Never used a forum before, so please bear with me.. I will list my symptoms so someone can hopefully relate and direct ☺. I've been having progressive issues for some time..im aware I'm getting older (I'm 33) but it all seems a bit ridiculous for my age and diet/lifestyle. I don't smoke/drink.
- headaches (could be sinus)
- high bp- nurse not worried but have always been low
- Dizziness
- Yeast intolerance - rashes/eczema/psoriasis - yes..all at once
- Constipation for the first time ever - good level of fibre
Sudden and considerable water retention - never before except when pregnant
Considerable weight gain - unfounded
Aching knuckles
Extreme tiredness but difficulty sleeping.
Docs and nurses have said every basic test is clear. Weren't interested in my yeast allergy assumption despite severity of reaction...steroid creams... I stopped having yeast and am self-managing without drugs/steroid creams. I am aware this could be other things, but I don't want to go to docs with a list of google-conditions.
Single mum so need to get this sorted! I really don't want to become just another statistic on multiple drugs/disability lists etc. I honestly believe there is a root underlying issue but don't know where to start..
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Lalabubz
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Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances too, especially gluten. So it's important to get antibodies tested.
Yeast infection (candida) can be linked to Hashimoto's
You need to ask your doc/lab what their perimeters are for normal testing numbers. Ask for copy of your test results. That will help you see whats happin. I have been reading the Thyroid connection. It has helped me to see I’m worth it to feel healthy and I deserve to know truely whats goin on at the Docs office. It has also showed me Doctors have a two relaxed attitude about Thyroid disorders. Good luck to you.
And ALWAY get a printed copy of labs; you can track lab changes earlier by noting small changes yourself; something docs don't always do. And NEVER accept comments from your doc like "Your labs are fine, or normal, or within normal range.". Demand specific numbers in print. It is your right to have copies of your medical info! Then post your labs on this site and you will get all the info you need from some very smart people. Ranges can be very wide and we all are different and may do best at a specific number within range that isn't therapeutic to someone else. Feeling better from thyroid problems is a journey. You need help in educating yourself. Very often docs don't know how to drive this train and are not that interested in learning. You have to be your own engineer and hopefully they will agree to be a passenger on your 'get better' train! (If not put them off at the next stop.(LOL) Sorry for the lengthy diatribe. I've just started this journey and am on a tear. Have felt bad longer than I probably had to, IMO, because of wasted time from the wrong doctors. Stick with this forum! I've learned more about thyroid problems and treatment here than I ever did as a nurse and esp when I wasn't sick Often the best source of info is a patient who has been where you are. Take care. irina
So agree with getting a print out of your results. (Receptionist was a bit snotty saying “if the doctor allows” the doctor allowed - we have a legal right to them so don’t be put off by snotty receptionist.
I was told all fine but on printout was below range for T3.... and some in range were not optimal.
Good advice irina1975 regarding NOT accepting comments like "Your labs are fine..." A few weeks ago, I received a copy of my recent thyroid lab blood draw (had to request them) and my TPO Antibodies test came back positive. And the doctor said that everything is looking good. WT? My TPO Antibodies are 79.9 (indicating inflammation due to my immune system is attacking even more of my bodily tissue). No, everything is NOT looking good, No. I agree so much with you irina1975 and I don't listen to foolhardy comments like this anymore from the doctor. I have learned from being misdiagnosed and given incorrect medications, on and on, that I must learn to be my best health advocate.
