Really need some help

[Laralou29]

Hi,

19 months ago I had my baby boy and I haven't felt right since. Iv had l blood tests under the sun nothing comes up apart from slightly low ferritin. The doctor said he checked for thryoid and it's fine. My main synptoms are extreme tiredness even with full nights sleep. Low mood. Light periods, weight loss, feeling boiling hot at night. I asked for the reverse t3 test and the doctor said point blank no. does anyone know if I did have hypothyroidism if it could go on for this long? I have all the symptoms of it and all I keep getting sent away with are anti depressants help

[HEA72]

Gosh you poor thing,I do feel for you. If you post your test results on here,we can give you more help.

[Laralou29 in reply to HEA72]

Thanks I will try and get hold of them I take it I can just ask for a copy

[HEA72 in reply to Laralou29]

I usually phone my surgery and ask for the actual readings and write them down. It's quicker I find.

[Piret]

Hello, I had to answer because this is so similar what happened to me. Although when my thyroid was initially tested about 3-4 months after I gave birth it was showing really overactive. I was boiling hot all the time, losing weight and hair. What are your actual test results, can you get them and post them? did you have thyroid antibodies test? if not, you need to demand it. In my case the overactive thyroid turned underactive and then I developed Hashimotos which I'm now stuck with for the rest of my life. Even recently though my results were in "normal" range but getting gradually worse, so after much complaining I was put on thyroxine. You should definitely start some iron supplementing, but please post your exact results. From my own experience I think it's very likely you might have a thyroid problem.....x

[Laralou29 in reply to Piret]

Thanks for ur reply. I forgot to mention slight hair loss too. I'm going to the doctors shortly so I will get my results. Unfortunately I can't tolerate the iron tablets. I have some iron drinks I take. My ferritin was 26 last time they checked which they said is in the normal range. It has only got up to 26 in 19 months because it was about 7 after I had my baby x

[humanbean in reply to Laralou29]

Don't forget to ask for the reference ranges with your results. You can't interpret your figures without them.

[Piret in reply to Laralou29]

Yes I know, the iron tablets irritate my stomach too. I try to take 1 tablet a day at the moment. I haven't tested my iron for a while but last time it was about 30 and I doubt it has gotten higher. Have you got slow digestion? I do and I started taking Betain/Pepsin supplements with food, they can help to absorb vitamins so I'm hoping maybe it will help with ferritin as well. Also don't take the antidepressants, they will make your thyroid worse and just mask whatever else is going on. I have been suffering with depression since the thyroid problems and it is really hard, but I always rejected any kind of antidepressants. stay strong and don't let the doctors dismiss your concerns. x

[Laralou29 in reply to Piret]

Yeah my digestion is really slow. Have been diagnosed with ibs. I have the prescription for anti depressants but not taking them much to my families concern! I am only down because of all these things going wrong. Doctors have pretty much told me there's nothing else they can do for me ! X

[shaws Administrator in reply to Laralou29]

If you have hypo (undiagnosed as yet) and have stomach problems, taking some apple cider vinegar in juice or water (raw ACV is best but organic will do). Put a couple of teaspoons in either a glass of water or juice and you can sip it with your meals, it helps to relieve stomach as we are usually low in stomach acid although symptoms with high acid are so similar and that's why GP prescribes antacids.

Also Betaine/pepsin tablets are helpful too. The purpose of acid is to digest protein in foods and if we don't have sufficient acid it cannot happen and then we get symptoms. Everything with hypo slows, i.e. temperature and pulse.

[shaws Administrator]

Hi Laralou

I am sorry you are feeling quite unwell, and you have obviously looked up the symptoms and it is a shame that doctors pay not attention nowadays to them and they aren't trained as medical students either. Doctors used to be able to tell outright if a patient had a thyroid gland problem just by their symptoms and they were given natural dessicated thyroid hormones until well.

It is quite common for women after giving birth can develop hypothyroidism. As suggested get a print-out from the surgery (I usually make a mistake if it's over the phone) and we are entitled to copies. From now on always get a copy of your blood tests for your own records. This is a link re fertility and pregnancy which might be helpful. Also look at the topics and the very top of the page which you might like to read.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[shaws Administrator]

This is another link:

sott.net/article/265343-The...

With hypothyroidism, everything in our body is affected till we get a proper dose of meds.

[Laralou29]

Hi everyone. So Iv got my results. The only test they have ever done is serum tsh level and it's 1.72 miu/L [0.25-4.0]? In furious they said they had done all tests? It also says adjusted calcium below range whatever that means!! X

[Piret in reply to Laralou29]

that is far from enough. You also need free T4 and free T3 and the different thyroid antibodies at the very least. Also vit D should be checked at the very least.

[Laralou29 in reply to Piret]

I don't know what to do now. Tempted to find. New doctors. Or shall I just pay for the full thyroid tests.

[HEA72 in reply to Laralou29]

If it was me, I'd ask your GP for the free T4, free T3 & thyroid antibodies tests. Get as much as you can free on the NHS if it's available! If they say no to your request (very common!), going private maybe the way forward. There's information on the Thyroid UK's website about private testing, they also supply a list of private doctors who diagnose and treat thyroid conditions more comprehensively than on the NHS. In the past I've managed to get TSH and free T4 from my GP and at another surgery when I lived in a different town TSH, free T4 and free T3 amazingly!!!! It was the T4 & and more so the T3 tests that revealed I was hypo to my doctor, so it's really worth getting them done. I think it really depends on which doctor you see, which PCT you're in and the labs they use which will indicate what tests you'll get.

If you get the testing done and it shows you're hypo, I'd really recommend you reading Dr Durrant Peatfield's book: 'your thyroid and how to keep it healthy'. It's a super book for both lay-person and doctors. He gives lots of info on self treating and giving you an informed choice about how you choose to treat your thyroid issue. If you have the patience, it maybe worth trying the logical steps he recommends first before embarking on hormone replacement, which he indicates is the last option to try. Some people have thyroid conditions that can be corrected with just nutritional supplements and diet alone. I tried to fix mine without hormones but couldn't frustratingly, yet I know others who have been successful. Just saying that once you're on the hormones, there's often little chance of turning back, because the thyroid just gives up completely once there's hormones in the system doing the job for it. Which is what I'm currently experiencing! But of course it's totally up to you which route you take. Just letting you know there are choices when you first embark on treatment options. The NHS route of there only being 'Levothyroxine' isn't the only treatment method. And there's plenty of help and advice on Thyroid UK's website and lots of really friendly helpful informative people on here too to help you on your way.

Good luck and wishing you a return of health.

[humanbean in reply to Laralou29]

Taking vitamin D will often raise calcium levels I think. It would be worth getting your vitamin D level checked, because when it is low, or low in range, people tend to feel dreadful.