[Sunny0537]

Hi I have been told I'm hypothyroid since May last year and the strange thing is I have no outer symptoms of being low thyroid, only internal ones. I weigh 45kg and I know I ought to be much more than that if I am hypothyroid. I take medication but it keeps giving me worsening symptoms...had a blood test done last week and I was told by the doctor's receptionist that I was on the correct dose but there were no numbers...I feel so lost and I don't know why I can't access this information. I've only just moved practices, too.

[atomicc]

Hmm that doesn't seem right that they are not telling you exactly what's going on. I'm not sure how to remedy this, but I hope someone else will.
Have you asked them outright for your test results?

[SnakeCharmer]

I have severe thyroid issues, with it going from high to low to high again. I did not present as a "typical" thyroid patient and it took a long time for me to get diagnosed properly. One of the first things I learned is that not everyone has every symptom. I didn't. I also looked good on the surface, but I didn't feel right. I ran out of energy very quickly and there were things going on inside my body which went untreated for a long time and that I still have to deal with.

It's actually a myth that people with low thyroid gain a ton of weight. They usually retain quite a bit of water weight and their metabolism may be low compared to the average, but people who blame extreme weight on their glands usually have other things going on, too. It's possible for a person with low thyroid to be of normal weight.

My endocrinologist told me that it usually took patients a couple of years to start feeling stabilized and healthy again and that it's really important to not stop taking the meds because you don't feel you're getting well fast enough. I hope your doctor will take the time to explain everything to you and maybe refer you to an endocrinologist for an second opinion on the proper treatment and what you can expect.

Here's a list of symptoms and dangers of low thyroid. I've highlighted some things that were important to me when I was first getting the hang of this. I notice your mood is 'depressed.' Depression is a very common symptom of low thyroid. You depression may be caused or made worse by your body impacting your sense of emotional well-being.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

Each individual patient may have any number of these symptoms, and they will vary with the severity of the thyroid hormone deficiency and the length of time the body has been deprived of the proper amount of hormone.

You may have one of these symptoms as your main complaint, while another will not have that problem at all and will be suffering from an entirely different symptom. Most people will have a combination of these symptoms. Occasionally, some patients with hypothyroidism have no symptoms at all, or they are just so subtle that they go unnoticed.

If you have these symptoms, you need to discuss them with your doctor. Additionally, you may need to seek the skills of an endocrinologist. If you have already been diagnosed and treated for hypothyroidism and continue to have any or all of these symptoms, you need to discuss it with your physician.

Potential Dangers of Hypothyroidism

Because the body is expecting a certain amount of thyroid hormone the pituitary will make additional thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in an attempt to entice the thyroid to produce more hormone. This constant bombardment with high levels of TSH may cause the thyroid gland to become enlarged and form a goiter (termed a "compensatory goiter").

Left untreated, the symptoms of hypothyroidism will usually progress. Rarely, complications can result in severe life-threatening depression, heart failure, or coma.

*****

If you get proper treatment, none of those bad things have to happen. If you're not feeling better from the medication, I hope you will talk to your doctor about your specific symptoms and, if warranted, ask for a referral to an endocrinologist, which is a doctor specializing in glandular systems.

I didn't get diagnosed for a long time and as a result, I developed an enlarged thyroid gland. People can't really see it because it presses inward. I sometimes have trouble swallowing and I can't wear any shirt, sweater or necklace that touches my neck. The goiter appeared suddenly, over a weekend and it won't go away without surgery. I really wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's one of the reasons it's so important to stick with your treatment and to make regular doctor's appointments for follow-up and blood tests. With proper treatment, these bad outcomes don't have to happen.

[Sunny0537]

Originally Posted by atomicc

Hmm that doesn't seem right that they are not telling you exactly what's going on. I'm not sure how to remedy this, but I hope someone else will.
Have you asked them outright for your test results?

I had a phone call from the doctor today about the test results. She confirmed only that I am on the correct dose. Still no number. I had to go up to the practice anyway to book a double appointment to discuss my symptoms better and I asked for the results again. I got them no problem.

I think the doctor needed to discuss them with me first before they could be released to me. That's my way of looking at it.

[Sunny0537]

Thanks ever so much for the information you posted to me in your reply.

The symptoms I currently have are:

- Constipation
- Fatigue
- Difficulty swallowing
- Dry skin
- Increased sweating
- Weight loss
- Heavy periods
- Loss of appetite
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Muscle weakness in arms and legs
- Cramps
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Dry skin on fingers that seems to develop after eating gluten and disappears when I cut back my gluten intake (?)

My endocrinologist told me back in January I have Hashimoto's and she suspected I had Addison's as I had hyperpigmentation around my eyes and on my back and legs. I had an ACTH stimulation test run but that was normal apart from an unusually healthy cortisol level! She said she would look to do a sex hormone profile but she didn't cover every single sex hormone and she said she would book me in for a gastroscopy but I was told this 2 months ago and haven't heard anything since...very frustrating.

My doctor who I spoke to today thinks my weight loss and other symptoms need looking into and advised me to book a double appointment with her to discuss them. I am hoping she will look to do a mineral/vitamin profile as I am already low in ferritin at 15 (30-400) and my Vitamin D is normal but on the print out of my results it states I am in the suboptimal range at 59.6 (>75)

[Sunny0537]

Just to update:

I have made some progress although it has not been easy.

I had my blood tests done for minerals, vitamins and sex hormones on Wednesday. I should hear back about the results of them on Tuesday with a doctor. I have not heard anything about them so I presume I will need to wait until the appointment.

I spoke to my endocrinologist's secretary. I have not been referred to a gastroscopy as I had thought because a test I had done for coeliac disease back in January was negative. The endocrinologist tried to make this clear in the letter I received, for my doctor to read, but the doctor misread the letter and thought I was still having a gastroscopy done. All this confusion upset me and made me cry. I don't know why that happened. I think it just expressed my feelings in wanting to get well enough to get back out into work and with every delay or bit of confusion, that seems like that prospect is getting further and further away from me.