So I've decided not to leave - not that I ever wanted to but I feel as though things do get too much for me. - especially when things that are explained to me get too technical for me to understand.
My recent blood tests are as follows:
TSH - 4.6 (0.27-4.2) - up from last time which was 4.3
FT4 - 15.6 (12-22) - up from last time which was 15.3
Anti-TPO antibodies - 41,000 (<34) - down from last time which was 84,000
Ferritin - 22 (30-400) - up from last time which was 15
Folate - 4.1 (4.6-18.7) - first time it's been done
Vitamin D - 43.6 (>75) - first time it's been done
Vitamin B12 - 363 (180-900) - first time it's been done
I've been put on Vitamin D supplements but not folate or Vitamin B12. GP has said folate is only out of range a little bit and Vitamin B12 is within range.
Levothyroxine dose is 125mcg and I take Spatone for iron levels.
I've since been told I could be low in:
* Selenium
* Zinc
* Magnesium
How am I even still alive? How am I even functioning these days?
I don't even know how I can incorporate all these other things into my daily routine. It's so overwhelming! I've been told I have hypothyroidism back in May last year and I've only been told last month I have raised Anti-TPO antibodies (before I was not told what antibodies I was high in, just that it was raised).
I have no job and my grandfather is expecting me to just walk straight back into a full-time, 9-5 or 8-4 job. Everyone I know in my social circle doesn't think I need to take the thyroxine and is suggesting I stop - and my mum and stepdad came off the phone to me yesterday to tell me how proud they am of me. Why?? I feel like death warmed up and I'm forever putting on a cheery happy voice as if nothing is wrong. Well, what can I say to them? They're both in Tenerife until April because the warmer weather helps my mum's MS! They don't want to hear how poorly I'm doing - so I say I'm fine.
I'm even getting stopped in the street by all these men asking me for my number! RRRRRRR! I'm hypothyroid, I don't feel as good as I look, leave me alone, is what I want to say.
Aww, thanks DiamondFire. I just don't like to be seen as stupid when I don't understand issues with T3 or T4.
I've also been given the impression by those close to me (family, friends and the GP) that whatever T4 dose they give me should work, end of story.
Jo xxx
in reply to
It does take a while for it to all sink in and even those on here who know the most are still learning all the time as there's just so much info out there. Sounds like your family and friends don't know what they're talking about when it comes to thyroid, or your GP either for that matter hehe! Once you start picking up bits of info on here (and you will be quicker than you think! ) you can wow them with your knowledge and show them how wrong they really are Yes levo does work for some people but thyroid problems are so complicated and we are all different. I know it's hard but be confident xx
in reply to
Thanks. You've cheered me up lots.
Jo xxx
in reply to
aww thanks! I try! Glad to hear you're feeling a bit more positive xx
You sound like your really struggling im sending you a BIG HUG.
Just try and take everything else as far away from levothyroxine as possible i take my levo before bed and my vitamins in the morning. Get some b12 and folate (or a good multivit) to supplement them yourself.
I hope you will feel better soon, dont keep. how bad you feel from your mum how far away she is she can still support you my parents live in a different coutry and i always speak to them when i have a bad time with everything and she is always able to make me feel better. You need the help right now.
Aww, thanks for the big hug Martine!! Sending you one back to say thank you.
I'm trying to find a chewable multivitamin at the moment as I have a pill phobia and the multivitamin I recently bought (which I thought was a pretty good deal) is a children's one and may not be much good. So I'm now on the hunt for a good multivitamin which is chewable.
I've found that if I take my levo at night I wake up early in the morning and if I take them in the morning I feel ok for a few hours and then have a bit of an emotional/physical dip. A bit like the 3pm crash when people have adrenal issues, I guess. So I don't know what to do really, which has made me feel like giving up taking the Levo and just stopping it altogether.
