Who are you with THYROID???

[stella5349]

As a refresher for members and an invitation to ALL -

How did you come to the thyroid board here at Med Help?  Let us know what conditions you have and what you went through so far.

Do you have a parathyroid disorder? Do you - or did you - have cancer and have had your thyroid removed? Are you autoimmune and struggling?

So many - visit here and a thread like this is so important to know what's up.

We as Leaders and members would like to know what has brought you to this board so we and others can direct you to the best resources available.

Thanks and Happy Health!

NikkiP/Stella

[spiralz06]

DD had thyroidectomy in 05 - dxd w/hashimoto, celiac and pcos.  NOT FUN.  Me?  FNA of 1.8 cm nodule on right lobe is inconclusive *what?  really???  
  
   Daughter needs good doctor.  Me?  I would LOVE to find surgeon/doctor to care for me, too.  

  Good doctors have left our area.  So we will suffer until God hears my prayers or...

  Good luck and good health to all.  I know what you are going thru and you are in my prayers.  

[cat1986]

Hi,
Im 24yrs old, and have only been officially diagnosed with Hashimoto's since February of 2010.
I noticed a lump in my throat December 2009, and then it all clicked! The tiredness, lack of energy, weight gain, cramps in my thighs, hair falling out, heart palpitations, mood swings - were all related to my thyroid. Ealier in 2009 was when I had the heart palpitations and hair falling out, I also was maintaining a weight much lower than usual for me, but as 2009 went on that changed and that's when the weight gain and sluggishness began. My blood test results were in normal range except I have the thyroid antibodies, and an ultrasound revealed a multi-nodular goitre.
My mother and several aunties and uncles have all had thyroid problems. My mother had a total thyroidectomy in 2008.
I have been lucky, as due to my mothers experience (which I have found my experience to be almost identical to hers) we have known what path to take a lot sooner - so I was able to see an endo in February, and I had already booked to see the surgeon for March 2010 - after much deliberation and information searching, and advice from the surgeon, I am going to also have a total thyroidectomy in August of this year. I am scared but grateful that there is a treatment for this, and I am hoping that my life will return to some optimal level once my thyroid levels are stable again and I don't have this goitre anymore!

Anyway this thyroid community has been really good for me, I know I am not alone, and I am positive that eventually I will feel like myself again!

Catherine :-)

[MaryR52]

As I've gotten older I've been trying to treat my body with more respect. Four years ago I quit smoking, I try to get plenty of exercise, I eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less processed foods and I try to stay well hydrated. But over the last couple of years I've felt worse than when I was smoking, eating crap and generally not taking care of myself.

It was just this past November that I got a clue that my fatigue, muscle aches, weight gain, lack of interest in sex, etc could be thyroid related. I went to a local family practitioner because I had developed a ping pong ball sized lump in the right side of my neck after taking a kelp supplement for a few weeks.

He did a brief exam, ordered a thyroid level blood test and an ultrasound. The blood test came back "normal", the bill was over $280.00 for the office visit and lab work. I canceled the ultrasound, because without insurance I felt I couldn't afford a bunch of tests that didn't show anything was wrong even though I knew there was something very wrong.

My next medical visit was to the nearest VA hospital emergency room in April. The size of the lump seemed to have remained the same but I was experiencing quite a bit of pain in my neck going down to my shoulder. I also felt that my blood pressure was elevated because when I laid down I'd hear a pounding in my ear, frankly I thought I was close to having a stroke. I was at that time also experiencing a lot of stress over a dear friend's death.

The ER doctor, ordered a ton of blood tests including the thyroid level blood test and a screening ultrasound. In addition he wrote orders for a fine needle aspiration to be preformed by the pathologist. He said he thought that I had Hashimoto's.

All the blood work came back "normal" with the exception of my Vitamin D level which was I believe half of what is currently considered "normal". The initial ultrasound revealed several small nodules on the left as well as the one large nodule on the right. The FNA biopsy on the right side nodule was inconclusive, because the sample was too small to tell definitively if it was a follicular neoplasm or a follicular cancer.

I've been taking a Vitamin D supplement sent out by my primary care doctor and a multivitamin with Vit D  from the local health-food store for about a month, plus getting lots of sun and the morning muscle aches and stiffness have subsided considerably.
I still experience extreme tiredness on some days and normal to high energy levels on others, like I'm swinging between hypo and hyper.

In just over a week I'm scheduled for a total thyroidectomy. At the surgery consult I told them that I understood that I'll need replacement thyroid hormone for the rest of my life but that worries me less than having to have another surgery should the pathology indicate cancer or should there be subsequent changes in the left side.

I'll try to keep you all informed on how everything goes ~ the surgery, the recovery and dealing with the thyroid replacement process.

Thanks for letting me share and y'all take care,
Mary

[thyronorm]

I have been suffering from HYPOTHYROID for the last one and half years and been suffering from symptoms like CALF MUSCLE PULLING(severe) , HAIR FALL, FATIGUE and FORGETFULLNESS.

When i was surfing the net for more information(doctors are not ready to impart and are insensitive). I came across MH and joined the community....

I am from city called HYDERABAD in INDIA where there is dearth of awareness on HYPOTHYROIDISM.

I am struggling to get to the right DOCTOR...after consulting FOUR doctors....

Hope i will be well informed about the disease through this communtity.

Thank You,
Vijay.K

[stella5349]

This is great to have for reference on you all. I appreciate all the posters coming by and taking the time to enter their stories.

Remember the basic plot to this thread is to keep it an excellent resource for us is -  

1. briefly tell how you came to MedHelp.

2. Your thyroid issue history and/or treatments and how you feel. (Journals work great on your profiles too with this.)

3. Your feeling if improvement on the board could be more helpful and what your thoughts or solutions may be.

4. Successes!!!!! - Success stories always motoviate health and give positive support - Please share those freely with me - and all the members.

remember one no-no on this board post.

Try to eliminate yourself from asking for reply posts on your personal medical questions. If you would like community support on specific questions - openly post on the board with your own questions under your own thread. Don't be shy - POST AWAY. There is NO judging here allowed and you can say what you need to as long as MedHelp TOS (Terms of Service) guidelines are respected.

ABSOLUTELY NO SPAM OR WEBSITE PROMOTION WILL BE TOLERATED AND WILL BE REMOVED FROM THIS OR ANY OTHER BOARD POSTS.  Please be respectful and do not spam our boards. -

Thank you.

Stella5349

[Nettey11]

I found MH last night after my symptems came back after 2 months of being "better". I don't think i will ever be back to where i was before dx. the only thing i know is that my tsh was 17 the Dr never looked into why but I was given pills and for a few months seemed to help and then i crashed. I was looking for info for hypo and found this site. It has been good to have found ppl who know how i feel