Anybody else here been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease?

[StellaBlue]

Just curious, looking to swap experiences. I was diagnosed in January, finally got an appointment with a specialist for last week, when it was confirmed. I am now on Synthroid for life. And pissed. Despite the promised weight loss and energy boost.

I have never had any medical problems whatsoever, so this has been rather... irritating to me, and kinda scary. Would like to talk to others about their experiences.

[Fridays Child]

1. Hi, StellaBlue. I just emailed this thread to a DUer who has Hashimoto's.

She'll probably give you a shout out here, pretty soon. Hang in there. I know Hashimoto's sucks, big time, but you're gonna be okay. :hug:

[MadisonProgressive]

2. I've never heard of it - what is it?

[KitchenWitch]

4. IIRC it is an autoimmune disease which attacks the thyroid gland

making it necessary for the patient to take thyroid hormones.

[frustrated_lefty]

3. A co-worker's brother has.

If you'd like, I can try to connect the two of you. I have NO idea how he feels about it, but, apparently, it's an issue he's had on his mind for years. Perhaps the two of you sharing thoughts might be beneficial to you both.

-fl

[Sal Minella]

5. I've been on Synthroid for 40 years or so -- apparently it turns one

into a Democrat. Aside from that, I haven't noticed any deleterious effects.

I don't see why you're pissed -- such a simple cheap drug to take to fix it -- you could have been diagnosed with a lot of things a lot worse, hey.

[Reciprocity]

12. 15 years for me too. So that's what happened lol!

[kahleefornia]

6. my mom has it

Since getting medication, she says she never felt better in her whole life. Seriously. I know it's weird to "have to" take medicine every day - but I wouldn't worry about it.

[uppityperson]

7. Not sure Hashimoto's or Graves, since had signs/symptoms of both.

More than 1/3 people in USA have problems with thryroid. Thyroid is very sensitive to radiation and environmental stuff, as well as auto-immune. http://thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/mlibrary.htm is a website I used to look at when it happened several yrs ago. I got the magic nuke pill, tried varied synthetic thyroid meds for 1 1/2 yrs, had bad reactions to some fillers, some didn't work (synthroid brand), finally got on generic natural thyroid (not brand name Armour, but a generic one) at which point I do not feel "normal" but new normal which is ok.

[spinbaby]

14. Hashimoto's can cause hyperthyroidism

It's not uncommon for it to produce rounds of high thyroid during the long slide to low thyroid. It happened to me. The trick is, when you stop sleeping and lose 10 pounds in a week, to not get a doctor who decides you're menopausal and need hormones.

[uppityperson]

20. I gained wt with mine.

I couldn't hardly move, very rapid heartbeat and breathing made it difficult to do much for a while. I liked it to running a continual marathon on a cellular level, making moving around difficult. I was hungry and ate more than I needed, even with increased cellular metabolism.

Now I'm menopausal and can tell when I need to tweak my thyroid dosage when hot flashes increase (been doing this for several yrs).

[shifting_sands]

8. Hashimoto's Disease

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease when I was 13 years old and I am now 63. I've taken Thyroid since 13 and keep an annual check on it. It's not a big deal at all, or I was so young that it didn't seem like drama and it still doesn't. It's nothing to be afraid of or worried about. You'll be just fine, they will get your Thyroid regulated and you'll feel much better. I still remember, 50 years later, how awful I felt until it was regulated. Good luck and don't worry, it's a very little thing and extremely simple (and pretty cheap) to correct.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. My Mom is on Synthroid too

She gained almost 150 pounds in one year. They finally tested her Thyroid, that was the problem. She lost quite a bit of weight and feels much better. Now, the diabetes drives her nuts, having to check her blood so often. Taking one little pill a day is nuthin. :)

[Jane Austin]

10. As autoimmune ailments go, this is a good one to have.

Synthroid is cheap, does the trick (and if your dosage isn't right the first time, your doc can tweak it), and you can take it forever with no collateral damage to other organs like so many other medications.

It's not like your immune system is going to attack and devour your thyroid gland. More like it prevents the uptake of your own thyroid hormone - - sort of like you're allergic to your own hormone, so your body can't use it.*

Your thyroid gland will still be there, just as ineffective as it seems to be right now.

