Lady in red

[mconfait]

I am so confused, I'm not sure what to believe, who to believe. I felt I'm all alone with going through with Underactive Thyroid. My family doesn't take me serious even though I explained to them about the symptoms and how im feeling, especially if im stressed. I've put on some much weight.I'm a size 20 and used to be a size 12.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum,

You will definitely not feel alone on this forum as we have 60,000 and many of them will have felt the same.

Unfortunately, unless someone has hypo, no-one else can possibly know what we go through by the lack of thyroid hormones.

Thyroid hormones drive our whole metabolism from head to toe. We have to read, learn and ask questions. Don't worry too much yet about weight gain as it is the commonest question and it is due to hypothyroidism and (before being diagnosed) we don't know why our weight is gaining as we haven't changed our eating habit.

The first and most important is to get to the correct dose of thyroid hormone replacement which is levothyroxine in the UK. The dose is 50mcg to start with and it is taken on an empty stomach when we get up with one full glass of water. We wait an hour approx before eating - the reason being that food interferes with the uptake of levo which we do not want.

It should be increased by 25mcg every six weeks until we feel well.

As your dose is increased you may find that weight will be reducing without diet.

Doctor should also check B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate - these are very important and have to be optimum.

You have to make the very earliest appointment for blood tests for thyroid hormones. Fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours approx between last dose of levo and test and take after test. This helps keep TSH at its highest as it drops throughout the day and the TSH seems to be the only result the doctors look at and may adjust levo unnecessarily if you have test later in day.

Always get a print-out of your blood test results with the ranges for your own records. You can post them here if you wish. Ranges are important and have to be posted too along with the ranges.

[mconfait in reply to shaws]

Thank you, I've never thought of asking for a print out. I will definitely ask . The pharmacy told me I'm due for my flu jab. I found out when I'm stressed my voice changed and became hoarse, I felt tired, it's so confusing as I'm going through the menopause. both together doing my head in.

[shaws Administrator in reply to mconfait]

It's bad enough to have one medical problem without two to contend with.

I hope everything eventually goes smoothly.

[bonnyaus in reply to mconfait]

My thyroid doctor told me "under no circumstances have the flu shot" as my GP every year asks me if I am having the current flu shot so I always say no.

The reason I was given my was my adrenals could not cope even though my thyroid has responded to medication.

I saw my thyroid doc a week ago for my general checkup and again I was told not to have the flu jab.

Since I have taken that advice I have not had a cold or flu. We visited our daughter when everybody had the flu and I did not come down witheven a sniffle which is so unusual for me.

Just a little bit of information you can think about as inoculations are stressful to our immune system.

Anyway it has worked for me.

[Mary-intussuception]

Well, you are not alone in this anymore.

Welcome.

Could you give some more detail, about your medication for example. Are you taking Levothyroxine? What dose are you on? When was the last time you had your Thyroid function blood test? When were you diagnosed and who by, GP or Endocrinologist?

I'm afraid that the weight doesn't just simply drop off as quickly as it went on when we start our medication, unfortunately. I am still nearly 4st overweight. Put on 5st over the years before diagnosis.

What other symptoms are you still having?

It will help if you ask your GP to do blood tests to check nutrients levels in particular of

Vitamin D,

B12

Folate and

Ferritin

as you may be deficient in some of these due to absorption issues we have.

Be encouraged, there are many, many people on here who know exactly what you are going through and genuinely understand and care. So you have come to the right place for loving support.

xxx

[Tarry]

Keep it simple in the first instance...Shaws advice is spot on. Get your tests done, take the levothyroxine etc Hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones that it works for, I am. Remember that most of the people who take it successfully don't use/post of this site because their meds work! Weight loss with Hypothyroidism is hard but possible. Once you're correctly medicated some may come off of its own accord but you must start/continue to eat healthily/sensibly from now. Eating crap makes you feel like crap and will exacerbate some of your symptoms. I lost a slow one pound a week, sometimes less or nothing but eventually lost 20lb. Nearly lost the will to live 🙄 I've also stopped trying to explain to friends and family, that truly does your head in! Tell them what you've got and they can look it up themselves. If you need to talk/moan/vent come on here....someone always gets what you're going through. Good luck!

[BootsOn]

Awwww, mconfait have a big sympathetic hug from one who has been there and still has the size 20 t-shirt to prove it. I won't bore you with my story, it's a long one, but to encourage you, once I got on the right meds/dose, and with determination and a sensible healthy low-carb diet, I got back down to a size 12. Like Tarry it was a mind-numbingly-slow 1 pound a week but I got there.

You'll get all the help you need on here - they are a lovely bunch of people.

[silverfox7]

Welcome! My family sometime dismissive and don't take on board that the thyroid can have wide reaching symptoms. I try to ignore but it can be upsetting. But we all understand so you can talk to us anytime and we will try to give you support. Always get into the habit of getting your results and ranges and add to them what dose you are in and how you are feeling that's always useful to refer to in the future and also if you want to post them on here for advice.

Sadly many doctors tell us we are fine if our bloods are in range but it's where in the range that is important. So useful to post your results when you get them.

Whatever you do don't starve yourself to loose weight. It eat healthily and that combined with the correct medication should help.

[LAHs]

You have been given excellent advice above. I would like to add that it is essential to read up as much as you can on hypthyroidism. Start with as many articles you can get on the internet, dig deep and read (struggle through) the papers behind the articles. Get a book called Tired Thyroid by Barbara Laugheed and struggle through it. Knowledge is the key to success because doctors and Endos are under educated in this topic, they will keep you ill for the rest of your life, you have to stay a couple of steps ahead of them. If you encounter serious resistance to your suggestions don't feel shy to fire that doc and get another one. And fire that one if necessary! I am on my fourth and have to travel 400 miles (round trip) to get the medication I need.

Keep reading this forum, ask as many questions as you want, you WILL get there, honestly.

[mconfait in reply to LAHs]

I have been reading bits and pieces but found it too confusing. Don't which one to believe but it's a relief

[mconfait in reply to mconfait]

Sorry submit before finishing. It's a relief to know that I'm not alone. My partner kept on at me to lose weight. I've tried to explained but to no avail, he told me I used thyroid as an excuse.

[mconfait]

Thank you, will try my best to read all the posts , I have to read when I'm not busy with work. I have to be up early to get ready for work, I was struggling with my medications and not having breakfast in the morning and it was taking toll on my body. I was talking to a friend and she informed me, that I have to wait 30mins before having breakfast, which I didn't know of.when I asked my doctor, he had to find out before giving me an answer. I tried telling the doctors they tend to rushed me. I was thinking of looking for another doctor.

[Marz in reply to mconfait]

You need to wait an hour before eating for good uptake ...