I am sorry but this will be long as I am going to unpack almost 50 years of medical history.
I have struggled with my weight ever since I hit puberty and had a very bad time loosing weight. Although my thyroid kept being checked by various GPs over the years they always told me I was borderline and no need for meds. If I was feeling tired and depressed it was all down to being fat, greedy and lazy. I remember in my early 20s spending weeks and weeks sleeping most of the day because I couldn't keep up, and when I was up I could hardly think and function as my brain refused to work.
In 2013, at 44, I was 30st (at 5'7'') and so low that all I wanted to do was to be alone. I was depressed, irritable and lashing out at my family, having terrible mood swings, unable to think or concentrate. I had huge never ending abundant and extremely painful periods. I thought I was in the early stages of the menopause and went to see one of the GPs at the local practice. We had recently moved so this was the first time I saw a doctor there. He was very young and his words were "I can't do anything for you, you need to loose the weight", no help with my pain, no help with my never ending periods, nothing unless I lost the weight.
Since he obviously was so helpful I decided to make an appointment with one of the senior partners at the practice (Dr. G. B), and he was incredibly supportive. I explained to him that I couldn't loose the weight no matter what I did and that it kept pillying on despite my best efforts. I did not eat takeaways, processed foods or anything fried. He ordered a number of tests and diagnosed me as hypothyroid. He also sent me to see an endocrinologist (Mr. J.) and a gynecologist (Mr. H.).
At that point my GP started me on 50mcg of Levothyroxine (I learnt today that at the time (early 2013) my THS levels were 3.4 and my T4 was 14.4 whatever that means). The gynecologist recommended that I have a Mirena coil fitted which greatly helped with my menstrual problems. The endocrinologist told me that he thought I wouldn't loose the weight and said that the only solution would be a gastric by-pass, which to me sounded barbaric, but he sent me away telling me that I would have to wait a year for the operation anyway and loose at least 1st in the meantime. The endocrinologist also recommended that my Levothyroxine be upped to 75mcg and that I take Metaformin twice a day for polycistic ovaries and metabolic syndrome. My GP also prescribed Orlistat to aid in the weight loss.
In April 2013 I started going to Slimming World and lost 7.5st in 15 months. Obviously the GP was delighted and the endocrinologist seemed very surprised and kept asking me if I was taking anything else than what my doctors had prescribed. I was very happy too obviously and was looking forward to getting to 11st within another 2 years.
In May 2014 my brother had a brain hemorrhage and stayed for 2 months in hospital 100 miles from where we live which was obviously very disruptive. I had to cancel several endocrinologist appointments and in the end told the secretary that I would ask my GP to refer me again once things had settled back to normal. Unfortunately my lovely GP (Dr. G. B.) retired at the end of July 2014.
In August 2014 I had a very bad gallbladder attack. I had had issues with my gallbladder in the past and ended up in hospital twice. This time since I was loosing weight and obviously on a low fat diet no explanation could be found. I was sent for a scan and the radiographer told me that my gallbladder was constantly contracted (I had fasted for more than 16 hours and the gallbladder was still contracted).
At this point my periods became a concern again as they started to go on for weeks on end and be very abundant and painful again. I believe that at some point I expelled the Mirena coil without realising it and this sent my menstrual cycle haywire. As an added bonus, since I was going to my Slimming World group every week, I noticed that whenever my period started I put on up to 11lbs and it would take me about 3 or 4 weeks to loose the weight, by which time my cycle would start again and the weight would go up again. So from Septembre 2014 my weight loss bacame a huge struggle going up and down depending on my cycle. I also developed anemia and my substitute GP gave me iron supplements.
I had no idea when my thyroid needed to be checked so didn't have any further tests trusting that my GP would see to it and advise accordingly.
When I complained about tiredness, dry skin and hair loss I was told that it would go away as soon as the iron tablets would take effect. At this point I put down my depression, mood swings and irritability to the way I was and that was it.
