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Original poster

thyroid or just tired??

40 replies

busybee123 · 21/06/2004 19:37

my mum has suggested I might have a problem with my thyroid. I am constantly tired, have no strength in my arms and legs (to the point where i nearly drop ds2) I find it impossible to lose weight (in fact i put 5lb on last week for no apparent reason ) . I have really bad mood swings, and my skin is really flakey no matter how much i moisturise. My hair is falling out like there is no tomorrow. HELP!!

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noddy5 · 21/06/2004 19:40

does sound like thyroid The test is quick and the treatment really works

Utka · 21/06/2004 20:01

Get the blood test now! Had identical symptoms myself, about 10 months after dd1 was born. Thought I was going round the bend - crying etc and unable to sleep. Thought it was PND, but didn't feel depressed, IFYKWIM.

Turns out I have an underactive thyroid. After a few months getting the medication right, I now feel right as rain. Had to have it altered after birth of DD2 in Feb (went overactive due to hormone overload). But am now back to normal.

Difficulty is that the symptoms individually are linked to so many things. Press your GP to take you seriously though.
Good luck

lou33 · 21/06/2004 20:36

Suzywong has just been through this, she may be able to help.

Honeypie · 22/06/2004 03:38

I was diagnosed in November by chance - it was picked up with a routine blood test. I wish I had been to the docs earlier as I had been feeling so awful for so long. I was constantly asleep, at the kitchen table, on the floor playing with the children ... It is easily sorted though and the bonus is that you get free presciptions for life!! Get it checked as you could feel so much better.

robinw · 22/06/2004 07:20

message withdrawn

Original poster
busybee123 · 22/06/2004 10:28

i thought you only got thyroid problems when you are older. i am 23.

my doctor is really funny as well. if you go in and say 'i think i've got...' well thats it....they go into denial, saying that you haven't got that at all. nightmare.

my baby only got up once last night but i still feel so drained. my arms and legs ache like mad.

i could go back to sleep if it wasn't for the fact that all 3 of my little darlings are awake and up and that I have a mountain if housework to do!!

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Original poster
busybee123 · 22/06/2004 12:13

if it is tyroid, what sort of treatment can i expect to have to go through? can it be controlled with tablets?

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Original poster
busybee123 · 22/06/2004 12:58

i have got a doctors appointment this evening at 5.10, so hopefully i will get it sorted either way now.

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aloha · 22/06/2004 13:24

Sounds exactly like hypothyroidism to me. The treatment is just a matter of taking a tiny, tiny tablet every day (about the size of a sweetener). The blood tests are simple. If your GP won't refer you, change your GP, but I'm sure they will. Your symptoms are textbook. The treatment also really works. My mum has an underactive thyroid. Yes, hypothyroidism normally occurs in older women, but it can be triggered by childbirth or appear at any time. If other people in your immediate family have hypothyroidism or other auto-immune disorders you are more likely to suffer from it.
One specialist I spoke to said that every woman presenting with PND should be tested for it. It is extremely under-diagnosed.

Soulfly · 22/06/2004 13:25

omg thatsounds like me,do you feel like you wanna get up but you can't takes you ages to get out of a chair and everything seems really hard to do. Or am i just lazy?? lol

Soulfly · 22/06/2004 13:25

Also find it really hard to loose weight too.

Soulfly · 22/06/2004 13:26

my mum has an under active tyroid. too.

Stargazer · 22/06/2004 13:29

Hi Busybee - I agree with everyone - get a blood test. I'm being monitored at the moment as am borderline underactive thyroid. My main concern is that I'm constantly tired - but my doc's great. He suggested a blood test and is keeping an eye on the situation. The only problem is the blood tests .

aloha · 22/06/2004 13:45

Stargazer, with your situation a I think some specialists would prescribe a lowish dose of thyroxine and see if you improve. If you do, then that's your answer. The problem with a borderline low test, is that your natural level might be very high,so even at the low end of normal you might feel significantly impaired.

tiamaria · 22/06/2004 14:34

busybee123 - I resisted the temptation of taking a look at this thread until today for fear of getting onto my soapbox!

I've an underactive thyroid. I went to the doctor in Jan 2001 and asked for a blood test as I was permanently drained of energy. I said that a sibling had a thyroid problem. It came back negative. I went back in the Nov and asked again and this time I was way underactive. I was put on thyroxine and I take that daily. I have told my other siblings to have a note put on their medical record that they have one sibling with an overactive thyroid and one underactive. I doubt that they've listened to me, though! I hope all goes well!

