Hashimoto's Thryoiditis (Hypothyoidism)

[Lessara]

Hi all, I went to a new doctor today and I was finally diagnosed!
I have advanced Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

This is coming from the pamphlet from [U]The Thyroid Foundation of America, Inc[/U:

"Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease, a condition where the immune system attacks and damages the thyroid. When the immune system attacks the throid special immune cells called lymphocyes move into the thyroid and take up residence. The thyroid becomes firmer and easier to feel without changing size. In advance cases the thyroid becomes alittle bigger with some lumps mistaken for nodule. The main thyroid test used to determine this condition is a throid antibody test. Also this desease is genetic. Passing parent to child."


I went to the doctor and he had me swallow and all. Then he ultrasounded my thyroid and saw the lymphocyes and I was diagnosed. The blood test for antibodies would have told my primary doctor what was going on but with some what normal levels I wasn't detected.
I am on 50 mcg of Levoxyl (levothyroxin sodium, USP) once a day (Am with water) I wanted you all to know.

[Aetheana]

Congrats at getting diagnosed!

Make sure you keep us updated as to how youre feeling and if your symptoms go away!

Good job!

[Nancy LC]

Glad you kept on top of it, Lessara! I hope you feel better very soon!

[way2goal]

HI Lessara; glad you were finally diagnosed. Just wanted to let you know that it can take 4-6 weeks for you to feel a difference w/your new meds. I took 4 weeks+4 days (weird..but to the day) before I woke up one morning and really felt a difference. Also, you may have to have adjustments made along the way to your dose. Not meaning to discourage, but I wanted to remind you to be patient. The hard part (diagnosis) is over....now you'll start to feel better!!!! :agree:

[Lessara]

My doctor told me that I should feel better after a month and that I would be called with my test results and my perscription he'll write will reflex that. I'm currently taking 50mcg but I might have to take more. I don't know what Levoxyl is doing so I'll research that. Thanks for the well wishes and advice. You all rock!

[nawchem]

I'm glad you're getting treated! It really helped me to get free T3 and T4 measured to get the right dose. Hope (and I bet you will) start feeling better soon.

[Lessara]

Oh I wanted to share this with you all as well:

My thyroid problem was hidden. When doctors tested me my TSH was slighly high but the other things seems within normal.
(See my previous post of my scores here. (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=273909))

My regular doctor did feel my throat but used the test results to say my thyroid was fine. The specialist didn't want to rule out hypothyroidism till I got a Thyroid Anti-body test. And when he felt my neck he did it from behind with my face pointing up drinking a cup of water. He felt what he though was a nodule.
So he did an ultrsound. (It wasn't a nodule thankfully) What he saw was my thyroid now the same density as my muscles with showed my thyroid was becoming inert. (Not working).

So if you have the symptoms please ask for an antibody test. for people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis has high antibodies as well. In my case it was so obvious with my ultrasound they didn't need my test results to start me on hormone replacement. However the test is needed to determine the state of the thyroid and antibodies (Antibodies start to decrease with less thyroid production). This info helps determine the dosage of meds and types of meds.

One thing that I'm curious about is that I'm ADHD. I used to be so much more hyper than I am now. I remember starting Tech School at 30, taking a full day's worth of classes (I doubled majored) plus all the chores at home and still have energy to spare. I was happier too and had hair down to my waist.
That was almost 12 years ago... :)

[Lessara]

Some patients with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis may have no symptoms. However, the common symptoms are fatigue, depression, sensitivity to cold, weight gain, forgetfulness, muscle weakness, puffy face, dry skin and hair, constipation, muscle cramps, and increased menstrual flow. Some patients have major swelling of the thyroid gland in the front of the neck, called goiter.

Does this disease run in families?

There is some evidence that Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis can have a hereditary link. If autoimmune diseases in general run in your family, you are at a higher risk of developing one yourself.

Source (http://www.4woman.gov/faq/hashimoto.htm#c)

[Lessara]

Just got my blood test results (yes it took a month!) I have advanced Hashimoto's and my thyroid is producing only a small percent of my thyroid hormone. I have another test in two months to see if the dose I am on for my meds is enough.
Well its been almost a month on the meds. Its not what I thought. I though I would wake up and feel suddenly better.
Some days I do actually, many days I don't and a few days I feel bad. My cycle I think affects my thyroid hormones. (?)
Maybe. ;)

[Nancy LC]

I feel that way too sometimes, Lessara. I'll get really droopy right when my period starts.

[Yakumo]

I also have hashimoto's with a very, very high antibody count (the first test I had, they couldn't even measure the antibodies, they were off the scale!). Had it for about a year or two now. The werid part is that my thyroid numbers (TSH, T3, T4) are all fine, so it took a while for the problem to be diagnosed. However, I am not taking meds for it.

