Hypothyroidism-Do any of you have it?

[Red Rock]

I guess I am a new student to all of this. More learning to do. I've been reading the threads on here about all of this. It is kind of scary. Diabetes and thyroid are connected? Argh. I certainly do not want that! I do have a good diet and have to have a sugar fix now and then. I hope this is not anything to major. It would be nice if it was just the thyroid.

[JennK13]

Lol - i didnt realize the age of the original thread!
There is a lot that interferes with your body's absorption of the medication. Most Drs will recommend that you take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (unless it's Armour, which can be taken with food to slow its absorption since it's a combo med)
Iron hinders absorption. I'm also anemic and take my iron in the evening with dinner.
Soy has also been shown to have an impact, and if you're autoimmune, gluten can affect you - that's why I previously said it's important to know if you're functional or autoimmune. A lot of people will recommend iodine/kelp, but again that depends on why you're hypo. Iodine can adversely affect you depending on the reason for your thyroid dysfunction.
At any rate, I take my meds right when i wake up. I avoid soy. I take my vitamins with breakfast about 2 hrs after my medication, and my iron with dinner.

[JennK13]

Unfortunately, hypothyroidism is connected to a bunch of different things, as a symptom, a result of something else, or a "companion". I have a few "minor" issues affiliated with it, and when it flares up new things present and my Dr runs new tests checking for other autoimmune diseases as it's very common for Hashis patients to have something else. Diabetes hasnt been any issue for me, though.

[Catrin]

I have surgical hypothyroidism, my thyroid was removed a little over 20 years ago because of an aggressive case of Graves Disease (auto-immune thing that attacks the thyroid).

It is certainly true that it matters a lot when you take the thyroid replacement. It seems like everything effects the absorption of the medication, too close to a meal, soy products - also be careful with calcium supplements. You can take them, just not at the same time

Sometimes I take my thyroid medication when I get up, or right before I go to bed. That empty stomach is important, because it seems that ANYTHING interferes with your body absorbing it properly. That is a little overstatement, but not much - I've learned the hard way over the 23 years since my surgery.

I have always had an occasional problem with hypoglycemia. I now have diabetes that I am managing with diet/exercise (it isn't really improving but it isn't getting worse). I do not know if there was any real connection with my thyroid, or lack thereof. Thankfully I have an endo who is very supportive with my efforts to control this without medication for as long as I can.

There are many reasons for hypothyroidism, and how you manage this will be determined by that. They do know a lot more these days than they did 23 years ago when I had surgery.

[Red Rock]

Thanks for all of the collective input on this. I really apprecaite it very much.
I will continue to ask questions and do more research on all of this. I guess my body had other plans for myself oh, well.

[sarahspins]

Diabetes and thyroid are connected?

Autoimmune diabetes (type 1, which is less common) and Autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's and Grave's) are more strongly related than T2 diabetes (the more common kind) is.. because by having one autoimmune disorder someone is at a higher risk of getting another (which also includes things like Lupus, RA, Celiac, Addison's, etc).

I have both diabetes (type 1) and a Hashimoto's.. I was diabetic before I ever had a thyroid problem though, but I wasn't surprised when I was diagnosed with Hashi's. I'm sort of expecting to add at least another one at some point in the future.. not that I want to, but it won't be a big shock.

[Chile Pepper]

I've been taking a low dose for just over a year. I was very skeptical at first, as my doctor said I have subclinical hypothyroidism. It sounded like she just wanted to put me on something. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I hit the six week mark and--bam!--I felt really, really great for the first time in years. I was also able to lose weight remarkable easily (I had to work at it, but my body responded more than it had before). So, I'm a believer now. I forget a lot of things, but I never miss my morning tablet.

[Red Rock]

Since I posted, I since found out a lot more on this.

First of all I'm subclinical hyperthyroid and my doc is not giving me any treatment. I do not know if this is good or bad. I have another appt 2 months from now to check blood levels. My hair is beginning to fall out. I did a run/walk for a mile and quarter and was totally exhausted that afternoon and into the next day. I mentioned these things and the Medical Assistant (who is not the doc) said that it basically didn't matter, the doc was not going to treat anything until all of my levels dropped off. So I am very frustrated.

Red Rock

[Chile Pepper]

Since I posted, I since found out a lot more on this.