You can also buy spray/liquid vitamins. I take a spray multi, Spatone iron in sachets and my b, d and omegas come in droppers. I don't have a phobia but I was taking a lot of pills and they were so hard on my stomach that in the end I was having to take two, then wait 10 minutes, then take two more, etc and it was taking all morning to get them down. The liquid ones don't taste brilliant but at least they don't make me feel ill.
Thank you Puncturedbicycle for your advice. Wow, I didn't know you could get supplements in droppers. It's something worth considering at least but I think I need to get my TSH and T4 sorted first. Minerals can wait but I do know that I should keep up taking my Spatone as that will help the absorption of the thyroxine.
Your symptoms clearly indicate you are undermedicated. Your blood test results also suggest this (but symptoms are more important). For most people a TSH of around 1.0 and fT4 of about 20.0 would be reasonable (but everyone is different). Tell your doctor how bad you are and you want to increase to 150 mcg levothyroxine, review it in a couple of months and if you're still not better go on to 175 mcg. Take someone along if you need support, or make an appointment with a different doctor if you anticipate problems. This is just plain stupid, you shouldn't be on insufficient medication. You may not be fully recovered on the increased doses but you should be substantially better, more able to cope and in a stonger position to put across your needs.
The people in your social circle suggesting you stop levothyroxine are simply wrong. Their advice is dangerous but they may just be saying what they think would be most helpful. Once you are on a higher dose you will be able to express yourself more easily and effectively. Hypothyroidism can impair your judgement, hinder social interactions and give you a dim view on life. Appropriate medication will overcome this.
My TSH has only ever been as low as 1.0 *once*. And this happened 1 time out of 7. FT4 has never been as high as 20. The highest it's been is 16.48 (12-22) and that was when I was undiagnosed.
Going back a couple of months, the GP I saw thought I was on a very reasonable dose of Levo as I was on 75mcg. He ordered a thyroid function test anyway - it came back high at 4.3 (0.27-4.2) FT4 was in range, strangely, at 15.3 (12-22). He then said "so you're a little undermedicated." This was the same guy who said I was on a reasonable enough dose!!
The GP I now see has said that although my TSH was high back in December she will not increase my meds until my next thyroid function test has come back with the TSH high. This is being done on the 20th January. Is she going about this the wrong way?
Your GP is definitely going about it the wrong way. She appears to have little knowledge of hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine will produce a lower TSH than the hormones your thyroid used to produce (because the pituitary is more able to convert levothyroxine to T3 than other tissues). Typically a patient on levothyroxine recovers when their fT4 is at the upper end of the reference interval and the TSH is around 1.0. This is typical, each person will be different. If you are a large person you will require more levothyroxine.
I suggest you ask your GP to defer the blood test and increase your levothyroxine now. If she objects to this she can bring the blood test forward, not that there's any need for it, but it may be a way around any objections. Getting a persons TSH within the reference interval is NOT the objective. It's a very wide interval with large differences between individuals. If she is resistant I'd ask for an urgent referral to an endocrinologist or a doctor in the practice who specilalises in hypothyroidism.
Make sure you are not taking your iron supplementation around the same time as the levothyroxine. Your low folate level may correct when your hypothyroidism is sorted so I wouldn't worry about this for the moment. Hypothyroidism can throw up a lot of minor nutritional deficiencies so I'd avoid wasting money on supplements and concentrate your efforts on sorting out your GP. It's best to keep it simple, sort out the thyroid and then take it from there if you still have any problems. Once you are on the correct dose it will take many months for you to fully recover, it's a slow process.
Could I increase my Levo myself or is that too risky?
My GP has said she would like my bloods to be done mid-January as I have had my last thyroid function test done on the 5th December. She said something about leaving it for 6 weeks? Mid-January is at the 6 week stage.
The endo appointment I have is not until the 4th March. I've sent an email to the endo's secretary and I haven't heard back. I'm partly putting it down to staff shortages over the festive period, but I sent a previous email to the actual hospital reception and they responded by saying they've sent this message on.
