New here - needing help

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
New here - needing help
3
Mon, 10-09-2006 - 6:08pm

When I was 28, my thyroid crashed. My immune system was comprised and I wound up in cardiac intensive care with an infection in my heart. The cardio doc said it all started b/c of the thyroid. The infection caused an irregular heartbeat. My general doc watched the thyroid for a while and declared me better. He took me off the thyroid meds and we watched it for about 3 years. Everything was fine. Then it started to slow down again and I've been back on Levoxyl for around 10 years now. Every single time I have blood drawn for anything, I have it checked and the results show that the medication is controlling it just fine.

The problem is that I don't feel just fine. I am taking medication for blood pressure which causes my potassium to be low so I'm taking potassium also. I take Protonix for reflux and Lexapro for depression. I just don't feel like I have an energy or desire to do much.

I am a good 70 pounds overweight and no matter how had I try to eat right, it won't budge. I feel exhausted all the time although I've found that drinking green tea helps a little bit. I at least have the energy to do a little light housecleaning most days. I work part time around - hours a week. I am a computer instructor at a community college so that's not very active either.

I was having problems with menstrual bleeding - too heavy and all the time. I had a D&C done in Apr but that didn't help so I had an ablation done in late Jul. That has definitely helped with the bleeding but the PMS mood swings are still there. The gyn had hoped that controlling the bleeding would help with the energy level but so far it hasn't.

I've got some joint problems. I broke my ankle and leg in a car wreck about 15 years ago and walking and exercising are painful. I've also torn some cartilege in my knee and have a bone spur in my shoulder that causes pain. I've had so many surgeries the last few years that I really don't want to be put to sleep again for a while.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I feel really tired all the time. I know that I'm probably mildly depressed but any more depression medication seems to make me more tired.

Thanks for the help!

Avatar for cl_calley7
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Mon, 10-09-2006 - 8:29pm

Hi Tobylady,


Welcome to our board.


You certainly have had your share of health issues over the past years.

 

Calley7

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Mon, 10-09-2006 - 11:05pm

I've never really been told that my hypothyroidism is a specific type - just that its underactive. When I had the first problem with it, I remember the doctor saying that one of my levels (TSH?) was well above coma level and he wasn't surprised at all that I was in cardiac intensive care. The really upsetting part of that whole episode was that I had told my GP several times in the months prior to my hospitalization that I was tired, constipated, etc. His response was "well you have a new baby at home - you're supposed to be tired." Needless to say, my cardiac doc helped me find a new GP. I'm pretty much getting the same type of response from my GP now. She just doesn't seem to care that I'm tired all the time. They offer very little support in loosing weight. They did send me to an ortho doc for shots in the shoulder to help with that - they actually believed that the bone spur hurts but I'm sure if it hadn't shown up on a MRI, they would have ignored it.

I guess I'm just very tired and frustrated with all this. Is there a certain type of doc that I need to see about my thyroid? My GP only does the routine blood tests and b/c the levels are okay automatically says no problem here.

Thanks for your help!

Avatar for cl_calley7
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Tue, 10-10-2006 - 8:40pm

Hi Tobylady,


The specialist in the area of the thyroid is an endocrinologist.

 

Calley7