hi my name is marge

[marge1245]

 I am looking for further information on thyroid weight and why  I can't get the weight off and what is Hashimoto's 

[humanbean]

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and autoimmune hypothyroidism are two names for the same condition. UK doctors rarely refer to Hashimoto's they prefer the other name. There is another type of autoimmune hypothyroidism called Ord's Thyroiditis which rarely gets mentioned. My understanding is that Hashimoto's causes the thyroid to swell and people often end up with a goitre. Ord's Thyroiditis causes the thyroid to atrophy.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashi...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ord's...

Where iodine intake is adequate, approximately 90% of people with hypothyroidism have autoimmune hypothyroidism.

In autoimmune hypothyroidism the body develops antibodies that attack the thyroid. Cells in the thyroid get damaged and killed off. These attacks on the thyroid can be detected in blood tests, and people often feel very unwell. Eventually (it can take many years) there is too little of the thyroid left to maintain sufficient thyroid hormone output and the patient becomes hypothyroid.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum Marge,

There is no thyroid history in your Profile. Have you been diagnosed (I guess you have and it's Hashimotos), Hashimotos is an Autoimmune Thyroid Disease and I'll give you a link.

We have to read and learn in order to get well. The difference between hashi's and hypothyroidism, is that you have antibodies and they attack the thyroid gland. Sometimes there's too many and can make the person feel bad.

Unexplained weight gain puzzles many people and eventually they are diagnosed as hypo or hashis.

I will give you a couple of links as we have to know what's going on in our bodies as few doctors know.

First, when you have your next blood test it should be the earliest possible and don't eat before it but you can drink water. Leave about 24 hours between your last dose and the blood test and take it afterwards. This allows the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) to be at it's highest as doctors only take notice of this and adjust meds to keep TSH within range. That's not good for us. We usually feel better when our TSH is around 1 or lower.

You take levo once daily with a glass of water on an empty stomach and wait about 1 hour before eating. Food can interfere with the uptake of the hormone.

Also, every time you have a blood test always get a print-out with the ranges and you can post for comments or if you have a query.  We are entitled to a print-out and some surgeries charge a nominal sum.

Usually when you are on sufficient hormones the weight will reduce. Sometimes it does so without diet but sometimes you might need to diet. We wont lose weight until our medication is at an optimal for us.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

p.s. If GP hasn't tested B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate ask for these to be done.