A week goes by and I hear nothing - still appreciating that some people may have had time off. So now I don't know what to do. I could call them about a cancellation as I'm at home all day but I don't want to come across as me being pushy by calling them and asking for an earlier appointment.
If you take extra levothyroxine now it will mess up the 20th January blood tests. Given you have an endocrinologist appointment in March I'd wait until after the 20th January blood tests and assuming you are still feeling underactive I'd ask for an increase from your GP and suggest it can be reviewed by the endocrinologist in March. This will let an inexpert GP off the hook and no doubt she will be more amenable in this situation.
Hi Jim I've moved the blood test to Wednesday this week so I will maybe hear from the GP at the end of this week or the start of next week.
I really am feeling poorly since I didn't sleep very well last night and it took me 2 and a half hours to fall asleep despite my eyes feeling so heavy. Also had heart palpitations too which was odd considering I'm hypothyroid.
I'm thinking this could be the thyroid sparking back into life - which will mess up the blood test results for Wednesday, surely?
Thyroid gland coming back to life will be associated with high TSH and fT4 within or a bit above reference interval. There is recent research show 4 weeks between a change in levothyroxine dose and blood tests is sufficient. Just in case your doctor goes on about 6 weeks. Unfortunately I've lost the reference. Post the numbers when you get the result.
There's much to learn and understand about Hashimoto's. Don't try to take it all in at once. You unfortunately have the rest of your life to get a handle on it. I've posted "I am Hashimoto's Disease" below. Print it off and give your GP, Grandad, Endo and anyone who says " but you look fine" a copy.
I don't understand why you must remain undermedicated until your next test. Can't test be brought forward from 20th Jan?
Your folate (Folic Acid) and B12 are low in range and you'll benefit from raising them. Its best to supplement them together if you can afford to.
Look on Amazon for a B12 sublingual spray. Make sure it contains Methylcobalamin (B12). I use BetterYou B¹²oost which is £8 for 40 doses/days. You need to stop supplementing 4-8weeks prior to retesting but there's no real need for retesting as you can't OD B12.
I don't know whether Folic Acid is available in spray form. Amazon? If you find a combined B12 & folate (Folic Acid) spray please PM me. Bananas, oranges & leafy greens are supposed to be good natural sources of folate.
Selenium: 2-4 Brazil nuts are roughly = 100/200mg RDA
Zinc: I've got Asda caps or tabs. Yet to start them.
Magnesium: ditto^ Many buy sprays for skin, bath in epsom salts or buy magnesium powder to make a drink. Try the search function on HU for vitamins, folate, zinc & magnesium.
I also take 1000mg of chewable VitC I bought from Asda about £3.50 x 100. This will help absorption of nutrients, vitamins, minerals & meds. VitC can cause diarrhoea so you may want to half the dose initially.
Re VitD supplementing, has your GP mentioned testing calcium? Mine hasn't. I shall request endo or GP to check in Feb. Your endo will probably run all these tests in March. Don't forget to request/insist/demand printouts when the time comes.
Any chance of you joining Mum and stepDad for a week or two? Would do you good and might raise your spirits
This letter, "I am Hashimoto's Disease", via Gena Nolan's FB page Thyroid Sexy, has helped many people explain what Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism is, and how it can debilitate us when not treated correctly.
"I am Hashimoto's Disease"
Hi. My name is Hashimoto's. I'm an invisible autoimmune disease that attacks your thyroid gland causing you to become hypothyroid.
I am now velcroed to you for life. If you have hypothyroidism, you probably have me. I am the number one cause of it in the U.S. and many other places around the world.
I'm so sneaky--I don't always show up in your blood work.
Others around you can't see me or hear me, but YOUR body feels me.
I can attack you anywhere and any way I please.
I can cause severe pain or, if I'm in a good mood, I can just cause you to ache all over.