In early 2015 I started having terrible aches in my arms and joints, as if someone was putting hot rods through them. I would wake up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. My GP diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome and I had my right hand operation in May 2015. There was talk of doing my left hand as well but I found the opration so disruptive that I don't want to have it unless really needed.
For a almost year, despite my best efforts and continuing to go to Slimming World my weight seemed to stay firmly at the same place, going up and down with my periods but not going further down. By this time I was 22st 5lbs. My GP gave me oral contraceptives and after about 4 months, in July 2015, I had a new Mirena coil fitted which helped with my periods.
Around May 2015 I started having what I call my "Death Warmed Over" episodes. Out of the blue, despite feeling well a couple of hours before, I would start shivering and feeling so cold, as if the cold was within me (think Harry Potter and the dementors). I would also feel very unwell, really thinking that I was dying or close to death. I would have to drag myself to bed and lay under 3 or 4 duvets, despite the beautiful sunshine outside. I wouldn't move as any movement would be agony and would make the cold much worse. It would take me about 8 hours to warm up, and then my temperature would go up and I would boil for a couple of hours before my temperature would got down again. Every bone and joint in my body hurt as if they had been broken in 1000 pieces and needed to be regrown. The following day I would be so tired that I could hardly move and everything ached. I kept having these episodes at regular intervals every 3 to 4 weeks. Sometimes in the morning just after breakfast, sometimes in the afternoon, sometimes around 9pm.
I went to the GP again and explained my symptoms to her. I also reiterated the fact that I was feeling very tired, loosing my hair (in huge clumps), feeling depressed, my skin was dry and I couldn't loose weight no matter what I did, ate or how much I exercised. At this time, I was still on 75mcg Levothyroxine and had been at that dose since early 2013. She agreed to test my thyroid and upped my dose to 100mcg once the results were back. I have no idea what the results were at this point (November 2015).
After my Levothyroxine dosed was upped to 100mcg I started to loose some weight again and managed to get my 8st loss award in December 2015 and my 8.5st loss award in March this year. Much slower than I had hoped for but after more than 18 months of no real loss I was happy and thought it would be plain sailing from there onwards.
In March this year my THS was retested to see if I was on the right dose. It came back as 1.3 which my GP said was normal. I complained about feeling tired, dry skin, my sinus problems getting worse, feeling cold (but not as bad as before), but she said it had nothing to do with my thyroid since it was in the normal range. She said my cholesterol was high but didn't seem overly concerned as she told it was to be expected with hypothyroidism. My constipation, which had always been pretty bad had gotten worse and she prescribed Laxido.
In late May I went to see her again as I was feeling tired and my bones were aching all over. I have terrible pains in my legs and sometimes they spread to my arms and joints. I was also having trouble loosing weight again, my weight loss becoming stagnant in an up and down pattern again. My THS came back as 1.7 (it had been 1.3 in March), she told me it was in the normal range and she couldn't up the dose as she had done so once before desoite the fact that it was normal, which makes me think that it might have been in the normal range in November 2015 when I was feeling close to death.
She requested a vitamin D. test and explained to me that the normal range was above 50. Deficient was between 50 and 30. And anything below 30 was bad. My test came back as 15. She put me on 1600IU a day for an initial 3 months, I have been taking the tablets for 2 months now and the aches and pain continue.
I have been very depressed, especially by my lack of weight loss. I keep going to my Slimming World group every Thursday, I have tried everything I could think off. I even went on a 1000 calories a day diet for 2 weeks, the first week I put on hald a pound...but I thought it needed time to kick in...the following week I put on 4 pounds!
Although my husband is very supportive he clearly doesn't understand how frustrating it is for me to be stuck where I am and unable to move forward despite my best efforts (on top of the diet I walk our Doberman for 2 hours a day and swim twice a week). I am more irritable and lash out at him or at my mum and feel terribly guilty about it. I have been crying in secret for the past two months and feel like I am at the end of the road.
I went to see the senior GP at my practice today. I had gone to see the pratice nurse to get my repeat prescription for Orlistat last week and when I explained the situation she advised to see the senior GP.
