Had appt this morning. New doctor. Told him im at wits end. Struggling now. Hes going to do full thyroid panel + ferritin vit d etc. Fingers crossed. Hopefully get referred to endo. Gotta get to the bottom of this otherwise next move is private and a bank loan 😅
As SeasideSusie has outlined, members can offer better advice & support if you provide details of your thyroid blood tests, plus key vitamins (ferritin, folate, vitamins D and B12). Honestly, I too felt awful until I followed advice here to optimise BOTH thyroid medication & vitamins.
I’ve been taking HRT for over 6 months now & definitely feel better for this, both physically and mentally (It has reduced my anxiety levels). I’ve not required any additional thyroid medication (although some members report requiring a slight increase). You may find it useful to have a look at Dr Louise Newson’s free Balance App, as I find it really useful for comparing HRT medications & having up to date research articles. There is also an ability to post questions.healthunlocked.com/redirect...
thanks so much for the info about the balance app. Just what I need to help me figure out where I am in all this after my false start with HRT I didn’t need 3 years ago. 🦋💚🦋
I'm 57 and in the same situation. No matter what happens always strive to stay positive, eat well and exercise. Keep that routine. It helps. I felt like crap for months and hated exercise and eating right but it was no use fighting it. I accepted it and got my routine going. I dumped all dairy, soy and gluten from my diet. So far things have started to turn better for me. I hope this continues.
hi, I thought I’d share my journey to show you there is hope and asking for help here is a great start. I am 54, diagnosed with Hashimotos at 47 and am on HRT. I hated the world pre diagnosis, was grumpy, angry, putting on weight and not able to shift it, constant achy joints, could not understand what was wrong with me and finding out l had a thyroid issue which could not be reversed, I felt like my life was over. How wrong I was 😊I agree with Buddy195 re downloading the Balance App. I’m a patient at the Newson clinic so get my oestrogen and testosterone tested there and use those results to educate my GP, in fact have an appointment with my GP next week to change my HRT medication and can honestly say this has helped as I found it hard to determine what symptoms were caused by which, Hashimotos or Menopause. Don’t give up with your doctor, I initially went private, however once I felt more informed, had a conversation with my doctor and firmly informed them why I needed to be fully tested, it seemed to do the trick and in the earlier days, I was being tested every 6 months not yearly as they tell you. The advice I received via this site from knowledgeable members helped me get my thyroid medication at a fairly consistent level and also offered advice on supplements, of which I take a few but certainly helps. My cholesterol was high, which was how I was originally diagnosed, this has reduced to normal range. I struggled to shift weight and found the only solution for me was Keto, not long term but enough to hit my goals and now manage my weight following a low carb diet. I avoid gluten as it gives me heartburn and exercise helps immensely: weight training and swimming averaging 3 times a week. I don’t feel perfect all the time, the thyroid issue is not going away, however I lead a normal life with minimal illness through self management but it did take approx 5 years to get to this managed state. Do not give up hope, understanding and managing your illness is needed but this won’t happen overnight so stick with it and remember any small improvements to you health feel like big wins, good luck!
I was on Evorel Conti 50mg estradiol and have changed to evorel 75 and a separate progesterone nightly tablet, Utrogestan 100mg as my oestrogen levels were very low. I also use a soy bean size amount of testosterone daily, Androfemme which I pay for privately, however, Newson clinic advised me to talk with my gp about getting it on prescription, some may dispense or asking to be prescribed Testagel which is testosterone already available on the NHS, advise is one sachet will last for 8 applications.
it was the doctor at Newson Clinic who is fully aware of my thyroid status and advised the higher dose oestrogen patch and progesterone tablet. I’ve been on the different medication for a month (purchased 2 months worth privately) and so far, so good.
don’t stop the hrt! There’s no need - the trans dermal gel is not meant to affect it. Plus now you don’t know if your symptoms are menopause or thyroid.
I take hrt and Levo and lio. I don’t think it made any difference at all to my absorption of thyroid meds.
it’s often not the lactose in dairy that’s the problem, but an enzyme in dairy
Suggest you try dairy free…….
Oat milk is good option. Avoid non milks that have iodine added. Ideally certified gluten free oats.
Email Thyroid U.K. for list of recommended thyroid specialist endocrinologist and doctors who will prescribe T3 (liothyronine)
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
T3 can’t initially be prescribed by GP.
Must be initiated via endocrinologist for 3-6 months trial via hospital pharmacy. Assuming trial is successful, endocrinologist then writes to your GP to formally request they take over care and cost of prescription
Price of T3 dropping fast…..so it is getting easier to get prescription
High cholesterol, palpitations and fatty liver can be a part of the hypothyroidism. In 2015, my liver failed. I was diagnosed with non alcoholic fatty liver. My TSH was already elevated past the max normal limit. Nothing was done or said about my thyroid. No treatments were offered. The damage continued until late last year when my kidneys began hurting BAD. My kidney functioned dropped big time. My eGFR went from 98 to 74. My TSH had jumped higher. Still nothing said or done. I found a new doctor that looked over my blood work and immediately knew I was hypo. He ordered a blood test. My TSH had doubled by that time. My T3 was not checked. He put me on Levo immediately. I've been on Levo "doses changing every 6-8 weeks" until we find my sweet spot, but I continue to have very bad kidney and liver pains and now gastro problems. I have autoimmune vitiligo, so I assume my hypothyroidism is autoimmune as well. My Tpo wasn't checked, but I am going to get that checked soon. My vitiligo hit at the same time my liver failure started in 2015. I have cut out most sugar and gluten and still working on cutting out more. Best of luck to you.
The doctors that ignored my blood work treated me for uti as well. 2 weeks of antibiotics. Those didn't help. I had elevated white blood cells and elevated absolute neutrophils just prior to my hypo diagnosis. My original doctor screamed cancer. I lost 25 pounds in 2 months. Night sweats. Funny thing is, this all stopped once I started taking Levothyroxine. Most of my symptoms "I had A LOT" have went away, but I have non stop pin point pains in the center of my spine, both kidneys and liver area. I've noticed that gluten, sugar and milk seems to make it worse, so I have cut most of all of those out. I believe I will have to cut 100% of it out. I'm still playing around with foods to see what is what. Have you had a kidney function test done? Egfr?
Hi there wendy its a bit of a vicious condition at times and you can get other conditions with it. Being auto immune. I have had hashimotos since i was 16. I am now 48. I have gained numerous illnesses and conditions on the way majority auto immune. I have read that dairy can be bad for the condition.
hi just to echo what others have said here. I’ve just turned 57 - diagnosed with Hashis couple years ago (October 2020) and I stopped my HRT. Like you I avoided it because I’d heard it interferes with thyroid. There are a lot of quite harmful myths about this on the Net. Wish I hadn’t stopped now! Went back on it about 2 months ago now and it turns out it was the missing part of the puzzle. Feel so much better! Am on Tridestra which is tablet form and 75 days of continuous oestrogen with a couple weeks break for progesterone (I don’t tolerate progesterone well). I take mine about 4 hours after Levo. Don’t know if it’s affecting Levo, going to book in a test when I can fit it in, but I’m definitely better and not worse. Felt terrible up to re-starting HRT. Starting testosterone now to help with muscle development. I also use the Balance app. If you felt good on a particular HRT preparation I’d go back to that one if I were you. Also some stuff about that only transdermal HRT won’t affect thyroid. My experience doesn’t reflect that. Good luck! X
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thank you for reading my post.
Just diagnosed with Hashimoto's
Newly diagnosed - Hashimoto's question
Diagnosed with Hashimoto's and struggling
Dr hasn't diagnosed Hashimotos?