Remember when you and energy ran around together and had fun?
I took energy from you, and gave you exhaustion. Try to have fun now.
I can take good sleep from you and in its place, give you brain fog and lack of concentration.
I can make you want to sleep 24/7, and I can also cause insomnia.
I can make you tremble internally or make you feel cold or hot when everyone else feels normal.
I can also give you swollen hands and feet, swollen face and eyelids, swollen everything.
I can make you feel very anxious with panic attacks or very depressed. I can also cause other mental health problems. You know crazy mood swings? That's me. Crying for no reason? Angry for no reason? That's probably me too.
I can make your hair fall out, become dry and brittle, cause acne, cause dry skin, the sky is the limit with me.
I can make you gain weight and no matter what you eat or how much you exercise, I can keep that weight on you. I can also make you lose weight. I don't discriminate.
Some of my other autoimmune disease friends often join me, giving you even more to deal with.
If you have something planned, or are looking forward to a great day, I can take that away from you. You didn't ask for me. I chose you for various reasons:
That virus or viruses you had that you never really recovered from, or that car accident, or maybe it was the years of abuse and trauma (I thrive on stress.) You may have a family history of me. Whatever the cause, I'm here to stay.
I hear you're going to see a doctor to try and get rid of me. That makes me laugh. Just try. You will have to go to many, many doctors until you find one who can help you effectively.
You will be put on the wrong medication for you, pain pills, sleeping pills, energy pills, told you are suffering from anxiety or depression, given anti-anxiety pills and antidepressants.
There are so many other ways I can make you sick and miserable, the list is endless - that high cholesterol, gall bladder issue, blood pressure issue, blood sugar issue, heart issue among others? That's probably me.
Can't get pregnant, or have had a miscarriage?
That's probably me too.
Shortness of breath or "air hunger?" Yep, probably me.
Liver enzymes elevated? Yep, probably me.
Teeth and gum problems? TMJ?
Hives? Yep, probably me.
I told you the list was endless.
You may be given a TENs unit, get massaged, told if you just sleep and exercise properly I will go away.
You'll be told to think positively, you'll be poked, prodded, and MOST OF ALL, not taken seriously when you try to explain to the endless number of doctors you've seen, just how debilitating I am and how ill and exhausted you really feel. In all probability you will get a referral from these 'understanding' (clueless) doctors, to see a psychiatrist.
Your family, friends and co-workers will all listen to you until they just get tired of hearing about how I make you feel, and just how debilitating I can be.
Some of them will say things like "Oh, you are just having a bad day" or "Well, remember, you can't do the things you use to do 20 YEARS ago", not hearing that you said 20 DAYS ago.
They'll also say things like, "if you just get up and move, get outside and do things, you'll feel better." They won't understand that I take away the 'gas' that powers your body and mind to ENABLE you to do those things.
Some will start talking behind your back, they'll call you a hypochondriac, while you slowly feel that you are losing your dignity trying to make them understand, especially if you are in the middle of a conversation with a "normal" person, and can't remember what you were going to say next. You'll be told things like, "Oh, my grandmother had that, and she's fine on her medication" when you desperately want to explain that I don't impose myself upon everyone in the exact same way, and just because that grandmother is fine on the medication SHE'S taking, doesn't mean it will work for you.
They will not understand that having this disease impacts your body from the top of your head to the tip of your toes, and that every cell and every body system and organ requires the proper amount and the right kind of of thyroid hormone medication for YOU.....Not what works for someone else.
The only place you will get the kind of support and understanding in dealing with me is with other people that have me. They are really the only ones who can truly understand.
Hi Clutter - thanks for your reply. Very long too!!
Right.
GP wants bloods tested mid-January and she said around the 18th or 19th. Not sure if I can get one earlier but I'll call them to see if I can perhaps get one in next week.
GP hasn't mentioned testing for calcium.
