Thyroid

[xbxbx]

I found selenium helped. I started taking it on the basis it may improve T4 to T3 conversion. I don't have a thyroid (hyperthyroidism that never responded to medication so I had a thyroidectomy). Since they only monitor T4 levels when you are hypo, I wondered whether my T4 to T3 conversion was subpar and that may be impacting my mood. After I started taking selenium daily, I ended up having to drop my levothyroxine dose because I was symptomatic and my levels showed oversupplementation. I also half heartedly do the autoimmune paleo diet (in that, there's quite a lot of overlap with FODMAP which I tried for my IBS and through trial I've worked out what foods I'm better off excluding and those seem to be on both lists).

After my thyroidectomy I was stable for years. Then it all went a bit whacky. Maybe stress/hormones/ageing. My dose was dropped slightly and I developed bradycardia. Dose was increased back again and I ended up with all the hyper symptoms again. So now I alternate between 2 different doses and with that and the selenium and AIP/FODMAP I have some kind of balance.

It’s funny you mention selenium. After my last post I bought a pack of Brazil nuts as I’d always heard they were good for thyroid function but never really looked into why, turns out they’re high in selenium. I’ve been having 2-3 of them in the morning for a couple of days and today is the first day in months, possibly a year, that I feel good. It might be a total fluke but I genuinely think it’s the nuts/selenium that’s making me feel this way. I’ve only been back on levothyroxine for a week so I feel like it’s too early to see such a noticeable difference, but perhaps the combination of being back on the meds and the intake of selenium are working together like a dream.

Today should have been a day where I felt awful. No caffeine, minimal water, pretty much ate nothing the whole day, work was horrendously busy, short staffed due to annual leave and sickness and I had to unexpectedly stay behind over an hour after I was due to finish. Any other day my stress and anxiety would’ve been through the roof and I’d have been making myself feel ill trying to get as much done as possible, yet I was completely ‘zen’ the whole day. Nothing phased me. I was calm, worry-free and just got on with things. I even had a colleague ask ‘why are you ok’, because this is so unlike me. I REALLY hope this feeling continues because it’s absolute bliss, but knowing my luck it’ll be a fluke and I’ll be back to my grouchy self tomorrow

 

[xbxbx]

Hi xbxbx. I'm so sorry you are struggling like this. I too feel like the "numbers" on your blood tests aren't taken overly seriously and even if you do have symptoms they need to be severe. I've been on medication for mine for 10 years now and repeatedly get told my numbers are borderline (they've have been changing over recent years, dr has admitted this) - I still have the dry skin and hair I had when I was originally told I had hypothyroidism and my weight although under control is higher than it ordinarily would have been. Despite this, I've repeatedly been told my doctor won't budge my medication unless I decide I want to get pregnant - then he says we'd need to do a more thorough review. I too would love referral to a specialist. My mother sees the endocrinologist regularly for hers (although her issues are hyper rather than hypo) and has had much more in depth discussions around her thyroid health.

Yes, I feel like the blood results should only be an indicator of what’s going on and they should be looking at the overall picture. Blood results say X, patient symptoms say Y, and then managing it from there. It seems like a lot of people don’t realise how debilitating it can actually be unless you have thyroid problems yourself. I have friends and colleagues that think it just means you’re a little bit tired and gain weight easily. I work for the NHS and I’m tempted to just head along to endo and speak to someone to see if its even worth asking for a referral.

I follow a girl on Tiktok who also has hypo and PCOS and manages it purely by changing her diet. She’s no longer on any medication for anything. I completely admire her dedication but it seems like such a huge lifestyle change as she watches every single she eats and drinks. Her account is heal.with.fifi if anyone is interested!

 

[lexle]

anyone else get painful blocked tear ducts after thyroidectomy? it’s now happened twice, I had an eye test in September just before my thyroidectomy, and no concerns then, but should I go back now I’m on levo? It’s only one eye

My optician said my eyes are extremely dry and it’s down to my thyroid (had a partial thyroidectomy) and the medication. I now use some drops he recommended 3x a day

 

[ChampagneBox]

Anyone had thyrogen injections for thyroid cancer treatment? Due my first dose tomorrow ahead of RAI on Thursday!

 

[Beth1980]

Make sure you do! I tell everyone now to ask for blood test ranges and not take in range as ok ( or even everything is fine from the person you get results from over the phone) as you can just be in range but it doesn't mean it is optimal.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

I've had thyroid issues for years now. I've had considerable issues with being hyperthyroid but they weren't really recognised at the time. The first flare up at 16 wasn't attributed to anything despite tests. In my twenties it was diagnosed as anxiety, despite me having severe heat intolerance and having dropped to under six stone in weight.
I developed changes to my voice in 2015/6 and scans revelled a dangerously enlarged thyroid that was deviating my windpipe.
I had a hemithroidectomy in late 2016.

