Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi Im new here and new to thyroid issues to begin with. I am in the US and recently switched primary care doc. The new doc is wonderful both my husband and son see him as well. He mentions to me "did you past doc ever talk to you about your thyroid?" no never, "in 2099 your thyroid was low but in 2011 it was normal if its ok Id like to get that checked again for you" so of course i agreed. I get a call 2 days later and the nurse tells me Im hypothyroid and need to go on a low dose of levo 25 mg, tells me you will feel so much better, and I was stunned because to be honest I wasnt feeling unwell, had no real obvious symptoms. Im not constipated, was sleeping ok not perfect but good, hair is thick, libido is high, periods normal. One of my few body complaints was sore feet but I think ive found new shoes to help with that. So as you can see I was quite shocked, I never even wrote down my levels etc. didnt know to really. I have anxiety and was put on zoloft for years, and took birth control as well. oh Im 50 years old. Ive been off both the birth control and the zoloft for over a year. my periods were regular and fairly normal and I was managing moods well. I weened off the zoloft for a while before coming off I did 25 mg then 12.5 etc. My old doctor never re checked my thyroid and just kept me on the zoloft which I see stories here of similar things. Im so angry about that I cannot even express it. Anyhow my anxiety has been through the roof over this whole thing, I cry because Im so upset that I need to be on a medicine for the rest of my life when in my eyes I had nothing wrong with me. Since I started the levo, Im definately not tired during the day, and I wake up like clockwork at 4:30 every darn morning, I used to be able to roll over and go back to sleep if I woke, I seem to sleep ok but asleep by 10the latest lucky to make 9-930. For the first week my face (cheeks)was flushed beet red and hot hot hot. seems to have calmed a bit but still present. Today makes 2 weeks on the levo. I called the doctors office to get my lab numbers and she said my TSH was 4.9 and the range is .4-4.5 so I was definately elevated and definately need the med bla bla bla, so I basically asked to come in so I can talk to the doctor. So if you've read this far thankyou so much. My questions to you all is...were any of you diagnosed like me with not really symptomatic or necessarily aware?? and do you think I could have been fluctuating for years seeing how I was under in 09 then normal in 2011? How long until I can be tested again?
1 like, 15 replies
Gillian433545 jobismom
Posted
jobismom Gillian433545
Posted
LAHs jobismom
Posted
Jobismom, Gillian was pointing out the range which is called high, not the overall range of TSH. And I agree with Gillian, I wouldn't worry about 4.9.
jobismom LAHs
Posted
LAHs jobismom
Posted
But anyway, you can be borderline hypo. Just keep a careful watch on it until you start to get readings which are well and truly in the hypo range (or hyper). 25mg is a very small dose and shouldn't cause much of a problem, the fact that you are wide awake very early in the morning is pointing towards hyper i.e. maybe even 25mcg is too high a dose for your TSH.
jobismom LAHs
Posted
shellyC19 jobismom
Posted
My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA and I have Hashimoto's Thyroid disease since age 27.
Thyroid diease hits in the prime of life between 20 to 45 years old. It can act like the flu symptoms and you can have tiredness and muscle aches. Normal TSH is 0.45 to 4.50 in that range.
I was in Nursing school in college when a professor who was teaching us noticed an enlarged thyroid. I was around 20, and I was okay I thought and no doctor then said I had thyroid disease. At 27 I saw a new Primary doc who immediately said you have a Goiter and I need blood now. When he called me and I learned my TSH was bad I was shocked also. I had weird symptoms like constiaption at age 12 or so and I was not heavy. I was having some other symptoms of irregular periods but the OBGYN never said anything.
Yes, to answer your question, the body tries to compensate for the low thyroid and some unaware doc's tend to pass some symptoms off as stress, or working too much, or even depression. It can happen that the thyroid declines just a little bit at times and at other times it can appear normal. My type of thyroid disease is autoimmune and my thyroid was under attack of certain protein antibodies and it can take years to see the damage done.
It is good you are now diagnosed and take your Levothyroxine on an empty stomach. Food blocks the medication.
Blood work is usually done at 2 or 3 months out after being on it. It takes 6 to 8 weeks to build a level. I am tested every 4 months. I am stable now and only on T3 Cytomel as I do not convert T4 into T3. That is another story!
Many bad symptoms should fade away. Ask your doctor to check your Vit D level as it tends to be low in Hypothyroid patients. Also do a mineral panel to include: Potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, ferritin, iron, selenium, zinc, as we need our minerals to be in good shape. you may want to also ask to check your B-12 level.
Keep us informed on how you do,
Shelly
jobismom shellyC19
Posted
shellyC19 jobismom
Posted
Yes, ask for new blood work on Vit D and calcium level. We (us patients) have to push at times for certain things to be tested.
I know some medical people ,(even an Endocrinologist who did not believe in any other med but Levo.), can be clueless and I have experienced it myself even though I am a nurse. I am 54 now and have had this problem since I was 27. This forum is a blessing, as when I was diagnosed back in the 80's, I was handed an 8 X11 piece of xeroxed paper and no support club.
If you think about your symptoms as I many years later did, I'll bet you had some a while back.
Please keep us posted on how you do, it helps to know we can make a difference and help people.
Regards,
Shelly
barbara79007 jobismom
Posted
my new doc that, he said don't worry about it and increased meds to 50mg.
I asked to get off Letho and he said No. I'm considering taking myself off it. Just hearing docs saying it is dangerous getting off it when my body needs it is scary. All I know is I was feeling great before getting on the meds.
so our situations are similar and I need input from others as well.
LAHs barbara79007
Posted
Anyway, get your blood tests and let's all have a look.
barbara79007 LAHs
Posted
LAHs barbara79007
Posted
Read, read, read Barbara and Google any term that you do not understand. It will feel overwhelming at first but don't give up, you must stay in control of your own condition.
jobismom
Posted
shellyC19 jobismom
Posted
We have to be our own advocate and push for things when needed. Before 1980, they hardly tested women and now they are testing teenagers. I can remember having constiaption at 12 and problems with my periods, and no doctor back in the 1970's even thought to test me.
So you have a good doctor there and keep us posted on how your blood work comes out in a few months. Any questions, just ask.
You should see improvements in a 6 to 8 week time period and if needed they can adjust the dose.
Stay well,
Shelly
Join this discussion or start a new one?
New discussion Reply