HELP!!!!...Do I have a Thyroid disease????

[Cheesecakelover]

I have been working out HARD for the last 2 weeks, drinking a gallon of water a day and eating no more than 1200 calories. I eat anywhere from 800-1200 calories a day. I have never worked out consistently like I am and I am seeing no results!!! I have lost 1.5 pounds in the last 2 weeks and I am thinking it might just be water weight Are there any other signs of Thyroid disease other than not being able to lose weight???

[crossroads]

Well, lets see, I don't know, do you?

There is a whole lot to Thyroid issues besides not being able to lose weight....that is but one very small part of it. I am most definitely not diminishing it....since I fought with my many many doctors for over 15 yrs about it....but there are so many symptoms of Thyroid Disease that using a weight loss issue as the only determining factor, is really just not going to work.

Most people believe that being Hyper Thyroid means you are skinny, when in fact many people who are Hyper Thyroid suffer weight loss and then can gain weight too....

You really need to look at your whole "life" and see if you fall into a category set by symptoms....which are set out below for you, its an involved list, and with the exception of the goiters, cancer and a family history of it I had almost every single one but my test was at a 3.3....when testing was .5 to 5.0, now they use .3 to 3.0 and if you have a booklist of symptoms and your TSH is 2.5 then a good doctor will definitely say you have it...but that would be Good doctors, and we all know how hard they are to find....

Once upon a time doctors did not have a test for this...they treated the symptoms, kind of the theory of "if it moo's like a cow, looks like a cow, then it must be a cow"....but then they came up with the wonderful (using term sarcastically) TSH test, which in reality isn't very accurate due to varying rates of TSH in your blood during the day to determine if you had hypothyroid or hyperthyroidism....and then sent you on your way.....I'd rather have a doctor who listened to what I was saying then some stupid number on a piece of paper determined by a time of day my blood was drawn....determining whether or not my symptoms were "real" or not.....

HypoThyroid

____ I have a family history of thyroid disease
____ I have had my thyroid "monitored" in the past to watch for changes
____ I had a previous diagnosis of goiters/nodules
____ I currently have a goiter
____ I was treated for hypothyroidism in the past
____ I had post-partum thyroiditis in the past
____ I had a temporary thyroiditis in the past
____ I have another autoimmune disease
____ I have had a baby in the past nine months
____ I have a history of miscarriage
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to cancer
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to nodules
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism I have had radioactive iodine due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism
____ I have had anti-thyroid drugs due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism

I have the following symptoms of hypothyroidism, as detailed by the Merck Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the Thyroid Foundation of America

____ I am gaining weight inappropriately
____ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
____ I am constipated, sometimes severely
____ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick
____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice
____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
____ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet
____ I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or it's getting worse
____ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (longer, or heavier, or more frequent)
____ I am having trouble conceiving a baby
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless
____ My moods change easily
____ I have feelings of worthlessness
____ I have difficulty concentrating
____ I have more feelings of sadness
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately

Additional symptoms of those who have hypothryoidism

____ My hair is falling out
____ I can't seem to remember things
____ I have no sex drive
____ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
____ I'm snoring more lately
____ I have/may have sleep apnea
____ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
____ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen
____ My eyes feel gritty and dry
____ My eyes feel sensitive to light
____ My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have headaches
____ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
____ I get recurrent sinus infections
____ I have vertigo
____ I feel some lightheadedness
____ I have severe menstrual cramps

Hyper Thyroid

____fatigue,
____nervousness,
____sleep disturbances,
____drowsiness,
____changes in temperament,
____hair loss
____emotional problems,
____changes in the hair color,
____eye affection symptoms,
____heat or cold sensitivity,
____changes in fingernails color,
____difficulty in breathing,
____dyspnea,
____serious loss of weight,
____thirst,
____urination,
____problems with the menstruation,
____weak muscle tone,
____swallowing difficulties
____hoarseness.

[Cheesecakelover]

Sigh....Okay now I am really worried because I have the majority of those symptoms, but I always thought they were normal. I am always tired no matter how much I sleep, I always feel sluggish, I have always had problems focusing, I am constipated waaay too often, my hair is thinner than normal, my moods change easily, I have severe menstrual cramps, I have pain in my knees,shortness of breath and tightness in the chest and I can't seem to remember things from time to time I have started looking for a Thyroid specialist in Houston but I am concerned because you said the TSH test "isn't very accurate due to varying rates of TSH in your blood during the day to determine if you had hypothyroid or hyperthyroidism" I feel very lost and worried!