Wouldn't you sometimes just like to say to the doc that makes these inane 'looking good' comments "Looking good to who? You as you're sitting home feeling good or me who feels like #@&%!" And not only are you your best advocate you are 50% of your treatment team and decisions. You are the customer and the doctor works for YOU! 🐱
irina1975 I see the doctor on 4/27 and will be addressing his last ridiculous comment re: my TPO Antibodies. And since being horrifically misdiagnosed for over three decades and on the wrong toxic medications for same, I no longer trust doctors at all for they have proven to me they are very fallible. I also take a friend with me to corroborate all that takes place during the clinical consult. I so agree with you irena1975 that the doctors work for us, they don't act like it though. Some act like they're doing us a favor by showing up and for me that's just NOT good enough. I again do not trust them although at times I must try and cohesively work along side of them. And I ask a ton of questions, and this doctor said to me once, "Do you worry alot?" He asked this question after I'd asked him several important medical questions pertaining to my AI disease (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis) and I'd say he was not too keen on my asking questions. Hmmm. That's just tough. I will ask questions and he will know that I am trying to stay on top of the thyroid medical issues that he is seemingly blatantly and seemingly patently ignoring that would cause me further harm, medically. I know that I need another pcp I just have been too busy to take care of this problem. I have two surgeries coming up then I'll deal with finding another pcp.
Good plan. I'm in the middle of deciding who to choose for my new PCP as she is dismissive in general. Also something happened this week with her receptionist. Sometime last year I had a problem with her receptionist over getting my name wrong with online messages. This can cause all kinds of problems with medical records. I sent an online note to the doctor expressing my concern and asking her to make sure this lady corrected her mistakes. Both she and the doctor were offended, saying some nonsense about everyone makes mistakes, and letting me know in a subtle way at my next visit that they were annoyed. I let it pass. Then in the last 2 weeks my friend Jacob who also goes to her and is also changing just went in to pick up a RX from this receptionist. She started telling Jacob the story about my complaining-can you believe it?. This is such a violation of patient confidentiality. I'm not going to pursue it-not getting upset anymore by this doc or her staff. But it was the cherry on top of the ice cream soda and I won't go back. Will probably write a letter to her terminating her as my Primary. This isn't always necessary but I frequently run into her on the hospital campus when I have other appts. Just dotting i's and crossing t's.
irina1975 I too am having problems only it is with this doctor's nurse who works with him. She messes up all over the place, and she tries to treat me dismissively, I'm not having any of it. I try and seem to successfully use finesse to deal with her, as well as him too. For me, most doctors/nurses/health care professionals do not take kindly to being asked to do anything outside the scope of what they 'think' they're suppose to be doing. Some patients treat them as gods and that will get me again misdiagnosed, and maltreated. I don't put them on pedestals, so they don't have to fall off of them (make medical errors).
They're no different regarding their being fallible from any other human being and yet they seem to create an 'Oz' (Wizard) like shield/barrier (attitude) around them to insulate them from malpractice and from having to deal with patients who ask questions and require them to cross their 't's' and to dot their i's'. Yes, I so understand you're not staying with this particular practice and you considering finding a more suitable doctor, I so understand irina1975, and I doubt they believe in patient confidentiality. My problem is that I do not live in a metropolis, so the medical pickin's are not that varied. For some doctors/nurses/receptionists it's their way...or the highway and the suicide rate for doctors is rather high, some need to get out of the medical field altogether, don't ya think. I'm very serious and sober-minded when I enter into clinical setting and am in front of any of them. I am not there to make and win friends. That said, I again do try use finesse around their caustic and cryptic demeanors. I strongly dislike going to the doctor. You take care, talk later.
We're so on the same page. It is hard not having a larger pool of docs to pick from so we have to work with what we have. Finesse is probably a much more effective tool for dealing with your caregivers. I am much more of a bull in a china shop and it doesn't always serve me well. Just be vigilant and stand your ground. Hopefully they will get tired of dealing with confrontations from you and will become more careful with handling your care if only not to have to deal with your complaints. Kind of like walking on eggshells with a boss who you know will jump your ____ if you mess up. I am a retired nurse and recently was talking to my old OR supervisor from the 60's -we have remained friends since she first hired me in 1965- about how nursing and med care has changed-not always for the better; better procedures but maybe as a result of so much technology not always emphasis in schools about the importance of good people skills. Sick people are not bank customers and not everyone has the interest or compassion to treat patients well. (Another soapbox.) Doctors don't intimidate me and when they try I remind myself they put their pants on one leg at a time just like the rest of us. Good luck with feeling better and finding the care that works best for you. 😊🐱 irina
I am not confrontational and the 'bull in the china shop' style never worked for me either. I am very assertive and I do well articulating my needs. Wishing you great health.
do you have any copies of actual blood test results? if not will need to get hold of copies
never accept "normal" or fine as result, get actual results and ranges. You are legally entitled to printed copies of your blood test results
UK GP practices are supposed to offer online access for blood test results. Ring and ask if this is available and apply to do so if possible, if it is you may need enhanced access to see blood results.