She started by weighing me, TWICE! She couldnºt believe that I had put on 11lbs in the week since I had seen the nurse. I explained to her that I was exercising and doing Slimming World. I asked her when was my FT4 and FT3 checked. She told me my T4 had been checked in early 2013 and was 14.4 at the time but that my T3 had never been checked as the endocrinologist would need to request those. She said she couldn't up my Levothyroxine dose as my THS was within the normal range. I started crying in front of her, I felt so desperate! She told me she would write to the endocrinologist and see what he advised...but how long would that take?
I made a list of all my ailments and complaints from the Thyroid UK Hypothyroidism - Signs and Symptoms page, I ticked all the boxes that applied to me, I told her about my periods starting to last over 3 weeks again but she didn't seem interested. According to her all could be explained by my vitamin D. deficiency.
I am not sure what my next course of action should be. I hate being melodramatic but I do feel like I have nothing left and this misery will be it till the end. I saw on the Thyroid UK site that you could order your own lab tests but being a total newbie I have no idea which one to choose and where to turn to for help.
I am sorry this has been so long. Any help is much appreciated.
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Mordillo
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Aww Mordillo you poor thing. Well done for getting all that down, and you've come to the right place for help.
You need to educate yourself about thyroid and it would be a very good idea if you can spend £99 on a private fingerprick blood test to get a full picture of what is going on.
You already know of ThyroidUK's website, so have a good look round there and learn all you can about your condition.
You can get your blood test through here bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/T... This will test your TSH, FT4, FT3, both thyroid antibodies (TPO and TG), and will also check the vital vitamins and minerals, Vit D, B12, Ferritin and Folate. That is a good starting point.
From what you've already said you know you are deficient in Vit D and unfortunately the dose you've been given is nowhere near enough. Advice given here when I was severely deficient with a level of 15 was to start with a loading dose of 40,000iu daily for 2-3 weeks, then reduce to 5,000iu daily and within 2.5 months I had got my level up to 200. I reduced to 5,000iu alternate days and got my level down to 150 (recommended is 100-150). I've just re-tested and must have had some benefit from the bit of sun we've had during the summer and it's gone back up to 196, so for the time being I will be taking 5,000iu twice a week then during the winter I will be taking 2,000iu daily as a maintenance dose. So you see, your 1600iu daily for 3 months is rather a drop in the ocean. If you want to buy your own so you can mega dose, this is a good one (the one I use) and is a good price bodykind.com/product/2463-B...
When taking D3 you also need to take K2-MK7. Vit D aids absorption of calcium from food, K2 directs it to bones and teeth rather than arteries and soft tissues. Magnesium is another cofactor which we need when taking Vit D.
So that should put you right as far as Vit D is concerned, and I think you may find that once you start to get your level up then some of the symptoms ie aches and pains, should start to disappear.
I would bet that you are also low in B12, ferritin and folate. But let's see some test results first and then we can advise where any deficiencies lie and suggest supplements that may be necessary.
Also, once we see TSH, FT4 and the very important FT3, then we can suggest whether you are optimally treated - you aren't because your GP is going by TSH only and it's the free T4 and more importantly the free T3 that should be a guide to dosing. Once optimally medicated other things will start to happen. Weight loss should become easier, dieting isn't the best thing for us hypos anyway because it doesn't really work for us. Optimal medication is what helps us lose weight. You will find that slowly a lot of your other symptoms will get better too.
Your GP may not accept the Blue Horizon results, even so you could use them as leverage and ask her to do her own tests. Or, you can be guided by the very experienced members here who seem to have a lot more knowledge of the thyroid, how it works, and how to treat it than a lot of doctors. If necessary, it's possible to obtain thyroid medication without prescription and follow the guidance of members who successfully self medicate. But that's further down the line if you can't get anywhere with your GP.
