Having a good day but still going the doctors. Feel I need to be tested again even tho results are saying in normal range.

[Happy-go-lucky]

I love this site and just want to thank everyone that i have spoken to. It's a tough thing that we are all going through. Ok it's not life threatening. But it affects your whole body and mentally. Now that is bad enough and that is why this site is great. As you can pour your heart out and everyone understands. Feeling the love tonight x

[Heloise]

Hi Happy, as you know, normal range is not that meaningful. It is a way for the doctor to dismiss you though. That's okay because as long as you get your prescription meds, the rest you can do on your own. Have you analyzed your thyroid tests to see if they are as good as they should be for you? You need the upper ranges of normal once you begin therapy. I know I feel better myself because of information I've received from this site.

I'm sure it will be a life long habit. Glad you feel the same.

[Happy-go-lucky in reply to Heloise]

I never got a print out, no info or reviews, just got medicated and that was it. Am going to the doctors on Tuesday as getting headaches and feeling off balance again. Just feel like am unwell, tired and moan all the time. When used to be a happy person. But slowly getting there. I work every day and socialise as refuse to let this get me down. Thankyou xx

[Hidden in reply to Happy-go-lucky]

Ask the receptionist for a print out of your results , I was nervous to ask but this site gave me confidence and when I asked it was no hassle x

[Hidden]

I, too, am grateful for this forum as a place to not feel so alone. I hate that so many struggle with this, but knowing I am not alone just makes me feel less crazy.

[shaws Administrator]

Happy-go-lucky

I am glad you are enjoying the site and it can help us recover our health despite the guidelines and/or the doctors dismissive attitude. You will learn as you go along and hope you recover good health quickly.

It can become life-threatening - that's one of the problems with either being undiagnosed or undertreated. Nowadays people are not diagnosed by their clinical symptoms (ignored or unknown by most of the medical profession). We are diagnosed by blood tests alone.

It is the Master Gland of our body and if it functions below/over level, so does every other thing, i.e. heart, brain, etc etc. Excerpt:-

Now you must have seen that hundreds of metabolic activities and functions are influenced by both over and under activity of thyroid gland. Keeping its overall significance in metabolic activity of body in view, it is rightly termed as the master gland of human orchestra.

medicinefuture.hubpages.com...

I am glad you are enjoying the site and it can help us recover our health despite the guidelines and/or the doctors dismissive attitude.

[marram]

Just a quick extra comment - as shaws says, hypothyroidism CAN be life-threatening, do not be fooled. After many years of hypothyroidism heart problems can be common, especially 'congestive heart failure'. There is no need for anyone to suffer in this way but given how the medical establishment universally under-treats the condition, it IS a possibility. Which is why we really need to be sure we are optimally treated and don't accept second best.

Breathing problems, can also be common, and many under-treated hypothyroid patients have chronic asthma and are dependent on inhalers, and this is another potentially life-threatening complication.

I know it is the conventional view that hypothyroidism is just a bit of a problem with the metabolism and makes you tired and put on weight, but this is just not the case. The long-term effects are much more dangerous and should be avoided by optimal treatment - which the NHS rarely provides at present.

[Happy-go-lucky in reply to marram]

Your right I don't just feel cold and tired. I get muscle spasms, feel spaced out on occasion, headaches etc. at first I was very breathless and couldn't even walk up the stairs or down the street. But since being medicated, I started jogging again, go the gym. I get occasional palpations. But they have practically gone. Am going to ask for a full thyriod test on Tuesday. I don't want to be thinking its life threatening. But will be pushing the doctors for the right answers

[whiphaven]

I am in the same boat - I'm sure my GP thinks I am a hypochondriac and making it all up. I have gathered some information, and I am going to lay it on the line and ask for the tests. Last time when I questioned the TSH test she snapped back that it was the best test for thyroid function. I am feeling worse by the day, and today I feel i could sit and cry - which is so unlike me :o(

[Heloise in reply to whiphaven]

Hi whip, you must be so distressed. I've been reading on this forum for a long time now and personally suggested some sort of class action suit against the NHS. I am that appalled but don't know if it is a matter of economics or sadism. I'm in the U.S. and it isn't entirely better here either. Please don't let this stop you from learning how you can help yourself. There are a lot of resources and information right here that can support your progress.

