If you're suffering from low thyroid function, don't worry - you're not alone! We've created this page to share a few of the experiences that readers send to us.
If you'd like to provide a little support to other sufferers, go to Share your experiences, and we'll add your story to this page straight away.
After being diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 1991 and beginning treatment with Synthroid, I continued to feel bad - classic underactive thyroid symptoms, abnormal TSH levels. In 2005, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. I went on Armour and stopped eating gluten. Since then, my TSH levels are usually within the normal range around 1. My endo tests everyone for celiac disease, as there seems to be a strong correlation between the two diseases. Wish I had of known this years ago, as it would have saved me a world of grief.
hi everyone. im new to this site but ive already learned a lot.,im 65. ive got a history of adrenal exhaustion, ive had lots of sickness and exhaustion has been a way of life. ive gone through the symptoms of hypothyroidism and i have quite a few of them.,so.. last week i had blood taken for a test. it came back as... TSH 2.3 there was nothing else tested. of course the dr told me that it was very healthy.,If i hadnt had access to information on the question of whts a realistic level i would have just accepted this . and put up with everything .,but, im not accepting this as anywhere near what i should be. im not in a situation where i can pick and choose.. a gp let alone a specialist or alternative dr so thats out of the question.,ive bought some thyroid with potassium tabs. been on those now for about five days. one a day.,ive also bought some MACA powder, that was recommended to me by a friend. ive been on that two days now.,today i was wiped out. i slept last night but was so cold in the legs today that i had to just wrap myself into a blanket and i slept all afternoon. ,im still tired. ,i would like to know if anyone else has had these levels with their TSH and how they coped with it all. thanks for letting me share. judych
"I was in my early thirties before I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The only reason I found out was because my husband and I were trying to have a baby. Before that, I had symptoms of heart palpitations and very painful bowel movements. I went to a doctor in my late twenties and he said it was stress. At 31, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and then the thyroid problem a year after that. Now I am hypothyroid and although I was doing well in my thirties with Synthroid, in my early forties, not so well. I have weight from my second child that I have been trying to get off for four years with no luck whatsoever. Fatigue, a little down in the dumps and sad that I look the way I do now. Also, its hard to keep up with a 6 and 4 year old when you feel tired. Hopefully I can get some answers and maybe find a dosage of med right for me, but I feel it will be a struggle."
"Weight gain and could not lose it despite great efforts. Cold intolerance. Memory loss. Felt bipolar at times with my attitude. For two years consulted my family doctor and Ob-Gyn about symptoms I was experiencing. Was told it happens to everyone after 30 and that I was working too hard. I ended up developing a severe breast infection and all the lymph nodes on the right side of my body from my neck to my navel became inflamed. Before my levels were tested that determined I had hypothyroidism. Got an emergency call and was told to come in to doctor's s office so they could start me on meds. OVERNIGHT. That is how fast I got relief. I didn't realize how much fluid I was retaining until I looked in the mirror day two after starting meds and saw a new person. Weight loss is still an issue and I learned to make sure I take my meds daily. My periods are hit and miss. I am not a walking ice cube anymore and I do sweat now. That is a blessing."
"The usual: fatigue, poor sleep (long sleep onset and waking way too early, unable to fall back to sleep), depression/crying/irritability, constipation, heavy periods, memory problems (could talk with a new client for an hour and barely remember it the next week), but also an ability to "snap out of it" for a brief period of time, such as a party or social event, but as soon as the event was over, the "blahs" returned and I felt completely apathetic about everything. I also had a "normal" TSH; thank goodness for a savvy doctor. More testing showed antibodies off the charts, and within a few months on Armour, I was back to my old self!"