In reality many GP surgeries do not have blood test results online yet
Alternatively ring receptionist and request printed copies of results. Allow couple of days and then go and pick up. They can make nominal charge for printing but many will do so for free (£10 max and can not charge at all after May 24th this year, new EU ruling)
Some of your symptoms and signs could be related to low thyroid hormones, bp, constipation, headaches and tiredness with difficulty sleeping are classic for me, but we are all different.
If you do manage to get all the blood tests, or even some of them, as suggested by SlowDragon, you Must go to reception and request a copy of those blood tests. Over a 36 year period GPs have told me "all fine", "no problems", "you are medicated correctly". Well, I was not. "Fine" to a busy couldn't care less GP is very often not fine. When you get the copy blood results, post them on here and you will get help analising them.
What might be a good idea regardless of whether it might be thyroid or not is to go completely sugar free. That will help your yeast problem and help get your gut bacteria back in balance. Feed it with lots of veg, good quality plain full fat yoghurt. Cold potatoes and sweet potatoes provide resistant starch for gut bacteria and they love it. Make sure you have enough fat in your diet. Your body needs it but make sure it’s not vegetable oils eg sunflower. They aren’t good for you. Eat olive oil and butter. Limit your fruit consumption and if you do eat some balance the sugar high with some dairy eg piece of cheese. Soak tablespoon linseeds in water for few hours and drink every day. Avoid vinegar or anything mouldy whilst you recover. Lastly try and get some time for yourself and TLC. Maybe try some meditate to calm your guts and your mind. We all need to find peace and calm to help our bodies recover when unwell especially if you’re a busy mum.
Thank you janeroar! This...save the TLC...is what I've aimed at for nearly 3 years...which is why all the symptoms getting worse is what's frustrated me! But a detox and start fresh mode is definitely needed. I think the lifestyle you've described so beautifully, is what we all should be following....Perhaps would eventually provoke our busy doctors to re-assess their trade...
All the comments were very good so I just add that calcium ascorbate powder version of vitamin C will totally solve the constipation. And did you know that cats and dogs make their own vitamins C but primates do not and so we need to supplement, but fruit alone will not give you enough. Dr Linus Pauling who won the Nobel prize twice for his research decided to take the equivalent of what his own dog made in his body and so the doctor took 18 g a day and so as a female of 130 lbs about 10 years ago I felt 12 g a day would be good for me and as a result my liver is perfectly clear. I am 61 and have studied supplements for the 36 years I have been type 1 diabetic.
By the way I am only diabetic because I followed doctors orders and took insulin. So I warn people here that doctors do NOT know what they are advising people. I was always getting into dangerous lows and had been 130 lbs my whole life and when I found my current doctor found I was only just below the normal range of my own insulin making ability. So the reality is the taking of insulin turned me into a type 1 diabetic. So be warned it is far better to learn more than your doctors. Now I can not able to make any insulin of my own as it took 19 years to be made into a full type 1 but I should have been learning on my own faster and resent that I did not. So believe me these online groups are a good place to get ideas and motivate yourself to learn enough so you can avoid being turned into a totally ill person for life.
I also mention not to forget getting a measure for reverse T3 because if you do a lot of intermittent fasting that can raise up the reverse T3. And don't forget what you eat as if you avoid table salt and also do not eat a lot of fish as that a can be dangerous, depending on where they come from,. it means you need to get iodine elsewhere as far too many people are getting iodine within their thyroid medications and that really is short sighted not to learn more about what supplements let the body work best on it's own.