[crossroads]

Okay....well....don't freak out......having a thyroid issue is not the end of the world, I promise you that....a general practitioner can run the tests you need.....what you need is a good family doctor, have a TSH and a Free T4 ran and possibly a Free T3.....

So here is how your system works and why they are ordered to figure out what is going on with you....

T3 is one of two major hormones produced by the thyroid gland (the other hormone is called thyroxine, or T4). The thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped organ that lies flat across your windpipe. The hormones it produces control the rate at which the body uses energy. Their production is regulated by a feedback system. When blood levels of thyroid hormones decline, the hypothalamus (an organ in the brain) releases thyrotropin releasing hormone, which stimulates the pituitary (a tiny organ below the brain and behind the sinus cavities) to produce and release thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then stimulates the thyroid gland to produce and/or release more thyroid hormones.

Most of the thyroid hormone produced is T4. This hormone is relatively inactive, but it is converted into the much more active T3 in the liver and other tissues.
If the thyroid gland produces excessive amounts of T4 and T3, then the patient may have symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism, such as nervousness, tremors of the hands, weight loss, insomnia, and puffiness around dry, irritated eyes. In some cases, the patient’s eyes cannot move normally and they may appear to be staring. In other cases, the patient’s eyes may appear to bulge.
If the thyroid gland produces insufficient amounts of thyroid hormones, then the patient may have symptoms associated with hypothyroidism and a slowed metabolism, such as weight gain, dry skin, fatigue, and constipation. Blood levels of hormones may be increased or decreased because of insufficient or excessive production by the thyroid gland, due to thyroid dysfunction, or due to insufficient or excessive TSH production related to pituitary dysfunction.

About 99.7% of the T3 found in the blood is attached to a protein (primarily thyroxine-binding globulin but also several other proteins) and the rest is free (unattached). Separate blood tests can be performed to measure either the total (both bound and unattached) or free (unattached) T3 hormone in the blood.

The free T4 test is thought by many to be a more accurate reflection of thyroid hormone function. Whichever thyroxine measurement is ordered, it is usually ordered along with or following a TSH test. This helps the doctor to determine whether the thyroid hormone feedback system is functioning as it should, and the results of the tests help to distinguish between different causes of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Sometimes a T3 test will also be ordered to give the doctor additional diagnostic information. A Free T3 test measures the amount of triiodothyronine, or T3, in the blood.

A T4 and TSH test may be ordered to help evaluate a person with a goiter and to aid in the diagnosis of female infertility. If a doctor suspects that someone may have an autoimmune-related thyroid condition, then thyroid antibodies may be ordered along with a T4 test. In those with known thyroid dysfunction, T4 and/or TSH tests may be ordered to monitor thyroid function.

So now having given you the background and the tests....if you have a test come back as abnormal for hypothyroidism.....your doctor may prescribe you a thyroid medication.....or send you out to an Endocrinologist or both....most doctors prescribe a synthetic hormone, most likely synthroid which is T4....your body converts T4 to T3....you will be put on this for 6 weeks at which time they will order another set of tests....to see where your blood levels are.....and either continue you there or up the dosage....you will most likely be seen again at this time to evaluate your symptoms....sometimes even though the test says you are doing okay, you symptoms don't and increasing the dose may be what needs to be done verses just waiting for another test result, all doctors are different. Having said that....not everyone converts T4 to T3...I don't....I had to have T3 added as well.....which is Cytomel....after 4 months, my tests came back okay but I never felt better so I was switched from synthetic medication to natural hormones, which is called Armour, which was the original treatment before synthetics, it is dissected pig thyroid in pill form, it supplies both T4 and T3.....

but you need to be tested as soon as possible....

Dr. Tom Thomas in Houston is an Endocrinologist and he is also a Doctor in Osteopathic Medicine, more apt to treat you with a natural hormone then synthetic....I'd think. My doctor is a DO, not an endo, but when he ran my tests here (we are military and moved) I had not been on my medication for about 2 years and I knew my thyroid was out....I asked him not to put me on synthetic and he agreed that the natural was far better...so unless you need a referral or your insurance requires you to use a specific doctor, you might want to give him a call

http://www.kelsey-seybold.com/Your_D...me=Thomas&MI=M

[Cheesecakelover]

I will call my insurance company to find out....Thank you sooooo much for all this information!! I will call my insurance company today and try and schedule an appointment next week.