I think I have thyroid disease
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I think I have thyroid disease
| Fri, 02-23-2007 - 11:37am |
I was tested for thyroid disease last year and my blood work came up negative. My mother has thyroid disease so I thought there was a pretty good chance I did to. Since then thought I have felt worse. Very tired, no ambition,weight gain, can not sleep at night. Severe hair loss. The hair loss is what is bothering me the most. I can deal with everything else. I cry every time I take a shower. I put my very thin remaining hair up in a clip everyday so no one can see how bad it looks. The worst part is I just saw my regular dr. yesterday who could only refer me to a specialist. I had my blood work but could not get in untill the end of March. I am afraid I will be bald by then!! I miss doing active things I like to do especially with my kids and my self esteem is diminshing rapidly. Is there anyone who has or is experieincing what i am. My biggest fear is that the blood work will come back negative again and the dr will send me home with no help.

Hi jenluvmyjeep74,
Welcome to our board.
Your list of symptoms does sound as though you might be in the hypothyroidism area.
"Very tired, no ambition,weight gain, can not sleep at night. Severe hair loss."
Me too!!! I was misdiagnosed with everything from depressive disorders to panic attacks to just being a "lazy person" and "getting older".
Me, my mom, my grandmother, my uncle, and my great aunt all have hypothyroid, but all our tests are in the normal ranges. Those "normal" ranges are out-dated and WRONG!!!
Keep your appt. with the specialist, but keep calling around and asking people in your area for a doctor who is good with thyroid problems. The doctor should be treating your SYMPTOMS, not your blood levels.
Once you get to feeling better with thyroid hormone therapy, then take some blood and test it. That is the normal range for you.
Hypothyroidism is very under-researched and doctors don't know the specifics of how the thyroid works. Just because a doctor tells you something, it doesn't mean that it is the most current information available.
Because of my family history and symptoms, my doctor drew some blood and put me on a low dose of Armour on my first visit. He is a family practice, general physician, not an endocrinologist, but he is very good with thyroid disorders.
Sure enough, when the blood work came back 2 weeks later, it said I was normal. But I'm not!
During the 3rd week of taking the Armour, my mood lifted, I had more energy, I was less irritable, and I was even able to start walking 3 times/week and pick up a few extra shifts at work (I had been working only 3 days a week due to low energy and depression).
I feel much better! After the 4th week, the doc increased my dosage and my heart palpitations went away. I'm still not where I want to be, and I still can't work full time yet, but I think that I will get there this year!
I know how you feel, though. I was there for almost a year before I decided to see a doctor. I just thought I was crazy! There isn't much that can help you to feel better. Some days were just so unbearable that I just called in sick to work and stayed in bed all day, just staring at the wall.
You could try some yoga...it seems stupid, but it helped me get a little energy sometimes. You don't have to be a pretzel, there are yoga poses that you can do without gettign out of bed. One is called the corpse pose and the other is the crocodile. Check out yogajournal.com.
Other than that, just seek out support from friends, family, church, etc. Its not a solution to the problem, but it might help you to hang in there until you get some real help.
Good luck! You are not alone!