I have been having a lot of symptoms. Depression, tiredness, sickness early saity. constipation. Do you have to gave a goitre? I don't.

[Scottlady]

Do you have to have a goitre with hypothyroidism?

I do not but have been told by tests my pituatary gland is sluggish but my Thyroid is in the higher side of normal though it is making more than enough for my needs. I have a lot of symptoms that might be because of my thyroid. Weight gain, gastroparesis, slow transit constipation. reflux, tiredness depression, my blood sugar is up but I do not have diabetes. my eyebrows are falling out and my nails break easy. That was over a year ago, should they not retest it at least.

[helvella Administrator]

Absolutely NO!

I do not have a goitre but my thyroid simply was not putting out enough thyroid hormone.

Do you have the results from last year? Ideally the actual numbers and the reference ranges.

And you really do need to be tested again, I think.

Please go and get the results, get re-tested, and post them all.

By symptoms you sound very probably hypothyroid.

Rod

[Scottlady in reply to helvella]

Thank you for your prompt reply. I was told it is my pituatery gland that is needing help producing enough Thyroid hormone. Does that mean it would not be my thyroid and what treatment would help the pituatary. Could there be something else wrong with the pituatary? Also a cousin had Thyroid cancer but I presume the last blood tests would have ruled out that.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Scottlady]

Your pituitary gland should produce Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which is carried in your blood to the thyroid. It "tells" the thyroid how much thyroid hormone to release.

Earlier I posted another reply about pituitary:

thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...

Much applies in anyone whose pituitary is not working right.

Treatment, from the point of view of thyroid hormone, is pretty much the same as any other cause of hypothyroidism - you take levothyroxine tablets. That is often enough to get you feeling much better. However it is important that you are properly assessed by an endocrinologist who knows what they are doing.

Rod

[Jackie]

Hi I agree with Rod, also try and get TSH, T4 and Free T3 tested for a proper guide to how the thyroid is and treatment needed. All common symptoms.

Best wishes,

Jackie

Not sure if you know but if you wish to reply to a specific post, click on the blue "Reply to this" under that post.

[nostoneunturned]

As Jackie and Rod have said, you do not have to have a goitre when hypothyroid. From C Dayan's Fast facts: Thyroid Disorders: P 69:

"Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis is the most common cause of spontaneous primary hypothyroidism in iodine-sufficient regions. The condition is known as Hashimotos's thyroiditis if goitre is present, and atrophic thyroiditis if the size of the thyroid is diminished".

There is much information on thyroid conditions on the main site if you have not already visited it:

thyroiduk.org

[helvella Administrator in reply to nostoneunturned]

Completely agree except for one thing.

Some doctors, having seen that the lymphocytic attack on the thyroid is identical whether or not there is a goitre, happily called it Hashimoto's even without a goitre. Seems to be perpetually in a state of re-definition among medics. Some use two different terms; some do not.

I tend towards that view simply because if a goitre is very small, it might not even be noticed. Or maybe, without treatment, you too would develop one.

If you want things to be simple and clear-cut, don't get a thyroid disease!

Rod

[nostoneunturned in reply to helvella]

Too late, got it! But no goitre.

Things were simple and clear, it was just Hashimoto's, plain and simple, had never known of the distinction in names C Dayan makes until I read his book.

Thyroid UK is not listed among the useful addresses at back of book. Interesting.

[helvella Administrator in reply to nostoneunturned]

At one point the non-goitrous form might have been called Ord's Thyroiditis. But that is long gone as a name.

[shaws]

These are two links although your GP wont do most of the blood tests:-

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...