I don't think there's any chance of meeting up with my mum and stepdad for a week or two as my other half has said if I go out to Tenerife on my own he'll leave me. He's also said we can't fly out there together as he's the only one who's working and the flights are still expensive.
I will copy and paste the "I Am Hashimoto's Disease" into Word and print it off so thank you.
p.s. I've moved the blood test to Wednesday this week. But because I've been getting trouble sleeping last night, heart palpitations and some sweating I'm worried the result will come back normal despite me feeling so poorly.
One of the best sources of folate is liver. You also get vitamin A, iron, zinc and copper in the same package, and I think it's pretty important to get all of those vitamins and minerals.
Not everyone likes eating liver, but for me it definitely beats capsules or tablets. I have developed a taste for it. I eat it with bacon, fried onions and mashed potato!
I don't much like swallowing medicine either, and there was a point when my thyroid was probably a bit swollen that I could barely get anything down. I reckon aversion to swallowing tablets might be a symptom of hypothyroidism, and if that's the case, it will hopefully go away when you get onto the right dose of levo.
I don't liver at all!! :/ I used to back when I was younger. Funny how some things you liked when you were little you don't like now and vice versa. Strange.
I'm wondering if there are any other things high in folate I can have and that I like. I do like most things but things I don't like are:
Liquorice
Oysters
Prawns (partial to them but no overly)
Liver
Kidney (as in steak and kidney pie)
Thanks
Jo xxx
Hi reallyfedup,
no I don't take a 500g vitamin C tablet with the Spatone but the Spatone I have does have Vitamin C in it.
I have tried increasing the Spatone to 3 sachets a day and I felt sick a few hours after. This was after my usual dose of 1 and taking the other 2 together much later on.
Gosh Jo I know just how you feel. On the outside we look fine but inside we are wrecks trying to cope with basic everyday things. I have thyroid cancer and had the right lobe of it removed last February and am now seriously hypothyroid and the meds don't work. I went to a well known health shop for some ingredients to make my vegan chocolate. The assistant asked why I was buying them and I said I have to be careful with my diet because of the cancer and his reply was, wait for it, "You're looking good on it!" I pointed out to him most cancers are inside the body and cannot be seen and that I didn't feel good. People are so ignorant!!
Whatever you do don't leave there's loads of people on the site that will help and keep on with the meds, you need them! Could you visit your relatives in Spain so you could make your own vitamin d?
Good luck and I hope you start feeling better soon.
Unfortunately I don't know if I can visit my folks in Spain as my boyfriend has said if I fly out there on my own he'll leave me and we can't afford to fly out together as he has to give so many weeks' notice and we also can't afford it.
I do feel for you -it is a tough road and it takes time to understand this condition -believe me in time you will end up knowing more than many docs It is difficult to take in information when you feel so poorly.
In your position i would focus on a couple of things at a time. I can quite understand that otherwise it just becomes too overwhelming.
Whilst your GP is getting her/his act together -i would get the supplements in -in particular the folate and B12 as you are low in them as these will help you to absorb and use the levothyroxine you are taking.
I do agree with the others that your blood test results indicate that you are under medicated with levo -this has to be increased in gradual stages -this is because your body has to be woken up gradually from its hypothyroid state. Usually the doc will up the dose about every 6-8weeks until you are well medicated.
The difficulty on top for you is that your antibodies that are attacking your thyroid will vary -so sometimes they will attack your thyroid more than at other times -this can make you feel more poorly when the antibodies are high and better when they are low. This means when your antibodies are high it will kill more of your thyroid off so you will need more levoth.... but at other times you might find you don't need as much when the antibodies are low. Eventually your thyroid won't be able to recover from the antibody attacks and you will need a consistent high dose of levothyroxine.
This variance can be confusing for your GP as your blood test results will not be consistent. I hope this makes sense. Am wondering if this is why your GP was holding off with the next blood test.....
