GET YOUR THYROID CHECKED! I am appalled by number of people on this website complaining about bloating of the stomach, nausea and vomiting, body aches, chest pains, diarrhea, repeated endoscopies, etc. I, too, suffered like this from the age of seven until the age of thirty. I suffered from repeated bouts of vomiting (lasting up to seven weeks, in one case.)I went through three endoscopies (no results). I was diagnosed with acid
refluxGastroesophageal reflux disease
Gastroesophageal reflux in infants
Hiatal hernia repair
Reflux nephropathy
Vesicoureteral reflux (and treated with
carafate, which is bad for people with thyroid problems). My parents wasted a small fortune on doctors. My whole body ached, including my chest. Doctors told my parents it was growing pains. Finally, at the age of thirty, I developed such severe abdominal pains that I was unable to eat, sleep, read or sit. It never let up. Sound familiar? I dropped my do-nothing doctor who had determined it was a gastic problem ( I knew better, after a cat-scan and a GI series), and went to a younger, more alert doctor.Initially. she thought I had endometriosis, but she had the guts to keep looking and said almost immediately "I think I`m going to check your thyroid." The next day she called me when the bloodwork came back, and said that it was definitely an underactive thyroid. I was on
naproxenNaproxen
Naproxen enteric coated
Naproxen sodium
Naproxen-lansoprazole
Naproxen-pseudoephedrine
Naproxen-sumatriptan at the time, and it wasn`t helping at all. I told her so, and she said " I don`t think you`re going to need it." I was placed on
Synthroid that day.Since then, my symptoms have all but disappeared. I still have a bloated stomach, because my problem went on for too long, but I can live with that. There were many symptoms my doctor ignored prior to this.Low body
temperatureTemperature measurement,
familyBirth control and family planning
Choosing a primary care provider
Ewing’s sarcoma
Family troubles - resources history of diabetes, prematurely gray hair, goiter, etc. I had a TSH test that determined my problem. If your current doctor won`t test you for this, FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR! There is no reason for you to suffer!
Thanks for spreading the word -- CHECK the TSH, T4, and T3 (TSH alone may not catch some cases of hypothyroidism).
IN THE EVENING MY STOMACH BLOATS LIKE IT IS FOUR MONTHS PREGNANT. WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING IT IS WAY DOWN, BUT GOES COMPLETLY AWAY BY AFTERNOON. I TAKE THE THYROID PILL FIRST THING IN THE MORNING.
I HAVE REGULAR BOWEL MOVEMENTS.MY CELIAC IS UNDER CONTROL. I WONDER IF I NEED MORE THYROID MED OR IS IT SOMETHING ELSE?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.
LOLO
Rosalie
Underactive thyroid causes more health problems than any of you can imagine, unless you've had it, like me. When I finally got diagnosed, and started taking the right thyroid medicine (natural Armour Thyroid - T4 & T3), all my symptoms - IBS including lactose intolerance, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, deep depression, obesity, migraines, sinusitis, hair loss, arthritis (joint pain, carpal tunnel), brain fog - lack of motivation, feeling cold, high cholesterol, nervousness/anxiety, insomnia, dry skin, skin diseases, acne, roseaca, brittle nails, uterine fibroids, blurry vision, etc. ALL went away. YES, you read that right. I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THESE ILLNESSES OR SYMPTOMS NOW.
YES, I'm more than irate about doctors' incompetence and lack of proper endocrine-thyroid disease education, and the erroneous TSH blood test that has been so highly regarded as diagnostic since 1973 because I was kept so sick for 30 years of my life because of their ignorance and the worthless TSH test. That's why I'm writing this - to let you know that before the TSH test was invented, doctors diagnosed underactive thyroid disease by SYMPTOMS, not by a test result number on a piece of paper. Then thyroid tests - Total T4, Total T3 and T3-Uptake were done and a formula was used to determine Free T4 and Free T3. Those tests were rarely done after the TSH test was invented. They are obsolete now since new and highly accurate blood tests for Free T3 and Free T4 were invented several years ago. It's amazing that most doctors don't know about the Free T3 test when Free T3 is the most biologically active thyroid hormone, isn't it?
HypOthyroidism (low thyroid) is NOT a one-dose-of-thyroid-hormone-fits-all disease, and cannot be accurately diagnosed by the faulty TSH test and it's little-known up-to-date lab ranges.