When I was using the methods to get my reverse T3 to ultra low levels my TSH was so close to zero that my GP got upset with me for good reason. He knows that he gets disciplined for that as it is one way to turn someone into a thyroid patient for life. So do not totally believe the people here as they already mostly have done that to themselves with the help of their less than intelligent doctors. Doctors diagnose what they believe is a disease and then put people on drugs and in this case thyroid medications, but if you went to a naturopathic doctor you could be guided in what nutrients help you make your own thyroid hormones. What makes most sense? You can learn by buying a few books.
Janina! Wow! Thank you so much! I had typed up a long response.. twice...and deleted it in error.. .twice.... so basically, I for one am grateful for all the knowledge you have gained through your struggle so don't resent yourself too much! I fully understand your resentment of people paid to aid who have caused so many people such pain, purely out of ignorance.
If you don't mind, I will look for you again for more of your know-how? Thanks again 😚
Oh yes, I worked with a nutritionist and took all the supporting nutrients for 4 years and got steadily worse. Now, finally on just 50mcg of thyroxine a day, I am starting to feel like a human being again instead of a total wreak. I am, however, broke due to the cost of all the supplements and tests and private appointments. So please don't diss the people on here who are using thyroid hormone to regain their lives. There really are only so many supplements you can swallow!
Hi FancyPants54. I didn't mean to offend! I think a natural way of life - very difficult now - is always going to be best, but that in no way undermines the incredible benefit of medicine when applied correctly to a condition, by a practitioner that cares enough to put in the work.
Hi Lalabubz, I have hyperthyroidism and do not have the same symptoms as you with the exception of water retention and extreme tiredness. It sounds like you may have a food intolerance linked to yeast, would your GP consider a referral to a dietitian if blood tests are coming back normal, I have a low tolerance to dairy and wheat this is not an allergy and I can tolerate small amounts, however if they form a large part of my diet I start feeling generally unwell. I would push to have the water retention investigated, oedema is an early warning sign of an underlying condition, I am currently taking diuretics to help manage water retention while my thyroid drugs get my thyroid under control. I hope you get to the root of the problem soon, it took a long time to get my diagnosis and was a lonely time, I didn’t go privately but instead made an appointment with a younger Dr in the practice who I had not seen before, 5 minutes later I set of to the hospital with a list of blood tests marked urgent and am now on the road to recovery. Best of luck.
Ive been taking organic apple cider vinegar every morning for years. I don't feel as well if I'm in a hurry and miss a morning. It also helps me keep my type 2 diabetes in check-normal HgA1C's and no insulin or meds for almost 3 years. I did lose a good amount of weight but I feel the ACV keeps my labs stable. I think it also helps absorption because I think I do have low stomach acid without it. My mother thought it was a good 'tonic'. She very much believed in old-fashioned remedies. BTW I recently found out my thyroid is pretty much 100% non-functioning from radiation to my neck years ago so am on meds for life. I still had a very few thyroid antibodies-I think like 16. I thought they would be zero but maybe not. 😊
Hello i know cider vinegar is just brilliant for gut bacteria but just a word of caution. I had Candida in my guts for a long time and it took a long time to rid myself of it. I have not had any heart burn for about 5 years until v recently. This has coincided with drinking a tablespoon of cider vinegar every morning for a couple of weeks. I think some people just don’t do well on vinegars, Mould prone food, sugar, yeast, wheat. Important to get to know what works for you.
I know eh. You grow up you live your young modest life and then you find out you have been living it to the fullest. ha The stuff I’ve had to cut out of my diet. Thing is though..... If I was ever told by my Doctor, when I was younger, That my allergies were to the wheat, Rye/gluten in my diet I would have cut them out years ago. When I was younger I didn’t know that I had to ask question and keep asking questions until I got them answered instead of shrugged off. I got told that things just happen and we don’t exactly know why.... And I accepted that as the truth and left it alone or took the drug they prescribed. I didn’t see it for what it was. The lack of knowledge of my doctor and their lack of interest in getiin to the root cause. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to change my view.