Am afraid doctors rely so heavily on the blood tests but really they should be looking at how you are feeling and what your signs are ( such as fatigue, dry skin, scalloped tongue, swollen fingers/ ankles, blood pressure, constipation etc...)..
This is much longer than i meant to write - so, so sorry -so read it in stages and I hope it makes sense! If not come back to me......
Hi Wavylines!! Thanks for your reply. I was a bit confused with the antibodies thing as I thought if my antibodies are not as high as before that means that they won't ever get high again. So this might not be the case at all!
I've developed other symptoms on top of the ones I usually get with the hypo ones - last night I found it difficult to sleep - constant tossing and turning. Took me about 2 and a half hours to get to sleep. Had palpitations despite breathing slow and deep enough to calm my heart down. Didn't work.
On top of that my eyes felt so heavy and I thought "I'll be able to sleep now my eyes feel so heavy." Didn't work either.
Unfortunately when I see my GP and say I feel tired and get cramps they look at my results and if the TSH is a little over they will then turn round to me and say "how are you emotionally/mentally?" It's as almost as if they're asking me if I have mental problems! I really don't want to go down the route of seeing a counsellor as I once saw a sexual abuse counsellor (I was assaulted when I was 15) and he was very brusque with me, firing all sorts of questions and making me feel like the assault was all my fault. And there is a stigma attached to mental health these days.
Ooh I remember that tossing and turning well Jo -it's horrid -you are probably worried understandably on top of everything else -especially as your previous GP practice did not listen. Lol.
I know the deep breathing is meant to work but personally I find distraction really helpful -such as reading or listening to music/ audio book or going downstairs making a milky drink and watching some non stressful TV programme/DVD like a comedy show.
I know you don't want to worry your Mum as she is abroad -but maybe you can have a Skype chat with her? have a little heart to heart? Is she sympathetic? I'm a Mum and have 2 sons in their 20's and I would be heart broken if they didn't tell me something like this was going on for them if I was abroad.
You are right there is a stigma attached to mental health -sorry to hear that you found the counselor so brusque -very off putting -am surprised they allocated a male counsellor after your horrendous experience.
GP's can be very quick to pick up on emotional states as an explanation for medical symptoms they can't explain -however a good one should be noting it as a part of treating Hashi's. -as it can affect your moods according to what those naughty anti-bodies are up to.....lol
I've got Ovaltine in the cupboard - that might help!!
Unfortunately my mum doesn't have Skype and the mobile she has, has an echo which is off-putting. They do go on Facebook although they don't have an internet connection in their villa - they have to use and pay for one in a local bar.
Plus, my mum is really over in Tenerife to get better herself. She has primary progressive MS you see, and the hot weather helps her. She has none of these choking fits, her mobility is better and she doesn't have to rely on using her motorised cart so much. My stepdad is her carer but he isn't very well himself - he's just had the second of his hips replaced and he's been in pain since the operation!
Yes, naughty anti-bodies. Seem to be disappearing and coming back.
I had no idea what the thyroid was and neither did any of my relations when I told them I was first diagnosed hypothyroid in May last year.
So thanks for your reply. I really hope I will get better as my previous practice refused to keep testing my thyroid after a high TSH and then a lower, in range one.
I was told that the reason they don't want to test too often is because it is expensive.
I do believe that it must be more expensive for all those with these problems taking up GP appointments due to side effects and or additional problems associated with under active thyroid.
It is a long and winding road and many people do not understand how we feel.
Have you a best friend you can talk too?
Take one day at a time, i am not good in mornings and sometimes do not feel up to doing anything. i bought a puppy last year, and whilst she wears me out she makes me go for a walk. Sometimes I don't know how I put one foot in front of the other but we get there in the end.
It helps that I am not working and I know I am lucky in that.
I don't have a best friend I can talk to but I see 2 ladies from my local support group as they go to Art Group with me. I talk to them about things with myself.
