How many of you have jobs or are disabled because of thyroid issues?

I work 12 hour shifts and feel awful my first day off or so. I just switched jobs which I regret now because my last job was super understanding about my health etc. I live in the US so work laws are different then in the UK. Thyroid-s has been a bit of a battle getting the dosing right.

[Hidden]

I work 30 hours a week from home in sn admin based role. I couldn't do full time and I certainly couldn't do even 30 hours a week if I had a big commute or a job that required me to stand or walk a lot.

It's hard. X

[Regenallotment Ambassador]

I am an almost full time teacher, I travel 45 minutes each way 3 days a week. Leaving the house 7.30am retuning 5.30pm I am allowed to do prep/marking from home one day and admin from our parent college closer to home on the other day. When at my most tired I take a train and don’t drive. If I can and it’s dry I cycle 15 minutes to the train station. There are days when I think I can’t do it and hubby comes to rescue me in the car. In terms of tiredness I am much improved since working on my vits and diet, (I was so sleepy in the afternoons before this) and titrating up to 100mcg. Before you mention the holidays, I usually have to work most days planning and marking and doing all the stuff I don’t have time for the rest of the time. But I get to do it from home or just half days sometimes.

[jrbarnes]

I went from easily working 10 hrs at home then to 8 hours and had to go on intermittent family medical leave. They give you 480 hours you can use, unpaid of course but it covers me when I'm not feeling well, which was every day basically. I had that for three years then my symptoms escalated to the point where I could barely function or lift my right arm. So then I went on a medical leave for two years. Recently just came back on a reduced work week for 3 months then back on normal hours but I give a lot of my hours away. I wouldn't be able to do any of this if I didn't work from home.

[dealsgap]

I'm lucky enough to have a 2nd shift job which suits my insomnia and tiredness perfectly. I think (check that..Know) that God had something to do with it. Since most Hypo's start getting energized around supper time, it works well for me..I also have to work 12's occasionally and those are hard days but I have my hormones balanced enough to allow me to press and it not impact to much..

[arTistapple in reply to dealsgap]

I can conk out into almost unconsciousness just after my evening meal. However if I do this I then cannot get to sleep in my bed. It’s very very annoying, especially in the winter as finding something productive to do is awkward. I am more wide awake then at any other time of the day. The rest of the world is in the land of nod. The heating is off. I have tried housework to occasional success but it does not feel right and my daylight hours are wasted by being tired. I have thought wild and wonderful things. Knocking down walls to create an upstairs studio that I only have to fall out of bed to get to and it would maintain a better level of privacy. I dare not bring this subject up in the house because I already have three other areas within the house I have tried to make my own. I personally have complaints about them all but my main complaint is other people invading my space! They seem to see what I have done and it’s inviting and they move in on it. It seems just natural to them. I have thought very much about moving house but ohhhhh I can’t be bothered. I am still dreaming but mostly about getting a good level with my meds. Only then can I make reliable decisions. Maybe.

[arTistapple]

I had a business that I had to make the decision to give up. Ostensibly at the time I thought it was ‘me’ but I just could not go on. I ran the business down over a period of about six months. I hasten to add I could not have done this if I did not have a very long time partner who was able to take on the financial burden. My cardiologist assured me I was not going to have a heart attack. Felt like a fraud. Took a holiday - terrible. Then I had a heart attack. Never been well for more than twenty five years and only recently (2years agoish) diagnosed as hypothyroid. Introduction of levo created for the first time in about twenty five years, time without painful debilitating angina. Still looking for my sweet spot but glad to see the back of excruciating heart pain and the realisation it’s not ‘me’ as such. Getting the meds right is crucial.

[humanbean in reply to arTistapple]

This sounds a little bit like what happened to me.

I developed severe chest pain. I was tested for heart attack in A&E several times and it was always negative. The last time it happened I was asked if I was anxious and I said No.

By that time I had already started treating my own extremely low iron and ferritin, and had got far enough to realise it was reducing the number of chest pain attacks I got.

Eventually the chest pain not only occurred less often but also became less severe, and has now stopped altogether.

I haven't had any attacks for several years now.

