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Author Topic: Underactive thyroid  (Read 20171 times)

countrybumpkin

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #60 on: December 04, 2016, 09:57:28 AM »

I have posted this before but the biggest impact when I was training was the trainer giving us all a photo of a victorian lunatic asylum of the inmates and asking us which ones of the ladies had underactive thyroids.  In the photo there were 2 women who had almost no hair and were horrendously bloated with moon faces and looked totally blank.  These poor women were suffering from underactive thyroids and this is what happens if untreated over many years, they were mentally very slow and classed as subnormal >:( with all the other physical symptoms.  He said they would have died eventually.
Thankfully our drugs keep us alive and reverse most of the symptoms but as babyjane says it is a condition that affects the whole body and I agree Dr's just do not take it very seriously once blood results are in the so called normal reference range!
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babyjane

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #61 on: December 04, 2016, 10:37:29 AM »

I remember reading that countrybumpkin and sadly it is true and appalling  :'( .

Many years ago, when I learned about the implications of poorly treated hypothyroidism, I wrote to the editor of a well known women's magazine.  I might have posted this before.  I got a call asking if they could run an article and, of course, I agreed.

After the magazine was published, over the next three months, the magazine's editorial department forwarded to me about 80 letters that had been sent in response to the article and most of the stories were heartbreaking and nearly all from women.  I answered as many of them as I could in a general sense without giving any medical advice as I am not qualified to do so.

2 years later, and I remember this clearly, I was sent a letter that had been sent to the publishers of the magazine.  The lady who sent the letter had picked up an old copy of the magazine in her doctor's surgery, the one with the article, and sent a response.  I realised this was only the tip of the iceberg and I have felt very strongly about poor thyroid treatment ever since.

I do hope that Dyan, the OP, has found these posts informative as I am aware I have rather trampled over her thread.
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Cassie

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #62 on: December 04, 2016, 11:31:22 AM »

Probably a fairly useless bit of info..... :-\but I was told that it is essential to eat Brazil nuts or any other type of food containing Selinium as this is a vital mineral needed in the body in order to convert the T4 to T3....any excuse to nibble a few daily, esp the choccy coated ones :)
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babyjane

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #63 on: December 04, 2016, 11:35:19 AM »

hi Cassie, brazil nuts are good for selenium which is good for our brain function.  Anything that helps my brain function has to be beneficial  :)
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Dyan

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #64 on: December 04, 2016, 02:18:50 PM »

Thank you BJ
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Dyan

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #65 on: December 05, 2016, 12:13:47 PM »

Hi all, just got back from seeing GP.
He said my levels were 'ok' and some GPs wouldn't have put me on thyroxine to start with"
I told him I felt really unwell,depressed,low mood etc etc. I went in armed with a load of questions after going on the thyroid uk website( thank you to all who recommended it)
I asked GP what my levels should be and he said, "it's hard to say"
He knows about my history of OCD depression & anxiety and he said, "it could be your thyroid or depression"
I then asked if increasing the dose of thyroxine would do me any harm and he said "No" so he has increased it from 25mcg to 50mcg. He told me to take my omeprazole 2 hours after taking thyroxine as it can stop absorption. He only said this after I had asked him about,it thanks again to thyroid uk.
I told him I just want to feel well again and he said did I feel well on the 25mcg thyroxine and I told him that it was the longest I had felt well physically and mentally in a long time and then symptoms started coming back.
He was 'ok'  ;D I sort of expected everything he said,again because of reading other peoples experiences and I felt I had to push a bit to get the extra thyroxine. He said to me he was wondering if it was psychological " but w'ell see how you get on with the increase".

I sent my test results to thyroid uk and the administrator came straight back to me and said my T3 was low but GP said 'ok'. Someone else on TUK said my iron was low but again GP said 'ok'

I just don't want to feel 'ok' I want to feel good again.

Sorry for long post and thank you ladies for your support.
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Dyan

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #66 on: December 05, 2016, 12:28:51 PM »

I meant to say my blood pressure was high too.
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countrybumpkin

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #67 on: December 05, 2016, 12:30:57 PM »

See what happens once you have upped the dose to 50mcg a day - leave it about 6 weeks to really know and then go back at 8-12 weeks and have a retest to check your thyroid levels.  Its very unlikely that a 50mcg dose will overactive you but tis always wise to check after 8-12 weeks to be sure.
The big problem with the range of thyroid results is that no one knows whats normal for that person so whats normal for one person can be under/over for another.  Its a case of finding the bit of the range that is right for you and trying to keep there!

I would imagine your bp was high due to stress and white coat syndrome!  I have the worlds worse white coat syndrome so my GP never takes my bp in the surgery but I do it myself at home for a few weeks a few times a day about 3 times a year and take the readings in with me.
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Dyan

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #68 on: December 05, 2016, 12:54:54 PM »

Hi countrybumpkin, thank you for your reply.
He wants to check my blood again in 4 wks. When I asked him about regular blood tests for thyroid he said it wasn't necessary.
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babyjane

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #69 on: December 05, 2016, 03:16:25 PM »

I was thinking about you this morning Dyan and wondered how you were getting on at the GP.

I agree with everything countrybumpkin has said but I don't agree with your GP's dismissive attitude to re- testing you at a later date especially as your thyroxine has been increased.
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Dyan

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #70 on: December 05, 2016, 03:38:40 PM »

Thank you BJ.
Yeah, he totally dismissed it when I said about having regular blood tests.
He said it is not necessary, maybe once a year.
I'm now beginning to worry about the increase.I felt I had to push him in order to have an increase but when I asked if it would do me any harm in taking an increase he said no.
Sorry ignore me I'm a worry wart.  :-\
I went to see him with some info from Thyroid uk and a lot of people are getting 'ok' 'normal' readings even though they still have symptoms,as in my case.
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CLKD

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #71 on: December 05, 2016, 04:56:51 PM »

It is the most difficult thing to get GPs to realise that 'within normal limits' for most, can be the wrong limits for others  >:(

Maybe keep a note of how you feel: twice a day?  Also what you eat, your thought patterns etc.; then you have something solid to take to your GP.  Keep posting for advice too!  :foryou:
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Katejo

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #72 on: December 05, 2016, 05:11:57 PM »

I have posted this before but the biggest impact when I was training was the trainer giving us all a photo of a victorian lunatic asylum of the inmates and asking us which ones of the ladies had underactive thyroids.  In the photo there were 2 women who had almost no hair and were horrendously bloated with moon faces and looked totally blank.  These poor women were suffering from underactive thyroids and this is what happens if untreated over many years, they were mentally very slow and classed as subnormal >:( with all the other physical symptoms.  He said they would have died eventually.
Thankfully our drugs keep us alive and reverse most of the symptoms but as babyjane says it is a condition that affects the whole body and I agree Dr's just do not take it very seriously once blood results are in the so called normal reference range!
Wow! I was diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism at approx. 3 months and my parents were warned that I was likely to have learning difficulties. My Mum told me that she (together with my Dad) had visited special schools when I was a baby just in case. At a later date, when I was about 3, she took me to a regular appt. with the endo at the local hospital. He wanted to assess my speech development and tried to persuade me to count. I was shy and didn't say anything. My Mum encouraged me by starting 1 2 3. I promptly recited the full song which starts with "123 Mother caught a flea, put it in a teapot and made a cup of tea....." The endo looked at me and said something like 'There's nothing much wrong with her!"   :)
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CLKD

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #73 on: December 05, 2016, 05:13:02 PM »

 :clapping:
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babyjane

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Re: Underactive thyroid
« Reply #74 on: December 05, 2016, 05:50:29 PM »

love it  :)
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