I don't know about it turning you into a Democrat, but it sure keeps you one. :)

There's a really thorough book called "The Thyroid Solution" by Ridah Arem, who is a thyroid specialist in Houston, formerly of the Baylor College of Medicine Endocrinology Department. I found it very helpful.

Synthroid, and Cytomel (T3) are your friends.


*Please forgive my unscientific explanation. I just didn't want Stella to worry that her thyroid gland would be ripped to shreds or something by her very own body.

[Blue_In_AK]

11. It's no biggie...

I've been taking Synthroid for eight years or so now. I didn't know I was sick either when I was diagnosed - the doctor said I should have felt terrible, but I thought I felt fine. However, I did notice a boost in energy when I started the pills. Don't even worry about it - this is a very common ailment. I'm almost 60 and I've never felt better in my life.

[laylah]

13. My youngest daughter

was diagnosed with Graves when she was 17 (she is now 22). She doctored for that for two years, only to be told by another specialist she has Hashimotos. NOW, in mid-March, her endocronologist has told her she suspects Marine-Lenhart's, which is a combination of both disorders. She is waiting to get an MRI before deciding her next step.

Hana has not been able to take the meds as she has had allergic reactions to them all thus far, with the exception of the heart medication.

I guess my point is to make sure you have been diagnosed appropriately. Good luck. My understanding is as long as you do as you are supposed to with meds, diet, etc, you will be just fine.

Jenn

[uppityperson]

21. Interesting, sounds similar to mine

1. combo graves/hasimotos "we're not sure what to call it but you've got it"
2. reactions to many types of thyroid medicine. I ripped out my carpet and ran a HEPA filter 24 yrs a day, got allergy tested, talked with an "esteemed" endrocinologist and 2 pharmacists, all of whom said that I couldn't be reacting the fillers in the medicines since "that doesn't happen".

BS. My sypmtoms would change, depending on which brand rx I took. Finally I had a naturopath prescribe me natural thyroid which worked, no allergic side effects and I feel good now. None of the other docs (FP and Endocrinologist) would prescribe this since "it is not as well regulated".

My doctor, PA actually, said he'd follow me on it, keep prescribing it as long as it all worked. My original endocrinologist (insurance won't cover now) said to regulate dosage not just by bloodwork, but to get it in the right range and then go on how I feel, that this was very important. I keep a 3 month supply on hand (could live a couple months on 1/2 dose in case of emergency before dying) and remember to remind my pharmacist to use the SAME BRAND each refill, since they can differ.

Armour is the big brand name, I use another generic one that is working well.

[H3Dakota]

15. Totally understand

I found out that I'm hypothyroid about 4-5 months ago. I've asked questions several times about it - but they seem unconcerned with finding out WHY I'm hypo - they just shrug & tell me that we keep boosting the Synthroid until we find the right dose (when I'm not having symptoms anymore). I'm up to 125mcg & still having symptoms. I'm starting to think that I need to find a good endocrinologist for treatment/diagnosis instead.

I went through many of the same emotions - I have always been very healthy, never had any issues until this. I feel much better about it now, but when I first found out, I was pretty upset, too. It does get easier over time, I promise.

I'm still very frustrated & I understand being pissed. Here I am, a health nut - I do not eat junk - nor do I eat a ton of food... I monitor my caloric intake very carefully. I was working out 1-2 hours daily, 6-7 days a week. Cardio as well as weight training. Yet I wasn't losing any weight - I'd actually gained weight despite all that hard work! I was down to even counting the calories in the 2 tic-tacs that I had eaten, that was how frustrated I had become. My doc told me that there simply was no way that I was going to lose the weight until we found the right dose for me.

And so here I sit, 4-5 months later and we STILL haven't found the right dose. I asked her just last week if there was anything else I could take (knowing about Armour)... and she just shrugged and said "no, we just keep trying the next level until we've found the right dose for you".

