing weight all in one! Thanks in advanced.....

First, if you were told anythign by a person who is not an endocrinologist, you can consider all the advice you were given complete nonsense. Hashimoto's is a very common illness, which means that while treatment is simple, there are also a ton of magical cures and myths that supposedly will make things better. None of it works.
So, first, Hashimoto's cannot be cured. If you are hypothyroid, which an endocrinologist and no one else can verify, you need levothyroxine, daily, every morning, on an empty stomach. Your dose will take a few months at least to adjust, so during the first year or two you will need several tests and dr appointments. After this, it will be testing once a year or so, with gradual increase of your meds for the rest of your life. Sometimes you will need no adjustment for e.g. 10 years, other times it will be more frequent.
If you have elevated antibodies and only elevated TSH, you still have Hashimoto's, but are not yet hypothyroid. The usual course of action is to take meds in hopes of delaying the illness, not developing a goiter and avoiding future surgery.
Being diagnosed with one autoimmune disorder means you are at increased risk for also having others. If you also have a confirmed diagnosis for Celiac's, then you need to be gluten free. If not, gluten is irrelevant. Your endocrinologist will let you know.
With Hashimoto there is no reason to take supplements. If you were prescribed supplements by an endocrinologist, then either these are for unrelated conditions diagnosed at the same time, or you have some other autoimmune disorder accompanying Hashimoto's, e.g. something like autoimmune gastritis causing vitamin deficiencies, or pernicious anemia causing low iron etc.

what aggelikik said.

Pawsforme wrote: »

You do not need to see an endocrinologist. Most people with hypothyrodism/Hashimoto's are initially diagnosed and treated by their primary care provider. If you're having difficulty keeping your thyroid levels in a good range then at that point you do need to see an endocrinologist.

What tests were done?

What were your numbers?

What supplements were you prescribed?

Were you put on a thyroid hormone replacement medication (Levothyroxine, Synthroid, Armour, etc.)?

Why does your medical provider believe you need to go gluten free right off the bat? It's true there is some correlation between Hashimoto's and Celiac disease, but many people with Hashimoto's do just fine with gluten in their diet.

The fact that you were told to take supplements makes me guess you saw some sort of naturopath? I'm not against that, but with an auto-immune disease I'd also want to get advice from a "normal" doctor.

OP if you did see a naturopath, please keep in mind that when you have autoimmune disorders, herb and supplement that are in general safe might not be safe for you. And unfortunately not everyone who appears confident and gives advice is also trustworthy For example, something as simple and commonly used as echinacea, is not safe when you have Hashimoto's.

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

who told you to go gluten free? also why a slew of supplements? gluten free is usually for those who have celiac s disease or other issues with gluten(and bowel/stomach/intestine issues).

I'm assuming that by Supplements she probably means Hormones. Also, there are numerous studies linking celiac/gluten intolerance to Hashimoto's, so it is fairly common to prescribe a GF diet in Hashimoto's patients.

KDar1988 wrote: »

I have Hashimoto's. I take thyroid meds every day. In the past year I'd been seeing a health coach and she suggested a GF diet. I tried it and can only say that I felt better in my belly (no bloating, constipation) like I had been having for years. I haven't yet found the magical cure to make me full of energy, I still experience feeling tired (my biggest complaint). My levels are fine so I just live with it.

Does your dr know you are feeling tired? My dr always considers how I feel along with the tests, and always tells me that what might be normal for one person could make someone else have symptoms.