What was your first symptom that led you to your Doc?

[ChitChatNine]

What was your first  symptom that led you to your Doc?

[Smilerdeb]

I was the same as you...UTI's for many years.
Since RAI, I have taken one cranberry capsule at night (10,000) and have not had ONE UTI in 14 months!
I was getting them every 3-4 weeks prior to that.
Hope that helps as UTI's can really get you down.

[dolphin27]

I had reoccuring bladder infections that I couldnt get to go away.
I had a dr do a bunch of tests and they said I had thyroid disorder.
Misdiagnosed for many years though. Cannot tell you ho wmany times they
tried to give me Prozac. It just made me feel worse!

[TamraW]

Fatigue, depression and constipation, about four years ago, when my baby was two. It actually started after she was born, but I blamed it on the stress of becoming a new mother and post-partum depression.

I spent three years going back and forth to the gastro until my new wonderful family practice doc suggested I had an endocrine problem and sent me to an endo. Then, of course, the endo did NOTHING but load me up on vitamin D. Now that I am at a new endo, she actually did an ultrasound of my thyroid and biopsied several nodules. Although my other endo told me my labs were normal. My new endo told me my TSH (2.74) was high, and she gave me Synthroid and I'm feeling better each day.  

:) Tamra

[Jennifer1987]

This guy is my second doc, and was suppoesed to be referring me to an Endo that was 2 months ago, got no call yet! he def didn even get in contact with the endo garunteed! I will ask him in my next visit, when ever that is lol.. Dont even know if Il make one!

Il see what my bloods are and if he doesn't treat me right Il def be looking else where!

[Barb135]

Jennifer, my doctor thinks I'm a hypochondriac too and doesn't take me seriously.  I'm going to be getting an appt for my physical soon with a different doctor.  Is there a chance you can get another doctor who will listen to you?  

I once had a doctor who told me that my fatigue was from depression and I told him "I'm tired because I'm depressed - I''m depressed because I'm tired all the time".  He just looked at me and handed me a script for paxil.  I took them for about one week and they made me so much more tired, I refused to take them anymore........He's the one who also accused me of being alcoholic because of enlarged red blood cells - said that was the ONLY thing that would cause that........hmmm - turns out pernicious anemia causes enlarged red blood cells too...........kicked him to the curb too.......................

[Smilerdeb]

The one thing that I remember I suffered from for years was.........waking up in the middle of the night with massive panic (fast heartrate).
I actually thought it was panic attacks.....now I know different.
I very rarely suffer from them now but was having up to 4-5 a day.
Amazing how the thyroid upsets a whole body.....

[thelma201]

My Dr. threw AD's at me and diet pills even though he dx'd me and i was still hypo...unbelievable..he was fired eventually because he wouldn't increase my dosage when my TSH went up over 7. I went for years having depression/anxiety, but no idea if it was thyroid related

[Jennifer1987]

It makes me so mad to think they just throw anti depressants out to you with out investigating! I had then given to me on prescription but just tore it up, i know my body more than any1 else and anti depressants will not help!

Would u believe I haven gone back to my doctor since the last time he told me I was a hypocondriact! Mainly cause he made me feel really stupid, that was well over 2 months ago, so now I don even know what my levels are at! He isn't taking me serious at all!

[peggy64]

THis is a good question, and I find it interesting that most of the answers are the same as mine. I was diagnosed with depression because of complaining of no energy and no interest in doing anything, 19 years ago. Then about 4 years ago, I started not being able to get a decent nights sleep. I went to a family gathering, told someone there about my symptoms, and she said "you sound just like you have thyroid problems. There are about 18 of us that do".  

By this time I had been off anti depressants for several years, and so when I went to the dr I asked for the thyroid test. Because the 3 main symptoms of hypoT are also the same as depression. And 90% of the drs don't even test, they just decide and say here take this anti depressant.  

That really upsets me everytime I think about it, because due to the long time period that my thyroid was not functioning properly, the other glands were trying to compensate, and that caused glandular exhaustion . This has led to a major health issue, where it did not have to be.

It is good to read others stories. Thanks for the question.

[thelma201]

I went to the Dr. to get something that would help me quit smoking! My daughter was with me, and as we talked about things i might do to help, keeping busy and active..all I could say was "I'm so fat and tired" I had many symptoms, but thought they were the start of menopause. I give credit to that Dr. as he picked up on what I was saying and tested my thyroid. I was actually shocked to hear that i was hypothyroid!! Hashi's/Hypo...that was 3 years ago. STILL FAT AND TIRED..haha

[Smilerdeb]

I totally agree with you 100%.

