Hi , new and please could I ask your opinions ? Diabetic

[Cat45]

Hello everyone. I am new here and suspect I may have a thyroid problem . I’ll try to be brief but my brain isn’t working well at present! So sorry if long post / background. I have found over the last several years I have had problems with depression , anxiety , insomnia Tiredness , constipation and an ongoing struggle with my weight . I take anti depressants which help to an extent and had my thyroid levels checked a couple of times during this time and told it was in normal range. Aprox 18 months ago my lovely Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease . He hsd needed lots of support and it had been a very distressing time , in addition my husband has been diagnosed with kidney disease and is now on peritoneal dialysis, needless to say I haven’t paid much attention to my health as busy looking after them both . However, about 6 months ago I was sick of my heavy and painful periods - I was referred for a scan and have a fibroid . I then was also diagnosed as diabetic . I was told to control it with diet. I have reduced my carbohydrate intake , but now feel lacking in energy - have managed to decrease my blood sugar a little but my weight has barely shifted . I have explained to the drs that I do eat quite healthily but suspect they don’t believe me . I must admit I am less active as I am caring for my dad who likes to sit and talk and watch tv etc . Please could anyone advise? I do feel I have some symptoms of underactive thyroid ? Has anyone got diabetes ? Could this be related? Sorry , I have tried to research s little myself just so tired and feel I can’t think straight . I sometimes worry my memory is going and I am developing dementia too . Thank you for reading this long post . Would appreciate any advice . Xxx

[Homeboy2020]

Hi there. For 3 years i felt tired and worn out. Doctors tested for diabetes and i was borderline. I controlled via diet etc but no improvement in the fatigue side. I also noted my heart racing and weight loss. Doc said i could hear my heart more due to weight loss. Then i had a mini stroke and the hospital doc had me tested for thyroid. Turns out i was hyperthyroidic. Medication has improved me!

Moral if the tale is demand a test for diabetes, thyroid and antibodies. I was not impressed with my GP!

[Cat45 in reply to Homeboy2020]

Thank you Homeboy . I’m sorry your Dr wasn’t helpful and I’m glad you’ve improved now .

[PurpleNails Administrator]

I have overactive thyroid and earlier this year had a diabetic result.

Depression Tiredness, constipation, heavy periods, forgetfulness and weight-gain are all under active thyroid symptoms. Insomnia is more typical with overactive but given the pressure you must be under caring for your family it’s understandable this would lead to sleepless nights.

Don’t trust being told you are in the “normal range” where in the range can be extremely telling & sadly GPs do not always complete a full thyroid evaluation. Do you have / or can get a copy of your results, you can request a print out. You need your results with ranges. TSH, FT4 and FT3. Ideally thyroid antibodies (although this is usually only done by specialist). Also important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12.

Low carb diets can also low be low in fibre. Here’s a list for low carb / high fibre.

wheat bran (raw)

avocado

rice bran

raspberries & blackberry

spinach

collard greens

Aubergine (cooked)

unsweetened coconut

bell peppers (raw)

ground flax

[Cat45 in reply to PurpleNails]

Thank you purple nails . I think I’ll ask to be tested again as it’s been a while . I hadn’t really thought that the lower carbs may be resulting in less fibre - thank you for food suggestions x

[Marz]

Rarely are the correct Thyroid tests done within the NHS. These are the tests you need - TSH - FT4 - FT3 and antibodies TPO & Tg. Also test B12 - Folats - Ferritin - VitD as these are usually low in range.

Are you able to have Private Testing - kits sent to your home. Click onto ABOUT TESTING in the link below - used by thousands here ...

thyroiduk.org

You are legally entitled to copies of all your results from your surgery - no reason required.

Diabetes is common with HypOthyroidism due to a lowered metabolism.

[Cat45 in reply to Marz]

Thank you Marz. I will look at private testing - especially in the current climate. I think the tests I had before only tested TSH but not sure. X

[Marz in reply to Cat45]

Great idea 😷

[SilverAvocado in reply to Cat45]

TSH is not adequate at all. All it can tell you is if a person has a very clear cut case. Doctors will often interpret it very wrongly, too, and wait until you're on the floor with illness (often taking years to develop), even when people are quite clearly ill.

Unfortunately if you want to be completely sure if you've got thyroid illness the only way to do it is to pay for the private testing

[Cat45 in reply to SilverAvocado]

Thank you SilverAvacado. I’m beginning to realise drs seem to over simplify this condition? I suppose my only slight concern is how they will react to private testing ? 😳x

[SilverAvocado in reply to Cat45]

Yes, this is true, unfortunately finding out if you have thyroid illness is only the first step because then you've got the problem of finding a doctor who will take it seriously

Sometimes if you find out you are ill through private testing and more careful analysis of results there is no alternative but to buy your own hormone and self medicate. Other times once you've got the evidence, have done the homework and know what questions to ask you can sometimes get treatment you wouldn't have had without fighting for it yourself!

[Cat45 in reply to SilverAvocado]

Thank you SilverAvocado. It is a shame people are forced to do all this when they are feeling unwell and so tired already but that seems to be the reality. I’ll take the first step and get tested . Thank you everyone here for your help and advice x

[fuchsia-pink]

Welcome to the forum.

I second everything that Marz says, and would add that you need the actual results an ranges form your blood tests. Far too often we are told we are "in range" an made to feel foolish, when the ranges are wide, and it makes an enormous difference exactly where in the range you fit. With thyroid, it also makes a difference whether or not you are on medication - so if you get private testing done [and thousands of people on this forum have :)] post the results with the ranges afterwards in brackets, and say that you are not currently on meds, and the lovely people here will advise what your results mean.

[Cat45 in reply to fuchsia-pink]

Thank you very much Fuschia-pink. It is lovely to know I can get advice on test results here . I think private testing should be my next step. X

[Homeboy2020 in reply to fuchsia-pink]

This is good advice, thanks to everyone. I am waiting for my test kit to arrive. I went for the full set as a start point and will post my results when i get them. At least i will have a full set and not just the standard NHS set.

Thanks again, for the cost its well worth it IMHO if you can afford it @ £100.