I am not so convinced about the genetic link. Although that may be true in many cases, I think there are other paths to Hashimotos. In my case, it seems to be a response to a chronic infection. I've heard two or three theories. One is that the body, after the infection sets in, starts producing incorrect antibodies for no apparent reason. These can attack various things. If it attacks your muscles, you get Fibromylgia, if it attacks you thyroid, it's hashimoto's etc.
Another doctor, however, told me that it is related to where the infection settles (and that determines what is attacked).
I have also heard that it is because the immune system just overreacts to the chronic infection.

I'm not sure what actually caused it, but it seems all my autoimmune conditions (I have like three! What a bummer) are related to chronic infections that my body just can't kill rather than a hereditary condition. Perhaps the mercury poisoning had something to do with it.

Anyway, I'm very sorry to hear about your condition. On the bright side, hashimoto's and thyroid troubles in general are very manageable (much better than Chron's or something!!), but they must be treated by somebody competent. Some docs don't know how to interpret the results or prescribe the right meds. My aunt doesn't even have a thyroid!

[natsator]

I, too, have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Sorry to sound so negative, but I just can't lose a pound!!! Have tried everything. And, you should know that H. T. is an autoimmune disease which can lead to other autoimmune diseases!! DO NOT USE ECHINACEA... EVER!!! I have, aside from the weight gain, had hair loss, the fatigue is still there, the depression is triggered by not being able to lose weight, and supposedly, my thyroid is UNDER CONTROL!!! I hope your situation is alot better than mine. sorry for the negativity.... just giving you a head's up. i've had mine since 1996. they think it is partly because of i lived in greece for a year, teaching english. there was supposedly still some of the remnants of the chernobyl effects which has caused a high rate of thyroid problems in that country.
Question.... does anyone just know when their medication is not strong enough, even when test results come back "normal"?
I tend to increase mine no matter what their test results say. i can just feel things changing. am i alone on this one?

[Nancy LC]

does anyone just know when their medication is not strong enough, even when test results come back "normal"?
Yeah, definitely. There's a lot of debate about what "normal" is. You should get your test results and look into it further. The FAQ in this forum gives you some idea as well as reading at thyroid.about.com.

[Yakumo]

Yeah, it helps to get a very good endocrinologist. They are few and far between.

I'm very sorry to hear about your problems. Low carbing has helped me with my energy. When hashimoto's is involved, there may be more to it than meets the eye, e.g. bacterial or parasitic infection. Autoimmune disease sucks. I have plenty. I wish you all the best!

I know a VERY good thyroid-specialist in my country. But I imagine you are American, so that's out of the question. He's great at treating sub-clincical thyroid conditions (which 99% of doctors ignore) in particular.

[Lessara]

I'm confused. Why does my doctor keep testing my tyroid with the standard test and not with an antibody test? Will my thyroid get better - will this too pass? I'm annoyed because I am still sleepy though my hair did stop falling out and my skin cleared up (dryness gone) but is that due to humid weather :lol:

[Nancy LC]

I don't think your autoimmune condition is likely to go away, so why would he continue to test for its presence? Eventually it'll burn out the thyroid, I believe.

Although, I have heard some snippets that folks who seriously dealt with their food intolerances were able to go into remission on their thyroid autoimmune diseases (if they were lucky enough to catch it early).

[Lessara]

I do try to stay away from my food intolerances, not just because it makes you sick but it affects so many things:
1. Weight loss
2. Colds/flus
3. Asthma
4. Allergies
5. Stamina
6. Um Bathroom issues

No what I mean? <shaking her head> That's why I eat more pure foods than processed, hard to stear clear of soy, wheat, eggs without eating pure. Let alone sugar and other carbs.
You know my story and I know yours so we are all in this together :lol:

[NDHuntress]

I was diagnosed Hashimoto's in the early Fall of 2000 when my youngest was 4 months old. I went to see the doctor because I was freezing cold when it was hot outside and always tired. It seems that my pregnancy spurred on the development for me (went from hyper to hypo in the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy) which explained my high blood pressure during that time frame. I have had several doseage adjustments since being diagnosed finally on 150 mcg of Levoxyl and feel so much better. One thing my DR told me is that with significant weight loss the dosage could need to be adjusted. On a side note my mother was diagnosed with Hashimoto's 2 years after I was. Losing weight has been difficult but I find following LC I have success.

[christyann]

Hello all,

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease in 1988, during my senior high school year. I had gained 35 pounds in less than four months and was operating on a metabolism that was one step above comatose. But it was constantly being missed until my aunt said my neck looked "puffy". I told my doctor and he ran the tests, including the antibody check. The numbers were off the charts. He told me that 100 is the control number, and if its higher then they diagnose. Mine was in the millions. I went on meds and the bloodwork returned to normal within about 6 weeks. I did NOT have weight loss. Nor have my symptoms totally disappeared.