"I am so frustrated with the medical community. I have had a sore throat for over 2 years and been to many emergency rooms and family doctors they kept saying it was anxiety and acid reflux. Finally a doctor sent me for a throat ultra sound and it came back that i had a multi nodule goiter (7 nodules in my thyroid), but my blood work the last 2 years keeps going up and down one time I am slightly on the low side they say then its a little high but most part in the "normal range' I have seen 4 endocrinologists none of them will give me any medication. Finally this one doctor was going to give me medication but then said wait I want to see where your levels will be 3 months ago. I got a prescription anyway for Synthroid. I seen a doctor for the Natural Thyroid Armor but he won't give that to me either. He just said stay away from gluten. I am wondering if I should figure out the cause of why I have low thyroid it could be because of lack of Iodine or an allergy to gluten but I think I should be tested. I thought the doctor would have tested for that. I am tempted to start taking it because I am so tired all the time even though I have a hard time sleeping. My symptoms are that of low thyroid even though I have some of overactive thyroid. "
"Since Febuary of this year I had been feeling bad.,I had been working on nights for four years now. I had been in the ER four times this year thinking I was having a heart attack with pain running down my left shoulder, pressure on my chest, shortness of breath. I was put on high blood pressure medication and started taking medication to help relax me so I could sleep. Every time in I was told I was fine, I had every test ran on me to check for blood clots, pulmonary test for my shortness of breath. I went to my family doctor asking to have my thyroid level checked and was told the results were normal. All the doctors made me feel as though I was crazy. Then my heart told me I was suffering from panic attacks he wanted me to take anti anxiety medication and a beta blocker and had me wear a heart holter monitor for 30 days. I tried both medications on time and after a horrible night of elevated blood pressure and tachycardia I would not take the medicaton after that. When the results from my holter moniter were read my heart doctor referred me to a specialist called a electro physioligist (EP) doc and she told me that my heart had an extra firing mechanism that triggers my tachycardia the treatment was either ablation with of course there were risks from the surgery or be on beta blockers. I asked why I had this and was told oh 25% of the population suffers from this and I have had this all my life without being aware of it. Neither one of the treatments were an option to me. So I found a herbilist and was told I had sludge backed up from my gall bladder and a low thyroid. Bingo finally this made sense, I had all the symptoms but all the doctors kept telling me the blood work showed my gall bladder and thyroid were normal. I started getting relieve when I started using homepathic remedies and researched on what to eat to detox the liver for better gall bladder function and what foods to eat the help with the thyroid funtion. I am working dayshift also which I believe my immune system was messed up from working the night shift. Now I'm a much happier person I still have to be careful what I eat and try to get plenty of sleep. But I manage to function normally now."
"9 Months ago my grandmother, who was very close to me, died. Following that, I was bombarded with life-changing events that caused a great deal of stress on me. I stopped having my natural menstrual cycle with absolutely no chances of pregnancy. At first I thought nothing about it because I'm young and my body is still getting into the "swing of things" but when 3 months passed by, I started to worry and I told my mom. , We decided to give it a little more time before seeing the OB-GYN. As more time passed by, I started to feel more and more unlike my usual bubby and energetic self. I became lethargic, depressed, and I started gaining weight for no reason. , When I still had no cycle, we went to see the OB-GYN and she took a blood test. The results came back showing low thyroid function. I had kind of expected something like that because the week before, I started seeing a reflexologist and she told me something was up with my endocrine system. , With that I went to see an endocrinologist who said I would most likely have to take a prescription thyroid medication. As a believer in alternative medicine, I didn't like the idea of that., So I did some research on Hypothyroidism and nutrition all the while still seeing the reflexologist and a naturalist. I was put on a vitamin regimen and I switched to a mostly organic diet of vegetables and lean meats using suggestions from this website. , It's only been a few weeks and I am already feeling a whole lot better! Just earlier this week, my menstrual cycle came back. I have not taken the prescription thyroid medication and I personally don't plan on it. With the progress I've made so far, I know I'm well on my way to getting my body back in balance as naturally as possible and I look forward to living like a normal young person again."
