Aa
Hypothyroid?
This is not a question, so much as a plea for advice.
I'm not sure where to begin, but the story I'm about to tell
is of a journey long and somewhat harrowing. At age 22,
the semester I finished college, the rug was pulled out
from underneath me. I began experiencing headaches,
confusion/memory loss and strange depressive episodes,
some of which lasted a few hours and others which
lasted days. I was then immediately subject to a sort of
perpetual psychoanalysis on the part of my friends
and family and even from myself. "Why are you feeling
this way?" "What are you unhappy about?" and, of
course, the mainstay, "You're just stressed, dude."
This started a year and a half ago, and I don't remember
three or four days in which I did not experience the
symptoms aforedescribed. The "problem" has been
on my mind since then, and the "solution" has
been extraordinary elusive. I tried the following:
jogging (which left me spent and sometimes still
brain-jumped afterwards); vitamins (from St. John's Wort
to B12 to Omega-3 and so forth); therapy, which left
me feeling warm and accepted afterwards, but little else;
autodidactic psychoanalysis (reading everything
from Stoicism to Albert Ellis to find a way to think myself
out of it); anti-depressants (each of the Selective
Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Wellbutrin);
anti-anxiety medications; spirituality; and just about
anything that you, as a reader, can imagine at this moment.
No kidding. My family medical doctor was eager to press
a prescription for some anti-depressants into my
palm and send me on my merry medicated way. I went
to another doctor, who did an MRI of my pituitary after
discovering a low testosterone level, and then, when
that revealed nary a thing, sent me again on my
way. I went to a neurologist, who cleared me for
any neurological disease imaginable, and again labeled
me with the most overused term in medicine today,
"depression." All the way through, I had a day or two
or three or a week where it cleared, and then it was back, the
sickness unto death: brain fog, the depression, even
the chest pain. The deals I thought I made with God
vanished just as quickly, and frustrating enoughly, I
faced a world everyday that was eager to proceed
while I felt like one-half a member of the human race.
I've talked to nearly everyone I can find for advice,
from Scientologists I know who tried their darndest
to talk me into Dianetics, to Christians in my family
who believed it was some sort of vaguely-defined
spiritual crisis, to the rest. What was I doing wrong?
I talked a doctor - yes, I know it sounds strange,
but I went into with his office with the prior intention of
just this kind of persuasion - into trying Lamictal with
me, an anti-bipolar drug, and he obliged, and little
else has changed since. In my endless attempt to
find the "solution", I've only discovered two things that
help, when I abstain from caffeine and when I
sleep a lot. And then I dropped out of graduate school, it got
so bad, all to find a solution to the problem of "stress."
My mom put it this way: it's like I'm stuck in the middle of
an ice cube with an ice pick, trying to dig my way out.
That's my quandary. I'm trying to save my life and career right
now, and I've now been informed by my sisters, who are
distant from me, that both had thyroid problems: hypo and
hyper, also in their twenties. If I could, I'm gonna describe
to you again the "problem," and what very little I've found
of the "solution." Please, any help that you might offer
getting me out of this would be fantastic.
The Problem:
(1) Bad, bad mood sometimes, that can change in the course
of minutes
(2) Strange headaches, especially at the beginning of the
year and a half
(3) Confusion - The connections my brain should be making
are not happening, and I am acutely aware of the lack of
connectiveness. "Oh, I'm here again, and who is he again?"
Like mental hiccups, and I can't stop hiccupping. It's like
a fog around my brain.
(3) Chest pain, and acid reflux. Bloated stomach, at times.
(4) Memory loss. The counter clerk at the memory bank
is moving very sluggishly, if you'll forgive the metaphor.
(5) Lack of concentration. This sucks when you're supposed
to read three book-length monographs in a week, huh?
(6) Feeling of absolute, deathly fatigue, like if I move another
inch, I'll fall down and perish
(7) Feeling of disconnection from the outside world
(8) Inability to smell anything well
What Little I've Found of the Solution:
(1) Cutting Out Caffeine Helped Quite a Bit
(2) Sleeping Until 11 or 12am Seems to Help (Sounds bad for
character, I know, but at this point I've stopped caring.)