So for now, get the Blue Horizon test done, make a new thread when you get the results, post them with reference ranges, and begin your journey to better health. (((hugs)))
I was musing over the different tests available from the links on the Thyroid UK site. Which one would you recommend that would give me a good and in depth look at what is going on?
For a start Mordillo the one I linked to, Thyroid Plus Eleven, covers everything to do with thyroid and vits and mins. If you don't want to bother with another Vitamin D test then do the Thyroid Plus Ten, it's exactly the same minus Vit D and £20 cheaper bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/e...
Vit D can always be tested separately in the future by City Assays (NHS City Hospital, Birmingham) who do a home fingerprick blood spot test for £28. They suggest testing twice a year when supplementing.
T3 is the one to focus on in terms of weight loss. If it's low then you won't lose. Levo doesn't contain T3 so if you're not converting then you're metabolism will be affected. Once you get these test results you'll know better. I agree with grey goose about slimming world but it's better than not doing anything. The issue we face is not being able to process carbs very well so we store them as fat quicker than others so low carb is helpful. Google losing weight with hypothyroidism and that's what comes up. Low carb eating is a lifestyle not a diet and that's the way to view it. Any help I can be let me know
Hi Jodypody thanks for your reply. I agree that SW is not the best but it seemed to work when I lost my initial 7.5st. And as you say it is better than doing nothing. I have made some lovely friends too and quite frankly if I wasn't going every week I would have been tempted to just give up, it has kept me in the straight and narrow.
I tried a no carb high fat diet for 2 weeks but put on weight with it, but then again, it was around May or June last year when I was putting on anyway everytime my cycle started.
I am wondering since I was loosing weight consistently at the beginning whether I was converting it but that now the Levo is at the wrong dose? I was surprised to see that in May my THS was 1.3 and it had risen to 1.7 in July. In both cases I was fasting but I had taken my Levo first thing in the morning as I wasn't aware it would make a difference.
The reason for getting blood tests first thing in the morning is to maximise your TSH. It varies throughout the day, and getting a low TSH later in the day might get your meds reduced.
The reason for not taking your levo is to minimise the Free T4 result. If it ended up high that could be another reason for getting your meds reduced.
Wow so if your tsh was 1.7 when you'd taken it's likely to be higher again. Make sure you get these up to date results and then post them on here do we can advise you. Ultimately though it's your t3 that is the key here. I remember doing a week of 1200 calories a day and doing insanity every day and putting on 2lb 😀 Turned out I had a t3 of 3.2 after I persisted on having it tested
There is scope to increase your levothyroxine as your TSH is not low. However, your symptoms are quite severe and so just upping your medication a little will not be sufficient.
I would ask your doctors to treat your symptoms with less attention to the blood tests. It is reasonable to increase your medication as long as you do not show signs of over activity.
I would not spend too much money on home test kits as they are not accepted by doctors and I have noticed that the fT3 results in particular seem to give weird results. The most important point is to get your medication increased. Many associated deficiencies resolve once the hypothyroidism is sorted.
Thanks Jimh111. My GP refuses to up my dose. There is clearly something wrong but they seem to think that if they sort it on a piecemeal basis all will be better. I feel like I have come to them suffering from Ebola and they've decided to treat the fever as if it was a common flu, give me some anti diarrhea tablets and recommend some physio for the aches. Sorry maybe wrong analogy but it's the best I could come up with.
I went to see the senior GP at the practice yesterday and left feeling defeated. She said she would write to the consultant to ask his opinion. I am going to write a lost with all my symptoms and leave it with her secretary at the surgery asking for her to annex it to her letter. I am hoping that he will see through it and either order further tests or recommend that my dose of Levo be upped.
I am aware that the doctors will not accept the private tests but I have ordered them anyway. If anything it will give ME a clear picture of where I am and I can discuss the results with you guys and find out what is really going on and what my options are.
Some doctors do take private home tests including test kits into consideration. It does help if as a patient you show you have no issues in making complaints about poor doctors.
Mordillo, I know a lot of people swear by Slimming World, but it really isn't a healthy way to eat. It's low fat, and that's not healthy.