[arTistapple in reply to humanbean]

I recall at the time there was a journalist covering a story, Polly Toynbee perhaps. They were calling it something like Metabolic Syndrome X. I thought the symptoms sounded like mine - no takers. However it has turned out whoever called it that was pretty much on target. I don’t remember thyroid being referred to but ‘metabolic’ now makes me think thyroid. ‘Syndrome’ a collection of symptoms medics done understand? I would like to think over 20+ years we could have found better support, especially since other fields of medicine have moved forward. Thyroid, not so you would notice. In fact it’s often referred to as going back in time - and not to a good time.

[dealsgap]

Have you had a 24 hour cortisol test done?

[Hidden in reply to dealsgap]

I'm in the US and my insurance doesn't cover that unfortunately

[dealsgap in reply to Hidden]

Most insurance does "not" cover this test. You can get in online and do it yourself. This will give you a good indication of whether or not you have hypoadrenia (low cortisol) or just a thyroid issue. Your adrenals and your thyroid work hand in hand and you'll have to get the appropriate test(s) done as to figure out which to address and how to help your symptoms so you can start feeling better. Your describing the same symptoms that I had prior to me getting a handle on my problem(s)/symptoms. I, like you, had to make the decission whether or not to spend the money and "figure it out myself" or continue to spiral down the road of getting worse. I gave up on doctors helping a long time ago..most don't have a clue..BTW, I'm in the U.S. also. We are all here to help you through our own personal experiencies...

[humanbean in reply to Hidden]

You can buy a saliva cortisol test in the US without involving doctors.

See this link for further info :

stopthethyroidmadness.com/a...

and a link to a test recommend by STTM :

saliva-cortisol.squarespace...

Also useful : stopthethyroidmadness.com/r...

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

Sorry salava tests for cortisol are not the best youtu.be/wh94JrQej78(Not working as expected?)

[humanbean in reply to Hidden]

There are plenty of people who think salivary cortisol tells them a lot more than blood cortisol will.

[jamesal0]

At 49 I was doing Classic levo treatment, blood tests and TSH etc. I had constant brain fog. I seriously considered some sort of medical retirement. Then I found natural dedicated thyroid, which was 100% better but I felt overdosed all the time - tingles in my hands and feet, poor sleep. Then I worked out if I just take enough each day to feel normal and have the fewest side effects. Now I’m pretty good. I normally feel a little tired by 3pm so I take an extra 30mg. This perks me up.

I still wake up about 2am, have 60mg and go back to sleep until 6am. I figure I’m slightly underdone and just topping up the thyroid meds as needed couple of times a day. At 58 I work a normal 40 hour week and have sporting hobbies , pretty much the same as I did pre hypo diagnosis. No plans to retire.

[mintgreenish in reply to jamesal0]

Hi jamesal0. So u alternate dose so 1 day 1 grain and alternate day at 1 1/2 ? Read here that your not supposed to alternate anything with t3. I take 1 1/2 thyroid s. Still have some mild symptoms but if I go up 1/4 I start to feel overmedicated.

[jamesal0 in reply to mintgreenish]

Hi minty. Yes I take about 60mg with breakfast and then anther 1/4 - 1/2. when I start to feel under medicated any time. But normally after lunch. The T4 accumulates in your body so I then to find if I took an extra 1/2 on Monday I won’t need as much Tuesday etc. I also take 1/4 if I feel under medicated and awake at 2am. I think my T3 requirements very as I am pretty sporty and do an hour of something most days (jogging, swimming, weight’s). And yes I don’t agree with alot of what the regulars here say about NDT.

[mintgreenish in reply to jamesal0]

Thankyou . I think i will try alternate days with the additional 1/4 and see if that helps. What NDT do u take, if u dont mind me asking?

[jamesal0 in reply to mintgreenish]

In my opinion what matters most is that you use “ how you feel daily” to drive NDT dosage. And not infrequent blood tests. Imagine if diabetics used an annual blood test. I use a compounding pharmacy so I don’t know what the actual brand is and I don’t think it matters. What counts is you get the right amount on T3 and T4 into each day. I think 90% of the contributors to this site are incorrectly dosed and take all sorts of other vitamins and steroids to compensate. But they wouldnt agree with me.

[tattybogle]

i've been effectively 'disabled' or at least severely limited in how i can work ever since i became hypo 20yrs ago .Working full time for someone else would have been a big problem , but i managed self employment fairly easily as could be in control of workload and have proper 'lie down' breaks when needed etc , with a couple of days a week of working for someone else.

a commute + full time fixed hours / limited breaks would be impossible to sustain for more than a few weeks .

