Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

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Hypothyroidism in families

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moejo3
moejo3 Posts: 224 Member
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I have been talking to some of my older cousins and apparently Hypothyroidism runs rampant in our family along with Diabetes. I remember my mom saying that her mom was lazy and ate sweets all of the time. As I grew older and then got my diagnosis (at the time I could barely get out of bed!) I explained to my mom that grandma wasn't lazy she was ill and not treated. I have since learned that both men, women and children in my family struggle with their thyroid. I am only 3rd generation Norwegian/Swedish so, this is not uncommon. We have babies born with goiters and thyroid cancer. I guess what I am trying to say is this is something we have to work on in our lives. We didn't catch this and it isn't going away. I think it is so important to educate your self to live a happier healthier life. I also want to be able to give sound advice to my children and the younger generation of my family so, they will know what they need to do to control it. I urge all of us to become as knowledgeable as we can so, we can prevent further suffering in our families.

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  • heinrichs21
    heinrichs21 Posts: 34 Member
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    Hypothyroidism runs in my family as well. My cousin, dad, Grandma..etc. In my family it affects mainly the females although there are 3 males that do have it. I was the youngest one to be diagnosed. I was diagnosed when I was 8y/o. Most of the people diagnosed happen to be in there late 40's when diagnosed. I am learning as I am going along. Being the youngest one to have it and then going through puberty was hard when you happen to be the one one that switches the strangth of the meds a lot. What worried the medical staff a lot was if I was going to grow and be at a "normal" weight. So, until I finally get settled in with my meds it is still a come and go. Nothing lasts at the moment. I have to be intuned with my body and when I tired to the point of not getting up or crying my self to sleep, it is time for a med change. (I am the only one that goes through this!) I am glad for me families support. (I think they are a little sick of me wanting to sleep 24/7.. Time to see the dr. again)
  • moejo3
    moejo3 Posts: 224 Member
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    Hypothyroidism runs in my family as well. My cousin, dad, Grandma..etc. In my family it affects mainly the females although there are 3 males that do have it. I was the youngest one to be diagnosed. I was diagnosed when I was 8y/o. Most of the people diagnosed happen to be in there late 40's when diagnosed. I am learning as I am going along. Being the youngest one to have it and then going through puberty was hard when you happen to be the one one that switches the strangth of the meds a lot. What worried the medical staff a lot was if I was going to grow and be at a "normal" weight. So, until I finally get settled in with my meds it is still a come and go. Nothing lasts at the moment. I have to be intuned with my body and when I tired to the point of not getting up or crying my self to sleep, it is time for a med change. (I am the only one that goes through this!) I am glad for me families support. (I think they are a little sick of me wanting to sleep 24/7.. Time to see the dr. again)
    Thanks for sharing coping is one of the biggest challenges but, you do learn how to understand what your body is telling you very quickly!
  • tecallahan
    tecallahan Posts: 732 Member
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    The key is educating ourselves and finding the right doctor. It amazes me that so many doctors are still treating hypothyroidism like they did in 1970 when Synthroid first came on the market. And they haven't gotten a clue in over 40 years!
  • montanadanni
    montanadanni Posts: 184 Member
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    Yes it tends to be genetic. I have thyroid issues on those sides of my family. My mothers side suffers from graves disease and my fathers side sufferes from hashimoto's disease. I wasn't dignosed till the weight came on really fast... sadly I should have been treated much earlier, probably sometime in high school. I have extensive diabetes on both sides of my family as well. You can't help what you been handed down in the gene pool sadly :( I have found that it is so important to know your families medical history. You might have to ask around but its worth the asking. You might find something :)
  • Shybea81
    Shybea81 Posts: 67 Member
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    My mother was the first to be diagnosed, she had graves for years before they figured out what was wrong (partly because my mother so rarely goes to the doctor) then my cousin, sister, aunt...very few women in my family actually still have their thyroid gland. Our thyroid just doesn't seem to want to work right too long after giving birth so it was really no surprise to me when I started showing symptoms and quickly called the doctor to be tested. I don't think my doctor thoroughly believed me since I had a perfectly fine thyroid test not but a year before. I most certainly think that if you have thyroid problems in your family you should let your doctor know and insist on being tested annually. You should also educate yourself on the common symptoms since they can sneak up on you and are so easily dismissed as something else.

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