Intro and more. . . .

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-20-2003
Intro and more. . . .
8
Mon, 10-18-2004 - 11:50pm
I need help. Mostly just need someone else to discuss this with. I was diagnosed in my early 20's as being hypo (I am now 40). Symptoms started with depression, low energy and weight gain (something like 20 -30 lbs in 2 months). Thank god I had a doctor who tested me right away for a thyroid condition and I starting taking meds about 8 0r 9 months after my first symptoms appeared. Back than being young I didn't ask alot of questions, thought oh, take a pill and eveything will be ok. Well its not. I am experiencing new symtoms and even though my thyroid tested normal back in July I think I need more tests etc. The last 3 motnhs I have done lots of reading (mostly on the net) about the thyroid. After all these years I am doing a little research. I guess its better late than never.

Anyway about 6 years ago I started to experience "brain fog". Nothing too major but hindsight being 20/20 I realize it started about than. Its gotten worst. If forget things, my memory seems "foggy". I am gaining more weight although I am not eating differently. I experience uncontrollable fits of anger. Its like I "know better" but I cannot control myself. I can't lose weight (when I am trying - I have since given up for now). Since my initial diagnoses I have been diagnosed with depression 2 or 3 more times. The last time I didn't even recognize my depression as depression (I did not have the "sad" feeling like my other depressions but a lack of interest in activities I used to love, not wanting to see friends or go out etc). I eventually went to my doctor who put me on antidepressants and I did eventually get better although I cannot say I feel 100% better. I think I may have low grade depression again. . .

At times I feel like I am losing it. My kids are paying the price (they are 4 and 2 years old). I have no energy for them, I get mad at a drop of the hat (not normal for me) and when I had my thyroid tested in July (because I didn't feel right) it came back normal (sorry I have forgotten the results - thanks to the brain fog).

Tomorrow I am phoning my doctor to make another appointment and I am going to ask to to be referred to and endocronolgist(sp). I will make my appointment for next week. I have no idea how or what she will say to me about my wanting to see another dr. All these years of suffering depression I had no idea it could be (and most likely) related to my thyroid. Not once has my doctor mentioned it. What information can I take with me when I see her? I am thinking I need to have T3 tested. I am pretty sure she has never tested for it before but from what I am reading taking T3 as well as T4 meds maybe what I need.

Anyone experience these symptoms and are you taking T3? Has it helped? I have had just about all I can take. I want so badly to feel normal again. Will it ever happen? Has it ever happened (feeling normal) for any of you?

Thanks for listening.

Sandra

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2004
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 8:57am
Did you get your free t3 and t4s tested also? Those will show sometimes that you do indeed have a thyroid problem again even though your tsh may be normal.


iVillage Member
Registered: 11-20-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 2:04pm

I believe my doctor has only tested for Free T4 (in recent years). I have a med lab request in front of me to get another blood test and its only for Free t4. Should I get TSH tested too? Why would she not test that? I am also going to request a T3 test. I just made an appointment for tomorrow as I cannot wait another week. If it were not for my two kids I would be in my room laying in my bed crying my eyes out. I am barely keeping it together. I feel so badly for my boys. They need a better Mom than I can be right now.

Sandra

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2004
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 11:27pm
Try to hang in there. I know it's hard I have 3 little ones and all I can think about is my thyroid, how bad it makes me feel and much I want to be "normal" again, can't even remember! I developed my hyperT after pregnancy, so it's been about a year and half since I've been normal. Hardly anything though compared to what some have been through!

ASk for tsh, free t3 and free t4. I dont know all the exact reasons, but everyone says to get those checked!

Good luck with your docs appt.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Thu, 10-21-2004 - 11:36pm

Hi Sandra and welcome! Sorry it took me so long to see your post. I don't know if I missed your doctor's appointment but I think it was a really smart decision that you made to go back in. You need to ask for a full thyroid panel so that you can see what all your different thyroid values are. Make sure you ask for the actual numbers of your test results and then come back here and we'll help you deipher it all! Having symptoms of depression when you are hypothyroid is very common. What is sounds like to me - and I am NOT and expert, is that your TSH level has probably been slowly rising all this time and a increase in medication might have helped you in avoiding the worst of what you're feeling. It's very hard sometimes, to pin those feeings and symptoms on your thyroid, though. I did the same thing a year ago in the summer and really crashed by the fall - it was just awful. So hopefully, you are averting that by getting back in to see your doctor now.

