AIBU to be upset I now have hypothyroidism

[Sotiredallthetime]

Namechanger as I want to moan.

I am so sick of being ill.

A few years back I had lost loads of weight, good diet, running regularly.

Then it started. Gall bladder problems lead to its removal and then onto Bile Acid Malabsorbtion aka bowel disease. Life long condition which keeps me house bound at times and I take 49 pills a week just to allow me to leave the house.

Followed with years of tiredness whilst I put on six stone in weight. I was falling asleep every time I sat down.

Diagnosed with sleep Apnoea and now I have a bipap machine and a horrible alien face mask. I have wear nightly. The clinic have told me even if I lose the weight, I am likely to stay on this machine, as I have always snored and struggled to breath overnight when I was slim.

Then my bowels played up even more than usual. I was diagnosed with IBS and put on the low fodmap diet. Which I have lost a lot of weight on but I have to stay on for life.

But I was still exhausted and falling asleep during the day whenever I sat down.

Now the thyroid levels which have been borderline for the last 10 years, have changed and I am now diagnosed as hypothyroidism :( My TSH level is now 10.

So I need to start taking another set of thyroid meds. Plus I need to take Vit D and folate, as my iron and Vit D are boardline too.

So now I am still fat (through losing with difficulty), often housebound and restricted by access to bathrooms when I leave the house, on a very restrictive diet, so I can't eat out or enjoy my food, have so many pills to take that I rattle and I am STILL TIRED.

AIBU to be be upset about another health issue, I an only in my 40's and I am so sick of feeling ill all the time. I forget things, I feel like I am in a fog, not on the ball.

Tell me to stop being pathetic and to get on with things. I know it could be worse, other people have more to deal with than I do. I am lucky to have a lovely husband and children.

But today I just feel so down and sad and 'Why me' :(

Not at all unreasonable. Sounds like a tough ride. Are they sure there is nothing underlying, as that's a lot of bad luck...
On the up side, your prescriptions will be free now...

You are not being unreasonable OP. You are coping with a lot and you are bound to crumble some days and just feel really sh*t about it.

I am also hypothyroid, coupled with severe arthritis and IBS I developed anxiety and depression.

It sucks, but you are entitled to feel down occasionally. However, you know you have blessings in the form of your husband and children and never forget - you ARE coping, which is pretty amazing!! Go you!

Nope not unreasonable. I have just been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and really struggling. I know how you feel it’s shit

I'm hypothyroid as well - I'd like to just offer you a small glimmer of hope here. Being hypothyroid affects a huge number of other processes in your body - once they get your thyroid levels right you may well find that some of the other symptoms improve. In particular, the tiredness and weight gain are classic symptoms of being hypothyroid.

For me I was diagnosed with depression and with SAD, was sleeping as soon as I got home from work and putting on loads of weight. Neither the depression nor SAD have reoccurred since my thyroid levels were corrected, I have sensible amounts of energy and I'm losing weight.

Really hoping you have a similarly positive experience.

Thanks Flev...sounds hopeful.

Bugs, have you started your meds yet. Do you feel less tired.

My mum had hypothyroidism, had a terrible time before she was diagnosed, but since being on the tablets she has been fine. My sister was diagnosed at twenty five. You get free prescriptions for life and it's just a matter of finding the right dose.

I came back to add that you'll feel better when the meds kick in. What does are you starting on? I've just had results back to up mine, so I hope I'll feel better.

Started on 50mg 4 weeks ago. I don’t feel better yet- I have just been tested for b12 deficiency and looks like I am borderline for that so seeing the doctor tomorrow but not very hopeful that they will treat that. Apparently it can take months to feel better and they may need to I increase thyroxine before they get it right

Its not true that everyone feels better when they get the right dose of thyroxine. I've been on it for 3 years and still feel the same. im seeing an endocrinologist and they change my dose etc but I still feel soooo tired all the time and have aching joints.
I'm on facebook groups for people with hypothyroid and its a common complaint that they aren't improving.

Sorry to hear about the horrible time you are having OP. You are definitely not BU.

I was going to say something similar to Flev, being diagnosed and treated after many years borderline might end up being a positive thing. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at 25 and coeliac a couple of years later. Once both of those things were treated it sorted out the anaemia I'd been struggling with for a few years and now 13 years later I feel far better than I ever did when younger.

p.s. make sure you take your folate at a different time to your thyroid meds

YADNBU, sorry you are going through all this.
A friend of mine had an overactive thyroid and suffered for years. The condition itself and the medication side effects were awful.
She had radioactive iodine treatment which knocked her thyroid out so then she could have the underactive thyroid treatment instead.
Once she was on that treatment and stabilised she was actually a lot better. She said the medication had fewer side effects too.
What I'm trying to say is that if you have a crap thyroid then hypo is better than hyper. Also once they get you stabilised you might find that you feel a lot better. I know you have other conditions so I know you won't be well but at least there is some hope for at least some improvement.
You have every right to feel very down and I'm sorry you are having such a bad time.
I really hope that things improve.