One thing that really helps us now is the internet.We can educate ourselves as much as we want; the resources are there. I love this fact though I think many docs are threatened by patients being so knowledgeable and tell us to lay off 'Dr Google'. 🙈👍
I agree.To me the Internet is just a visual library. Knowledge is power and I believe most of us can read a book or learn from the internet while practicing discernment about which info is valuable or not. Some doctors don't give us credit for having this ability and are threatened by patients learning what should be 'private doctor knowledge'. We don't have to have letters after our names to be intelligent, discerning, and well-read. I try to avoid doctors that want their patients to avoid "Dr. Google". It may be the intelligent questions we ask that threaten them. Take care. irina
Well I have a doctor who actually agreed with my way of healing a disease that I had in 2002 and solved by 2003 and in the years since then he asked me to help others, but when the woman I first helped who was cured by 2004 wanted me to go and explain it to a group I asked if I could give his name as a source for where to get the vials of B vitamins that he has happily sold to the other patients he asked me to explain the process to, yet this time he said NO and that he could not afford the legal fees if the authorities were to tell him it was incorrect to say that there was a cure available that only involved taking supplements as he said according to the standard of care there is no cure. So I was unable to tell others publicly, but he asked me to help his patients privately, voluntarily with no reward to myself which I did as I am a Christian.
So really we have a drug led medical system which I call "the tail wagging the dog" which you have heard before. So at some point someone created a web site where others have listed how they also figured it out on their own to cure themselves, but they are not doctors either that I can tell. So now if it happens to you in future you will be able to say but there is a site that shows how people got better so can you help me get the inputs dear doctor? Then see how you fare because to get vials to inject B vitamins it does take a doctor's prescription.
Basically if a person is in pain and miserable they try until they find a solution. So that is why it is good there is the Internet as now people who come down with neuropathy from taking drugs as simple as antibiotics can see that people do get better.
So it is therefore incorrect to say that there is no cure.
But the medical community appears to want to keep people sick to buy pain killers until they die as that suits the medical community better. I have been fine since 2003 with respect to that. So if you want to see the web site someone else set up it is floxiehope.com as people who do take antibiotics can end up with neuropathy and it certainly is NOT a picnic.
So I also in 2017 found a way to get my reverse T3 down to the lower edge of the range, but as I cannot afford the T3 at the ridiculously high prices it sells for in Canada at $175 for 100 I am trying to get people in Canada to sign the petition on change.org to "Raise the customs exemption for purchases coming into Canada" as it is possible to get it in a Mexican pharmacy for about 1/4 the price, but all we are allowed to import is the equivalent of US $15 that was set as Cdn$20 in 1985 yet the Americans are allowed to import up to US$800 and the Australians can import up toe Aus$ 1,000 I believe when I was doing my research. So it really is time for them to adjust the situation for the poor Canadians.
So my tip for those who do not have any antibodies and who really only have a low FT3 because of the tendency to create too much reverse T3that can create a problem for which there is also a solution which can be done carefully enough so as not to lose your own ability top make thyroid hormones.
In Canada they do not allow reverse T3 to be tested but there is a way around it that costs money.
So it also seems to suit the drug companies to keep people sick. But if you can get the T3 only approach and use it so gradually that you only use the lowest dose of two half tablets taken as a half tablet at each of two fasting times a day like an hour before breakfast and before lunch so it does not bind with food and then do that ONLY for one month and then go back to allowing your own body to make it's own for two months, you can indeed manage to have reverse T3 go lower. That happens because by taking T3 only and not taking any extra T4 out of which reverse T3 can be made, the body notices and drops TSH very low as the body can detect it is already getting T3 enough to function, but to do this consistently all the time you would lose your own ability and that is not wise.
I know as that is how I became diabetic over the first 19 years after being incorrectly told I was diabetic. I am now after another 18 more years unable to live without insulin because following doctors orders has closed down my own ability. So the end result is I have studied medical issues for 37 years and resent the medical community because of this. So please beware as the problem still exists that doctors will incorrectly diagnose you and put you on hormones when if you only new how to get the right nutritional inputs you could keep your own ability to make the hormone.