"I cannot believe how little info is given when starting on thyroid medication. My doc did say take on empty stomach. But took me a month to even take the synthroid, I am scared of new meds. Than I figured out I would take it when I awoke in the night 3, 4 or 5am ish when I go to bathroom and that way it is on an empty stomach. Than when I awake for day the med has had the time to absorb. Than I drink a cup of hot water or cold before having my first coffee as coffee can affect absorption. Also I learned by me talking to different pharmacists to ensure I do not have any calcium or calcium products for approx. 5 hours after taking synthroid. This is huge in how this med can work properly. I told this to a niece who has been on this drug for over 30 years and an in law and both gals did not take it on empty stomach as they did not know and were eating calcium right after taking Synthroid. Now I am on my third increase to 88 and am feeling tired again and out of sorts, been two weeks since increase. but I have once levels out on other doses had huge improvement in my overall health...it is this roller coaster of getting the right dose for my healthy level of thyroid. Another can't believe, is my first three doses came with no instruction/sticker on pill bottle, this one at 88 for the first time has a sticker on it to take on empty stomach!!! No wonder so many people are not feeling results from this drug as it has not been explained how to take it and other interactions such as calcium and coffee. I would like to hear more hope in this condition...ya me have the weight gain...but am hoping once all balances out to be at right med dose for my body that I will feel better and get moving more. This is all so new to me but I keep asking pharmacists my questions cause they are so valuable in teaching. Also just today did a search for foods not to eat with Low thyroid and Foods I should eat and will start following this advice."
"I am so relieved to know that I am not damaged goods just because I have hit forty. I have a 2 year old boy and a 9 year old girl, I am a single mom so stress is my middle name. I went to the OB-GYN three weeks ago and found out I have a low thyroid problem. I have every symptom listed and could not figure out what was going on, I had just accepted it and lived with them. I am so relieved to know I am not losing it because I can't remember ANYTHING. It doesn't just affect me but everyone in my life. I just started a job four months ago and my boss mentioned he had to tell me things over and over; it made me question my abilities in a field I have been working in for 15 years. It is a major breakthrough for me. I am just waiting for the medicine to take full effect and give me my life back. I appreciate anyone else who has shared their experiences with this issue. It's nice to know you're not alone. "
"Low energy, bottoms of my feet were so sensitive I couldn't walk on hard floors, bad balance, dry skin, head fog. Blood test came back with low thyroid , after two days of taking Levothyroxine, I feel great. It's been a month now and all my symptoms have diminished or gone away. I thought this was what happened when you got old, I'm 54. It's like I got my life back again."
"I am 62 and 12 years ago I had a hypothyroid attack and everyone thought I was having a nervous breakdown. I finally got a friend to take me to a hospital and the doctor said you are ok you have not had a nervous breakdown you have had a hypothyroid attack. I was closing down a business and between the stress and forgetting to take my thyroid medicine I crashed. It was a horrible time and it took awhile to get back on track with meds but I got better. I am now experiencing problems again and going to a compound pharmacist. He is helping me more than my doctor ever did. I did not realize that protein was so important to someone with thyroid problems. I had become a vegetarian and was killing myself by not eating the right foods. I had no idea that soy was also bad for people with thyroid problems. This website has been very helpful because I have noticed that with certain foods I eat I would feel better and with some foods I ate I would feel bad. It is an eye-opener. Do all the research you can because it is a serious thing. I wonder how many people in mental hospitals and nursing homes have thyroid problems."
"I have been on thyroid medication for 10 years now and after switching doctors I discovered that you should take you medication on an empty stomach, wait 1 hour before eating, and look at your prescription to be sure you get the same manufacture each time (critical). I also have found that eating poorly (junk food) will cause my thyroid to act up. My thyroid actually produces nothing so I take both cytomel and leovthyroxine. I have done some extensive research in order to feel better because doctors don't seem to know much about thyroid issues, even the specialists. I'm 55, exercise everyday, watch very closely what I eat, and make sure that my doctor listens to me. You bet I'm a very squeaky wheel. Take care of yourself, if your doctor does not listen, make him listen. I have been told that I can't possible feel things and I reply "It's my body and I think I know it way better than you do, so listen when I tell you things are out of whack!" Hope this will help someone else."
"I have been dealing with hives/welts for over a year. I had blood test come back that my levels were a little off but not enough to do anything for until this last blood work finally showed that my thyroid was not doing it jobs. I just started taken the medicine this week, I still have hives but I hope within a 2 weeks they will be gone. I love the food list and how it is organized. It will be in purse to follow when I go grocery shopping. Thank you for your site."
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