Hypothyroid symptoms with normal tests

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LizKurz
LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
A while ago, I posted about my thyroid, and now I have a few more questions for some of you out there who suffer with a slow or under active thyroid.

So, I have all these symptoms:

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

Every. Single. One. So I went to the md. I also have an enlarged thyroid on both sides, one is bigger than the other. My md sent me to an endo who basically said I was making it all up and it's completely normal to gain weight while eating 2000 cals a day, working out burning 6-700 a day and trying to lose weight....:huh: .

Anyway, so I started doing some research on my own. I found a type of thyroidistis called postpartum thyroidistis, in which you go hyper first, then hypo. Now, looking back, hindsight is 20/20. After my third child, i apparently had all the signs of postpartum thyroidistis, which they diagnosed as PPD. This time around, in the hyper phase, I actually had low TSH numbers, out of the range, indicating hyper status, but it was gone before we treated it, plus I was nursing.

Now I'm apparently in the hypo phase again, with all of the above symptoms, that are severe enough to disrupt my daily life, and my numbers are coming back normal. I do have some antibodies, which ideally you shouldn't have any, but they are well within range. My TSH was 1.31, which is pretty good, and my free t4 was 1.1 which is on the low end, but not out of the range.

So, I'm wondering, anyone else went through this? What are my options? I feel the endo i saw is a complete misogynist, going so far as to laugh at me and tell me I was imagining the lump on my neck, which my MD had actually found, so I won't be seeing him again. And he's the only one for literally 250 miles.

I'm really at a loss of what to do, because I can't be treated for hypothyroidism when my numbers aren't out of whack, but FFS I can't go on like this either. I'm seriously at the point of feeling just so defeated (not just with weight loss, but everything) that I want to give it all up.
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Replies

  • Diary_Queen
    Diary_Queen Posts: 1,314 Member
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    I'm going through the exact same thing! They told me nothing was wrong and acted like I'm crazy. I was just discussing this with my MFP friend Lorlei25. Please feel free to get in touch with her as well. She's gone through a whole lot with thyroid conditions.

    I'm at a loss too. I wake up every morning and sit on the edge of my bed and weep because I'm so tired. I feel like I'm in an alien body and the doctor's and specialists say that I'm 'fine' and to come back later.

    Please friend me if you'd like :)
  • manda1002
    manda1002 Posts: 178 Member
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    You should ask your dr to test for Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease.
  • momwhosbusy
    momwhosbusy Posts: 154 Member
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    Do you have a health food store near you with a certified naturo path? I have all of the symptoms as well and my #'s fall in the low/normal range for everything and she put me on Thyrophin. It is a bovine derived suplement that will NOT shut down what thyroid function you have left unlike synthetic prescriptions. I have been on it for 2 weeks and have noticed a difference already and I am at the lowest dose.

    ETA: I have also found the book "Prescription for Natural Healing" to be very helpful with diet tips to help with low thyroid function as well as other suplements that you can try.
  • aibell
    aibell Posts: 25
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    I wish I knew the answer to this, too... About two and a half years ago, I had my thyroid levels checked, and they were low-ish (enough to put me on meds). I had nearly every one of the symptoms you listed - AND I gained about 40lbs in 3 months. I (stupidly) stopped taking the meds after about 6 months due to a very stressful period in my life. I got a new physician, who checked my levels again, and found me to be in the normal range and stopped my meds. (She had no answers as to why my levels were now in the normal range...) She did find my Vitamin D level to be severely low, so I was put on a supplement.

    I've noticed some changes, but my overall fatigue/energy levels are still low. Exercise is definitely helping, but it's SO frustrating to wake up in the morning after an 8 hour solid rest, and feel like you have had too little. :(
  • stephc0711
    stephc0711 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Mine was all over the place for the longest time, like years. I'd get the symptoms, the enlarged thyroid, but it was always normal. FINALLY, after 3 years of monitoring it, it was elevated (TSH, making it hypothyroid). I'm on the lowest dose of Synthroid, and it seems to help me a lot. My mom has hypothyroid, but only her T3 Uptake is messed up... It's weird.
  • Snow__White
    Snow__White Posts: 1,650 Member
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    get checked for PCOS
    it has very similar symptoms
  • lynne_p
    lynne_p Posts: 173 Member
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    I, too, have had all the symptoms for hypothyroidism. My blood tests always come back normal. Now my mother and sister have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I've been told that it's a hereditary condition. So why do my tests come back normal? I have no idea. But I'm always tired, I'm always cold, and I've put on 50 pounds in 3 years.
  • samf36
    samf36 Posts: 369 Member
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    My dd had the same symptoms and thyroid came back with in "normal" ranges but her vit D level was low. Upped her vit D and all symptoms are gone.
  • korsicash
    korsicash Posts: 770 Member
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    This is my story. Turns out I have a condition called hemachromitosis. It makes all the iron you ingest stay in your body. In me in masquerades as a thyroid condition which in fact is a liver issue. It was an expensive genetic test but now I know what to do for me and what to watch for. Much simpler check for low b, and low D. In combination they also feel like thyroid issues. Good luck.