That same doctor was upset with me when he saw my TSH go low to 0.01 as he said that gets the authorities mad. Yes I can see why as it does indicate the person's own production is being shut down and over time that does happen, but if you do it only in an ON and OFF manner as explained by Dr Wilson in his online book, then it works and if you allow 10 days before the tests without taking the T3 then the TSH recovers and looks just fine, but your reverse T3 is down if you just send it to the USA for that one test of reverse T3 that is not do able in Canada but taken in a vial on the day the others tests are done so you have the same blood draw for all as we all know is the best approach.
So since 2014 I have figured this out and it worked ideally well in the year of 2017 that I did three trials to find out which worked best but it cost me a lot of money to buy it in Canada. So for a year I have not been able to afford it and the last test it had increased again to 13 ng/dl, but had gone as low the test done before that to 8 ng/dl. So it does work and you can do it and still keep your own ability to make the hormones if you also take the right nutrients to make it out of like iodine, a good MultiVitMin that has everything in it including iodine I get my iron from meat.
So with the Internet we get to now find solutions to problems even if doctors will not help us, but we can find sites like this to help us figure out the correct solution for our unique needs.
Thank you! Lol...my mom was just saying...."next they'll be suggesting magnesium!" Hahaha! But it makes sense. Thank you for taking the time to read through my post.
Wanted to share. My ferritin was low. Late last year was 62, had rls sx and my sleep doctor suggested ferritin level and possibly iron supplements. I put off the iron supplements til I got off blood thinners and by early Jan ferritin was down to 48. So I started eating 8 oz of liver every week. If you knew how much I hate liver (had not eaten it at all since I tasted it when I was six.) But I decided to think of it as awful medicine; cut it up in small pieces and saute it with LOTS of onion and chopped garlic. Then I eat it as fast as I can and brush my teeth afterward. Anyway mylabs from the new Endo a week ago showed ferritin up to 102. So I will continue with the liver. Food really can be as good as some meds. Once I'm totally off anticoagulants will consider supplements. (Off coumadin since early March, on clopidogrel til July then done! )AND my rls sx are much improved. Hoping it helps my thyroid situation too.
The better D3 supplements come with K2 as that is necessary to get it to absorb properly and you can find a doctor discussing it with Dr Mercola on his site.
V interesting re constipation and vit C. Which brand is good? I notice it’s possible to buy a magnesium version of vitamin C calcium carbonate by biocare that is supposed to be superior. V confusing! Any advice greatly appreciated!
Too many supplements mixed together. Hard to judge correct dose and how each supplement is affecting you. I would say take magnesium separately. If you get diarrhea you have reached your limit dose-wise; cut back a little. Also do some research on different magnesiums; ie mag taurate, etc. I would stay away from bottles labelled(plain) magnesium. They are magnesium oxide. And my understanding is that even though it is sometimes advertised as having more magnesium, it is very poorly absorbed with this formula. I take magnesium taurate as my cardiologist suggested this was a good type for cardiac patients. But when you read about the different types you will soon be an expert.
Years ago I called and found out from the manufacturer that this is how they create the superior form of calcium ascorbate that I like so much.
They add in calcium carbonate as an ingredient to create the superior form of vitamins C which in the end become pH balanced.
There is a reaction that ensures the calcium part gets attached to the acidic ascorbic acid to make it into a molecule that is pH balanced and the carbon part gets dissipated as carbon dioxide as a gas that leaves. So even if it says calcium carbonate on the label it actually does NOT have the calcium carbonate in the vitamin C powder as the carbon part has been lifted off in the reaction to get the calcium part to combine with the acidic ascorbic acid.
So yes it is very confusing as it is said to be an ingredient, but they did not tell the whole story as it is actually NOT in the container.