(3) Recently I've tried these "Raw Thyroid" supplements
in the last week or so and what I've noticed is I feel
a little bit more with it, but I'm not so sure. What I did
notice is that my sense of smell was a bit better. I acquired
these from a health food store, and on a lark have
tried them.
If this question sounds desperate, so be it, because my
life is a mess because of this and I have to find a solution.
I don't have a choice. Please, please know that I've psycho-
analyzed this to death, and a psychiatrist clearly told
me he was baffled by all of this. This is not a function of
my psychology or my conscious or unconscious thought.
Following Virgil's classic prescription, "Fortune favors
the bold," I've tried everything, and I have a good medical
insurance, but all roads lead to nowhere. I've had my TSH
tested twice now, and the results are nothing. My sister
told me her T3 and T4 revealed her problem, but the
doctor (ahem, nurse practicioner) I saw most recently
has informed me that she refuses to test for these. (It
didn't help that I told her about the bipolar medication
I tried, because she quickly informed me that her son
had bipolar and that my neck looked fine. Which is to
say, what?) So I'm trying to end my year and a half in
hell, friends, and any advice you can offer on any of
this would help.
(1) Is the TSH conclusive?
(2) Did anyone have these mental symptoms, especially
of brain fog stuff?
(3) How do I find a doctor who will actually listen
and try to find an answer? Notice that I don't want
to fraternize with the doctor, or get his approval or
anything like that. I just want him to, you know, heal
me.
Any statements of advice, short or long, a sentence or a
paragraph, would be greatly appreciated. At 23, this
is an unwelcome quest, but any wisdom you can offer
would be invaluable. Maybe, metaphorically speaking,
you'll end up giving me a bigger ice pick, who knows? Thanks.
- Sam
I'm not sure where to begin, but the story I'm about to tell
is of a journey long and somewhat harrowing. At age 22,
the semester I finished college, the rug was pulled out
from underneath me. I began experiencing headaches,
confusion/memory loss and strange depressive episodes,
some of which lasted a few hours and others which
lasted days. I was then immediately subject to a sort of
perpetual psychoanalysis on the part of my friends
and family and even from myself. "Why are you feeling
this way?" "What are you unhappy about?" and, of
course, the mainstay, "You're just stressed, dude."
This started a year and a half ago, and I don't remember
three or four days in which I did not experience the
symptoms aforedescribed. The "problem" has been
on my mind since then, and the "solution" has
been extraordinary elusive. I tried the following:
jogging (which left me spent and sometimes still
brain-jumped afterwards); vitamins (from St. John's Wort
to B12 to Omega-3 and so forth); therapy, which left
me feeling warm and accepted afterwards, but little else;
autodidactic psychoanalysis (reading everything
from Stoicism to Albert Ellis to find a way to think myself
out of it); anti-depressants (each of the Selective
Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Wellbutrin);
anti-anxiety medications; spirituality; and just about
anything that you, as a reader, can imagine at this moment.
No kidding. My family medical doctor was eager to press
a prescription for some anti-depressants into my
palm and send me on my merry medicated way. I went
to another doctor, who did an MRI of my pituitary after
discovering a low testosterone level, and then, when
that revealed nary a thing, sent me again on my
way. I went to a neurologist, who cleared me for
any neurological disease imaginable, and again labeled
me with the most overused term in medicine today,
"depression." All the way through, I had a day or two
or three or a week where it cleared, and then it was back, the
sickness unto death: brain fog, the depression, even
the chest pain. The deals I thought I made with God
vanished just as quickly, and frustrating enoughly, I
faced a world everyday that was eager to proceed
while I felt like one-half a member of the human race.
I've talked to nearly everyone I can find for advice,
from Scientologists I know who tried their darndest
to talk me into Dianetics, to Christians in my family
who believed it was some sort of vaguely-defined
spiritual crisis, to the rest. What was I doing wrong?
I talked a doctor - yes, I know it sounds strange,
but I went into with his office with the prior intention of
just this kind of persuasion - into trying Lamictal with
me, an anti-bipolar drug, and he obliged, and little
else has changed since. In my endless attempt to
find the "solution", I've only discovered two things that
help, when I abstain from caffeine and when I
sleep a lot. And then I dropped out of graduate school, it got
so bad, all to find a solution to the problem of "stress."
