I am only 20 and just been diagnosed

Hello Kim,

I just wanted to let you know i have an underactive thyroid and i find it hard to deal with. I found out when I was 17. I can see now that i was showing signs of it over a year before my doctor told me. One day I was at home and i noticed my breast were leaking with white stuff, like a milk? I thought i was pregnant , had been putting on loads of weight. I also had really bad constipation and thought I was about to have a baby! I went to my doctor who told me i was not pregnant, He did a few blood tests and told me the news. I had a huge lump on my neck and got that checked out with scans and stuff! My lump was ok and I was told to take tablets for the rest of my life. The thought of taking tablets all my life really upsets me. I dont want this! It has been 6 years now. I dont really think about it much, but i have not taken my tablets for a year now. I think I need to becuase I feel worn out all the time, thats how i found you on here. I was just reading about it all. I am sorry to hear you have one. But i am pleased that you have felt better since taking the tablets. I think I will book a blood test.

Good luck Kim I hope you feel back to ormal soon x x x x x

hi, im twenty and got an underactive thyroid, i was seventeen when it was discovered, having previously been on medication for anemia, it was then discovered that the source of constant tiredness and occasionaly passing out was due to my thyroid. As i say i was seventeen, so been taking the medication for three years now, and i feel much better than i had done before. I sat all my high school exams before ebing diagnosed, and i have noticed a huge change at uni now as i can study for longer and reatin more precious inforamtion! The only things that have been a problem to me is that late nights tend to leave me tired for longer than it effects most of my friends, however apart from this, i have very little problem and it barely effects my life, apart from occasionaly wondering if i took my thyroxine...gets 2 be so much a part of your rountine that you forget taking it about a second after you have! :P

Thank you for your words of support. My dosage has been increased but its been about a month now and I'm starting to feel exhausted again and I'm possibly gaining weight again. I agree that it is harder to recover from a night out, or even just a late night, than it is for most people. Its quite stressful at the min writing my dissertation so I'm not sleeping well which makes me want to sleep all day! I had anemia before I was put on the thyroxine. both were diagnosed at the same time but the two drugs don't mix. I was told that my low iron could have been because one of the less common symptoms of hypothyroidism is extremely heavy periods, which i have, and this could have made my iron levels drop below normal. Going back to the doctors this week for my latest blood test results to see if my dosage needs increasing (already on 100mcg!)

Thanks again and good luck to you both

Kim

Kim, I am not a twenty something, but an old lady of 54 (LOL) who has been hypothyroid for 14 years. I just wanted to say though, that it does take several months before the thyroxine works and you really start to feel your old self. Unfortunately it does take a time, but it does happen, believe me.

As you started only in April, I would be very surprised if your doctor upped your dose at this early stage in your treatment.

Are your periods still heavy and painful? I had very heavy painful periods before I was diagnosed and I went on to the Depo Provera contraceptive injection - it stopped my periods and I feel great for it. I have now been diagnosed and am on 75mcg per day.

It might be worth giving the injections a try. I'm 28 by the way and was diagnosed last year.

Hi Kim,

Thought I would reply as I can really empathise with you! I am also 20, but was diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism when I was born, it has always been pretty stable, but for the past 2 and a half years I have really been suffering with my TSH going up and down like a yoyo - I even went hyperthyroid at one time despite not actually having a thyroid gland at all! :roll:

On the other hand, from my experience if you swot up on the condition, and get used to your body's own reaction to being unwell, you will soon have good control over the condition, and be able to recognize when you need to have a blood test and if you need your dosage altering. When you become used to your own reactions it does become a lot easier to cope with, and you can catch it out before you become really ill.

With regard to your T4, if I remember correctly, this is the same as free thyroxine, of which the range is 12.0 to 26.6, your TSH should be between 0.2 and 5.5 (my last one was 34.10!! :shock: ) and your T3 should be 1.1 and 2.6, so yours was a bit low, hope knowing the ranges comes in useful to you.

Good luck and I hope you are feeling well! :D