I suffered with Agoraphobia for 26 years and the day after RAI...it went!

I still suffer with mental anxiety (panicky feelings) if I am borderline hypo or hyper but the Agoraphobia never ever returned.

[Jennifer1987]

My depression and anxiety took me down to my doc! Was told thats all it was, but I demanded test and low and behold, hypothyroid!! I was sooo tired and morbid! Didn't care if I died or what happened to me! tears come to my eyes thinking about it all! Wonder how I survived this much!! The mental symptoms are the worst, I dont care what anyone says, give me a pain in my elbow any day!!! The mental Health is really damaged from the thyroid and no doctor will admit that actually is the case!

Tut tut!!!!

[skeeterknitwit]

I think it might be a rarity, but I felt fine!  I was seeing an ortho for a frozen shoulder.  I said it was because a lame-brained nurse put a flu shot in my tendons instead of muscle.  Ortho said it just didn't happen.  The shoulder was from hypo/hashi or diabetes and ordered blood tests.  Not diabetic, not hypo, but HYPER!  I replied,"Well, that's just stupid.  Doesn't that make you skinny?"
The next few months were a trail of one Dr. referred to the next.  Each one telling me how sick I was.  Eventually, the dx sunk into my brain and I got sick.  Imagine that.
All of my minor symptoms were easily explained.  Poor sleep-everyone knows you don't sleep well with a shoulder injury.  Higher BP & pulse - from being physically tortured by my PT to make my arm work again.  Hot flashes- from the Big M.  6 lb. weight loss in 4 years - because Sonny Boy went off to college and there was no one to say, "Mom, you want the rest of this?"
Oh well, life goes on.  I've been feeling pretty darn good lately.

[jackzon3]

I had tons of symptoms, but it was discovered at an office visit for a sore throat.  My thyroid was enlarged and doc put me on Synthroid.  Now that I look back, I believe I was hypo for a very long time.  I had a hysterectomy prior to knowing I was hypo and now believe a lot of my female problems were because of it.

[Totie]

Headaches (dxd with depression). Treated for it until,

6 months later developed a goiter that made my neck look like i was a lineman on a football team.

Happend to see another dr. (mine was out), diagnosed thyroid issue in 30 seconds. (Had me stick my hands out- trembling). Was in a full blown thyroid storm-the rest history.

[healthy2009]

I had severe dry skin, severe hair fall and dndruff.Then I went to a dermatologist who suggested me to check my thyroid.
Thank you.

[Barb135]

I had the extreme fatigue for many years (since I was in my mid 20's).  Most doctors brushed it off as the usual depression, here take these drugs and you'll be all better - nope, didn't work....OR they simply ignored it......... Finally, in 2007 was dx'd with perncious anemia and when the B12 shots didn't do the trick completely and I started gaining weight like there was no tomorrow - I begged for thyroid tests......... and here I am joining the ranks of hypo/Hashi.......and in spite of all that, my pcp STILL thinks I'm a hypochondriac because my symptoms won't all go away.........still suspecting other issues, but doc says forget more testing............

[ChitChatNine]

Routine physical at my primary doctor and he felt 2 nodules!  normal bloodwork.

[Smilerdeb]

I had aching legs, racing heart and profuse sweating.
I had hives like you wouldnt believe and I thought they was mozzie bites lol.
But in the end, it even hurt me to stand on my feet so off to the Docs I trotted (or limped...more like it ).

[BabyBlue139]

I didn't have any symptoms.  My gyno felt a nodule on my neck during a routine exam and referred me to an endo.

[Tamleeb]

I was tired and had trouble staying awake in the afternoon.  I was previously told I was anemic, so I assumed that was my problem.  I was also cold all the time, suffered from constipation and had issues with not being able to sleep well at night.  I dieted and exercised daily and had trouble losing weight.  I could maintain, but not shed any weight.  Sadly with the issues I am having on Levo, I don't see any light at the end of the rainbow..

[redheadaussie]

Exhaustion = 'depression' = 'go away and stop bothering us' = 15 years of total misery!

[remar]

My story is similar to the above post. I was told I had depression for many years but when I started getting so exhausted and losing so much hair I knew it was more than depression. Also I have the freezing cold feeling and low temps.
I Just found a great Endo and started meds Tuesday. Take care everyone on the thyroid forum. Remar

[Terri627]

That's an easy one to answer. I was feeling exhausted, each and every day, starting in my early 20's. The answer I got for the next 13 years? "Depression". Well, now of course being told time after time, year after year, that I was simply depressed, was um....depressing! My cancer diagnosis was 5 and 1/2 years ago, after I found a lump on my thyroid. I am interested to read the upcoming answers from the community...