I feel terrible talking to them about it at times because I know that they've been suffering too. They've had their hypothyroidism for a lot longer than me and neither of them have Hashimoto's so it's that much harder to go through everything with them. They also take the same meds and they cope fine with them - so it makes me think to myself "well, why isn't it working for me as it does for them?"
You have a puppy?? I love puppies!!! I had a Jack Russell Terrier when I lived with my folks but we didn't take him out for many walks even though he was a dog meant for that sort of lifestyle!
I find animals very therapeutic no matter what you do with them. When I was out earlier today I came across a lovely little black and white cat. I said hello to it and went over to it. It didn't move away or scratch at me or anything. I petted it a few times and then it wanted more attention. That sort of thing brightens up my day and cheers me up.
We are all different and different people need differing meds and deal with things in different ways.
Animals depend on us for love and food etc. I suppose we are the same really.
The internet is somewhere you can put your thoughts onto. I dont put anything on social media sites as i feel sometimes you can get negative responses on them.
Keep writing on here people understand and will be able to give you information too.
Thanks Yana. I don't know if I have adrenal issues at all but because I haven't gained any weight and simply lose weight from eating more than usual I assumed it may be adrenal related.
Jo xxx
Completely agree about the difficulty of understanding all the technical stuff. Especially when it comes at one as jargon. Marginally worse, maybe, is not being told anything at all (case with my doc)! If you're taking new supplements it might be worth considering taking one thing at a time - then you can gauge what has made a difference. If you take everything at once (even if you can define 'everything' :0) then you maybe won't be sure what has helped and what hasn't. In my experience some stuff makes more of a difference - and everyone is different as to what that may be.
Good luck. Hang in there. It's really rough when all you want is a bit of sympathy and there isn't any. Do your relations know you're hypothyroid? Could you, perhaps, write them an email, explaining what's wrong and how it affects you? I suggest an email because then it isn't interactive; you can get all the information across before someone interrupts you, then they have it in writing to absorb and refer back to. Then if they want to talk about it you've both got a reference point. Just a thought ...
in reply to
Hi, yes. Not being told anything at all is bad. 2 other GPs at my practice refused to accept I had an autoimmune disease despite having elevated Anti-TPO antibodies but this GP I have been seeing and sticking with lately has been very helpful in accepting that I have an inappropriate immune response.
Yes, my relations do know I am hypothyroid and they were forever on at me to get a job and so on - not so much now.
I once created a website that my friends/relatives could visit and read up about what Hashimoto's is and does but the only time they saw it was when I showed them and sent them a link on Facebook. Since then they still don't understand but I think it may be because there is no family history of thyroid disease so to them it's new.
An email does sound like a good idea however, but I posted a lot of stuff on Hashimoto's and recommending pages on Facebook about it. I then had a phone call from my grandparents saying they didn't like me posting health-related things for them to see - even though it was stuff that only my friends could view!
Hi Jo, there must be something about the older generation keeping on and being unsympathetic. My grandfather was exactly the same, you weren't allowed to be ill, he'd keep on about work and keep on and on etc, no matter how ill you were feeling. It's frustrating because it's a hidden illness, it's not like having a broken leg which people can see. P.s if guys are chatting you up in the street and you're not well take that as a compliment lol.
I'm still unofficially diagnosed, is a battle but I can really sympathise with what you're going through, there's a lot to take on board and I think we sometimes know more than the doctors about the illness.
To be honest I find there are very few people who actually have the ability to listen and understand. It's one of those things where I think people have to actually have been through it to gain an understanding. I think that's why this site is such a godsend.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
xx
Seem to be disappearing and coming back.
Anxiety & depression overwhelm after NDT & stress
Newly diagnosed and feeling overwhelmed 
Overwhelmed- Diagnosed Hyperthyroid yesterday
Recommendation for b12 supplement -feeling overwhelmed
heart attack yesterday feeling overwhelmed 