One person may need 360mgs Armour before their symptoms subside, another person may need only 180 mgs. Any unwarranted weight gain, depression, fatigue, and IBS are definite symptoms of hypOthyroidism. Low body temp - under 98 - has been one of the main indicators of low thyroid for 150 years. Doctors ignore those symptoms now because they've been told the TSH test is the only diagnostic test for thyroid disease. The TSH test should be recalled like all the dangerous medicines have been.
The TSH test is a crime that's been inflicted on millions of people since 1973, keeping them sick while doctors give them really dangerous drugs for the many symptoms of hypO - like a bandaid on a broken leg. The TSH test is what has caused new diseases with names like "chronic fatigue" and "fibroyalgia" to be invented. Not to mention that weight gain/obesity is a symptom of low thyroid and is a major health problem that debilitates the body even more, possibly causing high blood pressure, etc.
I'm living proof of what I'm writing here. For 30 years doctors have been giving me nerve pills, anti-depressants, arthritis meds, muscle relaxers, IBS meds, cholesterol lowering drugs, and many many other medicines for SYMPTOMS of hypOthyroidism. Every time I complained about the lump in my throat and difficulty swallowing, weight gain, low body temp-feeling cold all the time, IBS, etc. etc., they just dismissed all those symptoms because my "TSH" test was "normal". That ridiculous TSH test's lab range has shrunk from .5-10.0 (in 1973) to .3-3.3 (in 2003) or .3-2.5 soon as was also reported in 2003 by the AACE. But MOST labs and doctors haven't even heard of the new lab ranges for TSH yet. The AACE also said in 2003 that "most people with normally functioning thyroid glands (not taking thyroid hormone) have a TSH of 1.0." So what does all that really mean? I'll tell you exactly what it means: The TSH test is worthless, and there's a major communication gap between the AACE and physicians and laboratories. It's almost 2006, babies are being formed in test tubes, but thyroid disease is still being ignored, millions of people are undiagnosed and being plied with dangerous drugs they don't need for all their symptoms because of a TSH test - a test that should NEVER have been invented. TSH is NOT a thyroid hormone - it has NOTHING to do with your metabolism OR how you feel. Many other hormones in the body affect TSH results. The TSH test has been faulty since its inception. All of us hypOs should sue the scientists/doctors who invented the TSH test because it has kept us sick and untreated. I'm seriously considering finding out what it would take to start a class action law suit against them.
Free T3 and Free T4 and anti-body tests are the only diagnostic tests for underactive thyroid. Try to tell most any doctor that. They'll shake their heads and roll their eyes, and tell you not to believe everything you read on the internet! OR, they may tell you that if you're going to tell them how to treat you to find another doctor! IF, by chance, your TSH test result is higher than 5.5, they MAY give you an Rx for Synthroid which is a T4 only synthetic (potent) drug. But then they MAY say that you're "borderline" hypO and "we'll just keep an eye on it and come back in 6 months", and then they'll refill your Rx for Prozac, Celebrex, Zocor, Zelnorm, etc. But if you're given an Rx for Synthroid - keep in mind that MOST hypOthyroid patients cannot convert T4 to Free T4 and Free T3 - the biologically active hormones that are solely responsible for metabolism - so Synthroid may work for some for a short time, but if you're like me, your symptoms will return after a while with a vengeance because you don't have enough Free T3 and Free T4 hormones. Synthetic T3 (Cytomel) is potent - a very small dose added to my Synthroid dose threw me into thyroid storm - you don't want that to happen to you. Armour and Naturthroid are natural thyroid hormone meds - but doctors say "no one uses those old medicines anymore", "they're dangerous, potent, and not regulated". They've learned these non-truths - out and out lies - from synthetic pharma sales people - the only education about thyroid disease doctors seem to have nowadays is from pharmaceutical sales people since 1973 when the TSH was invented. Doctors have also been told that thyroid hormone is dangerous. Synthetic thyroid hormone IS dangerous if your body doesn't convert T4 into Free T4 and Free T3. I've never had hypER (overactive) symptoms with Armour but I had them everyday while I was taking Synthroid and Cytomel. I just want everyone to know that natural thyroid hormone is available and much better for your health than synthetics as proven by recent clinical trials which, of course, most doctors aren't aware of the results of these trials.