Things have gone well until recently. The remaining half is now massive and keeps growing. I'm also borderline overactive again which I'm fairly sure shouldn't happen with only half left!

I'm struggling to breathe at night and it hurts my neck structures to swallow. I've been referred back to Endo which is fine except I thought they were referring me to ENT.

I really don't want to be in this situation. I don't want surgery and I don't want to be on more medication for life whilst being plagued with brain fog whist my levels adjust. It's also crap to not know what's causing the anxiety I'm experienced. Is it genuine or just a side effect?

Totally gutted to be here again and desperate hoping it doesn't get worse.

 

[knivesnflowers]

im on 125mcg levothyroxine right now - at one point just before the pandemic i was between 50 and 75, so i had to take both doses on alternate days! due bloods next week but they're only measuring every three months which is new - i've gone up 50mcg since september.

 

[Bobbleowl90]

I had my bloods done yesterday and my GP’s have just rang to arrange a telephone appointment this afternoon to discuss the results. Nervous now

 

[ChampagneBox]

Feeling a lot better after sleeping in my own bed Also my voice is coming back, not sure my bf is too happy about that bit though

 

[Eye_roll_central]

Iv was diagnosed with an under active thyroid about 3 years ago after my last pregnancy. Iv been on medication ever since and will be forever. Took a while to get the dosage right but have been on this current dosage for a while now and seems to be working.
My main symptoms before diagnosis was extreme fatigue, like not just tired, absolutely exhausted and with a newborn it was just horrendous! I also was extremely sensitive to the cold...my feet are still so cold all the time now it’s awful! I had dry skin, weight gain and also what I would describe as having “brain fog”. Constantly forgetting things and getting confused easily. I was 30 when I went for a routine blood test and that’s when it came back. My mum, auntie, nana all have it too so and it is hereditary. I am on the higher dosage compared to all my family though but it’s working for the most part.
Diet wise I havnt changed anything but would be interested to hear from anyone that has more info on that!
Is it in your family?

 

[Bidscavan]

Do you mind me asking what damage it did to you heart and how that came to be diagnosed? I'm having some tests done currently and I'm wondering if the issues I'm having might be connected to a particular episode of hyperthyroidism I had about a decade ago.

Sorry if that's too personal a question, feel free not to answer obviously!

Ah I've no probs answering.
I had palpitations and hand tremorsand had lost weight and was feeling quite shit with sore stomach so went docs and he sent me a and e straight away. Got there and my blood pressure was through roof as was resting heart rate. Put on beta blockers straight away. Did numerous scans like ECG, heart echo, ultrsound, MRI, CT, XRAYS . Somewhere in the first couple of days it threw up that I had an afib heartbeat and one of the valves in my heart is always open. Got heartbeat lowered with beta blockers and also procoralan. They said the thyroid storm caused the irregular heartbeat and I will always have it and will always be on the tabs unless I want to go down the route of cardioversion. Doesn't affect me other than if I overexert myself I'll be more tired than I should be. As for the pain in my stomach god knows what that was they were convinced I was an alcoholic though coz my liver was bad but that was related to thyroid too apparently.
Apologies for long answer x

 

[Padfoot]

hey everyone I hope you're all doing well and are getting answers! I had this video pop up, which was a bit funny but might be helpful to some! (obviously everyone is different!)

 

[mcfeez]

Hi ladies.

I'm wondering if anyone can shed light on how hard/easy it is to be diagnosed with an underactive thyroid? Especially as someone starting from an overweight BMI?

I recently came across a checklist for thyroid issues and I check a lot of the boxes - difficulty losing weight but easy weight gain, always tired no matter what I do, eat or take (as in supplements), low mood, constantly cold and always battling with dry skin. I always thought that this was just how my body worked (even my boyfriend says I'm just eternally sleepy) but my mum had an overactive thyroid when I was little and now I'm wondering if it may run in the family. How long did it take from your first appointments to diagnosis and being on tablets etc?

Would be grateful to hear from anyone

ETA: I also just read that teenagers can start puberty early if this is something they suffer with. I started my periods in primary school so really starting to wonder if I've always had this issue in peaks and troughs...

