vaginapagina | Thyroid?

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Thyroid?

Hey everyone, I hope this question is allowed, I ask because I know there are some really knowledgeable people here regarding this topic.

Thyroid problems have affected pretty much every adult in my family. My mom started out hyperthyroid and became hypothyroid after I was born, and has been ever since. Last semester, I was experiencing severe levels of fatigue. I would sleep normally, with a regular schedule, but I would be totally unable to stay awake during the day, even after getting 8 hours of sleep. I also gained 10 pounds in about two months. I was tested for mononucleosis because my brother had tested positive for it a few months prior. That test came back negative. The doctor then ordered a thyroid test, but when they came back low but not extremely (I was never told the exact values nor which levels were actually tested), the doctor just blew off the results, saying "They're not low enough to be causing you this much fatigue, etc." Over the summer, it seemed to get better, but I never really seemed to get over the tiredness all the time. Now, just in the last two weeks, I have been the most fatigued I've ever been in my life. I just can't stay awake no matter how long I sleep or if I take naps. I would love to get a second opinion on the thyroid issue, however I don't have a primary care doctor right now and if I go back to Campus Health I think they will just tell me to deal with it, I'm a normal college student. But I can't just deal with it, being a college student is actually the reason I want to get this fixed, I can't do anything like this.

I am also currently being counseled on my anxiety disorder, we're hoping to make some progress without medication, I don't know if that would be relevant.

I've also had severe migraines since puberty, and while they are mostly under control, I do still get them from time to time.

So basically, my question is, should I push this thyroid issue? My mom seems to think I should but finding a primary care doctor is going to be a bit difficult for a bit. I would really appreciate any advice/support you wonderful people can give me! Thanks in advance!

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I can't offer much advice other than if this is interfering with you having a normal life it should be checked thoroughly.

My Mum is also hypothyroid and I'm having similar issues. I've had my T3 checked just recently and the results came back 'normal' although I don't know at what levels. My Mum sometimes gets a 'normal' result too and still feels ill, so I've personally been pushing for her to find a specialist who will check her T4 levels too. I also need this, but I am not working at the moment and can't afford a private specialist to check me (I'm in the UK, taking advantage of the NHS until I can try and get some private insurance). If you can find a specialist to check your T4 levels I'd urge you to go for it.

I started out hyperthyroid (Graves' disease) at 12yo, and after a fews years yo-yoing in and out of remission via PTU, my thyroid burned itself out when I was 16. I've been through a number of doctors, many of whom told me the same thing, that I was producing an amount of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), but it wasn't high enough to raise the level of RTH (Replacement Thyroid Hormone) I was being prescribed. They wouldn't listen to me that I just didn't feel right. I started out at 150mcg/day. I'm still searching for a doctor that will up my levels to where I feel they should be (225mcg/day, I'm currently at 200mcg/day). Of course there were bumps in there (I've moved 8 times in the last 4 years).

So it's very worthwhile to keep pushing, yes. What you may try is to check your local health department, they offer sliding scales and some also offer free health clinics. Good luck to you!!

"A little low" could mean a lot of things depending on whether the person interpreting them was using current standards of treatment or older ones (which some people still use.) Current standards of treatment use the reference range of .3 to 3.04 for a TSH within normal limits but also suggest treatment if the person is within those limits and symptomatic. Older reference ranges were more like .5 to 5.0 for a TSH and there's a big difference for some people between 3 and 5. I noticed a difference between how I felt when my TSH was closer to 1 vs. closer to 2.

In light of the whole set of potential consequences when your thyroid is poorly controlled, I'd push it. I spent a long time with my numbers in range but symptomatic, and while trying to conceive, my thyroid finally began being treated and it made a big difference.

Seconded! My thyroid levels were actually very low when I was diagnosed, but after a couple of years and some niggling around with my dose, I need to be around .5 or lower to feel normal, which can be annoying as it's a thin line for me between feeling normal and feeling hyperthyroidic. However, even if my thyroid levels are in a 'normal' range, it's not always a sure thing to whether I'll feel better or not. I would push it, and push it hard. Make sure your doc tells you EXACTLY what number your levels are at, and you can decide whether that's normal or not. Find a doctor who treats the patient, not the numbers. The numbers are a guideline.

I'm glad to have the doctor I have now, who treats me and how I feel, and not how the numbers go. I need to be very careful of how my thyroid goes up or down, as lower or higher levels of thyroid set off IBS and fibromyalgia, which turns me into a sinking failboat for a few weeks :/

here my $.02:

there are two things they should be testing for: TSH and T4 (the free count!). there are ranges for both. while one doctor may tell you that you are "slightly" low/high, another will treat you - it all depends on finding a doctor who wants to take your claims seriously.

that being said: epstein barr? CFS?

good luck!