The body needs fat, and it needs cholesterol. A lot of hormones are made of cholesterol - estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, etc. If these are low, they will affect your menstrual cycle. Oh, and by the way, you have heavy periods because your iron is low, not the other way round.
Eating fat does not make you fat - in fact, it's easier to lose weight on a high fat diet. Personally, I don't approve of 'dieting' of any kind. You need to eat well, but not cut calories, and not cut any food groups out. You need plenty of protein, plenty of good fat - butter, animal fat, olive oil, etc. Plenty of fresh fruit and veg, some carbs, not too much fibre. And don't skimp on the salt. The things to avoid are all things processed - including processed seed oils - and all forms of unfermented soy - soy flour, soy protein, soy oil, etc.
If you eat that way, you will nourish your body - and I agree with Susie that you probably need to eat more - because another thing that will be blocking your weight-loss is nutritional deficiencies, and you have more chance of having nutritional deficiencies if you eat processed food and soy.
Do not count calories. That is unnatural, and unhelpful. Low calorie has a negative effect on the synthesis of thyroid hormones in your body, making you more hypo and putting on even more weight - as you found out. Don't do strenuous exercise, because that will use up your hormone, which you cannot easily replace, making you more hypo and putting on even more weight.
What you need at the moment - apart from an increase in your dose - is rest and good food. And, whatever you do, do not go for the gastric band! You're right, it is barbaric, and dangerous, even - and doesn't always work, either! Ignore your doctors, they know nothing about nutrition or weight control - nor very much about hormones, either! In fact, when we can get our own tests done, and buy our own hormones, I don't really know what useful purpose they serve...
Thank you for your good advice Greygoose. I agree that SW is not the best but it seemed to work when I lost my initial 7.5st. And it is better than doing nothing. I do not eat processed foods. I cook everything from scratch, no frozen foods, takeaways, crisps or biscuits. I don't eat soy either and only use olive oil. I lived for a long time abroad and my husband is from southern Europs originally so the way we eaat and cook is more to do with a Mediterranean diet than a high carb one. The only low fat things I eat are low fat natural yoghurt, natural fromage frais, cottage cheese and quark.
I tried a no carb high fat diet for 2 weeks but put on weight with it, but then again, it was around May or June last year when I was putting on anyway everytime my cycle started. And I am all for giving it another go as soon as my meds are sorted and my hypo is under control. I have been reading about low carb diet on the internet and it seems to be the best option for hypo sufferers.
I have made some lovely friends at SW and quite frankly if I wasn't going every week I would have been tempted to just give up, it has kept me in the straight and narrow.
In a way because I know that I have kept to it religiously I can show my weight history over the past 3 years and in a sense it gives me some comfort when confronted by some pig headed idiot GP who automatically thinks if you are obese it's because you eat cakes and have 200 Big Macs a week.
I have ordered my Thyroid Plus 11 and can't wait to get it, send it back and have the results! Will post results ASAP and look forward to your comments and views. I had a look around the forum and you seem to be very knowlegeable and helpful!
But... I'm sorry but eating low fat yoghurt, etc is just wrong. It's not good for you. You need the fat. The fat in yoghurt is the good fat. And, also, low fat yoghurt is processed - how do you think they get the fat out?
And quark? That is the epitome of 'processed'! There's nothing natural about it at all. Do you know how it's made?
I would never suggest cutting out all carbs. There's some evidence to suggest that some carbs are necessary for conversion. So, hypos should eat some. If you put on weight with a no-carb diet, it was probably because you decreased your T3.
Yes, I do understand about SW being a social occasion, and meeting friends, and heading off pompous GPs - met a few of them! - but SW is all about eating (albeit eating to lose weight). But what if your problem isn't what you eat? And hypo weight-gain isn't about what you eat. It probably isn't even fat.
And the worst thing about SW is that it promotes low-fat/fat-free diets, and that is just not healthy. Especially when you are hormonally challenged, as we are.
