Is my thyroid over or under active? What am I?

[notopcos]

My OBGYN sent me to an ENDO cuz my thyroid is "out of wack!" My endo said I have postpartum-thyroiditis. He's full of crap in my opinion. He even put me on blood pressure meds when I don't even have a problem w/my bp.

Most people in my mom and dad's families have thyroid disease and this is why I suspect thyroid disease in myself.

Here's my symptom's:

1. Always HHOOOOOTTTTT "my thermostat is on 60 F and I'm still sweating)
2. MAJOR hair loss ( I can fill a sandwich baggy in one day whith all the hairloss!)
3. Irregular periods (but this also has something to do with my PCOS)
4. Innability to concentrate.
5. Fatigue (I'm more tired in the morning than I was when I went to bed!)
6. Unexplained weight gain.
7. Strong family history of thyroid disease.

So what is it?

Please help me understand this.
Amanda :help:

[doreen T]

hi Amanda,

I replied to your concern about the InnoPran here (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?p=5321802#post5321802).

The symptoms you listed do suggest hyper/overactive thyroid, which is what happens with post-partum thyroiditis. The InnoPran should help relieve those symptoms. But there's a chance you may eventually develop hypo/underactive thyroid because the inflammation can damage the thyroid gland. You may then need to take thyroid hormone replacement. There's more information about post-partum thyroiditis here (http://www.tsh.org/disorders/thyroiditis/postpartum_thyroiditis.html).

Just my opinion, but it sounds like the dr. didn't do a very good job to explain your condition, what you should expect and how the meds will help. I'd be giving his office a call and have a list of questions ready!


Doreen

[notopcos]

Do you think I should continue with the InnoPran? Maybe it will kick in and I will start feeling better?

Ok.....I called the doc and he isn't in this week. Imagine that. He was supposed to call me LAST Thursday with my results from my blood test.

[doreen T]

Do you think I should continue with the InnoPran? Maybe it will kick in and I will start feeling better?

Ok.....I called the doc and he isn't in this week. Imagine that. He was supposed to call me LAST Thursday with my results from my blood test.
hi Amanda,

The decision to stop taking the InnoPran or any changes to your medications should be made by you and your doctor, not well-meaning strangers on the internet ;) I'm sorry your dr is away and can't answer your questions right now .. perhaps your pharmacist would be able to help with specific information about the InnoPran, when and how to take it for best result, side effects to watch for, etc. :idea:

Here's another link with more information about post-partum thyroiditis (http://www.mythyroid.com/postpartum.html). The thing you need to be aware of is that most women who develop this condition will return to normal thyroid functioning eventually, but some women may go on to become hypothyroid. It's really important that you keep regular follow-up appts with your dr, and also keep a log of how you're feeling, any changes that suggest your thyroid has become hypo, or underactive. Try to read as much as you can find about post-partum thyroiditis .. information and knowledge = self-empowerment :cool:

Hope that helps :rose:, and I hope you're feeling better soon.

And congrats on your new baby :baby:


Doreen

[tomo]

hi my name is tomo need some awnsers: can anyone offer advice

i have recently had blood tests done for cholesteral sugar levels diabetes and the other usuall blood tests i have also had a ultrasound currently awating for results as of the blood tests i have had many blood tests but the new test there doing is thyroid gland test i didnt know much about this gland actually never heard of it but after reading these posts im thinking that this could be a savour to me and ill tell u why!
my symptoms for years now are as follows:
1.fatiuge
2.tiredness
3.loss of consentration
4.anxiaty
5 stress
6.depresion
7.wieght gain
9.swollen hands face sore jaw
10. burning feet and hands
11.loss of sex drive
12.overall felling and appearing down
can anyone tell me if those are symtoms of overactive thyroid gland or similiar
cheers any solution or advice im welcome to email craigthomson1~gmail.com

[Nancy LC]

It could be! Those are generally symptoms of hypothyroid however other things can cause those symptoms too. The FAQ stickied to the top of the forum can get you started on teaching you about the best sort of blood tests to get done, things to avoid eating and so on.

Good luck. :)

[tomo]

hi and thanx to the reply i got with my original post!!

could anyone offer the actuall medical syptoms for overactive thyroid
as im not very sure of them i am awaiting my thyroid results to come back from the lab and will post another to whom is interested i will find out by tuesday next week
ok and thanxs to all for the comming replies
cheers tomo

[Nancy LC]

Go to thyroid.about.com and click the "Interactive Symptom Checker", 3rd down on the left. :)

[notopcos]

I had blood work done last week and here's my results:

TSH -0.01
Free T4 1.93

Can anyone tell me what this means?

I have to go on the 28th and take a radioactive iodine pill and then have a thyroid scan on the 29th. Should I be worried?

[BuN*BuN]

Overactive thyroid = HypERrthyroid
Underactive = HypOthyroid.... tendency to gain weight, lose hair, etc.