[StellaBlue]

16. Thanks for all the input!!!

:hi:

This all sounds pretty familiar. I didn't realize I had any symptoms... just went in for a regular pap smear and my new ObGyn thought my thyroid 'looked' enlarged. :shrug: She felt it and said it was way too big and made me have a blood test, which showed my TSH at 6.95. She prescribed me a generic synthetic thyroid drug, at .75. Like I said, I've never had any medical problems, and the only other drug I take (reluctantly, at that!) is a daily contraceptive. Plus it seems to me that almost everyone I know around here in this small East Texas town has (or claims to have) a 'thyroid problem', so I was suspicious. I'd been living in England for four years, and I'd never heard of anyone there having a problem. I'd chalked it up to obese Americans trying to find an excuse and a magic pill. And I'm sure there are some of those...

Anyway... I made an appointment with an endocrinologist that's supposed to be one of the best in Dallas/FtWorth, and finally got in to see him last week. My TSH was at 8.8 on his test, and he prescribed me Synthroid at 1.00. I took my first one last night.

The endocrinologist told me that my thyroid was three times normal size... he even did a sonagram! Apparently it's also honeycombed, when it should have the appearance of finely crushed glass... ?! He said it's destroying itself. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? haha

To be honest, when I tell people that the doctor told me that I will see a huge increase in energy levels, they make a shocked face. I am a VERY energetic person to the point of hyperactivity sometimes. I also do not have dry hair. Because of the contraceptives, I don't know about the menstrual-related symptoms - my period has been great since I went on the Pill seven years ago. I do have puffy eyes and face, though, and my mother says I get too fatigued for someone my age. I can usually fall asleep in the afternoon if I get bored (like at my current job zzzzz), even if I had 8 hours' sleep the night before. So I suppose my energy levels are more manic than hyperactive, really.

I also know what you all are talking about re: weight loss. I don't have a weight problem, but I've put on about 15 pounds since leaving high school (ten years). I figured that was because of natural changes in the metabolism and the fact that I no longer play a sport two or three hours everyday like I did then. But I have had problems losing the weight... at one point last year, in the UK, I was going to the gym 4 days a week, working out hard for an hour and a half, etc., and I didn't lose anything at all. I have managed to lose ten pounds over the past two months, though, just doing SlimFast and eating small portions and cutting back on sodas!

Anyway, that's the story. I am anxious to see how my 'symptoms' improve, since I wasn't aware that I had any.

[Blue_In_AK]

19. My TSH level was 45 when I first had it checked...

The doctor didn't believe it and had me tested again, but that's what it was. There was some amazement that I was still functioning, but I hadn't noticed anything. My hair and skin were fine, I had gained a little weight but nothing extraordinary, and I was working two jobs. (Maybe I was so busy I didn't have time to notice I was sick.) Anyway, I still see my endocrinologist twice a year. Right now I take .125 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and .112 on the other days and the levels are right where they should be. Your doctor will probably start you with a low dose and very, very gradually increase it until your hormone levels are right.

We are lucky that Synthroid is one of the cheaper drugs.

[LaraMN]

17. My Mother-in-law has it.

She had most of ?one of the lobes? removed about ten years ago. She's on Synthroid, but still has alot of problems. She controls her weight for the most part, but can't eat much and has horrible IBS. She also has alot of problems with her energy level and doesn't have alot of physical endurance. She gets migraines and is addicted to painkillers though, so I don't know which of her symptoms are actually thyroid-related.:shrug:

[Hidden Stillness]

18. I Have It Too--It is Nothing

I have it too--Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, they called it at first (my nephew said it sounded like a video game)--and have had it for about 5 or 6 years. I had a few mild symptoms that they thought might be thyroid-related--kind of run-down feeling, irregular menstrual periods, harder to take weight off even after exercise, etc.--so I had tests done, they checked my enlarged thyroid glands, checked for possible tumors, etc., all pretty scary, and I was put on thyroid medication, and have not felt this good since I was a kid. I walk again, have dropped like 30 pounds and am at my near-ideal weight again (you have to exercise), and just feel better, healthier. It was explained to me as the immune system attacking the thyroid gland, etc., scary until it was explained further than it is actually kind of common, and not serious. You just have to keep readjusting the thyroid medication levels, to get the correct dosage. It was depressing to have to be on a medication for the first time in my life, but now I'm used to it.