Hello, I'm new & think I may have hypo thyroid

[alex4]

I'm new & have only just stummbled on this great site ! I've had my thyroid checked numerous times but doc always says it's normal. Until literely just now,I never knew that it's common for people to present with low thyroid probs yet still get told their thyroid result is normal!

Fot the last 4 years I've made many trips to my GP with these ongoing probs: bad hair loss, weight gain (+ inability to lose it) feeling tired, waking up exhausted despite how many hours sleep I get. Sometimes insomnia. Thinned eyebrows. Depression. In the last 5 years I've gained 2.5+ stone (35lbs). I eat healthy & I'm active. 2-3 years ago I joined a gym & went almost everyday & did a lot of hi cardio but nothing changed, clothes still felt same & I didn't look any different. I've always taken vitamin supplements such as Flax Seed, Kelp, Garlic etc. I've never been one for sweets stuff/ chocolate etc or for burgers/takeaways. I think my only real vice is bread (granary or righ bread) so my GP said quit the bread. I did and still nothing changed... I also quit alcohol altogether. I then thought it might be my birth control pill so I quit that as well - that was nearly 6 months ago yet still nothing has changed. Am sure you can appreciate how frustrating this has been for me because I'm doing everything right ! A woman at work quit her junk food & wine & droppped 3 stone without even doing any exercise!

I saw my doc again & persuaded her to test me for Cushins Disease but this test also came back negative, along with the thyroid bloods. She never actually told me the figures for the thyroid but I'm going to try and see her again this week to repeat the test & this time I will demand the figures !

I really don't think I can carry on much longer because the weather is getting warmer now & I have no clothes that fit & just feel so crap all the time. I never go out because I feel so uncomfortable in my body. This is all taking over my life & the hair loss is getting worse !! I really do feel that I have lost the last 4 years of my life. I'm sure the next thyroid reslut will come back "normal" again so I'm never going to get any help.

What do peopple think having read this? Do you think it points to hypothyroidism? I found a site that sells Thyromine which is supposed to be a very good natural thyroid supplement that does work. Has anyone heard or tried it??

Sorry for such a long post but thanks for reading it. Any comments would be appreciated.

[Mike]

Hi alex4,

Sorry to hear about your problems and reading your post, it seems that there may be hormonal imbalance. Thyroid of course is the first thing to check and like you said it yourself, doctors usually tell you it's perfect as they only check the ranges which differ widely and sometimes patients dont feel good on it at all.

You should go to your GP and ask a copy of results not for the latest one but for all the previous tests you have done. In this way, at least we'll be able to see if the hormones are changing continuously hence reason for weight gain and hair loss. Weight gain and hair loss could be from other things as well so it's better to obtain a copy of results, study them and then prepare yourself to speak to your GP.

What I have learnt that a lot of people suffer from this and normally it's mild hypothyroidism which may be controlled by change of diet, exercise and a few other changes in life. In your case, you say you already on better diet and exercise so it could be your low thyroid. You cannot cut carbohydrates out of your diet totally and exercise, because then you are going to run out of glycogen levels essential for energy of the body.

Granary bread is good one as it has good amoutn of carbs, very high fibre and protein at the same time so it's not just carbs you take with it, it's protein plus fibre as well which makes it a healthy food IMO.

Let us know how you get on with the results and good luck thumbup

[alex4]

Hi Sid !!

Thank you so much for your reply. Yes, when I get this appt with my GP I will definitely demand all the other previous results. They say they are not allowed to give me the print out but I'll be on hand with my pen & paper! And yes, I know bread such as granary is important and very good for us. I do now still make sure I eat some because the total elimination of it didn't change anything. At the time it was just a kind of experiment. I always try to get my 5 a day with fruit & veg & regularly eat oily fish etc.

Anyway, will definitely post in once I've had the test & got the results back. I feel more confident when it comes to dealing with my GP now that I armed with a lot more knowledge than I previously had.

All the best & thanks

[Mike]

They say they are not allowed to give me the print out but I'll be on hand with my pen & paper!

What a loads of rubbish!!! Things like that make me absolute mad. How on earth a patient is not allowed to have his/her own results when we paying everything from our own pocket to fund all those tests and even pay their wages.

Anyway...trick is simple....if your GP doesnt listen to you, change him or her. Go to someone else who is more responsive and listens to your properly. It is always a struggle but always worth it as you wouldnt have to fight every time you go there.

Rest you all know well about diet so don't have much to tell ya :d just be strong and take control. and things will work out for u.

[alex4]

Hi again Sid !

Yes, it is very annoying when they say I can't have a print out. I think she said something along the lines of me having to make a written request or something. Anyway, regardless... I'm getting these figures next time whatever or however!! Saying all this, my GP is actually ok. I mean she did allow me the Cushins test even tho she was sure I didn't have it. Following this I then got a consultation with a dermatologist for the hair loss & she diagnosed me with androgenous alopecia & said it was just one of those things that happen & that it could be hereditoy cos my grandad went bald-ish. She advised me to splash out on myndoxidel but that did'nt work.

Do hope I get something sorted because as I said... I should not be 3 stone overweight with the lifestyle I lead. If I was a couch potato stuffing my face with rubbish every day then I would accept the way that currently look & I certainly would not be investigating this !!

I do know a consultant endocrinologist at work so once I get the results I'll be able to discuss them with her but if once again they appear normal then I'm not sure what my next step will be. Pretty sure it's not PCOS cos I eat a PCOS friendly diet + I don't have facial hair or anything like that + menstrual side of things pretty normal / unremarkable. But as you said earlier - I really think there is some hormal inbalane somewhere.

again

[Ginny]

Alex, I have heard of several doctors who have requested a written application for blood
test results so this is not terribly unusual. Just comply with a short note. Some also ask
for payment of £10 to cover paperwork - how much does it cost to press the print key for
one piece of paper, but if that's their system you have to comply.

Ask for the full results of your test for Cushings disease, too, don't accept "normal" the
range is big and you need to know if you were low normal or high normal, you need the figures.
there can be a huge difference between top and bottom. Was it a short or long synacthen test?

[alex4]

Hello Ginny,

Well I saw the GP today & he's requested a load of bloods including thyroid again. I asked for a print out of my last three thyroid results & he printed them off for me without any question ! I've learned that T4 & T3 etc are only done when the TSH result isn't normal. My results from my last 3 TSH are:

Aug 05 - 1.5mU/L
Aug 06 - 1.7mU/L
Apr 08 - 2.1 mU/L

Looking at these I guess they are all normal?? But to be honest, I don't have a clue as to whats normal & what isn't...

Oh well, I'll just have to wait and see what the next lot of bloods say