New, ?'s about finally being diag w/ hyp
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| Tue, 07-27-2004 - 1:45pm |
well i had to have my gallbladder removed about a year and a half ago and that was what and why i was told i felt so bad, but after surg. i was still very weak and tired even more so than before, went to gyn for check up complained-was told lose weight, told her had tried everything which I had, fast forward to this year's gyn appt had to see nurse pract (b/c old dr left and the others in practice so busy would be 6 months before could get in to see one of them and i was an established patient!) told her how was feeling kinda dismissed feelings, i had to demand a tsh test first test came back at 4.8 if not mistaken, she had be retested a month later and it was 5.3! i was told this was "normal" by the gyn office and not to worry-lose weight and take some vitamins
now don't get me wrong i am not glad that something was wrong with me, but i am glad that i kept at it, i finally found an endo in my area (only one for about 3-4hours!) so I made an appt and she wanted to know why i was there i told her my symptoms and prev tsh levels--that i never had any energy, i was gaining weight eventhough was eatting very little, i started to breakout all over my back and arms, i was always cold, my hair and nails were dry and brittle, having trouble remembering and just losing my train of thought in the middle of a conversation, major lack of sex drive (aahh, none), muscle aches and pain and i seemed to keep some type of cold or bladder, kidney infection (which had never had before) and always having a sore tender throat and coughing like something always in throat at times. so she had me do another tsh test and my level was 6.8 which I read a couple of prev posts and some levels were higher i do know how you made it b/c i feel so drained all the time, so she has now placed me on synthroid even her asst. when called me with test results said you were right to press and come see an endo...
so now from my understanding it will take 6-12 months to get the meds regulated, how much time before I really start to feeling back to my old self, how much if any of the weight will i take off, instead of gaining when attempting a weightloss program will i actully be able to lose instead of gain now, will my skin and hair get back to "normal", will i actually get my sex drive back (b/c it is gone)and I am just 30!, will i have trouble conceiving????
thanks for any help and sorry this is so long, it just makes me so mad b/c it took me so long to finally get diag and then hearing that others have the same problem, when will dr's take the time to look at patients as individuals and not a check

It will not take 6 to 12 months to start feeling better. Within the first two weeks, you may start to notice some subtle changes. Within the first month, you should start to get your energy back up, and by the end of the first 3 months, you may actually feel like your old self!!! Isn't that good news?? In the meantime, you'll be going back for blood tests and getting your medication adjusted, if necessary. That should help you stay on course.
It sounds as if you're very sensitive to your tsh level and so was I. I improved dramatically within the 1st 3 months. The important thing to know in terms of really getting back to yourself, is that a normal thyroid's tsh level is between 1.0 and 2.0, so that's what you need to shoot for when getting your medication adjusted. Some doctors like to keep you within the lab range of "normal" but that isn't good enough for some people, especially those of us who are very sensitive to our what our level is. If and when you get to that point, come back here and I'll find articles for you to bring to your doctor.
Yes, being on medication will make your weight loss and exercise program work but you have to be consistent and stay on course. You still have to do all the same things you were doing when it didn't work but now, you'll see the fruits of your work!!! It's best to eat 4 to 6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism going. I just found a great article on metabolism boosting in this month's Oxygen magazine and I'm going to post a step a day to get all steps in so check back later and each day after.
Make sure you take your medication first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and then don't take any food or other medicines for an hour. Wait up to 4 hours for calcium supplements and dairy products - they interfere with the meds absorption. Tea of any kind is also not good when you're hypothyroid. It contains floride which blocks the iodine receptors on your thyroid and it needs iodine to make thyroid hormone. Soy is also not good for you but it's ok if it's been heated - that kills the antithyroid substance in soy. Otherwise, one serving a day is ok but I avoid it altogether. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. One of the metabolism tips is that water actually helps you to burn more calories!!
There are supplements that you can take once you've been on the medication for a little while. I've posted them before so I'll find it and post if for you here later on. It includes things like a good b-complex, zinc, vitamin E, etc.
I'm giving you a crash course in thyroid care!! LOL! I hope this helps. Cheer up, too, because it only gets better from here. I know it's a traumatic thing that you've been through. I was there myself. And it will take a while to get over it. But it's good to look on the brighter side as well!! Things will only get better for you from now on. But stay involved in your care. It's the only way to ensure that you will get better. Cathy :)
I know that can be so frustrating, I am currently dealing
with the same thing. In fact I just made an appt with an
endo for 8/30 (that's the earliest I could get)
I have all the symptoms that you describe, including the
weight gain - which my dr hasn't even mentioned! You would
think a 60 pound weight gain would be a little noticeable!
Funny they blamed your gall bladder, I think they will blame
anything they can. So far, I was told I was anemic, depressed,
hormonal, and just last week was tested for rhumatoid arthirits,
and lupus. All of those tests come back normal as well as my
last tsh test.
The one symptom that caught my eye was the breakouts on your back
and arms....I noticed the same thing about a week ago, and I just
thought it was something else. Weird, huh?
it is great to hear that it will not take that long to start getting energy back, i forgot what that was...
yes, that is why i kept pushing b/c everything that i read on thy was 1-2 and with me testing 4-6+ i knew there was something wrong...
oh, my tea, i love it, it is like one of my very few vices-i do not drink caffiene-sodas or coffee(okay maybe an iced capp like those), i try to drink lots of h20, i drink milk, i dont really even care for chocolate but a nice warm cup of tea at night and an ice cold glass during the day...the agony
yes, i broke out on my arms, back, chest and shoulders in these big reg hives-it looked worse than if i had gotten into posion ivy or oak--it was terrible; the dry skin was bad too, i used soo much lotion and moisturizer it was a sight, i have always taken excellent care of my skin b/c after all it is all that we get and i look like a greased pig at night, shinny and slippery but in a few seconds i am dry again, so i look forward to that getting back to normal...
Hi, what a roller coaster you have been on!
I was diagnosed hypo this past NOV and it only took about 6-8 weeks to start to notice a difference---I still have my days now where I just want to crawl into a hole, but for the most part I have noticed a huge difference!
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Fast forward to last summer. I had had 3 periods in 7 weeks! And each of them lasted 5 days, so out of 35 days, for 15 I was bleeding! NICE! So, I called my ob/gyn, but couldn't get in until August. I told him about my periods (basically, I was hemorrhagging for 5 days!), no sex drive, and painful sex, to boot! So, he sent me for an ultrasound and ran a bunch of tests, including a TSH. He called me and said that my TSH was borderline normal (I recently found out it was over 5--like 5.6) and that I should have it retested in two months. Well, two months later I had no car (both of them took headers in one week!) and couldn't get there. I finally got there in February and I was told that it was fine (it was 4.5).
In May, I started experiencing the tingling in my hands & feet again, so I finally got in to see my doc. He checked me for MS first (I was terrified of that) and said that no, it wasn't that (Thank goodness). Then he had them draw a WHOLE bunch of blood and checked everything--cholesterol, folates, TSH, iron, he did a lead level, etc., etc. He did a COMPLETE health history on me and, a few days later, he called back and said my TSH was elevated and he wanted to see me ASAP! So, I went, he presecribed Levothyroxine, and here it is almost a month later. I don't seem to have experienced any major change in my symptoms yet (still losing hair, still dry skin, no sex drive, no energy) BUT I have noticed slight improvements in some areas (I can stay up late again--a couple of months ago, I was in bed at 9 or 9:30--I have always been a night owl).
So, I guess I am lucky that my doctor took me so seriously right away.
Leigh Anne