Thyroid help needed please 😕

Hi all

This is my first post here, I'm hoping to receive some good advice, so I'll start at the beginning!!

I'm 41, from around the age of 37/38 I started to feel very "low", confusion, fuzzy head, extreme tiredness, short tempered, numb hands, gaining weight, literally felt like I was going mental!!

Went to see my GP she put me on antidepressants, have been on these since, so around 4 years.

Last June (2015) i hit rock bottom, literally fell apart, I went back to see GP, different one. She signed me off work and sent me for blood tests. The following day she called me and asked I see her immediately. She informed me me thyroid was very low...now I'm unable to give you any figures as was slightly ignorant to all this and was just great full someone was going to make me feel better!!

Since last year i have been taking 100mcg of thyroxine, although at first my symptoms improved, for the past 9/10 months I have been feeling awful again, but worst of all I have gained 2stone in 12 months!!! Even though I am now practically starving myself the lbs just keep adding

I went back to see the doctor last month had blood test, again not sure on results as I'm so low and fed up again I just wanted to hear him say he'd get me fit and healthy. After looking at the results GP said he'd up my thyroxine by 25mcg so I'm now taking 125mcg a day.

But why oh why do I not feel any better, I'm so tired, ratty, confused, moody, miserable, fat, depressed....I could go on and on!!

I just need someone to tell me what's going on, how can I keep taking medication but never feel better?

We can't afford it, but my husband and I have talked about borrowing money so that I can go private.

Any advice would be wonderful...I have also booked another appointment to see my GP again next Friday.

Thank you and regards

Petal

[bluebug]

Before you spend any money do two things.

The first is to read the site this forum is linked to this is thyroiduk.org.uk. Read all the sections including the ones where you think you know everything. Importantly take your time.

Next go to your doctor and put in a request to get your latest test results. If the receptionist asks why simply state something along the lines "For my own records and anyway it is my legal right under the Data Protection Act 1998" If the receptionist is still disagreeable or decides to charge you more than a couple of pounds come back here post a new thread for help. Normally after 3-4 days you should get a copy of your results.

Once you get a new thread post your test results AND ranges. The ranges are needed because different labs use different equipment with different measurements.

Posters will then give you more advice on what you should do.

[greygoose]

Firstly, Petal, you are not taking 'medicine', not in the usual sense of the word. You are taking thyroid hormone replacement. It doesn't cure anything, it just replaces the hormone that your thyroid gland can no-longer make.

Secondly, for it to do any good, you have to take enough of it. I don't think you are. Your doctors haven't been following the protocol.

The protocol is that you start low - 50 mcg - and retest after six weeks. Then increase by 25 mcg, and retest in another six weeks. And, you keep doing that until all your symptoms have gone. I'm willing to bet that your doctors haven't done the retesting after six weeks, have they.

When you go for your next test - that is to say, six weeks after you started the 125 mcg levo - make your appointment for early morning, and fast over-night. Leave 24 hours between your last dose and the test.

Also, when you have your next test, ask them to test vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin. All these have to be optimal for you body to be able to use the hormone you are giving it. Yours are more than likely low.

In the meantime, follow bluebug's advice and learn all you can about thyroid. You need to know more than your doctors - which isn't difficult! - to be able to get well.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and the members are very helpful.

Your story isn't in the least unfamiliar. Nowadays doctors do not know any clinical symptoms and may not do a blood test for your thyroid hormones so give you a prescription for the symptom but not the hormones for which your body is crying out.

So, we will start at the beginning. Request a Full Thyroid Blood Test. Tell GP you are now a member of Healthunlocked Thyroid.UK.org the NHS Choices for info on thyroid gland dysfunctions.

You can also become a proper member of Thyroiduk.org.uk who are the ones trying to change the attidudes of the Professional Associations.

First request a full Thyroid Function Test, TSH, T4, T3, Free T3 and Free T4. Also B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. We are usually low in vits/minerals and they can also cause problems. If you've not had thyroid antibodies tested ask for this too. (GP might not but you can have them through a recommended lab with a small discount and TUK also gets a small sum.

So, the blood test should be fasting and the very earliest possible. Allow about 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the blood test. (levo should be taken first thing on an empty stomach with one full glass of water and wait about an hour before eating. Food interferes with the uptake.

You can also take levo at bedtime as long as you've last eaten about 3 hours previously. If having a blood test next morning, miss this night dose and take after morning blood test you can also take night dose as usual.

Always get a print-out of your blood tests with the ranges. Ranges are important as labs differ in their machines.

Post them on a new question for comments.

Our thyroid gland, when healthy. produces T4 and T3. When its failing it reduces its output and we're given levothyroxine which is T4 only.

Most times the doctors only look at the TSH when we have a blood test and sometimes T4 and if they're in range believe we're on sufficient and wont increase and ignore our remaining symptoms (they don't know symptoms anyway). They rarely take T3, Free T3 or Free T4. T3 is the only active hormone which our body desperately needs as it is the one our Receptor Cells need for us to function normally. Many of us don't get sufficient T4 to enable a good amount of T3 or we cannot convert efficiently T4 to T3. The brain contains the most receptor cells.

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

(I am not medically qualified and have hypothyroidism which was undiagnosed/unmedicated for a long time).

[Hidden]

Thank you all so much for your information. I will now know what I'm talking about when I see my GP on Friday.

I found your site whilst researching thyroid problems and am so pleased I have found it.

I need to educate myself and you guys have already helped.

I am going to request another blood test as I've only had 2 in 18 months!!

I will also ask for ALL my readings and post them on here in a new thread.

Once again thank you

Petal