Help - so confused!

[jojo-flo]

Hi All,

I feel like I am a rabbit caught in head lights! I have an underactive thyroid diagnosed for 2 years. I have no real knowledge about the thyroid - I just know that I take levothyroxine 175 mg per day.

I know I feel like absolute rubbish every day of my life. I am so exhausted that I can barely bring myself to clean my kitchen, so irritable I can barely stand anyone even talking to me and just so drained. I have the symptoms of depression although I am not depressed (neither am I in denial - I have had depression before and this is not the same).

It is only since looking on here that I see these symtoms could be part of my thyroid problem, I was starting to think that I am losing the plot.

I clearly need to do some research into the syptoms of underactive thyroid and how to deal with it. Can anyone recommend a good book as a starting place? I just want to feel a little bit 'normal' again but it's been so long that normal to me is knackered!

My poor kids and husband are suffering so much as they are losing their Mum and Wife - I'm a recluse who can't even bear to have a conversation with them and I can't take much more of feeling like this. Please help!

[Hiphypo]

What a shame -you have come to the right place. You could be undertreated, or maybe not converting T4 to T3 - there is tons of info on here, and some very experienced people.

I would suggest reading 'Your Thyroid and how to keep it healthy' by Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield to start with.

Also there are some good online resources sucha s Mary Shomon on about.com, under Thyroid. And 'Stop the Thyroid Madness' by Janie Bowman, who also has a facebook page,

Best wishes

Jenni

[Confused77]

I'm sorry you've been feeling so fed up, you have def come to the right place. I agree with everything Jenni has said and another book that I have found helpful is 'Thyroid Power. 10 Steps to Total Health' by Richard and Karilee Shames. Good luck x.

[cal1971]

You have made a step in the right direction- browse through the posts on here, look at the TUK website, read the books, and ask on here for extra help when you get stuck.

First stop, get a TSH test done at the Drs ( and ask if they will also do a full blood test along with a T3 and T4 test- some won't and will question your knowledge and tell you that you are making it all up.....) and get a print out of ALL your results since you began on thyroxine, ask on here if you need to decipher them, and go from there.

Also, put everything in a folder and keep records of all tests, medication, vitamins etc.

Best wishes.

[jojo-flo]

Thank you everyone, I will take a look at the books you have recommended. It's a bit of a minefield and my Doctor had me believe that an underactive Thyroid is just a little 'health tweak' but reading some of these posts and suddenly being able to identify with other symptoms that I experience but had no idea were connected - well, it's a little overwhelming in my fragile state but also very informative!

[Hashi73]

Hi there... Sorry to hear you're feeling so poorly. Have you had your adrenal function tested. Very often is this is under performing, you may not be processing your meds properly, and even if you are you will still get lots of horrible symptoms. Do you have uat or Hashimotos? Has that dose gradually built up? It seems quite high. Do you have any test results, ie tsh, t4? It's impossible to say what's going on until you have these numbers. You could even be taking too much levo.

[shaws]

You are in the right place if you want some help.

I only got well by finding (Thyroiduk.org) thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/index.... which has lots of info. I read a lot and absorbed information and there is also a list of recommended books - you can also borrow for the cost of postage.

This forum is good and in a very short time has over 8,000 members, so there is obviously a great need for answers to questions.

You can also get a list of NHS Endos and private doctors.

Everyone has different experiences and that's why this forum is particularly helpful.

[Heloise]

You should be feeling relatively normal after two years, unfortunately the NHS calls "normal" people who still have a lot of symptoms. Everyone has mentioned good sources. I like to get answers to the same question so I rather like finding articles that relate to it.

Here is a good website to lay a foundation:

Four lines at the top right margin connect to topics.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/m...