Risk of hypothyroidism

[jinjen]

I'm concerned about the possibility of Hypothyroid symptoms. I'm American, 32, white, female, and I've gained alot of weight recently. (I was 130lbs in March, and last week I weighed in at 146lbs) I'm only 5'0 tall, so I'm officially overweight now. I've always had low blood pressure, but recently, other symptoms have been cropping up. I have night sweats every night- my clothes are always drenched in the morning. That's never happened before this spring. Also, I have experienced an episode where I was doing light house work and had to stop because of a warm, tingly feeling in my abdomen, dizziness, weak and light-feeling arms, darkened vision, lightheadedness, and trembling. I felt the overwhelming urge to lie down, and when I did, I felt like I immediately needed to stand back up again. I chalked it up to low blood sugar, and quickly ate a bowl of cereal. However, the symptoms persisted for about two hours. The worst was the light, weak shaky feeling- mainly in my arms, and the lightheadedness. My mother had a thyroidectomy when I was still a teenager- I'm not sure why, I'll find out. And there's also a family history of anemia and diabetes. Should I be worried? What do you think  it is? I live in China, so a visit to the doctor is a last resort- I'm not gonna go through the hassle if this is nothing. Thank you!
Jen

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

Yes - you need a general evaluation to see if you have thyroid problems, diabetes, anemia or other issues.  I cannot advise on time frame - if you have symptoms, you should seek care.

[jinjen]

I live in in a VERY small town in one of the poorest provinces of China. The only "Western"clinic that I've even heard of is in the capitol, which is five hours away... I just found out from my dad that his mom also had thyroid problems- hypothyroidism exactly. Whaddaya know? Eerie. Basically what I'd like to know is does what I have sound like thyroid problems, or should I also be concerned about diabetes and/or anemia? Also- does this sound serious- meaning something I should get checked immediately, or can it wait a few weeks? Thanks again!
Jen

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

You should see a doctor there, but I know it's difficult.  Try to find a european or american clinic to be evaluated.  You need basic labs including thyroid and an overall health check-up with these symptoms.