You do need to know that certain events and biological changes are likely to trigger advancement of the disease. By the end of university I had my meds increased twice more, which he attributed to the adjustments in my maturing body. I had "plateaued" during my thirties, and my meds were fine (along with my weight.. which I had low-carbed off) until after I had my baby. Pregnancy has a way of really playing with those hormones, and the thyroid is no exception.

I am 37, it's been 18 years since diagnosis, and I am still struggling with symptoms and weight. I have had both T3 and T4 levels checked, and both are fine. I was told by the specialist that the best way to explain the stubborn symptoms (cold sensitivity, weight, thinner hair, dry skin, depression etc) is to look at it as sometimes the body just "knows" that it is getting a replacement for the hormone it is no longer producing and so it doesn't recognize it on some level. My metabolism is functioning fine, but I will have to live with the symptoms. I do take vitamins to help (such as evening primrose oil and a good multi) but nothing will every go completely away.

I also have several autoimmune diseases. "Autoimmune Disease" is like a large umbrella term, and there are over forty diseases underneath that are linked in some way. The possibility of developing more than one is very high. Personally, I have the Hashimoto's, plus I have developed Reynaud's Disease in my hands and feet, I have had positive results for Lupus, and also had positive results for Rheumatoid Arthritis. So far I am on no other medication (thank goodness) and am coping with lifestyle changes.

I have come back to this site to try and get back on track, as a little weight loss does help many of the symptoms for several of my conditions. I was wondering if htere were any mini-support groups or challenges for those of us with specific conditions? I would love to be a part of one! :D

Christy

[Nancy LC]

I also have several autoimmune diseases. "Autoimmune Disease" is like a large umbrella term, and there are over forty diseases underneath that are linked in some way. The possibility of developing more than one is very high. Personally, I have the Hashimoto's, plus I have developed Reynaud's Disease in my hands and feet, I have had positive results for Lupus, and also had positive results for Rheumatoid Arthritis. So far I am on no other medication (thank goodness) and am coping with lifestyle changes.
You might want to think about the food intolerance connection to autoimmune diseases. There's a lot of research linking "leaky gut" or "intestinal permeability" to things like RA, MS and thyroid autoimmune conditions. And recently they've discovered the hormone responsible for causing the intestinal leakiness high in people with food intolerances (Celiac or gluten sensitivity).

However, this might be the sort of thing you should not expect to get a lot of support from your doctors because it is very new research and has not made its way into the mainstream yet. But I talk to a lot of people who have had a lot of success managing a lot of the symptoms you're showing through a strict diet, avoiding those foods that seem to trigger them.

There's a ton of info out there to google for.

Good luck, Christy!

[christyann]

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for the input.. I'm going to research the whole
'leaky gut" thing. although I have heard of it I really don't remember much other than the name. I will definitely check it out!

Thanks again,

Christy

[SidC]

Hi Lessara,
Sorry to hear you have Hashimoto's, but it sounds like it was caught fairly early, so that is good news! I did a quick scan of this thread and hope I haven't missed any contributions already made by other folks.

On the constant testing, it is because your thyroid has not yet given out completely. However, it will. The signature of Hashimoto's is that the thyroid kicks in and out in a cycle, but with a long term downward trend. (Darn - I wanted to post a jpeg graph showing this, but I'm not sure how to do that - the "insert image" button asks me about text??? Oh well.)

With Hashimoto's, you will even go through periods of hyperthyroidism (did you ever have a time when weight just dropped off even with the chocolate cake :yum: ?) But ultimately, it will fail, as Nancy pointed out. So your doctor is likely monitoring the progress of the failure, and as it progressively worsens, he/she will start to increase your medication. It is not good to overmedicate - it can cause heart problems down the road. So it sounds like your doctor is taking a very good hands-on approach here.

On the questions raised by natsator and Huntress - the dosage is indeed connected to weight. Effectiveness is in milligrams per pound of weight. And I also believe from personal experience that hypothyroidism actively interferes initially with weight loss. I don't know why. But I do know that after a massively slow start, things did kick into place. It just took a lot of patience and gritting of teeth.

(Hey Nancy - I'm almost back! I've spent the last 24 weeks teaching online courses in addition to my day job - and there's only so much online stuff one can do, I found! Phew - glad that's over. Time for a vacation, then back to life as we know it! Hope you've been doing well :wave: )

Sid

[DGO1223]

Also, just be aware, if you don't feel you are doing as well as you think you should, it may be time to try a change to a different med. What works well for one person does not always work well for another.