I was diagnosed around age 20. I had my bloods done and they came back borderline hypo however I was having symptoms so the doctor decided to initially just wait and do a repeat in 6 weeks. This also came back borderline hypo and so decided to medicate as I said before due to having symptoms (bad fatigue, dry skin and nails, unexplained weight gain...)

I was started on a low dose and then brought back in for testing every few months initially to ensure the right dose, with the dosage increasing slightly each time as they try to get the balance correct. At one point went slightly hyper with symptoms and so dose was brought back down again. It remained fairly steady then for a few years then the dose went up again around 3/4 years ago but has been pretty consistent since that.

 

[crankypants13]

Just came across this thread by accident and I’m delighted I did! I’ve got Hashimoto’s & under active thyroid since 2018.. Sometimes the biggest battle I find is getting people to recognise that it’s actually something that impacts you! My husband rolls his eyes every time I mention it The symptom flare ups can be overwhelming at times!

 

[Milliemoo99]

I would imagine that Thyroid levels, naturally would jump around, because its naturally linked to the adrenal glands and adrenalin. So Id also imagine that anyone taking thyroxine would also have similar issues!

Im sure that taking a regular dose day in and day out, doesnt necessarily take some things into account, eg if you have a late night, or a busier day than normal. then a flat dose of thryoxine doesnt take this into account. I know I cant afford to get too tired on my levothyroxine, cos it literally will take days to feel normal again.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Annoyingly, all she said was they’re normal. I didn’t get a chance to ask..

is this something I should find out?

Yes, you can request a print out of your results from the GP. They should have the lab ranges in brackets next to the numbers.

 

[unfinishedsentenc]

Having a hemithyroidectomy on the 7th April and I’ve never been had an operation/been to hospital as an inpatient before can anyone advise on what I should take? im thinking it might be good getting some button up pyjamas/shirts but I don’t want to waste money if that’s unecessary, but I’m worried it’ll hurt to lift tops over my head. Anything else I should think about taking?

I just read your post now and I recognise you from the health anxiety (which I suffer badly from myself) thread (and Demi's one ) hope your op goes well today and all the best to you in recovery

 

[mcfeez]

Hi everyone, so due to some symptoms I’ve had a thyroid blood test (only TSH) and my result has come back as 2.5, which is in the ‘normal’ range. However, after doing some research I see that 2.5 TSH can be seen as bordering on hypothyroidism. Has anyone here had this level of TSH and it be a problem?

2.5 sounds normal to me. I am medicated for hypothyroidism and my last tests had me at 5.0 TSH however doctor says this is acceptable if I am not getting any or many symptoms. He said only if I wanted to get pregnant they would look at trying to get it below 3.5 so 2.5 sounds pretty low to me.

 

[mcfeez]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism I think around 6/7 years ago. I was extremely tired all the time and it kept getting worse. I went from maintaining a very busy student schedule - studying, part time job, gym and going out with friends almost every day, to barely being able to do one of those things in a day.
I also gained quite a lot of weight despite my best efforts not to and despite no change in diet - I was even exercising more than usual in an effort to take it off (which was not easy given the exhaustion above). I developed depression too which the doctor said could be related. Very dry hair and skin.

I take a relatively low dose, 75mcg a day. It took a while to iron that out. I get tested quite regularly. I finally got a grasp on weight and managed to take a good lot of it off. My numbers are still not 100% but the doctor says he is content for the meantime as I'm having no symptoms. He said if/when I decide to try and get pregnant I'll need to up my dose.

FYI those food intolerance tests are not accurate - and even with a blood test that shows potential thyroid imbalance the doctor may want to repeat tests a few times before deciding to medicate you, if you do have thyroid issues.

 

[mcfeez]

When some of you say your hair textures changed, what do you mean exactly? Because ever since April this year my previously wavy/curly hair for 26 years has started going straight? Some of the little hairs near my neck are still curly, but it doesn’t hold styling as well any more this is my only symptom, so not sure it is a thyroid thing or not, but when I google it thyroid problems do come up as a cause…

Personally for me - hair went from fairly normal dry texture to very very dry, it would feel almost a bit crisp sometimes. With medication it seems fine again now.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at 19, my Mum and my Grandad also had thyroid issues. My main symptoms were tiredness, weight gain and thinning hair, and was prescribed thyroxine. I never managed to loose the weight so if anyone has any tips for things that worked for them I would love to hear them.

Personally for me counting calories (around a 500 deficit) and exercise took a good deal of it off for me but everyone is so different. I've heard of others with thyroid issues who have to drop their calories quite low with little success. Doctors are very unsympathetic too, have found they often just say eat less and "start exercising" when you are already doing those things (translation - they don't believe you).