Surely they can tell by the patient's modality and if they have a history in the family, like mother or farther. My mum had a thyroid problems all her life. So why can't they take that into consideration? Feeling low and lifelessness and brittle finger nails, sweats and very emotional are all indication of thyroid. But instead they say have some anti-depressant, they dish them out like sweets.
It is about time we studied why there seems to be a very large population with over weight people. Could it be that they are suffering from hyperthyroidism.
Written by
scotty57
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I would 100% wish them to do a blood test. The question marks concern which blood tests (TSH or fT3/fT4, or others), the reference ranges, the issues about antibodies, the frequency of testing, interpretation of results, and so on.
I agree they should take other factors into account.
Being overweight and having a thyroid problem do not match up quite as neatly as you appear to suggest. I *know* that some people can be severely hypothyroid and can even lose weight (see cachexia). And some hyperthyroid people put on weight. The last thing I'd want to see is doctors being so sensitive to overweight and thyroid that they miss other cases entirely.
I fully agree with you Rod ,and I also think when they test you they should do the vit B & D and lots of the other things that they know full well a good percentage of us have.
I wouldn't say I'm severely hypothyroid but have put on so much weight that I have breathing trouble and have just been for a chest x-ray and I'm also being tested for acromegaly ,I'm waiting for the results now.
The endo has given me tablets Xenical in the past but they did nothing ,so I still struggle with my weight (any help will be appreciated).
Jan
<b>Updated on Nov 22 2010 5:27PM:</b> Rod ,what do you mean when you say cachexia ???
Totally agree, if doc's diagnose people with thyroid just because your weight or because you may have some of the symptom then there would be a lot of people having thyroxine it just doesn't work like that, how do you think we feel we actually have the condition, it's more to it then just weight gain, being tired that doesn't make you have the condition
Here is one description. The concentration is on cancer but I am convinced that the loss of protein as described can occur in severe, probably long-term, hypothyroidism. But the very loss of body mass would tend to reduce the chances of the correct diagnosis. At least without the appropriate blood tests.
Rod
Cachexia is wasting of both adipose and skeletal muscle. It occurs in many conditions and is common with many cancers when remission or control fails. Some cancers, especially pancreatic and gastric, produce profound cachexia. Affected patients may lose 10 to 20% of body weight. Men tend to experience worse cachexia with cancer than do women. Neither tumor size nor the extent of metastatic disease predicts the degree of cachexia. Cachexia is associated with reduced response to chemotherapy, poor functional performance, and increased mortality.
The primary cause of cachexia is not anorexia or decreased caloric intake. Rather, this complex metabolic condition involves increased tissue catabolism. Protein synthesis is decreased and degradation increased. Cachexia is mediated by certain cytokines, especially tumor necrosis factor-a, IL-1b, and IL-6, which are produced by tumor cells and host cells in the tissue mass. The ATP-ubiquitin-protease pathway plays a role as well.
Cachexia is easy to recognize, primarily by weight loss, which is most apparent with temporalis muscle mass loss in the face. The loss of subcutaneous fat increases the risk of pressure ulcers over bony prominences.
Treatment
Treatment involves treatment of the cancer. If the cancer can be controlled or cured, regardless of modality, cachexia resolves.
Additional caloric supplementation does not relieve cachexia. Any weight gain is usually minimal and is likely to consist of adipose tissue rather than muscle. Neither function nor prognosis is improved. Thus, in most cachectic patients with cancer, high-calorie supplementation is not recommended, and parenteral nutritional support is not indicated, except in situations where oral intake of adequate nutrition is impossible.
However, other treatments can mitigate cachexia and improve function. Corticosteroids increase appetite and may improve a sense of well-being but do little to increase body weight. Likewise, cannabinoids (marijuana, dronabinol Some Trade
My daughter (already slim), lost loads of weight before being treated for hypothyroidism. It didn't go back on until she was changed from Thyroxine to Amour and then she returned to her 'normal' weight.
The adrenal glands have such a large part to play in all of this and I think once the thyroid was treated then her adrenal glands repaired themselves. Hence no more constant chest infections after treatment.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Adrenal ignorance
Feeling of lump in throat causing constriction - scan shows *very* small thyroid nodules which doc says can't cause this. Any ideas?
Diagnosing 
Thyroid Madness