Synthroid was the med that the FDA found to be varying from batch to batch 3 times over the last 10 years - not the natural thryoid meds, which - by the way - ARE regulated and available only by prescription. Before the synthetic thyroid hormones were invented - and pharma companies' salesmen started teaching doctors about thyroid disease and medications - natural Armour thyroid was used exclusively to treat low thyroid. There is no way to explain why thyroid disease goes undetected and untreated in spite of symptoms other than lack of medical education of the endocrine system after the TSH test was invented. Most doctors don't even know the symptoms of thyroid disease unless they're elderly or they have it themselves. What's also disturbing is that most hypO patients may also have adrenal fatigue that most doctors ignore, as well.
I gained 130# over the last 15 years and was told to eat less and exercise more. I could barely get out of bed, shower and get dressed - exercise was out of the question. I was on a 1000 calorie/day diet for years. I just looked at food and gained weight. Since I started taking Armour in late 2003, I've lost 105# and have finally got my life and health back - after 30 years of untreated thyroid disease! I was told that most of my "illnesses" were all "in my head" and to see a psychiatrist numerous times. I was ridiculed by doctors about being grossly overweight. I was told I was a hypochondriac. It's no wonder health care costs are so high considering millions of people are undiagnosed and having all sorts of health problems. Doctors are treating symptoms - NOT the cause. It's shameful that something so simple to treat is being ignored especially with the advancement of medical technology over the last 30 years.
Underactive thyroid causes disease in every part of the body and brain. Free T3 and Free T4 hormones produced by the thyroid gland control metabolism. If you have low Free T3 and Free T4, your metabolism is sluggish - every system of your body has slowed down and will not function properly. You can develop diabetes, heart disease, bowel disease, the list goes on and on.
How did I finally get diagnosed? My thyroid grew so large I couldn't breathe 2 years ago. It was removed 3 days after the ultrasound and fine needle biopsy that showed numerous cold nodules, pre-cancerous. If I had been given Armour 10 years earlier, there's a chance the surgery could have been avoided. If I had been given Armour 30 years ago after the birth of my son when my thryoid started swelling and the fatigue, depression and joint pain started, I could have had another child or two because low thyroid causes infertility. I would have had a healthy life with none of the illnesses I listed above, and I definitely wouldn't have become obese. I don't have any of those illnesses now, my hair is thick again, I have energy, no depression, no lactose intolerance, no IBS, and I feel better now than I can ever remember. I've lost all that weight without exercising - and I eat as much as I want - whenever and whatever I want. Amazing, isn't it? A simple little cheap thyroid hormone pill (Armour) is all I'm taking now and I'm healthy and feel great!
Insist on blood tests for Free T3 and Free T4 and thyroid anti-body tests and make sure your thyroid isn't underactive and causing your illnesses/symptoms. The "Free" tests are relatively new and most doctors aren't aware that the other "thyroid panel" tests are obsolete. If your Free T3 and Free T4 aren't in the upper 1/3 of the lab range, insist that the doc give you a trial dose of Armour or Naturethroid. Then have your "Frees" tested again in 4 weeks. You'll notice your symptoms slowly going away when you've been taking the right dose for YOU for a few weeks, and by the time your "frees" are in the upper 1/3 of the lab range, you'll be symptom free! It happened for me.
If your doc thinks the TSH test is the golden rule of thyroid disease, you're wasting your time and money. Find a doctor who will listen and who knows something about thyroid disease and CARES about how you FEEL - and does NOT rely on a TSH test result number for a diagnosis OR for adjusting thyroid hormone dosage. If you have a "lump" in your throat, insist that an ultrasound be done immediately. Thyroid hormone at the appropriate dosage for you can help your enlarged thyroid gland shrink back down to its normal size.
You must take charge of your health, and you must know about thyroid disease (hypOthyroidism), since there's a chance you may have it if you have bowel (IBS) problems, and then get the proper tests and treatment.
Feel free to copy this and take it to your doctor. You'll need something to back up your "wild ideas" about why you think low thyroid could be what's causing your symptoms and illnesses. I hope this helps someone get diagnosed and treated - properly.