Original poster
busybee123 · 22/06/2004 17:44

i have never felt like this before. at first i thought ut was just the lack of sleep (ds is 18 weeks) but i just can't physically DO anything....i have felt really tired before but this is SOOOO different.....no energy and feel really sluggish. I can't really describe it. my hair is falling out loads as well i am going to the doctors this evening. hope they sort it out!!!

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tiamaria · 22/06/2004 17:55

busybee123 - You will insist on a blood test, won't you? I went to the GP when I had a little one and was hardly getting any sleep, and I was asked to hold my arm out to see if it was trembling or not. I should've been checked out thoroughly. A blood test hardly costs anything. If you can, ask when the result will be back and make an appointment today for then so that you won't have to waste time waiting for your doctor to be available. Sorry if I sound lecturing!

Original poster
busybee123 · 22/06/2004 18:38

don't worry tiamaria, i will be!!! i can't go on feeling like this anymore!!! my bet is though that they will says it is PND cos I had is after my first two. Its not the same feeling at all though. I know its not that...im not depressed by anymeans!!

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tiamaria · 22/06/2004 19:18

busybee123 - Good! After my ds was born (cutting a long story short) I asked a neighbour who was a retired childminder if she fancied some paid work looking after ds in my home for a few hours a day while I rested. She did, and she became like a grandmother to him. Have you got some help you can call on until you're fighting fit again?

Original poster
busybee123 · 22/06/2004 19:25

no tiamaria i havent. i only live in a small village place. inlaws work all the time and my mum lives 30 miles away. DH works 6.45am-7/8pm so the days are very long!!

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Original poster
busybee123 · 23/06/2004 11:20

well i went to the doctors and she seems to think i have a thyroid problem. I have to go for a blood test on tuesday morning, so i guess i should know by the end of next week. She also took my pill off me though cos I have really severe migraines now....p*ssed me off that did!!

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tiamaria · 23/06/2004 12:58

busybee123 - Oh, boy, I remember dh working loooooong days. Each day would feel like 3. I remember that sometimes I used to nap with my 2 in the double bed in the afternoon. I'd put a "mother and baby sleeping" note on the door, give them both a toilet stop/nappy change and say that we were going to have a little sleep. And they did! Hardly anyone believes that this is possible, but I do know of one other person that did this and it worked for us. That doesn't help you with your mountain of housework, though. A neighbour's only child (aged about 6) used to ask to come to play with my 2 and that helped me out a bit occasionally. Another neighbour's child (aged about 11) did, also. Are any of your children nursery/school age? Are there any kids' clubs in your village? Hopefully, you'll feel much better within weeks. Until then, it would be good if you could get some extra help. I hope your GP gave you an alternative if she told you to stop taking the pill!

Original poster
busybee123 · 23/06/2004 13:28

tiamaria ds is 4 and a half and goes to nursery every afternoon. dd is 2 and a half and at home with me all the time, and ds2 is 18 weeks. I have nobody who can help either so i fell quite alone most days.

The doctor gave me the injection instead of the pill. supposed to work for 12 weeks so thats easier i suppose. ive had the pill since i was 14, and liked knowing exactly what day all hell was going to break loose!!! my bottom is sore though cos she was really rough when she injected me!!!!

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tiamaria · 23/06/2004 14:19

busybee123 - Right. (If you knew me, then you'd know to worry when I say that as it usually means that I've got the bit between my teeth!) So....you're living away from your family and have no close friends nearby, correct? What do you need most - rest/ company/ help with childcare/ someone to take ds to and from nursery occasionally/ help with housework? If you had three (small) wishes, what would you ask for? (I have odd ways of working out answers!) Can your dh lessen his hours, maybe just short-term? Has he got any holiday time due? (Sorry, just trying to get some background.) Are you aware of any Mumsnetters in your area? I've heard of a Home Start (I think) group, but I don't know what exactly they do or how anyone qualifies for their help. Btw, please tell me to bog off if you want to! tm xx

Original poster
busybee123 · 23/06/2004 16:23

i suppose in order of priority, my 3 wishes would be 1.Company. 2.Help with housework 3.Rest

DH cannot reduce his hours. His work is very seasonal as it is as he is a landscape gardener, so in the winter we are a bit broke and have to make it up the rest of the year.

HELP!!!!

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