HELP!!! Thyroid not working???

**tryin2bsexyafter30** · August 27th, 2010, 09:27 PM

Hello All, New to phen 1 week tuesday and new to site.... I'm not sure about you guys but at the clinic I went to they did blood work..... Well When I go in yesterday to get my lipo-B12 injection oh dwn 2 more pounds (216) The nurse tells me OH!!! we were gonna call you, Your thyroid "isn't working"???? She says my levels on the TSH were so low they werent even on the chart!!! It was like a 14!!!! ok... I'm a nurse... But I'm a OB-Nurse!!!! Pregnant lady issues I know and can deal with!!! this is freaking me out!!! I of course got a copy of the labs, rushed home and started doing research... and yea of course it ALL makes sense to me now!! rapid weight gain!! IBS, Insomnia etc!!! I was told to make appt with my regular provider... That will be wednesday... What do I expect? whats gonna happen? Any one here with a hypothyroid diagnosis? Let me know whats in store!! I have so many questions!!!
Thanks in advance to any that have some advice and or experience with this

**clintswifeymomof4** · August 28th, 2010, 02:44 AM

I have hypothyroidism too. I've had it for 8 years. I just typed an incredibly long, detailed post for you and my stinking browser refreshed for some reason and erased it! It is past 1 AM here so I will give you the cliff's notes version of what it's like living with hypothyroidism, what the doctor visits will entail, what the thyroid is and does and why it is important, and what it's like to live with and manage hypothyroidism. Good stuff... lol

I will say that I would not go to my regular doctor. You need to see an Endocrinologist. He or she is most qualified to treat thyroid disorders. I would only see my regular physician if you needed a referral to a specialist for insurance purposes.

Here is a "What the thyroid does" basic info:

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped organ that lies across the cartilage of your neck above the collar bone. The role of the thyroid is to stimulate metabolism and along with the parathyroid glands (beside or near thyroid), controls the body’s circulating calcium levels.

The thyroid produces T3 and T4 (triiodothyronine and thyroxine) as well as calcitonin. As their name suggests, both T3 and T4 use iodine, and their numbers refer to how many iodine molecules are attached to the structure. Your thyroid has two different kinds of follicle cells – cells that secrete hormones: follicular cells and parafollicular cells. Your follicular cells produce T3 and T4.

Your pituitary gland is located in your brain and secretes, among other things Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (if it is a stimulating hormone, it comes from your pituitary gland). TSH tells your thyroid to make T3 and T4 which travel to every cell in your body and stimulate those cells to produce protein or increase oxygen usage.

The thyroid’s parafollicular cells produce calcitonin which decreases the amount of circulating calcium in your blood. To help you remember this, think “calcitonin tones down the body’s calcium.” Your body does this by storing the excess calcium in your bones, and interestingly, calcitonin contributes to us no longer feeling hungry. There are times also, when you need to increase the amount of circulating calcium. The parathyroid glands that sit atop the thyroid secrete parathyroid hormone to stimulate our bone cells to release calcium, by stimulating our kidney to reabsorb calcium in the process of urine concentration, and stimulates our small intestine to absorb more calcium from the food we eat via Vitamin D. Essentially, the small intestine asks the kidney for a usable form of Vitamin D which enhances the absorption of calcium by the microvilli in your small intestine. The production of parathyroid hormone is not dependent upon a feedback loop with the pituitary gland in your brain. Sensors on the parathyroid gland themselves can measure the amount of circulating calcium in the blood.

There are lots of different disorders associated with the thyroid, but almost all of them break down into too little or too much thyroid hormone. The cause can be linked to a problem with the thyroid itself, or a problem with the hypothalamus or pituitary gland in your brain. Whatever the case, symptoms are similar.

Hypothyroidism is a deficiency of thyroid hormone. Although, as I stated, there are many causes, the most common cause is iodine insufficiency (the introduction of iodized table salt into our collective diet has helped with this problem). Since T3 and T4 are responsible for cellular metabolism, our body doesn’t metabolize our food properly, nor does it get the boost in energy that increased oxygen production supplies; leading to weight gain, tiredness, cold intolerance, muscle cramps, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome,decreased sweating, brittle hair and nails , constipation and a low heart rate. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidism, and ironically, the drug treatment for hypER thyroidism can cause hypothyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism in an excess of thyroid hormone that lead increases metabolism beyond a healthy level. This results in stimulating the body’s sympathetic nervous system (the getting ready for fight system fueled by adrenaline). This exhibits as fast heart beat, palpitations, tremor, anxiety, diarrhea and weight loss – not a good diet plan. Grave’s disease is the most common presentation of hyperthyroidism

What you can expect

The endocrinologist will probably run another full workup on your thyroid and explain to you what your levels indicate. The endo will palpatate your neck to check for inflammation of the thyroid gland. He or she may have you go to the hospital for an outpatient test. You will ingest an iodine dye and they will watch it travel through your thyroid glad on the scan. This serves many purposes- not only to check for suspicious cells but to see how your thyroid is using the iodine.