T3 frequently helps when you have depression and are hypo. Anti-depressants can help but sometimes they aren't really the answer. Sometimes just an increase in thryoid medication does it. Sometimes just adding the T3 helps and sometimes you need to do all three. Everyone is different and it's hard to say what each person will respond best to. From what I can see, treating hypothyroidism is really a trial and error, or hit or miss, type of thing. You keep increasing your dose, or you add T3 or you try Armour thyroid or an antidepressant ... playing around with it is your best bet, though, to finding what works for you.

I hope you don't blame yoursefl for feeling down!! It's very hard when you aren't really yourself and you have to deal with all the demands of your family and life in general. SO I hope that you try to just relax with all this while you're waiting to see what works for you. Try not to put any more pressure on yourself if you can help it. Let us know how the doctor goes. I hope I didn't miss it!! Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-20-2003
Fri, 10-22-2004 - 2:57pm

Hi Cathy,

Thank you for your input. I did not see your post until today and my doctors appointment was yesterday. She is testing for free T3 and T4 as well as TSH. When I asked about being referred to a specialist I got a FIRM no at least until the results are in. I plan on phoning today and making an appointment to go over the results of the test with my dr next week.

My doctor confirmed I am spiralling downwards into depression again and I have started treatment for that. She has put me on Paxil. Previously I have taken Zoloft but the last time was not the best results. I improved with my depression but don't feel I fully recovered. Looking back (hindsight being 20/20) I think I may have low grade depression for the last several years 6 or more). After awhile I just don't know what "normal" is anymore.

Once my results are in I will let you know what they are. I plan to ask for a copy of my blood work and want to do more research esp. of the doc says everything is "normal" but I think there is room for improvement. From what I have read so far the doctors should be considering "how I feel" along side looking at the numbers. That the numbers don't tell the whole story etc. so we will see how it goes.

Thanks

Sandra

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Sat, 10-23-2004 - 9:03am
Hi Sandra - sorry I missed your appointment but it sounds as if it went along like any other appointment!! You tell your doctor you dn't feel well, and she tells you you can't see a specialist!! LOL! Just amazing. Don't be surprised if you just get a call from the doctor's office, by a nurse, giving you your test results. So if she calls and says it's normal - or even a bit high or low - ask for the numbers. And get all the results, then ask them to send you the hard copy.

If the T4 or T3 are low, and the TSH is "normal", it indicates that you aren't making enogh thyroid hormone. If the T3 or T4 is high and your TSH is "normal", it indicates that your body is making enough of the hormone but is having trouble converting it for use. Being "in the range" is a different thing than being and FEELING truly normal. I doubt that your doctor will be able to really understand all the nuances of the tests but maybe you'll be lucky and she will!! Do you need her to refer you in oreer to see a specialist? Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-20-2003
Sat, 10-23-2004 - 10:17am
Yes, in Canada, or at least in the province I am in its pretty standard to have to be referred to a specialist. I wish it wasn't so but than I can understand from the Specialist's POV that they would have a lot more patients taking up thier time that DON'T need to see them. KWIM? We have such a shortage of doctors too that I am afriad that even if I do succeed in getting an appointment it may take months to get in to see the specialist. My Mom has a really good doctor (she is hypo and has Lupus) and she just loves her doctor. I have been thinking of even going in to see him (he is a general practioner but has had lots of Lupus patients so my Mom continues to see him) but he is an 8 hour drive away. So far now thats out but if I do get desperate enough I just may make the drive to see him.

As far as my doctor NOT sending me to a specialist - she said she wanted to wait until the blood tests were done. She also felt "my sypmtoms" I mentioned were due to my depression - not thyroid - but I feel my constant depression is because of my thyroid. I am reading "THYROID SOULUTION" and it confirms what I have been thinking about my constant battle of depression.

So after the results are in I will arm myself with more info if I need to and present it to my doctor and try to convince her to let me see a specialist. Tell her I want a second opinion.

Sandra

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Sat, 10-23-2004 - 8:36pm
The Thyroid Solution is an excellent book. Exactly what you need to read for what you're going through. Let us now what happens! Cathy :)