Well, exactly. Fat is what gives flavour to food. Without fat it's pretty tasteless, so these low/no-fat foods have to have other things added to them to give flavour.
And there's a reason why fat gives food its flavour - Mother Nature intended us to eat it!
You can actually do the Thyroid Plus Eleven as a microtainer test i.e. pricking your fingers and dripping blood into little vials, or as a vacutainer test i.e. getting blood taken the traditional way from the elbow. If you know someone who can take blood for you then the vacutainer would be possible for you.
Once you have your blood tubes you have to package them up and send them through the post back to the lab. Take the package to the post office and post the parcel "Guaranteed Next Day Delivery By 1pm". Be aware that you can't get this kind of delivery very late in the day. I have to post by about 3.30pm I think but it depends on the Post Office you are using.
In preparing for getting the blood drawn, please don't take your levo for the 24 hours before the test. Take the blood first thing in the morning, by 9am at the latest. Don't eat or drink in the morning before taking the blood (except water which you should drink plenty of). After you've taken the blood don't forget to take your missed dose of levo.
If you take blood on a Friday and then post it that day, it will arrive on Saturday. There is nobody in the lab to do the testing on Saturday so the blood will get old. Results with old blood are unlikely to be accurate.
Similar comments apply to posting on Saturday and Sunday - either nobody will be at the lab to test it when it arrives, or the post office won't be open to take the parcel from you.
What a horrible history of misunderstanding you have had!
I have copied below one of the most educative sites I know, which indicates perfectly how with normal T4/THS values you can still have thyroid T3 deficiency, or hashimoto. Which as well cause the same symptoms, like the one you have.
The website is in dutch, but very readible when translated dutch-english on google translate.
That article is great. I might try and contact the doctor in The Netherlands and see if he can recommend anyone in the UK or I can go over to see him (If the picture on the site is of him I wouldn't mind that at all!!!)
I am starting to think that there might be a genetic connection to my condition as my brother doesn't seem to have a thyroid. He had a pulmonary oedema in late 2014 and they did a scan. They couldn't find a thyroid and they told him it was non existant so put him on Levo. In the same scan they found a begnin brain tumour which they operated, it was while he was visiting us to recoup after the op that he had the brain haemorrhage. My mum has always struggled with her weight since she was a child and eats very little because she doesn't want to put on weight. She also had miscarriges. She is 82 now and lives with us. I know it might be old age but she is constantly complaining of feeling cold, her bones aching and her skin is terribly dry no matter how much she mosturizes.
In holland there are many doctors that do the same, and although you do have to push thru a bit, the GP's are open to suggestions and to testing on T3. Usually, you have to pay for (part of) the test yourself though, or at least we need to, since the combi of T4, TSH and T3 together is not allowed by the health insurance companies.
Or, another option would be to find an endocronologist near you. They specialize in glands and hormones and can help you get the right dosis of everything. hormone.org/contact-a-healt...
Let's face it, there are good and bad doctors and the good ones are like gold dust now. I have never been listened to by GPs and nearly died so I have no respect for them. I also had hideous periods for years. Some times I couldn't leave the house they were so heavy. All's I got was, it happens. No tests, no detailed investigations. It seems GPs are not there to make you better anymore, they are there to tell you it's all in your head and fish out anti depressants. When you stop relying on them to make you better and self medicate to make yourself better it's a moment of enlightenment, you do get your life back. Even many of those whos GPs do help people, they find they are constantly in battle with them over the fact that feel ok or feel ill but the doctors don't think it fits their box on paper. If I were you i'd get a private test. They are not too expensive, then self medicate if needed. Hope things get better.
Thanks Katiekatie. Have ordered test and will take it from there once I get results. I am so glad I found this forum because I was feeling boxed in and with nowhere to turn to.
