Trauma Triggered Hypothyroidism

[gillingham_01]

hi to everyone here,

Has anyone experienced hypothyroidism that was triggered by very severe, continuous emotional trauma?  My story is long and profoundly painful, so much so that I am unable to write about it all in detail.. All I am able to say here is that the first of what were a succession of  very severe physical and emotional traumas happened to me starting in the Fall of 2011. Before this, I felt I was very healthy and my thyroid was functioning well.  In January 2012 my hair started falling out, and it has not stopped since.  There is also no regrowth.  In August 2014 I began to develop numerous symptoms of hypothyroidism, and is when my thyroid tests began to suggest my thyroid function was starting to decline.

Does anyone know if severe physical and emotional trauma of long duration permanently damages the thyroid, or is there a possibility it could recover on it's own without having to go on thyroid medication.  I am female and now 56 yrs old.

Thank you to everyone who reads my post,
hoping someone might have some experience/insight into what has happened to me.

[goolarra]

A lot has happened in a few days on this thread!

If your doctor is offering Armour, I'd certainly take him up on it.  You have a very long list of hypo symptoms (although I'm sure some of those symptoms have other causes and/or share their cause with thyroid).  There isn't much of a downside to trying it.  

You are in therapy, correct?  A severely traumatized emotional state can cause many of these symptoms, too.  And I don't mean you are imaging the symptoms, but that they are psychosomatic, i.e. real symptoms with emotional roots.  They are just as legitimate as symptoms with physical causes.    

Although I did not lose hair, many people on this forum have, and there was regrowth after starting thyroid meds.  Once again, I caution this could take some time since hair loss is often one of the last symptoms to leave.

As you said, you have to start somewhere.  

[gimel]

I think your fear of thyroid meds shutting down your thyroid function is unfounded.  There are studies I remember seeing that showed that the gland's function returned after stopping thyroid meds.  

[gillingham_01]

Thank you for sharing your comment with me Rai_Rai.  I really know what you are going through with the terrible anxiety and profuse sweating.  It is a terrible thing to struggle to cope with every single day.  A huge surge of anxiety and profuse sweating is what wakes me up, every single day, and it is really draining me now.

It is really great that you are able to go to the gym and that it is helping you alittle.  I hope you continue to improve.  I wish I could go to the gym or even take my evening walks like I used to, but I just don't have the strength or stamina anymore.  I have never felt as terrible as this; it is very, very frightening for me.

Are you taking Armour?  If you are, has it caused you any bad symptoms?  What dose are you taking?  I hope you do not mind me asking you.

[gillingham_01]

Thank you for your comment again Gimel.  I shared my most recent ferritin result which was on March 30 alittle further up in my post.  It was:

Ferritin
range                 13-150
my value            185

I was on iron supplements for a few months prior to this test though, so I am sure this is the reason my value was high. I stopped the supplements on March 30.  Because I am having so much trouble with my digestion, I think my ferritin has probably decreased alittle since March 30 because I'm probably not absorbing much iron from what I am able to eat.  Somehow, I don't think my doctor will agree to retest it again so soon.

I also had my calcium level tested on March 30.  The result is:

Calcium
Range              8.6-10.2
my value          9.3

I actually did write down my long list of symptoms for my doctor and gave it to him Gimel.  He said he thinks I am hypothyroid and has suggested I try Armour.  And that was where I was at when I put my first post on this forum, asking if there is anyone who has experienced what I have (severe emotional and physical trauma having caused what I am now going through) and if so, whether anyone was able to recover their thyroid health in some way without having to go on thyroid medication.  While I am suffering terribly, more than I can ever say, I am still afraid of thyroid meds permanently shutting down my thyroid.  Goolara said that she didn't think this would happen.

Being a woman and suddenly having lost nearly all of my hair is 'profoundly distressing for me, so I was wondering too if any other members have had this happen to them and if so, if thyroid meds helped their hair to come back. I know it is distressing for men to lose their hair too, but it is much, much worse for a woman to have this happen to them.  It is horrible.

today was another very hard day for me.  My mind has been in such a fog all day it felt like I was thinking in slow motion.  I have just tried to eat a small piece of chicken.  My stomach is not making any digestive sounds.  This happens whenever I try to eat which is hard to do already because I have no appetite.

[gimel]

I also thought you might like to go through the check list in this link, and geta  composite score to evaluate for hypothyroidism.  It is interesting.

http://www.thyroid-australia.com/lowthyroid.htm

[gimel]

You have an overabundance of classic hypothyroid symptoms.  There may be other issues as well that need further testing.  So do you think you could give your list of symptoms, along with a copy of the symptoms in this long list that can be associated with hypothyroidism, to your doctor and get him to consider starting you on a therapeutic trail of thryoid med?  Also do you think you could get him to test for ferritin and calcium?

http://hypothyroidmom.com/300-hypothyroidism-symptoms-yes-really/

The reason I mention calcium is covered in the following link.  I may be grasping at straws, but maybe it is worth considering.

http://www.parathyroid.com/parathyroid-symptoms.htm


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