    Find a new endo, mine was great and I miss him. Also print out your diary the next time you go to the dr and demand someone listen to you.
  • millers617
    millers617 Posts: 21 Member
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    I second the PCOS, I was tested for thyroid issues from age 18-28 many times for the same symptoms. It wasn't until obgyn suggested doing a sono of my overies, that it was discovered I had PCOS. No one thought to test this because I wasn't overweight ...
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
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    I'm hypo. I can't believe the endo's response...what an a******.

    Did they do a thyroid ultrasound? When I got that done, they were able to measure it and see if there were any other abnormalities. As *I* understand (and I'm not a Dr), if the thyroid is enlarged, it's because it's overworking, trying to achieve the normal production of hormones; just like an enlarged heart that's not able to pump enough blood.

    Another point I'd like to make is that numbers are just numbers. Even if your numbers are in the normal range, your symptoms show that it's obviously not the normal range *for you*. This happened to me last summer when according to the results I was hyper, but guess what, for once I felt normal. Soon, I'll be dealing with explaining that to my new dr. and I'm already cringing at the thought.

    My advice is to drop dr. a******, but it seems like that might not be possible for you. In that case, I'd keep talking to him/her, insist that you're not feeling good and demand more tests. Maybe track your daily symptoms and rate them. Make a chart. Show it to him/her next time.

    I'm sorry you have to deal with this. It's unfair and trying to get a Dr to listen is sometimes -surprisingly- difficult.
    Good luck!
  • tasmin21
    tasmin21 Posts: 42 Member
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    Short background: I had thyroid cancer when I was 29, so I no longer have a thyroid at all.

    In the process of figuring out what my dosage would need to be, I had all the symptoms like you describe, but my TSH was just where my doctor (oncologist) wanted it to be. So he kept telling me that my cold intolerance was "because it's winter" or "because the a/c is on". I finally had to refer myself to an endocrinologist, who determined that my TSH and my T4 just don't match up. Ever. So if one is fine, the other is out of whack.

    Sadly, the only thing I've been able to do is go through a long process of trial and error, finding a dosage that basically settles on lesser evils instead of being perfectly correct.

    The endo recommended that I up my vitamin D, so I'll agree with the other folk here who have recommended that. Also, if you're taking a synthetic thyroid replacement (synthroid or whatever) make sure you are NOT taking it at the same time as you take your multivitamin for the day. No one told me that (gee thanks, doc) and I wound up dangerously hypothyroid for like a year before anyone bothered to figure it out.

    Mostly, I just wanted to tell you you're not crazy, and don't stop pushing for someone to listen to you. It's YOUR health.
  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
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    Ask for these specific tests....free T3, free T4 and reverse T3. Standard TSH tests missed my hypo diagnosis. The "normal" range is so damn broad that it's practicality useless as a diagnostic aid. We can be severely symptomatic in the normal ranges. Finding a good Endo is critical. Don't let them take one vial of blood until you find a Dr who tells you that they're going to figure it out no matter what. For some reason with most endos you have to fight to get the care necessary to be well. Don't give up searching for your answers.
  • firesoforion
    firesoforion Posts: 1,017 Member
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    There are some tests which are more sensitive than others, and hypothyroidism can slip by the usual tests, but still be there.
  • jmp1031
    jmp1031 Posts: 95 Member
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    bump. I was just diagnosed as hypo last month and I too have almost all of the symptoms you listed. I'm just figuring this thing out so I don't have any suggestions but am interested in the info the others are providing. I wish you luck in getting some answers :flowerforyou:
  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
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    I'm going through the exact same thing! They told me nothing was wrong and acted like I'm crazy. I was just discussing this with my MFP friend Lorlei25. Please feel free to get in touch with her as well. She's gone through a whole lot with thyroid conditions.

    I'm at a loss too. I wake up every morning and sit on the edge of my bed and weep because I'm so tired. I feel like I'm in an alien body and the doctor's and specialists say that I'm 'fine' and to come back later.

    Please friend me if you'd like :)

    Oh my god, yes. I'm such a morning person. I used to get up at 5:30 cause I liked it. Now I struggle to make it out of bed by 7 to get the kids to school, and I feel as though I haven't slept at all.
  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
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    get checked for PCOS
    it has very similar symptoms

    I actually don't have any of the symptoms of pcos except weight gain and acne. My periods are super close (20ish days) apart and heavy, like set my alarm clock to change my overnight protection more than once a night heavy. I have dry flakey skin that cracks, not oily skin and I don't have dandruff, I have hair loss.

    Oh and no infertility. Lol. Four kids in 6 years.
  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
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    You should ask your dr to test for Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease.

    That's what the tpo AB test is for, and mine were within normal range.
  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
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    My dd had the same symptoms and thyroid came back with in "normal" ranges but her vit D level was low. Upped her vit D and all symptoms are gone.

    Yeah,I had via d problems too, it was 25 when the normal range is like 32 to 100. I was put on a supplement, 50k iu every week for 10 weeks. My vitamin d is fine now and the symptoms are getting worse.
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
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    Those are all also symptoms of PCOS. Have you been screened for it?

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