Hi there, Been off computer for a while as it was playing up. What Slow Dragon is saying in on pointe. I had all these tests and probably others, lost count. It has taken me nearly 2 years to get myself sorted due to this. Its like a jigsaw puzzle putting it all together. Everything has to be tested and sorted out at the same time to get optimal. You are very young compare to me, 58. My issues got a lot worse when I was going through menopause which I didn't realise at the time. I had estrogen dominance that required me to take progesterone lozenges twice at day that was the last piece of the epic journey to optimal thyroid levels. A GP, god bless their little hearts wouldn't prescribe it only HRT which I did try in the very beginning thinking that my issues were to do with that. They sent me around the bend because it was giving me another boost of Estrogen. Taking the progesterone finally got my thyroid optimal because the thyroid robs from the sex hormones trying to get itself ticking over as well at adrenal issues. They all feed off each other . If one goes awry then it robs off the the other two. I found all this out from two Intergrative Doctors. (mainstream Dr and natripath together. The first thing I did to start with was find a Natripath that's treats thryroid disorders. I'm not one of those people to do this, you know we are let to believe they are witch doctors. The reason I did this was because I was seeing a Physchiatrist for years who could never treat my my debilitating anxiety and depression which is a big red flag if you have hypothyroidism. I spent 18 years telling Drs it was my thyroid. I had every symptom but for running tests for years (18) after having last baby, putting on 40 kilos when I'm normally very slim , strong family history, hair falling out, dry skin, psoriasis , rashes, poor motor skills, plantar fastulitis extreme pain in feet, couldn't walk without codeine, falling over, it goes on and one. Forgetfullness. Constant constipation. Theres more to the story which I could write a bloody book on. I was sitting there getting suicidal and wanted to get my physchiatrist to put me in hospital because I was that exhausted all I could do was lie on the bed all day. I slept all weekend. Something said, try one more time, and I picked out a natripath from the yellow pages and found one that treated thyroid issues. I felt embarrassed going there going over my story once again, probably 18 years worth of pent up frustration. She was the only bastard to listen to me and had trained under a famous Dr in the States who was actually on the Dr. Phil show. I couldn't believe my luck. This guy diagnoses thyroid issues using the old method that Doctors used to do pre TSH test which is so inaccurate and useless that the inventor of the test even said so. They test your reflexes, which is such a foreigne concept these days. The test is called the Thyroflex test. They test it on your arm. And they take all the symptoms into account seriously. I ticked every box. The thyroflex test showed I was hypothyroid. I knew it. From then on I was on a roller coaster of blood tests for vitamin deficency which a lot were low. A thyroid condition will deplete many of these. I started all these vitamins to start with and I did feel a bit better but I was then referred to a Intergrative Doctor who would prescribe thyroid medication, ie NDT, Natural Desicated thyroid or porcine thyroid gland with what they used to treat people with pre TSH test farce. I'm in Australia and I was referred to a Intergrative Dr who is a thyroid specialist in the USA from the Natripath (they cant prescribe NDT you have to be trained Doctor as well) The mainstream GPs and even Endocrinologist wont prescribe it , and wont presbribe mainstream medications which only treats T4 which creates more issues, because you need all thyroid hormones from NDT to be affective. They don't know this because they are taught only to go by the TSH test and prescribe mainstream medication. Finally a TSH test should at least be under 1.00 or under to be classed as around optimal. So the test can be a marker but the marker is too narrow. In Australia the TSH test marker for Hypothyroidism is 1.00 to 4.00. At my worst I was 3.00. Other countries have within normal range at 7.00 to 10.00. No wonder people are prescribed anti depressants because its all in your head. I was taking these for years. Within an hour of my first NDT tablet I felt so much better it was unbelievable. My life was saved by my natripath and two Intergrative Drs. If this helps and I have raved on about myself a bit just to show what a hell a lot of us go through and for years feeling horrible. What started me off thinking it was actually my thyroid was I found a site called Stop the Thyroid Madness. This will explain exactly why you feel the way you do and why you are getting lack lustre treatment from the GPs and Endos. Trully its worth while looking up that site. Opened my eyes. Also after pregnancy is when your thyroid usually chucks it in. Very common. Hope this helps. Good luck.
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The painful waiting game
New to hypothyroidism 
New, first diagnosed back in 2005 
New Dosage and Brand Effects
New to levothyroxine! 