I am a 53 y/o/f, with a hx of Graves Disease, hosimotoes thyroiditis, thyroidtoxicosis, about 2000. Late 2000 I had
RI 131 after no response to various other oral medications to calm down a very hyperthyroid. I was very ill. I regret having the radioactive iodine, but, hind site is always better than foresite....now, six years later, I still bounce from hyper to hypo, am not on a maintainence dose, I went from a very energenic, active, petite, looked young for my age, to now looking older for my age,have gained over 35lbs on my small frame, I have RLS, osteoarthritis, misxed connective tissue dissorder, chronic pain syndrome, action tremor, dx w/ fibromyalgia, venous insufficiency, chronic fatigue, my thyroid dx. is hypothyroidism, extensive endometriosis(dx thru laporoscopy) fibroids in my uterus, ovarian cysts, degenerative arthritis in my C spine and L spine, my abdomen is distended and I have been rescheduled twice for a total hysterectomy but due to elevated liver enzymes, and the referral to a gastr/hepatology consult being rescheduled, the GYN won't operate. I see this specialis this next week. Knowone will tell me why I have to see this man, and when I called his office I was told "just for consult to talk about my options". Any idea what options? My alkaline phosphate is at 54, I do not drink, never have, I'm really puzzled. I'm probubly over thinking this, but my GYN has been very aggressive, and I have have US of pelvis, liver, pancrease, gallbladder, CT of the abdomen, D&C, Laporoscopy, 2 paps, 4 endometrial biopsy's, straight cath for urinalysis, numerous blood draws including CA125. When he does the BETA it'll come back I'm in menapause, the next month, it'll show I'm not, then I am, then I'm not, you get the picture. I may be over thinking this, but I wonder what he's looking for as all these tests except the endometreosis and the elevated liver enzymes have come back wnl.
So maybe a germ cell tumor? Do you have an opinion on that?
I know what my thyroid has done to my health, as prior to 2000, I was health, and took nothing, except toradol for migraine HA's. I still have the migraine, only more frequently.
I am on an emmense amount of medications, I have to use a walker in the AM, and if I leave the house, or a quad cane, due to unsteady gait, I had a PT evaluation for a electric scooter which showed right sided foot lag, low endurance, among the subjective symptoms I have, LBP, BL leg and thigh pain, BL foot and ankle pain, metatarsel deformity, as well as pain,pain and more pain. I see a neurologist, gynocologist, general practictioner, and now a gastro/hepatologist. My rheumatologist was fired a year ago as he said he did not know how to treat me, but he sure knew how to bill me.
Any input would be appreciated.
DooDee
After RAI, your thyroid doesn't function anymore. It's the same as if it had been surgically removed. If you don't take a full replacement dose, that could be why you're having a lot of health problems. Your body needs all the hormones a normal thyroid would produce, otherwise it's severely deprived. Have you had your adrenal function tested? Low cortisol prevents thyroid hormone from being getting into the cells, so your metabolism stays sluggish and disease can set in. When your thyroid doesn't function, your hyper symptoms are caused by too much thyroid med or because you have untreated adrenal fatigue.
Please look at the web page below. It lists a lot of symptoms/diseases (including thyroid disease) that benefit from natural cortisol (Cortef-cortisone-hydrocortisone) treatment:
http://www.medical-library.net/sitesd/framer.html?/sitesd/_conditions_benefitted_by_correction_of_adrenal_fatigue.html
It looks like this thread will soon be archived, so please go to the thyroid section here and ask questions. Just know you're not alone and there is help. Wishing you good health!
Rella48
ONE DOCTOR: DR COSTER IN BALLGROUND (770) 735-6755 GA CHANGED MY LIFE! HE SAID HE WOULD AND DID. HE PUT ME ON ARMOUR THYROID. LOST WEIGHT, WORK OUT AT THE GYM 5 DAYS A WEEK AND FEEL GREAT-FINALLY.
MY DOC TOLD ME DOC'S MAKE SO MUCH MONEY OFF SYNTHETIC DRUGS THEY WOULDNT DARE RECCOMEND A NATURAL DRUG AND ONE THAT WORKS. THEY WOULD BE OUT OF BUSINESS!!!! PEOPLE GET A NEW DOCTOR THAT PROMOTES ARMOUR!!!