Some symptoms are more serious than others with Hashimoto's. The thing is to try to find out as you deserve to know.

This short video touches on the many aspects of thyroid metabolism.

youtube.com/watch?v=nZ_CP7l...(Not working as expected?)

You can watch more if you click the YouTube link at the bottom.

[Happy-go-lucky in reply to whiphaven]

It's awful whip they do not give any sympathy at all. Am very lucky. I got diagnosed in 3 mths. As I kept going back all the time. Till eventually they tested me. My levels are right now but I still feel unwell and like you could just sit and cry some days. Just don't feel like me at all. But slowly getting better then was. So there is hope out there x

[Glynisrose]

Yes, it is life threatening it can take as much as 8 years off your life, you can die from having untreated or poorly treated thyroid but it would never make it on to the death certificate!! Without a working thyroid nothing in the body works properly!!

[whiphaven]

Thanks girls - but for groups like this and ones on Facebook, I would have no idea that I could still have a thyroid problem. My niece has Hashimotos, and I mentioned this to the Dr, she replied that it wasn't that as my TSH would be raised. My TSH was 2.31 with a range given of 0.25 - 5.00. Looking back to 2011 my TSH was 3.35. I have always had a weight problem, but back in 2011 I had weight loss surgery, a sleeve gastrectomy where 75-80% of the stomach is removed. I lost 70lbs slowly over 12-15 months. I never went for the strict high protein regime that some of the others did, I just ate normal things, but in much smaller portions. I got to a stage where I was happy with my weight - and have maintained it for 2 years. Although now I have only put on around 3-4lbs, I feel enormous, and my lower and upper abdomen looks bloated. I have never had high blood pressure even at my heaviest weight, but suddenly at the end of March my blood pressure started rising quickly. At one point it was 225/110 and my Dr put me on beta blockers.

I have had a period of continuous stress for the last 18 months. After the weight loss I was bothered by my sagging skin, and went for a breast uplift in Poland. The surgeon did a reduction instead of just an uplift, and a pretty bad one at that. I have horrendous scarring, and my nipples have been placed too high resulting in nipples on the flatter top part of my breast, and hanging tissue below. I have been devastated, and fighting for justice. I expressly said to his interpreter, that I did not want to lose any breast tissue. There is nothing that can be done about the nipples being too high other than to cut them out and move them down leaving a scar above - which I don't want. So my battle for justice continues. I haven't been sleeping well for quite a while.

I have been a couch potato all my life, but after losing the weight, and wanting to keep it off and tone up - I joined the gym at the end of January this year (along with many others I guess after Xmas!). I do wonder whether my adrenal glands were already stressed and fatigued, and working out has made the problem worse??? I recently sent off for a private adrenal stress profile which revealed I have low morning cortisol. It was about 8 weeks after starting the gym that my blood pressure rose suddenly. I was more pee'd off as I thought going to the gym was supposed to make you more healthy!! I have carried on going, and most weeks go 2-3 times for and hour to and hour and a half, and occasionally more if we do an exercise class afterwards.

Thank you so much for your support, as I now feel able to tackle my doctor and insist she looks further into my thyroid function. Wish me luck!

Juney xx

[Heloise in reply to whiphaven]

oops, I didn't hit the reply button when I wrote the post below.

[Heloise]

My oh my, what a predicament. I don't know exactly how the surgeries may have affected your adrenal glands but that could be part of this. Yes, too much exercise is also a problem with adrenals . It's also been presented that the TSH test is more for the pituitary gland and less of a thyroid test. I don't know if you read the Stop the Thyroid Madness website but this article on adrenals I have bookmarked:

stopthethyroidmadness.com/a...

[Happy-go-lucky]

Thank you that was very helpful x