Tired / exhausted - help!

[luthien]

Hey all, just wondering if feeling tired / exhausted / brain foggy could be a problem with my thyroids? It's not a "sleep more" sort of thing, it feels more like cotton wool / jet lag. Napping does sometimes help

I know thyroid problems are in my family, but no ones mentioned tiredness - everyone talks about the usual more well known symptoms.

I'm due for my usual round of blood tests, which look at full blood count, blood sugar, cholesterol, and thyroid. I think they do all the basic ones. I have all of those due to family problems - I am otherwise healthy apart from my endometriosis.

Is there anything I can add to my diet; supplements? Vitamins? I eat healthy, exercise regularly, sleep well - ish - I'm a light sleeper so never get a full night or feel 100% rested.

[fuchsia-pink]

Hi there.

When you say testing of "thyroid", do you know if that is just TSH or that they will also test free T3 and free T4 as well? Ideally it will be all three, and folate, ferritin, vit D and B12 [which are routinely recommended on this forum] and you can then post your results, and the ranges [which vary from lab to lab] and the wonderful people on this forum can give you expert analysis and advice

[luthien in reply to fuchsia-pink]

I think it's just TSH; that usually comes back normal so they don't do any further tests.

How do I push for more detailed / thorough tests? The NHS is reluctant to do these.

[fuchsia-pink in reply to luthien]

A lot of people do private testing - you will see lots of posts about this, with one company I think doing money-off offers on Thursdays. Be aware that some GPs will not accept /acknowledge the results from private blood tests, even though these are analysed by the same labs as used by the NHS.

You may need to buckle up for a long ride to get proper testing - good luck!

[luthien in reply to fuchsia-pink]

thanks, I shall do some research!

[Treepie]

It could be ,I was falling asleep whilst driving . You need to have tested TSH,FT4 ,FT3, ferritin,folate,B12 and D3 and antibodies to check out the thyroid.

[luthien in reply to Treepie]

Can these be done via the NHS? and how do I push for them? Is it something that I could just ask for as they seem reluctant to do any additional ones.

I've looked up online tests; Thriva, do these give reliable results?

[Marz in reply to luthien]

A year ago you posted and SlowDragon gave you lots of info - including Testing details - and lots more. I would re-read your thread for detailed information.

[Treepie in reply to Marz]

Well spotted ,amongst all the other posts!

[Marz in reply to Treepie]

It should be in the Guidelines - Please read previous posts before posting. It happens so often that answers are in earlier posts posted. I feel for Admin and others who post so much detail time and time again - it must be exhausting - sigh !

[Treepie in reply to Marz]

Who reads guidelines! Yes ,I do wonder how they mentally keep up with repeating the regular lengthy informative posts.

Could do with something like the online banks have for frequently asked questions .

[greygoose]

Fatigue is one of the most well-known symptoms of hypothyroidism. One that doctors actually know about! Have you tried telling your doctor how tired you are?

If thyroid problems are 'in your family', then you probably have Hashi's. But, there are two Hashi's antibodies, and the NHS will only test one of them. So, it would be a very good idea to get private testing.

[luthien in reply to greygoose]

Ah I didn't know that.

I did mention tiredness to my doctor but it was probably about 6 ish years ago - at which point he prescribed me sleeping tablets and a printout on relaxation / meditation as well as a psychologist to see. Wasn't happy with that so didn't take the tablets, and just didn't mention it again.

My mother had thyroid problems, and with endometriosis there is a link to Hashimoto's so I should definitely look into it.

[greygoose in reply to luthien]

Yes, you definitely should.