Hypothyroid

does anybody have a hypothyroid condition? i am wondering if i have one. what are some common symptoms.

Some of the symptoms of being hypo would involve feeling sluggish, slow, even depressed, gaining weight, being tired, being cold.

Visit About.com, Health Section, Thyroid.
Mary Shomon is the best author on the subject, and you’ll find tons of info there.
I have Hyper Thryoid (Graves) disease and she helped very much.

thanks everyone!

If you suspect you have hypothyroid, definitely get tested. It’s so commonly associated with T1D. Odd thing - my endo says my thyroid “feels” like that of someone with hashimotos thyroiditis, but the only symptom I possibly have associated with hypothyroidism is being cold a lot. Anyway, she checked my thyroid three times just to be sure and all my numbers were fine. We’re keeping a close eye on it.

I have Hashimotos, my symptoms began with my body feeling weak, sluggish, migraines, forgetting things. The links below all have good info.

http://www.squidoo.com/hashimotos_thyroiditis

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/hashimotos/

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroidism/a/hashivshypo.htm

http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-shee...

My first symptom of Hashimoto's was an enlargement of the gland. A doc mentioned it when I was in my early 30's. I had no idea what he was talking about, because I didn't know what a normal thyroid is supposed to feel like. But in retrospect, mine was hard, and it was very easy to feel the edges of the gland. It seems to me that I was always a low-energy person, and always cold, but again, I thought that was normal, because the Hashimoto's crept up on me so gradually. Even when I was a child, my mother (trained as an RN) suspected low thyroid, but way back then, they didn't have tests that were sensitive enough, so I went a long time untreated.

You should know that there is a lot of controversy about thyroid treatment. In a normal person, T4 is converted to T3, which is the active form of the hormone, but some people don't convert very well, so their T4 may appear normal, but they're not getting enough T3.

If you suspect a thyroid problem, getting tested is cheap, and your doc should have no problem with it. At minimum, testing for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), free T4 and free T3 would give your doc an idea of what's going on. There are also tests for thyroid antibodies -- that's how we figured out I had Hashimoto's -- I tested positive for antibodies. If you have antibodies, then there is reason to treat, even if your other numbers are normal. I really don't know the details, but I DO know it was miserable to have untreated hypothyroidism for 20 or more years!

i really think i have this. i definitely have all of the symptoms. i am always telling my endo about my feelings towards hypothyroid but she claims that all of my tests are normal. i have heard that doctors are reluctant to diagnose thyroid issues, any advice?

thanks so much for the links.

Many patients go to many doctors because alot of doctors only take TSH test, when they should take additional TG, TPO, free T3 and free T4 tests. My family practitioner found my TSH levels were low, she gave me syntrhoid and I felt worse and suicidal, she told me my levels were "fine". So I did allot of research and went to a Naturopathic doctor, he is the one that did an extensive blood panel and found I have Hashimotos disease, he is very knowledgeable. I would suggest telling your doctor that you want these specific tests done and always get copies of test results. I have learned after going to about 6 different doctors, that I am paying them for advice, I am responsible for my health and knowledge of my body and/or disease, they work along side me to advise me on the best treatment for my health. If the doctor wont give you the tests you want try going to different doctors that will, get second opinions if you feel something is off. Find a doctor that is knowledgeable in thyroid problems, I have found there are thyroid clinics. Don't let the doctors make you feel unimportant, they are there to help YOU. I really hope you get to the bottom of this.

Here are other links below to help find information.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/stopthethyroidmadness/

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/doyou.htm

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/chronic-thyroiditis...

http://thyroid.about.com/od/gettestedanddiagnosed/a/bloodtests.htm

Hi MBP: I was diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism right after I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and the ONLY symptom I had was extreme cold. I was freezing all the time, when no one else was! I still have all the Polarfleece socks I bought to keep my feet warm at night. I tested positive for the antibodies indicative of Hashimoto's, and my endo could feel the difference in my thyroid (it was hard).

I've got it. It started out as Graves Disease, which went into remission and then came back as hypothyroidism. The symptoms are pretty standard: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hypothyroidism-symptoms. However, if you think you have it, the only way to confirm that is with a blood test.

You've got an endo. Tell your doctor about your symptoms and ask them to draw blood for a test.

Make sure you get more than the TSH test. Also, I found the thyroid boards so very helpful when I had Graves. I'll see if I can find those links and add them here.

Good luck.

i am reading mixed reviews about treatments. some say getting on thyroid meds helped the glucose numbers, others said it hurt. maybe it depends on the medication? just curious about what i will endure after the diagnosis, if there is one.