Hypothyroidism

[CrackerOfNuts]

Would anyone who has suffered from this be willing to tell me exactly how they felt before they got diagnosed and started treatment.

My symptoms are these..

Depression
Feeling cold alot of the time
Dry skin
Dry hair/hair falling out
Dry red eyes
Constipation/diorhea
Nausea
Anxiety
Dizzyness
Lack of concentration
Constant feeling of not being quite with it

Have also just noticed today that my throat feels a bit funny, like I have a cold, but I don't.

Bump

I'd say it would definately warrant a thyroid check. Those sound very consistent with hypo. Hope you get sorted soon!

Thanks
Anyone else with any experiences of this.

I am so fed up of feeling utterly crap all of the time.

My right hand also seems to have developed the shakes whenever I pick something up. It is fine when I am not using it, but as soon as I hold sometihng, it starts shaking.

Don't know if that is connected or not, but thought i'd mention incase anyone else recognises it.

I was thinking of starting a similar thread actually

Depression - check +++
Feeling cold - check +
Dry skin - check +
dry hair - greasy
hair falling out - check ++
Constipation - check
Nausea - check
Anxiety - check check check
Dizzyness - no
lack of concentration - check check check!!
Constant feeling of bieng not quite with it - yep.

Throat?? often, is there a connection??

hmmm, i think i need to go to the doctors.

Thing is, im on ADs for the anxiety and depression, and my tiredness - can't sleep. Has to be worth a check though, i would actually quite like a hypothyroid dx, then they could give me some pills to make me better. My doctor will probably laugh at me

I have noticed that some of my symptoms seem to fit to the underactive catergory and the overactive one, so perhaps I am just nuts afterall LOL.

It is worth checking lucy. My mum had it and said she didn't realise just how ill she felt until she started to feel better.

I am avoiding asking her too much about it though as she contributes every single ailment of mine to that.

cracker, it is also fair to say that all the symptoms you are describing, fit in with anxiety and depression, especially the hand thing - i had terrible tingling, went to the doctors convinced i was about to die (i have v bad health anxiety) - anxiety can cause those sorts of problems. Its a never ending fecking circle sometimes

Yes, I am having problems with anxiety too at the moment, so it could be either.

I need putting in a bag and shaking up, as my mother would say.

i think self diagnosis is a dangerous thing (take it from me, i've had everything from MS to pancreatic cancer - all self diagnosed you see, now i wont even google a cold, AND i have a medical based degree, so should know better). Go to the doctor with your list, even if you dont have an actual ailment, i am sure they can offer something to make you feel better, even if it is just diet and exercise.

Yep, got it and it sounds like it could be, also weight gain and swelling, plus last bit of eyebrow falling out - sounds odd but it is a definite sign. It sounds like it to me, so you just need a blood test and they will put you on Thyroxine. Unfortunately you will be on it for life. So you get all of your prescriptions for free. Good luck!

if you get a thyroid test done get them to test more than just TSH. get the test done early in the morning on an empty stomach and do not take any steriods or asthma drugs beforehand.

was never told any of this only found it after trawling pubmed for days looking at my symptoms after having a partial thyroidetcomy and being told my TSH was fine therefore its not a thyroid problem.

i went to see Dr Skinner in Birmingham. now that all my other doctors (various other diseases its a life long hobby!) can see the remarkable difference thyroxine is making my GP has agreed to prescribe it. still not getting it free but who cares as £6.whatever a month is worth every penny for a way better life.

moocowme, do you have cushings?

Cracker I have hypothyroidism - I had all the above for a year before I went to the doc. I also had heart palpitations, which are more often associated with HYPER-thyroidism.

Doc wouldn't put me on thyroxine, as once you're on, you never come off. I've been taking iodine and zinc, and that seems to help.

In my case, it's definitely associated with stress. When it started, I was being made redundant, in a long-distance relationship and nearly lost my house!

The depression was the worst, really awful. I was so relieved when I got a diagnosis, as up til then I thought it was in my head.

Hope you get it sorted.

I have hypothyroidism and my symptoms were alot like yours, the main things for me were that feeling of not being 'with it' and also feeling exhausted all the time, and going down with every nasty virus going.

oh and weight gain

I am on 100mg Thyroxine daily and it has helped alot though I still get ill with too many viruses and the weight is BLOODY stubborn

I would google as much as you can on Thyroid related stuff, because it's a very very hard thing to treat in terms of knowing what dose is going to be exactly right; it's trial and error...and one person may feel ok on a TSH of 4 and another may feel awful......

I saw some research recently, american I think, which states that the TSH level needs to be 0 or as close as poss to that; whereas in this country, I believe the NHS takes a level of under 5 as ok.

I guess I'm saying get tested, but make sure they EXPLAIN your levels to you - don't just let them say "oh it's fine"....sometimes you have to be assertive to get anywhere with this - good luck

def get the blood tests done, and check that your doctor is up to speed on the condition. I had HYPER thyroid, and at first bloods came back ok, when i saw a different doctor they queried the bloods and sent me to an endochrinologist who said my levels were massively over.
i have since had a full thyroidectomy which does leave you hypo thyroid. i take thyroxine every day and am now back on my way to being ok.
I know when i first got my diognosis i felt like i was going mad, had a list of symptoms as long as my arm and was starting to think it was all in my head, how could anyone possibly have so much wrong with them! (by the way i had symptoms of both over and underactive at the same time)

I've been wondering if I have this,I definitely have the last third of my eyebrows missing thing!
Also feeling cold,dry skin,foggy brain,itchy skin,feeling cold,tingling etc.

Thanks all.

I am definatly getting tested, as I am struggling to remember the last time i felt completely well, and it is starting to really get me down.

I am hypo and on thyroxine. Main symptoms were nausea, 1.5st weight gain, tiredness (extreme, couldn't get up without great effort), forgetfulness, cold hands and feet, headaches, aching legs which felt numb every now and then. I would get it checked.

I have an underactive thyroid, it was diagnosed during a blood test for something else, so I didn't notice symptoms. However my children were 2 1/2, 18 months and 7 months at the time, so I expected to be shattered. I've been thyroxine now for a few years and every now and then my levels drop, the signs I look out for are:

feeling cold,
itchy eyes/sty's
dry skin
weight gain
feeling exhausted
feeling low
generally hacked off

You have just described me exactly in that list scanner.

I have also been quite queasy, hadn't realised that was a symptom.

Crackerofnuts - I had Hashimtos Thryroiditis where you swing from hyper to hypo - so I know well the symptoms of both. Yours sound very much like Hypo symptoms. Get a blood test asap, demand to get all the numbers ( TSH, T3 and T4) and then post your results on here. Having had it for 6 years I know a lot about it. If you are in the London area and need one I can recommend a very good endocrinologist.

ps- my hypo symptoms are
dry skin and hair
cracking, weak nails
shattered all the time
get cold easily -esp in the afternoon
heart palpitations
BAD anxiety
forgetfulness - even best friends childrens names !!
slow bowels
irritable
generally hacked off
weepy
mood swings
weird tinglings in various places on body
sleep problems