About Me

I have Hashimoto's. Hashimoto's is a disease that caused the hypothyroidism (a condition). They are not one in the same. My thyroid gland does not work at all, therefore, it doesn't secrete any amount of hormone. I take Synthroid daily. Synthroid is a brand name of a synthentic T4. It isn't a "medicine" or a cure- it is simply a man-made version of what your body should be producing anyway. Essentially, your body is supposed to convert T4 into T3 but there is debate on whether or not synthetic T4 is converted to T3... I am currently researching this to find out some information and determine if taking a combination T4 and T3 will be more beneficial for my specific condition. Remember- this is not a one size fits all thing- your treatment will be tailored to your specific needs and the way hypothyroidism may affect you may not be the same as the way it affects me.

I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism since the birth of my first child 8 years ago. I will have to take synthetic hormone for the rest of my life since my thyroid is non-functioning and will never get better. During pregnancies, I'd have a blood panel done monthly to check my hormone levels and adjust dosages (which I had to have increased every month based on the results). When I'm not pregnant, I see the endo every 3 months (or more as requested or when I can tell I need to be checked-more on that in a few) and have bloodwork done. I have had this so long- I basically can tell the dosage that is my "hold steady" amount... it has consistently been the correct dosage to maintain optimal thyroid hormone in my system.

That brings me to my next point- as I stated above- the thyroid can hold onto or release hormones at will depending on what your body needs. When you are taking a pill form of synthetic hormone- your body gets what it gets. So some days you may need more, some days you may need less hormone... this can cause varying degrees of symptoms (yours may be different but mine include depression, hair loss, insomnia, lack of sexual desire, hair falling out, extreme fatigue no matter how much sleep I get, migraines, and hello!?! crappy metabolism... ie eating like a bird and gaining or at best, not losing). When I "feel" an increase in my symptoms- I head to the doctor and have my levels checked. Nine times out of ten my dosage needs to be adjusted. Granted, we can't go to the doctor everyday and have bloodwork done so your doctor should work with you a lot at first through monitoring your blood work and levels to get you at the best dosage. I also palpatate my own neck and check for inflammation. I have had this disorder for so many years that it is second nature for me to do it... if I feel like my thyroid gland is inflammed more than usual- I just call in for a blood panel and see my endo so he can check. Since my thyroid is non-functioning- if it gets too inflammed, we are just going to take it out. No use in risking cancer if it doesn't work... but no use in having surgery if there isn't a threat. I also suffer from infertility issues (although not immediately apparent b/c of my ticker and the fact that I just gave birth to our 5th child). The problem with infertility is you can usually determine what is happening (or not happening in our case- no ovulation) but you can't determine the reason why... it could be from the hypothyroidism, it could be from my polycystic ovaries, a combination? who knows. However, I do know that having low to no thyroid function can really affect your chances of conceiving if not treated. When you take synthetic hormone, you should be at a normal functioning level- therefore you should have no decreased chance of conceiving than the average person- all else being equal. Your doctor will tell you that you should be "normal" once you start taking the pill- just remember what I said about having good days and bad days. The good ones will probably far outweigh the bad ones- but normal thyroid levels are meant to fluctuate and if you are taking a set amount in pill form and not producing any on your own as in my case and with others with Hashimoto's disease- there is no fluctuation.

Once you learn that thyroid function is essential to many aspects of your life and body processes- you won't want to mess around with letting it go uncontrolled. If I forget my pill- my body knows it and quickly reminds me by feeling like poo. However, when I have the right levels of hormones- I feel like a brand new person!!!

It may take a little while to get there, but it will happen! It is just something you should stay on top of- not only to maximize your metabolism, but to have your body running in optimal condition. I am by no means a doctor and my advice should not substitute the information you get from your doctor... this is meant to be my personal experience thus far with dealing with hypothyroidism.

I hope this helps! Feel free to ask me any questions! Sorry so long!

**clintswifeymomof4** · August 28th, 2010, 03:52 AM

I suggest Mary Shomon's book Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know as well as searching the internet for her web page- lots of good info

**tryin2bsexyafter30** · September 22nd, 2010, 02:53 PM

Thanks for the reply nikki, It was very informative and much appreciated!!!! since I logged in last I have seen my regular physician who refered me to endo, still waiting on that appt!! but I feel A lot better about it now than when I originally found out about it!