Tomo- I agree- get your tests, but read everything you can so you are well-informed. Some of your symptoms might just be diet-related. Do you eat alot of sugar? I've read that eating too much sugar can make your feet & hands hot/itchy/swollen. I have experienced hairloss, too- it's very depressing. But my thyroid was normal; I just ate very, very poorly.

In my opinion, I'd get a second opinion before taking any medications. Have a 2nd doctor look at your test results*. Many doctors are notorious for prescribing things without doing the full extent of testing that is required for a clear answer. (Not because they're bad, but mostly because of insurance restrictions). Also, sometimes there just is no clear answer. It could all simply be nutrition-related, which may be many doctors' last approach. Rather, they prescribe pharmaceuticals because that's what patients want-- a magic pill!

*The initial doc can provide your second-opinion-doc with your results- so you won't have to pay for the tests twice. (Or they might give you a copy.) Don't be embarrassed to call his office & say, "Please forward my test results to such & such Dr's office. Have the address/fax/phone numbers ready when you call. Thyroid is nothing to fool around with, and you could spend your whole life trying to regulate/adjust your dosages, meanwhile expriencing alot of other problems. So, read up! :read:

...and Good Luck.

[tomo]

ok and cheers i agree so far of what i have read about thyroid gland and all of its probs the symptoms to relate to other things i agree with u on that one and i will look into it a little more believe me i hope that i dont have the problems or disease in hand and thankx, for ur time.
and my results are back on tuesday i will post thread l8tr that night
and again cheers for all ur help!!

[vandi68]

I agree to get a second opinion. I wish the internet was more readily available when I had my first baby and got hyperthyroiditis. I tried to take the medication and it made me really sick so the doctor did the radioactive iodine pill to stop my gland from overacting. Now I see thru research that the pill is supposed to be the last resort and will basically "kill" the gland. I don't know if it or my rotten diet caused the depression and such that followed until I was pregnant again 5 yrs later and had my second baby and went into a deep depression and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. If I would have been well informed I would have said no to the radioactive pill and seen if it would go away as the web site says can happen. I may still have had hypothyroidism anyhow, but it is much better to be well informed than to blindly follow drs. advice and then realize they were wrong.

[notopcos]

so this radioactive iodine pill will KILL my thyriod....then what? Will I still have thyriod function after that? I aint taken it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess I need to do some research

[Nancy LC]

If they dose it right, no your thyroid will slowly die. Yes, research it! I had RAI done, I wish I hadn't. I was not informed well. Doctors present this as a simple solution, it isn't simple at all. Do you have Graves, Noc? What's the diagnosis from your doctor?

There's a woman who writes about RAI and Graves a lot. Name is... Eileen... doh! Drawing a blank. I'll find her.

http://www.suite101.com/subjectheadings/contents.cfm/15468

Elaine Moore, read what she has to say about Graves. Do NOT rush into this. Get a diagnosis from your doctor. What is wrong with you? Graves? Hashimoto's? Nodules? Cancer? You can control a hyperthyroid with meds and perhaps even diet. Becoming hypothyroid lasts a lifetime after RAI and I don't believe you're ever as well off as you were before hand and it is very difficult to get adequate treatment for hypothyroid.

Her articles on RAI:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/graves_disease/96638
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/graves_disease/110034
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/graves_disease/60453

[wcollier]

Thanks for this info Nancy!

My mother, who's 81 years old, has hot nodules that are causing Atrial Fibrillation. She's on blood thinners so she isn't at risk to stroke, but I'm really at a loss as to what to think. I keep hearing differing opinions on treatment options, but I'm hearing that they want her to take RAI. Given her age, I'm not sure antithyroid drugs or surgery are great options.

[Nancy LC]

There's a woman who posted here that she controlled her Graves by eating a bunch of goitrogens, basically all the stuff you and I avoid, and then it went into remission. For your Mom, because of her age, that's tougher. A young person, like I was, should really not have RAI if possible.

I don't know how difficult the thyroid suppressing drugs are to tolerate. Does a hot nodule imply that it is cancerous or that it just produces thyroid?

[wcollier]

Hi Nance:

The hot nodule implies that it's benign, but it's pumping out too much thyroid hormone. They did a radioactive scan and ruled out cancer, I believe. Who knows, she can't see the Endo until July 31st - she'll have waited almost 4 months since she was released from hospital. :rolleyes:

I'll have to check her drug list, but I seem to recall that many of the goiterogens were on her avoid list b/c they affect her coumadin (blood thinning) levels. She has to get tested weekly to make sure her levels are in range. It's a good concept, though.

The antithyroid drugs can be hard on the liver and affect your white blood count, I believe. Patients need monitoring. I believe she has to go on them before she can be treated with the RAI, anyway. *sigh*