My mom put it this way: it's like I'm stuck in the middle of
an ice cube with an ice pick, trying to dig my way out.
That's my quandary. I'm trying to save my life and career right
now, and I've now been informed by my sisters, who are
distant from me, that both had thyroid problems: hypo and
hyper, also in their twenties. If I could, I'm gonna describe
to you again the "problem," and what very little I've found
of the "solution." Please, any help that you might offer
getting me out of this would be fantastic.
The Problem:
(1) Bad, bad mood sometimes, that can change in the course
of minutes
(2) Strange headaches, especially at the beginning of the
year and a half
(3) Confusion - The connections my brain should be making
are not happening, and I am acutely aware of the lack of
connectiveness. "Oh, I'm here again, and who is he again?"
Like mental hiccups, and I can't stop hiccupping. It's like
a fog around my brain.
(3) Chest pain, and acid reflux. Bloated stomach, at times.
(4) Memory loss. The counter clerk at the memory bank
is moving very sluggishly, if you'll forgive the metaphor.
(5) Lack of concentration. This sucks when you're supposed
to read three book-length monographs in a week, huh?
(6) Feeling of absolute, deathly fatigue, like if I move another
inch, I'll fall down and perish
(7) Feeling of disconnection from the outside world
(8) Inability to smell anything well
What Little I've Found of the Solution:
(1) Cutting Out Caffeine Helped Quite a Bit
(2) Sleeping Until 11 or 12am Seems to Help (Sounds bad for
character, I know, but at this point I've stopped caring.)
(3) Recently I've tried these "Raw Thyroid" supplements
in the last week or so and what I've noticed is I feel
a little bit more with it, but I'm not so sure. What I did
notice is that my sense of smell was a bit better. I acquired
these from a health food store, and on a lark have
tried them.
If this question sounds desperate, so be it, because my
life is a mess because of this and I have to find a solution.
I don't have a choice. Please, please know that I've psycho-
analyzed this to death, and a psychiatrist clearly told
me he was baffled by all of this. This is not a function of
my psychology or my conscious or unconscious thought.
Following Virgil's classic prescription, "Fortune favors
the bold," I've tried everything, and I have a good medical
insurance, but all roads lead to nowhere. I've had my TSH
tested twice now, and the results are nothing. My sister
told me her T3 and T4 revealed her problem, but the
doctor (ahem, nurse practicioner) I saw most recently
has informed me that she refuses to test for these. (It
didn't help that I told her about the bipolar medication
I tried, because she quickly informed me that her son
had bipolar and that my neck looked fine. Which is to
say, what?) So I'm trying to end my year and a half in
hell, friends, and any advice you can offer on any of
this would help.
(1) Is the TSH conclusive?
(2) Did anyone have these mental symptoms, especially
of brain fog stuff?
(3) How do I find a doctor who will actually listen
and try to find an answer? Notice that I don't want
to fraternize with the doctor, or get his approval or
anything like that. I just want him to, you know, heal
me.
Any statements of advice, short or long, a sentence or a
paragraph, would be greatly appreciated. At 23, this
is an unwelcome quest, but any wisdom you can offer
would be invaluable. Maybe, metaphorically speaking,
you'll end up giving me a bigger ice pick, who knows? Thanks.
- Sam
Thank you all for your advice. I want to say especially to ellie22 to
never, ever give up. You and I have experienced this vicious reality,
and trust me when I say that I will push forward despite everything,
because, as someone recently said, "facts are stubborn things."
It is an objective fact that we have these symptoms, and I'll
never again be snookered into thinking it's all in my head. This
won't be easy, but I encourage you - ellie22- to keep fighting. I
was on the road to getting my master's in history when this
happened, and no matter how hard it is to envision my life on
hold, I'm never giving up. Not ever.
never, ever give up. You and I have experienced this vicious reality,
and trust me when I say that I will push forward despite everything,
because, as someone recently said, "facts are stubborn things."
It is an objective fact that we have these symptoms, and I'll
never again be snookered into thinking it's all in my head. This
won't be easy, but I encourage you - ellie22- to keep fighting. I
was on the road to getting my master's in history when this
happened, and no matter how hard it is to envision my life on
hold, I'm never giving up. Not ever.