You do feel that way, luckily most people here have been in a similar situation. Obviously not your exact situation as that's unique to you. Just keep posting and asking questions. People here just want to help and have first hand experiences and will answer most things. 👍
Thanks reallyfedup 123. I have lived abroad for a very long time and I can tell you that not one doctor or specialist seemed to know what they were talking about be it in Belgium, Portugal or Brazil. When I was younger it was always because I was just borderline and apparently it would "sort itself out". In my early 20s a doctor even told me he wasn't sure whether I had thyroid problems because I was obese or if I was obese because I had thyroid issues... WTF?!?!?!?!?!????
My main issue is being fed up with my weight as it is and desperately wanting to loose weight, but it is also about quality of life. I am 49 and feel like I am 70 because everything aches and I feel tired. Absolutely fed up!
Surely any meds given by GP should have weight taken into consideration. I would have thought The bigger you are the more you need because of body weight. Have a consultation with Dr Barry Peatfield. He may help you.
I just saw from another old post on this forum that he sees people in Malvern? I live in Malvern (Worcestershire). Do you know how I could contact him?
So many comments, I'm finding it difficult to study this! Just one follow up. When you write to your doctor I recommend you give a brief list of your most important symptoms along with details on how it affects your life - social, work, family etc. Also briefly mention what you are doing to make yourself better - diet, exercise etc. Say that you want to take charge of your condition and need the doctor's help. You would like to trial a higher dose and will take steps to monitor yourself (you can buy a cheap blood pressure machine). Basically my view is that we need to present a positive approach to our doctors which hopefully will put the patient in the driving seat.
Hello Mordillo,,,,well you have been in the wars of bad health for so long,,,,
Firstly look at what you are eating,,,if you don't eat enough your body goes into famine mode and stores the food within your body,,,so you can put on weight,,,balance is needed,,,may I suggest that you take a vit B group,,this helps with many things, tiredness, and lack of energy you body needs a helpful support plan....your periods should be given treatment as this type of problem can cause anemia and really needs bringing under control,,,,,weight is a battle that is so difficult is get right,,,,there is so many things needing to get right,,,I am also dealing with this one,,,,and I have iron and the side effects really don't do anybody any good,,,the constipation it causes is so bad for the body,,and the depression that comes with the uncomfortable and bloated stomach is beyond words,,,,
Take a few hours out for yourself,,,and rest and decide what you want to deal with and in what order,,,,,take it easy on yourself,,,our bodies are complicated things and do things just to drive us mad,,,,,,ttfn from karen.
I see you are thinking of consulting Dr P in Malvern. Yesterday when I rang I found out that because he has been ill he stopped his clinics there though he might possibly begin again in the autumn.
I live near Ross-on-Wye and am considering travelling to Crawley for a consultation and wondered if you'd be interested in going together if we could get appointments one after the other? Just a thought as I might go by train and possibly from Fordingbridge area rather than here.
Alternatively, if you also ring for an appointment nearby, perhaps if he has enough enquiries he will think it worth-while starting up a little sooner.
One other thing, someone else might already have said this, Vitamin C, zinc and selenium are important as well as the folate, B12, D and ferritin, and, ferritin needs to be at an optimal level. Although I'm anti vitamins/minerals (I had cancer and was part of a trial that showed a link - not necessarily causal - between taking vitamins and developing cancer) but I do take C and zinc sometimes and try to keep all the levels up through my diet.
You have been through a ghastly time, I really hope that now you've found this site and all the lovely, kind, supportive and informed advice here, you will start to see improvement and will return to feeling well in every way.
Thanks for your lovely reply. I tried calling Dr. P. service yesterday but it was constantly engaged. I will try calling again today and tomorrow and see if he might start a clinic in Malvern again. If only Crawley is available I would love to have a kindred spirit if we manage to get appointments on the same day.
Thanks for the vits info. I didn't realise how it affected the thyroid function.
Have ordered blood test kit and waiting for it to arrive. I am glad I have found this forum because I was really feeling down and overwhelmed but definitely up beat now
So good to hear you are feeling a little better, people on here are wonderful. I'll wait to hear what Dr P's clinic says to you then we can chat about possibly travelling together if we have to go to Crawley or maybe getting together there after our appointments?
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