I can't help you with the thyroid, but there is a medicine that is prescribed for anxiety and depression (Effexor) that also may block migraines. I was prescribed a short run of it for my qualifying exams (because I was so nervous that I couldn't eat without bad things happening a freaking month before the test) and my migraines disappeared. I had no idea, but I looked it up and it turns out it's prescribed to prevent migraines even for people that don't have other "issues." It might be worth talking to your doctor about, I know I will be!

I agree that Effexor is fantastic for Anxiety, and I've heard about the migraine thing! But just be careful with it, if you do decide to take it - sometimes it's really hard to get off.

Yeah, I was originally pretty worried about that, but my life depends on Imitrex right now as it is. I have severe, can't get out of bed 90% of the time migraines during my period and I hate the way that makes me feel. I'm going to talk to my doctor in any case, between settling my gut and making my head hurt less it might be worth it....

I'm allergic to that entire class of migraine medications, unfortunately. :/ Haven't found a migraine medication that has worked or that I'm not allergic to, I'll have to see about the Effexor one, especially if we decide to go the medication route with my anxiety. Two birds with one stone, yah!

I don't know much about thyroid problems, but...hav you had your iron tested? I was too tired to function for most of university (despite sleeping 7-8 hours a night), and it improved when I started taking iron pills (after getting a low reading on a blood test). If you were complaining of fatigue, it's likely your iron levels were tested, but if not, it's worth looking in to.

Anxiety can make you really exhausted--it's actually one of the diagnostic criteria that one may be experiencing if one has GAD. That said, I'm surprised your doc didn't take this seriously when you have a family history. If you can afford it, definitely get a second opinion (especially since, as I'm sure you know, hyper/hypothyroidism can contribute to emotional problems).

Good luck!

I would say try to get a second opinion - as someone with thyroid disease I know you can feel pretty crappy even when it's just "a little" off. No one can tell you what's really normal for you. Make sure they test T3, T4 and TSH as no one can get a full picture with just two of the three no matter what they tell you!

I think you should push it. I don't really know anything about thyroid issues (other members of VP does though), but if it runs in the family, and your values were "low but not extremely", I think it's worth getting checked thoroughly.

http://community.livejournal.com/thyroid is another possible source of information...

Okay, if you don't have your numbers, you can't trust your doctor saying "normal," and any doctor who says "you shouldn't be this tired" without telling your numbers is... Not a good doctor, frankly.

It is, if you have thyroid issues -- and it sounds very like you may, as there can be genetic components to this -- pretty much on your head to insist on proper care. (Which isn't right, isn't fair, makes me furious, but is sadly probable.) Getting your TSH, free T3, and free T4 is the place to start. If you can get your medical records and find out what your levels were, you may be able to stamp into the health center, say, "I have a family history of thyroid disease. Test my TSH, free T3, and free T4. Tell me what the numbers are."

Never. Ever. Ever. accept just "normal" without the numbers. There are too many outdated "normal" ranges running around, and you can't know if your doctor or lab is using them until you know what your numbers are.

If your TSH is above 4 without symptoms, or above 3 with symptoms, then http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/ency/article/003684.htm -- that's got the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health logos on it -- says that you're hypothyroid. (My TSH was 10 and I was pretty much kaput.) Prior values have allowed TSH as high as 6 to be considered "normal," and I've even found web pages that seemed to think 8 was okay. (*cue beth frothing and snarling*) Many people find that they do better with a low TSH -- my doctor wants me around TSH 1, rather than trying to let me bounce around the high end of "normal range." Honestly, I could probably go down a little further and feel even better, but this doesn't make her twitch that I'm going hyper.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/a/freet3.htm discusses free T3. (Low levels of free T3 -- T3 being the "energy" hormone -- indicate that your body isn't producing enough. Some people can't transform synthetic levothyroxine (T4 replacement) into T3, and must take synthetic T3 (Cytomel in the US) or Armour (derived from pig thyroid and containing natural T3) instead. I'm lucky and can apparently turn my Unithroid brand levothyroxine into T3 okay.

Other things to get tested would be cortisol levels -- and again, you'd have to get the numbers and check them because there are doctors who don't care till it gets to life-threatening low levels. But if you have a family history of thyroid issues (sounds like one of the immune system disorders, where the immune system attacks the thyroid, making it release too much thyroid hormone, till it's all dead and releases none), I would definitely look there first, and while loaded for bear.

Good luck!

It was you I though of, when I wrote above, that some of the VP'ers know a lot about thyroid issues. Hypothyroidism was briefly mentioned in class a few weeks ago (as one example of an autoimmune disease that is more common in women than in men), and I immediately thought of you. Does that mean I've been reading too much VP? ;p

*laugh* It means I've been parading my hobby-horse around an awful lot, is what it means!

Still... I wish someone'd mentioned it earlier. My mom got diagnosed by accident, around TSH 100 or so. She nagged me into getting tested (one of the few things she's ever successfully nagged me into doing), and I had TSH 10. And... I had to ask to be tested! It shoulda been routine! Grar!

Kinda brings out the fanatical convert in me. I don't want anyone else to suffer what I did, thinking, "Oh, I'm just lazy and eat too much," y'know?

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