crying and moods

just wondering how many of you out there might do alot of crying like i do---quite often on a daily basis.  and how about depression and lack of energy and lack of desire to do much of anything?  can't decide how much of this is adrenal  and how much is fibro---and if the thyroid could be coming into play here, too.   i guess i always want too many anwers too soon.

i just want to feel better!!!  i have 9 children and 2 step children and 5 grandchildren.  my youngest at home is only 7 and in first grade---and i just don't haave the energy to feel like i am a good mother anymore.

i used to sew and can and garden and cook and crochet---and i loved mowing the lawn.  now i hardly do much of anything but sit in my rocking chair with long johns under my pants to keep my legs from being cold and i usually wear a sweater and quite often have a heating pad behind my neck.   my oldest daughter at home--on a college break does most of the cooking--but i still vaccum!   i feel so useless and lazy.  there has got to be a way to feel better than this.

[rumpled]

Have they tested your thyroid thoroughly lately - just a thought...
I responded in the other thread that I am a cryer too...
I also have to have help in the house. If I push, I am in a LOT of pain, and I cannot sleep.

[ThyroidHunter]

What an incredible Mom you must be! 9 kids & 5 grandkids - Congratulations. You are no loser, but you may be a bit sick.

More than 1 in 11 white women over the age of 30 will experience hypothyroidism. Some will have very few to no symptoms other than occasional depression and weight gain, which many doctors attribute to age rather than gland disorder. While we all slow down a bit as we age, your symptoms appear to be more dramatic than normal.

In addition, you are depressed. Crying on a daily basis, without a significant past trigger event (death of a spouse/divorce?) can be a clear cut depression symptom that points to the thyroid. This would be especially true if your depression has "given way" to physical crying.

Your cold body temps also are typical of those suffering from hypothyroidism. So in summary, you need some detailed tests from your physician. Can you write down your symptoms today, first time you feel clearly about it, and make a Doctor's appointment for a full thyroid screen. This may include detailed blood work, a sonogram, and/or a saliva test. In any case, some minor, non narcotic, non addictive meds can be prescribed to possibly help the depression. As to lack of energy, you may need to do some on your own in the form of exercise, to help that a bit.

In any case, your risks of thyroid dysfunction seem to be high, and a thorough doctor's visit may help a great deal. Ask Questions!

Best of luck.

[kevieb]

guess i forgot to mention that i am on 60 mgs of armour thyroid. last test in december showed that my T3 levels are actually a little on the high side----my  endocrinologist felt all right about it being at this level.  my TSH is never normal---but that is to be expected, i understand, since my pituitary is having problems.  i think the T4 must have been in the normal range.
i've had thyroid nodules for 13 years.  they actually put me on meds back then to shut my thyroid down to reduce the size of the nodules.  i stayed on meds for 10 years until my psych wanted to see what my thyroid would do on it's own.  it stayed in the "normal" range---but my orthoped tested it before he did carpal tunnel surgery and felt like it was too low on the "normal" range---and that's what led me to the endocrinologist.  i don't know how long i would have gone on getting sicker if my orthoped hadn't had his own opinion about what was normal and what wasn't.  i had gotten soooo skinny for no apparent reason---which i now know is a sign of adrenal insufficiency.

antidepressants don't work for me---i have tried almost everything out there--i'm just reistant to meds.  i even tried ECT therapy this last year--but only had 3 treatments because having to fast with low blood sugar always makes me nervous---and we had to get up and leave at 5:30 am and drive 1 1/2 hours to the hospital that did the tretments---and my husband couldn't go with me---it was way too stressful for me.  i figured i would finish treatment when business slowed down for my husband--but it never happened.  i did get a little more energy for a little while and it did relieve the almost constant mild anxiety i was having---now the anxiety is only sporadic.
i can usually get relief from teh crying if i take clonazepam and soma together.
i'm sure my meds add a little to my tiredness--i take norco and soma for pain with 1/2 of a caffeine tablet---but in the past it used to actually hype me aup just a little after i took my pain meds.