Did they check your b12?

I feel your pain op - I have

Hypothyroidism
Vit b12 deficiency
Chronic kidney disease
Bowl issues
Endo

It fucking sucks!

I am hypo too, I sympathise as I hate it. I still get really tired and have no stamina. My vitamin d was extremely low so I’m taking supplements, but I don’t feel any better, still shattered.

If you are struggling with hypothyroid and autoimmune problems, really try and see and good and recommended local nutrionist. Try to see someone that is recommended and properly trained.

Hue difference can be made to these chronic conditions

I have no money for nutritionist appointments.

Plus I am so restricted food wise anyway due to BAM (low fibre, low fat) and IBS ( low fodmap diet...there is nothing left to cut !

I am more concerned how I will fit in all the meds especially as I can't take any other medicine 4 hours before or 4 hours after the bowel pills and I take them 6am, 12pm, 5pm and 9pm. Going to have to cut back or combine them, which is going to be problematic..but I have no choice.

I am waiting for my meds to be delivered so not sure on the dose.

GP said I will start on a low one as my TSH is only 10 and work upwards if needed. So probably a very low dose to start with.

All the empathy from me OP. I have hypothyroidism too and it's a nightmare so with all your other pre-existing conditions you must be really down. I have my bloods tested every 6 months and have recently upped my dose to 150mg per day (having started on 50mg 14 years ago). I find it very frustrating that most GPs simply dish out thyroxine without really educating or offering us any greater support for our condition. I only found out recently that gluten should be avoided and since I have removed it from my diet I feel I have more energy and have lost weight. It has also helped enormously with my IBS. I suffer significantly less bloating and the yo-yo of constipation-diaorrhea cycles since becoming gluten-free. Obviously, with your dietary restrictions I have no idea if this is an option for you (I'm rather clueless about the FODMAP you mention). I sincerely hope you begin to feel a little less troubled soon.

I can't eat Gluten on the Fodmap diet, so that is ok. GP didn't mention Gluten avoidance, just a new pill.

For those of you on levothyroxine but finding it's not helping much, have a look at stopthethyroidmadness.com/ The site itself is a bit green ink, but the book and advice within is sound, and compiled based on many thousands of people's experience.

Wish I could offer some hope but if you have been borderline for years then you probably won't improve once they get your TSH and T4s back within "normal parameters", not if you were within normal parameters when you started having symptoms to begin with as they obvs aren't normal for you.
I was over the moon when, after I said that to a GP, he said they'd do my blood count to get a base line but then treat the symptoms not the numbers - but then I had B12 deficiency too so he said my current problems were that and not my thyroid - he doesn't know that B12 absorption can be affected by poor thyroid function but I'm back at square one and it's very depressing.
It's not unreasonable to be fed up about it; we need more than free prescriptions, we need GPs to be better educated about it.

GP said I will start on a low one as my TSH is only 10 and work upwards if needed. So probably a very low dose to start with.

I am a long term hypothyroid patient and I need my TSH as close to 0 as possible to feel functional. Sadly, and aggravatingly, NHS guidelines on hypothyroidism are extremely poor.

They can get a bit carried away, but the people on the Thyroid UK Health Unlocked board have a lot of knowledge between them. healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk It was thanks to them I started taking high dose D3/K/Magnesium and high dose B12, and feel much better for it.

And a TSH level of 10 is not borderline. The NHS says it is now - but it used to be a TSH of 5 to get treatment. In the USA, it's 3... Also T3 is prescribed in most countries (I get mine from Cyprus/Mexico) but here in the UK the official NHS position is that it's unnecessary. So most of the rest of the world needs it as an option but if you're British you don't!

Now I'm finished ranting I should say that there is a possibility levothyroxine will work wonders for you, but if it doesn't, just know that absorption/conversion problems do happen and there are other options.

Hello! Someone else with BAM ! Mine is caused by crohns though. It’s bloody miserable isn’t it, although questran ( as disgusting as it is) helps me. I’ve also done fodmap and avoid gluten & garlic. I’m kind of used to it now.
I take thyroxine for an under active thyroid too, it doesn’t give me much trouble just tiredness if I forget to take my pills.
It’s hard to structure any pills around the questran isn’t it though?

Cheerbear...hi five to another BAM person.

I am surprised to hear they use to treat at TSH 5. I should of been treated ages ago on that basis. Oh well, it is what it is.

Bless you OP.

I have no advice for your situation but I completely understand how you feel.

In the past 8 months I've had gestational diabetes, baby born with a rare genetic condition, horrifically ugly flare up of Psoriasis, formal diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis after being unable to walk for almost 3 months, weight gain from lack of exercise and comfort eating (and now mental health issues, mainly related to baby's diagnosis but my poor health has contributed to anxiety and depression)

It is shit OP and so hard to find the resolve to improve things.

Keep strong!!