I am a big fan of having a "complete" blood test every year with a copy going to you then you can keep a running check on your health. A extensive blood test can give you all the answers. Ones I would most certainly include are vitamin and mineral level check. Low levels of iron, lack of vitamin D or a lack of minerals are three of the most disruptive properties to your health. If you are low on any one of these you will feel low rundown and sometimes like you have been run over by a "Mac" truck. Especially at your age and with all the junk food and additives around you body could be totally empty of these most important vitamins and minerals that allow you body to 1) function properly and 2) to repair itself.
I was having most of your symptoms with lack of iron some years ago and have reocurrance if I don't keep and eye on my iron intake. The other problem was I was just zonked out most of the time to the point where I felt like I had rubber legs. I now take a spoon of a mineral solution "commonly called Mud" each morning and I found things looked a lot brighter and less muddled.
A home way of testing for thyriod misfunction is to take your temperature from under your armpit every morning for ten minutes before you get out of bed. Write it down and If it is consistantly low over 5 days you should report this to your Eno.
Keep persisting there are a lot of doctors out there who should not be in practice and it will take a few goes before you get someone that knows what they are talking about.
I was having most of your symptoms with lack of iron some years ago and have reocurrance if I don't keep and eye on my iron intake. The other problem was I was just zonked out most of the time to the point where I felt like I had rubber legs. I now take a spoon of a mineral solution "commonly called Mud" each morning and I found things looked a lot brighter and less muddled.
A home way of testing for thyriod misfunction is to take your temperature from under your armpit every morning for ten minutes before you get out of bed. Write it down and If it is consistantly low over 5 days you should report this to your Eno.
Keep persisting there are a lot of doctors out there who should not be in practice and it will take a few goes before you get someone that knows what they are talking about.
Im sorry That i can''t help you...I can only can feel what you are going through right now.
i also have Every symptom you just mentioned...i just turned 25, and my TSH is .884..I also had blood work done to test my T3 and T4 levels And they found that my T3 was very "normal" but my T4 was too Low! (4.1) with ref range 6.5-10.5
I am extremly deppressed...I can't seem to think clearly and i feel like im a toal scatter brain!...the Nurse told me they couldnt do anything becuase my TSH level was "normal"
BUT I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND! there has to be a solution to all this.. I wish you the best! (you are not alone)
i also have Every symptom you just mentioned...i just turned 25, and my TSH is .884..I also had blood work done to test my T3 and T4 levels And they found that my T3 was very "normal" but my T4 was too Low! (4.1) with ref range 6.5-10.5
I am extremly deppressed...I can't seem to think clearly and i feel like im a toal scatter brain!...the Nurse told me they couldnt do anything becuase my TSH level was "normal"
BUT I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND! there has to be a solution to all this.. I wish you the best! (you are not alone)
The TSH is perfect.
I don't know much about what low testosterone implies.
Sorry, I can't help more.
I don't know much about what low testosterone implies.
Sorry, I can't help more.
I'll post my TSH and my Testosterone level. Please
keep in mind that I am 23:
TSH: 0.837 Reference Range: [0.400-5.000]
Free Testosterone: 1.28 Reference Range [1.90-4.10]
Any pointers would be appreciated.
"Never, ever, give up." Winston Churchill
keep in mind that I am 23:
TSH: 0.837 Reference Range: [0.400-5.000]
Free Testosterone: 1.28 Reference Range [1.90-4.10]
Any pointers would be appreciated.
"Never, ever, give up." Winston Churchill
If you have the results from the TSH you have already had done, can you post it here? It would be interesting to see.
Find an enodcrinologist who specializes in thyroid. Get a full panel blood test done including T4 and T3 and TSH. also a full metabolic panel, DHEA, testosterone, B12, Vit D and everything else that you can get on a blood test. Insist that they do the entire workup. Tell them it has not been done before and you need to know what is going on with you. You must be aggressive or they will give you the run around. It is your right to know everything there is to know. I would suspect you are hypothyroid and they can not tell this by merely doing one test. Good luck.
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