[ThyroidHunter]

Well, that clears a lot of things up. Thanks for posting it.

The combination symptoms and effects of hyper and hypothyroidism happen to many of us. You appear to be suffering from these "cross symtom" effect(s) as I do.

The failure of anti-depressants of any form could mean chronic depression, bi-polar, or simply the effects of long period of illnesses. You "Pysch" should know, but I question his decision, and area of influence on your health, to take you off either the benzo group and/or the beta blocker group as you mention. He wanted to "experiment?" Am I reading that right? Where in the heck is it his job to "experiment" on your health? That's what recognized medical studies are for. So I have strong questions about your "Pysch" and their diagnosis and actions. I challenge you to look around and try another "Pysch", relating your experiences from the past so they don't happen in the future.

One things for sure, you know your crying, and anxiety, and hair loss - ad nauseum; are for real. Forget experiments. With mild anxiety taking caffeine is a real killer, you note "it used to actually hype me up just a little after I took my pain meds", it should, caffeine is not that good for any thyroid disorder. Stopping almost all caffeine has helped me tremendously for almost 3 years now. I would suggest unless you like the "hype" you get when you take it, you drop it and replace it with metabolic vitamins. Like A, B6, C, and Zinc. I believe these will help you a lot, also in the energy area. You might also want to talk to your GP about regular B-12 injections.

Take a look at your diet. Incorporate as much dried and seasonal fruit as you can. You probably have already addressed this, but much needed energy is robbed in thyroid disorders of almost any kind. So the more you can help your metabolism, the better you'll feel and the lesser the symtoms (symptoms) usually.

You mention pain a great deal, and fibro. Can you walk for exercise regularly? Will you commit to it? You may need to, again a trusted doc can tell you what you can do within yhour health limitations. But it will be YOUR job to bring that up.

I wish you the best in health, and hope these thoughts can stir up some positive benefits for you.

[kevieb]

the psych took me off of  my thyroid meds---and then didn't check my levels again like he said he was going to.  i know i need to go off the caffeine---it aggravates my reflux--but i tried it for while and my pain meds did not work as well----but it doesn't hype me up anymore.

i was diagnosed adhd mixed type when i was 40 years old.  i take vyvanse which has done me wonders.  i compensated all my growing up years becaue i was pretty smart and i played sports for a number of years.  since i take the vyvanse very early in the morning quite often--it would wear off too early some days--so the psych gave me a short acting med to make up the difference.

i didn't take it on a regular basis because i didn't always need it--i told the doctor this and he didn't seem to care. in nov i told him i still had some of this med--but he went ahead and refilled it.  i saw him in december and they did a UA on me---i assumed to make sure i wasn't taking more than i was supposed to. as the doctor and i visited, i told him i did not take it very often and that i didn't want to take anymore antidepressants--i was kind of burned out on them and they didn't seem to help anyway.  i just wanted to take the vyvanse and the clonazepam---they sem to give me the best help.  he didn't say that i had to take the smaller dose of medication everyday--but i noticed that in his notes he had written down to refill it--and then had crossed it out.  
i got a letter a few weeks later, signed by a different doc in their office---the psych was out on vacation, telling me that i was being released from their practice because i had been prescribed this medication for months and there was none of it in my system when they did the UA.   i had filled it four times since july and i still had 1 1/2 months worth of the meds at home.   i was sure this was a mistake since the doctor knew i didn't take it on a regular basis--but when i called they said it was their policy to release people this way without even talking to them.
i figured the psych would call me back when he was back in the office---but apparently i made them mad because i pointed out a number of mistakes that they had made that i had just let go because i liked the doctor so well.
the offfice manager was not honest with him about what i told her and the doc backed his people up without ever talking to me---and apparently didn't remember that i told him i didnot take the meds very often.  so much for trusting your docs.

[kevieb]

what exactly afre cross symptoms of hypo and hyperthyroid/  is there anything that we can do about it?