Hypothyroidism

[SarahW]

Well so lately I have been having flushed cheeks, really red patches across my cheekbones, for no apparent reason. I can wake up in the morning and look like I have a new sunburn on my face. What the heck?? I check my blood glucose; it's normal. I check my blood pressure...normal. I have also noticed more hairs in my hairbrush...yikes!! I don't wanna lose my hair.... I'm tired all the time...and cold. UGH. I have an appointment next Monday to discuss this with my doctor, but naturally I have already "web-diagnosed" myself, LOL!! Sounds like hypothyroidism to me, doc.

And just when I had my blood glucose levels under semi-control. It's always something.

 

[Lazarus]

I have it too. Things got much better with medication. Synthroid or similar pill every day for the rest of your life. Blood tests to check levels.

Helped my energy level. Mental acuity was improved. But my energy level is still not too high. Easy to gain weight too. And I have.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I have it too. Things got much better with medication. Synthroid or similar pill every day for the rest of your life. Blood tests to check levels.

Helped my energy level. Mental acuity was improved. But my energy level is still not too high. Easy to gain weight too. And I have.

Quite a number of the ladies in my office are on synthroid(or some equivalent). Underactive thyroid seems to be common during and after menopause. I guess men can have it, too, but it seems to afflict them less often. About every other year my gynecologist orders bloodwork to check my thyroid function even though I have no symptoms( I am post menopausal). It seems to be easily controlled with medication.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Here's a nice summary for you: Hypothyroidism

 

[Lazarus]

Yes it is more common in women. My Dad and his sister both have it. Late in life or maybe just not diagnosed as early as mine.

I have a male friend with it. He complains of low energy too. But we are not young any more either.

 

[DangerMouse]

I have it too and recently started medication. However, the key to diagnosis is getting someone who understands it. Take a look at your bloodwork results, as many of the labs use the wrong range. The correct range is 0.5 to 3.0 I think, yet many labs show it being ok up to 5.0.

That said, the medication has helped for me.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

Thanks, DangerMouse. I will have to check my lab ranges. My gynecologist also checks my Vit. D levels and they were quite low a year ago. I will ask him to recheck everything when I see him again this year. By the way, DangerMouse was my son's favorite cartoon when he was small(didn't he have a sidekick called Penfold?)

 

[SarahW]

Here's a nice summary for you: Hypothyroidism

Rich--that takes me to a login screen.

 

[SarahW]

Welp, I haven't had an official diagnosis. I figure with the new govt health care I'd better learn to use WebMD for my medical needs. Haha. I'm assuming that I will have blood work next week to find out whether I actually have it. My Mother had thyroid problems so I'm pretty convinced there's synthroid in my future.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Rich--that takes me to a login screen.

Hmm.. I re-entered it so please try again. Works fine for me.

 

[SarahW]

OK--it works now. Thanks so much.

 

[tinlizzy]

Rich - I get the log in screen to. Are you a member?

Sarah - Hypothyroid since I was 24 (18 years). Easy fix with the Synthroid. Diabetes on the other hand will destroy you - keep that firmly in check!

 

[SarahW]

Diabetes on the other hand will destroy you - keep that firmly in check!

How well I know! I was diagnosed "pre-diabetic" a couple of months ago and I've been working very hard to hold off/reverse the progression. So far I've made great progress!

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Rich - I get the log in screen to. Are you a member?

Sarah - Hypothyroid since I was 24 (18 years). Easy fix with the Synthroid. Diabetes on the other hand will destroy you - keep that firmly in check!

Looks like Sarah got on the site alright. Please reload and try again (you may need to quit and reload or clear the cache of the old URL).

 

[chemist]

For those of you on Synthroid or generic equivalent - be sure to take it 30 to 60 minutes before breakfast - since I started actually following the instructions on the bottle my T3/T4/TSH levels have been rock steady whereas before my doc was always fiddling with the dosage (cuz of poor patient compliance!).

I have had hypothyroidism secondary to cancer radiation to my upper body for 15 years - no biggie except as someone pointed out way too easy to gain weight - tried to get the doc to bump me a little higher but he said the side effects of being hyperthyroid were worse than the weight gain...

 

[Dreamer]

My grandmother, mother and sister have all had thyroid problems and keep wondering if I will have it also. The doctor had a test done for it several years ago and it was fine at the time. She also ran the Vit D test a couple of years ago and I was low. That was an interesting artical Rich. Thanks. I went to a health screening a couple of weeks ago and they told me that my heart is beating slow, but within normal limits. It mentioned a slow heart beat in that article. I guess I had better mention that along with my fasting glucose level of 100 in June when I see her.

 

[DangerMouse]

A positive I have found from taking medication for my thyroid is I no longer get the afternoon energy drain. Sometimes pre-meds I would almost have my energy drained by 4 pm in the arvo, so if I hadn't cooked dinner by then it couldn't happen. I also notice I lose a lot less hair and I have been losing weight instead of constantly gaining.

 

[SarahW]

Dangermouse--that's good to hear. I was wondering if the hair loss thing would slow or reverse itself. I'm anxious to get the test done so I can know for sure whether I have hypothyroidism. (If not, then back to WebMD for further diagnosis, lol.)