So realistically i'm more or less unemployable.....which is unfortunate as due to the current F*ck up of everybody's finances , i will probably need to find 'a job' before the end of next year ....i never learned how to earn money while sitting down in a nice warm office and using my brain. and my IT skills are 'luddite' level .. so that should prove interesting.

[humanbean]

I have been unemployed for the last 20 years. I worked in IT. By the end I was struggling with so much stress and so many health problems (not just undiagnosed hypothyroidism) that I couldn't cope and I was on the verge of breaking down both physically and mentally. Luckily I have a husband who agreed to support me even though I didn't work.

I remember one night just before I stopped working I was driving my car home at about 2am after having to work late for year end for about the 4th or 5th night on the trot. And I "woke up" to find myself speeding straight for a brick wall at the side of the road bordering someone's property. Luckily I had just enough room to swerve and avoid it.

And not long before the brick wall episode a piece of wood came off a truck with no tarpaulin over the contents. It came off the truck and came flying towards me, and it was only thanks to it hitting a slight curve on the bonnet that it got diverted slightly and made my wing mirror explode instead of coming through the windscreen straight at me.

It was the brick wall episode that persuaded me it was time to leave.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

My story's very much like yours, humanbean. I've been unemployed for 20 years too. I studied IT, but got a gardening job as less stressful. I'd struggled ever since brain surgery, as health got worse I couldn't cope anymore. Much later diagnosed with hashimotos and coeliac, other people don't understand.

[SarahJane1471]

having been medically pensioned out of the police ( half pension) with PTSD I had to find a stress free job and ended up cleaning private houses 5 mornings a week. That was in 2010. I really enjoyed it ( weird I know 😁). I could walk my dog for 3 miles, pop off and work, home by 1pm then out to see friends.About 4 years ago I started all the hypo symptoms. I struggle to even walk the dog now. I’ve stopped all but two small cleaning jobs and that’s family members who understand if I can’t make it. I don’t know how I will cope financially now. 🤷‍♀️

[tattybogle in reply to SarahJane1471]

..... welcome to the land of driving a pushbike and living on swede's .

it stinks ..

ps. you're not weird .. i too like making other peoples rooms bright and shiny. It's very low stress and extremely satisfying. I ended up being '(wo)man friday' for someone up the hill who had rheumatoid arthritis so they understood the need to be flexible ... that kept the wolf from the door adequately for a few yrs .. until i couldn't mange even that anymore.

I too have no idea how i'm going to continue to manage financially .... can't even afford to replace this laptop when support for windows 7 ends in Jan , (and my phone company have turned off the local mast that gives a signal to my 3G 'dumb' phone, some days i can only have a conversation or get txt messages if i go for a walk to the corner) .. so i will probably disappear from here too for while, till hopefully i get a 'hand me down' from one of my kids ,,, ....scary isn't it .. and rather isolating .

.....and i'm really not comfortable with how reliant i am on my kids 'staying in work' at this point in my life ... it would feel ok if i was 80 .. but i'm 56.

at the moment if either of my kids looses their job i'd have to chuck them out and get a lodger .. and i don't enjoy having lodgers.. and lodgers like there to be four walls AND a door to the bathroom.... i've currently got '3 walls' in one ,and 'no heating at all' in the other.

[SarahJane1471 in reply to tattybogle]

🥹 I know! I live alone ( by choice). My only daughter supports me and my 87yr old mother. It sucks as I feel I should be supporting them! I’m struggling with my PTSD at the moment so even if I did have the energy I’m not able to go outside. I live in a small town and have good family support. Without them …….. 🤦‍♀️

I meant my daughter and my mother and sister support me.

[tattybogle in reply to SarahJane1471]

not being able to go outside must really suck ... 'outside' is probably the only thing that keeps my mental health good and gives me any perspective .

that's the thing isn't it ,. you feel such a failure because when you are our age ,your kids should be able to come to you to get them out of the shit, not the other way round .

[SarahJane1471 in reply to tattybogle]

yup! So true. I do get outside in the fields behind my house with my dog first thing. But that’s it for me for now. This too shall pass 🥹

[tattybogle in reply to SarahJane1471]

That's OK then ... the rest of 'outside ' is over rated .. too many idiots in it.

[Hidden]

can’t work 🙋🏻‍♀️