First of all I'm subclinical hyperthyroid and my doc is not giving me any treatment. I do not know if this is good or bad. I have another appt 2 months from now to check blood levels. My hair is beginning to fall out. I did a run/walk for a mile and quarter and was totally exhausted that afternoon and into the next day. I mentioned these things and the Medical Assistant (who is not the doc) said that it basically didn't matter, the doc was not going to treat anything until all of my levels dropped off. So I am very frustrated.

Red Rock

Oh, Red Rock, that is so frustrating! Do you know what your TSH level was? Mine was only 1.59 (the "acceptable" range is a very broad 0.35 to 4.94), but my doc insisted that it should be around 1.00. That's where it is now, and it really has made an incredible difference in my mood, energy level, hair and skin health, weight, and all sorts of things. Is your doc a man or a woman? Maybe women are more sensitive to this issue.

[Catrin]

Since I posted, I since found out a lot more on this.

First of all I'm subclinical hyperthyroid and my doc is not giving me any treatment. I do not know if this is good or bad. I have another appt 2 months from now to check blood levels. My hair is beginning to fall out. I did a run/walk for a mile and quarter and was totally exhausted that afternoon and into the next day. I mentioned these things and the Medical Assistant (who is not the doc) said that it basically didn't matter, the doc was not going to treat anything until all of my levels dropped off. So I am very frustrated.

Red Rock

Is this your primary care physician or an Endocrinologist? I have not HAD a thyroid since 1985 so I know what a bother all of this can be, but if you are seeing worrisome symptoms then perhaps it is time for a second opinion.

[Red Rock]

Hi All,

My TSH is 0.0, T4 is normal 0.74, and my T3 is low normal at 3.4. I would have been sent to an endo if the T3 was below 2.4. Yes, this is my male primary care doc. I have been doing searches on the net to try and figure out WHY they do or do not treat this. My DH and I have been talking about a possible second opion too. I explained this to my dad and he could not understand it either. If something is broken why not fix it? He was thinking in terms of machinery. Like if your transmission fails fix it so the rest of the engine works. It's not that hard to figure out. I do not think this is rocket science.

Red Rock

[jezbael]

Medical doctors are sometimes slow to change. Most won't even bother testing T3/T4 if TSH is not indicative. There is a lot of recent research out there that is showing that TSH labs alone miss hypothyroidism. It's more important to look at the t3 and t4 levels, as well as listen to the patient's symptoms.

In January, my naturopathic doctor listened to my history, symptoms, and family history of obesity and suggested we test my thyroid functioning (despite it being tested before and always came back "normal"). Indeed, my TSH was normal, but my T3 was low. I started taking a natural replacement and almost immediately noticed increased energy, mental clarity, mood and easier weight loss. Six months later, I feel like what I think other "normal" people feel like for the first time in my life.

Even if your T3 is "low normal", that doesn't mean that *you* are a person whose body can tolerate low normal. Clearly your symptoms are suggesting so.

I encourage a second opinion, and perhaps consider seeing a naturopathic doctor. They are usually more interested in treating the root of a problem, and increasing a person's health further than a doctor would. Doctors generally are interested in treating disease... ND's generally are interested in promoting health to its greatest degree.

[JennK13]

RedRocks,
Now that your hair is thinning, that's a sign it's not magically healing itself on it's own. Hairloss is classic hyperthyroidism, and happens to us hypo patients when we're over medicated. You're exhausted because your body is on overload 24/7 from all the thyroid hormone racing through your system.
We've "talked" offline about this. So sorry you're going through it. I'm working on adjusting to my new dosage as prescribed last week.
Take care

[Jalen]

Hypothyroidism is a thyroid disorder, select the best diet that can help you reduce your symptoms and lose weight. First and the foremost thing you have to do are to cut the unwanted foods and bring in the good foods that should have iodine. Include carbohydrates and fiber rich foods in your diet to increase the metabolism.

[JennK13]

Diet alone does not always help. If you have functional hypothyroidism, it can be helpful. However, you need to correct the reason for the hypothyroidism, and for those people who are hypo because of autoimmune disease, iodine can make matters worse. Yes, it's true that iodine defiency is the primary cause of hypothyroidism in developing countries, but that isn't the case here in the US. Iodine can actually cause an increase in antibodies in Hashimoto's patients, thus worsening one's symptoms.

Anyone with thyroid issues should seek the assistance of a qualified medical professional WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH treating such things - just because someone is an endocrinologist doesn't make them an expert in thyroid disorders; seek a referral and work with someone who knows what they're doing. Otherwise, you end up frustrated, sick, or if you're like me, HOSPITALIZED because of an angry little butterfly shaped gland in my neck.