Need info on symptoms - I am so tired
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| Mon, 07-12-2004 - 10:14pm |
Since May, I have been more fatigued than usual. I have 3 small kids so of course I am tired but I have noticed a drop in my energy levels to where I can accomplish one big feat during the day, whether it is going to the gym or a big grocery shopping trip. I can manage to prepare meals, feed and clean the kids and clean up afterwards, but other than that, my energy is shot. I have had some good days interspersed but in the past month, the kids and I have all had two colds, so I am really tired. I am in the tail end of one now and slept 10 hours last night then took a 2 hour nap this afternoon and the only reason I got up is my husband had to leave for his night shift at work.
On top of it, I have always been a cold person, but now our 78F house feels cold to me and I go outside into the 90s to warm up or wear a fleece top.
Is there any sort of insulin/glucose metabolism problem that comes with hypothyroidism? If I eat candy after lunch I go into some sort of hypoglycemic crash before dinner (shakes, dizzy, etc...). I have had this problem before but usually not if I have consumed normal healthy foods along with the sugar.
The dr tested me for pregnancy (neg) and hemoglobin (normal). He told me we would look further into it if those tests were normal. I go back next month - is hypothyroidism something I should ask about?
I hear about it being subtle, but then I read medical literature and the SXS all seem so severe - I don't have edema or anything like that.
edited to add: has anyone heard of the Depo shot causing any of these problems? I got it about 6 weeks prior to the onset of fatigue but shortly after I got it I had issues with extreme mood swings and depression and gained 3 inches in my waistline (still working my butt off to get rid of it now).
Edited 7/12/2004 10:26 pm ET ET by lama26


I have not been diagnosed with any type of thyroid problem, even though I have all
the symptoms. If I were you, I would ask the Dr to do the test, its not going to
hurt anything. I've been going for almost a year to figure out why I am so tired.
First thyroid test was normal but I was low iron. I got that level up but am still
extremely tired and achy. I go next week for more blood work.
You might want to mention to your Dr about the Depo shot and the mood swings.
I've never had the shot, but just recently my ob/gyn suggested that I stop
taking the pill to see if that had any affect on the way I was feeling. It did
decrease my PMS symptoms, but that was about it. It probably has something to
do with the hormone levels.
Just keep checking, I'm sure you will get some great advice from the people on
this site. Alot more qualified than me ;o) I just wanted to let you know that
you are not alone. Hang in there!
Shelly
It also sounds like your thyroid is underactive. The thing to ask for is a TSH test, that's the minimum test that you can have. Or you can have a full thyroid panel, which will also test for the presence of antithyroid antibodies, as well as the levels of the different thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. The TSH test stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and it is produced by the pituitary gland when your thyroid is producing enough thyroid hormone - called thyroxine. The pituitary keeps pumping out the TSH in an effort to get your thyroid to make what your body needs. That is why the higher the number on your TSH tset, the LESS thyroid hormone your own body is makng and the more chance that you are hypothyroid. (you can see why I may have been too tired to answer this last night!)
There can be insulin resistance that goes with this but it is very rare. It is when your body just keeps producing insulin in response to sugar in your system and it just doesn't stop. Your body isn't able to use the normal amounts of insulin it has andin response, your pancreas keeps making more!! It's unlikely that you have this, because other symptoms include high blood pressure, obesity and something called lipid metabolism. More likely it sounds as if you have hypoglycemia - and that can be tested with a glucose tolerance test. Another option is that your body was just not able to handle the sugars because you habdn't eaten in a while and it became overloaded with carbs that it couldn't process. I've had that happen in the beginning of my hypothyroidism, but since I've had my TSH levels more in balance, that hasn't happened. It would be interesting to see if other people have experienced that because I never found anything in any thyroid literature about it.
You have really common hypothyroid symptoms. I remember that feeling of only being able to do one thing with my day. Usually it was work out in the morning, then I'd be beat for the rest of the day. hypothyroid symptoms aren't as severe as you may think. your fatigue is one of them, so are the cold hands and feet or just being cold all over. So is sleeping too much! In addition, symptoms can include dry hair/skin, heavy menstrual periods or pms or both, hair loss, including eyebrows and eyelashes, digestion issues, constipation, irritability, "weepiness", depression, weight gain and/or the inability to lose weight, muscle weakness ....... the list pretty much goes on and on!! Do you see any of these in yourself? What usually ends up happening is that once you start to get better, you realize how much of what you were feeling was related to your thyroid.
So yes, I think you should ask to be tested. It would be good for you to find out now and begin treatment before your symptoms get worse. I hope this helps!!
Definately ask your doctor to check your thyroid--what do you have to lose???
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Cathy :)
I go back in in a month - I think I may have either had mono or I am having thryroid problems (if there is a physical cause to this). If it was mono, the fatigue should have lifted since it really kicked in in May and it will have been about 2.5 mos. If not, the test should at least help.
My dh is in the military and is gone a lot so life does get overwhelming - I could be getting physical symptoms from the sheer stress (emotional and physical) of all of it, but as the dr said, since I have noticed a change in my energy level, its worth investigating.
Thanks
New and improved siggy coming soon (which could mean after Christmas)
I agree with the other ladies, definately ask about a full thyroid panel, because your symptoms fit perfectly with hypothyroid symptoms.
I have had low blood sugar issues in the past too. Like my doctor said, most people are hypoglycemic, just others are more sensitive to it. You can adjust your diet to prevent crashing from happening. And I noticed I had lots of symptoms after having caffiene or sugary stuff like candy or chocolate, or pop/soda. The ideal thing to do is to have your 3 meals spaced out through the day and then 3 snacks. Meals would be max 45 grams of carbs with your 2-3 servings of protein + vegs. Its best to combine a snack of 15grams of carb with 1 serving of protein. So that could be 6 saltine crackers (15 gm carb) and 2tbsp peanut butter. Or 1 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 cup fruit, or a yogurt, or a glass of milk. Milk & juice are immediate fixers! Also you can pick up glucose tablets at the pharmacy. Those work good too if you feel like your having a low blood sugar attack. They come in orange, strawberry and my fav--grape. You just chew 1 or 2 up and you'll feel much better! Try getting in touch with the American Diabetic Association, I'm sure they have a website, maybe there will be some guidelines on eating to help you out with the understanding of what a serving of carb is and serving of protein. Plus the glucose tolerance test doesn't always show what's going on. For most people I'm sure it does, but I had 3 weeks of being very symptomatic before my glucose tolerance test, and I didn't have 1 issue during the test, and I was there for about 4 hours! Mine is different though, it doesn't bother me all the time, and it actually hasn't much at all lately. Maybe you can go to a nutritionist if you have a hard time managing it.
I too had issues after going on depro provera. I had about 3 weeks of being very sensitive and emotional, and lots of cramping with my periods and spotting in between. I always had to have pads or liners in my purse, I never knew when it was coming. And when I went off I had another few weeks of being emotional. It didn't work well for me--I mean it prevented pregnancy, but too many side effects.
This is the thing though with thyroid disorders--it affects all things menstral. So, you might not just be having menstral issues because of the thyroid, but also because of the depro provera... lovely, eh?
I'm sure things with the depro will even out soon, just watch out at the end because you might go through it again with being emotional.
I hope you get the answers you need from your doctor. Keep looking online too, there's about.com and thyroid-info and ivillage, plus other resources, some just cover the basics.
Good luck to you. Let us know what happens. --lisa