Hypothyroid & Turning into an Old Git
Yep, realised yesterday as I was nagging the kids to do their homework that I really am turning into my mother...I used her favourite phrase when I was little & was whining that I couldn't find things that I'd left at my own backside...oooh where is my ???? whatever.....Mum would say "hanging from my bottom lip!"...and there I was just about to utter the immortal phrase to my youngest son's "Mum, where is my school tie?", but I managed to bite it back just in time!
Turning into my Mum in more ways than one as she's got Hashimotos too - the curious thing is that assuming it's an autoimmune, body destroys the organ itself, disease I wondered why, being a lot younger, I'm on a much higher dose of medication? Ideas, anyone?
Mum also had a curious reaction to her medication about 2/3 years ago - she suddenly developed quite serious allergies to lots of different foods - antihistamines & steroids became her main staple food group along with white rice & not a lot else! Interestingly, eventually she worked out herself that her doctor had changed her thyroid medication from the brand name (Eltroxin, here in the UK) to a generic one...usual NHS money saving I guess. Anyway, turns out she was allergic to the filler in the generic levothyroxine & this also manifested itself in allergic reaction to all sorts of foods. She's back on Eltroxin, and no more allergies! Made me wonder if there are any more "allergy" sufferers out there who are actually allergic to their tablets, not what they're eating!
I also seem to have developed hay fever symptoms this year (sooooo annoying), having never been bothered before & assuming it's an allergic reaction to pollen, I wonder what are the links between allergies generally & hypothyroidism? I mean let's face it, hypothyroidism is like being allergic to yourself so there must be some links there.
What does anyone else think? Experiences?
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Thyroid Disease, Diet, Going Mad and Cottages in Scotland!
THYROID DISEASE, DIET, GOING MAD AND COTTAGES IN SCOTLAND
Hashimotos Thyroiditis Thyroid Disease Hypothroidism
Well, I had kind of forgotten about my thyroid blog - have been renovating an old cottage in the North of Scotland for the last couple of years
( it's finished, hurray! If I ever get a website set up for it I'll post the link on here) so hypothroidism had gone on the back burner.
So....update!
By mid 2010 I was feeling pretty unwell - had convinced myself that I had some sort of early onset dementia as my brain wasn't working in the slightest; was forgetting everything, struggling at work to write anything coherent - it was awful thinking back in retrospect. I honestly thought I was going mad, which struck me as rather ironic as I work at a mental health day service!!
Plus I'd become a right moody so-and-so (my poor husband & kids putting up with me). Eventually after yet another temper fit I agreed it would be a good idea to go and see the doc. Asked her to test my bloods, even though I wasn't due a test. Lo & behold, severely hypothyroid, increased from 175mg to 225mg.
Felt like I was getting my brain back - but, alas, was at my utter fattest ever (not counting when I was pregnant, but was almost as heavy!!) which was really depressing :( as I'd put on weight because the levothyroxine doseage wasn't high enough. What most folk don't realise though is that when your drugs are increased all that does is put you back on an even keel so to speak, you don't actually lose any weight, you just don't put any more on!
It was good to get my head back together though & I think everyone around me appreciated the new, improved me without the terrible mood swings!
Well, at this point I was already going to the gym 3 times a week around work & everything else. How could I do more exercise? I also didn't really want to diet as I'm absolutely hopeless at it & just end up in a real grump & usually manage to last until Wednesday afternoon when I'll then scoff a packet of biscuits because I've been denying myself everything all week! I never manage to lose any weight on diets & I also honestly believe that when you're hypothyroid it's soooo much harder than for the normal person in the street.
I'd been doing a wee bit of running on the treadmill as part of my gym sessions & looking at calorie indicators online I decided that increasing the exercise was the only way I could lose a few pounds.
And do you know what? I went running outside along an old railway track nearby (I am very lucky living in the country) & it was really enjoyable.
I do jog very slowly (I make Eddie Izzard look like a sprinter!) but after a couple of weeks I found I could jog along for miles.
It worked! No change to diet - still drank wine & ate chocolate - and lost about 12 pounds without even trying.
It's really made me rethink the whole dieting weight loss malarkey. I now really think that the secret to weight loss if you're hypothyroid is seriously increasing your exercise, and I don't mean going for a wee walk one a week for half an hour as that'll never help, but really upping your level of exercise; if you can't run, then go for a walk every day, but walk quickly, make yourself work at it.
I'm not running intensively at the moment (it's winter here in Scotland...brrr...) but have maintained running on the treadmill as part of my gym routine so my weight has stayed the same.
I feel mentally much better & happy with the weight loss. I think the exercise helps with your mental wellbeing too - it really helps lift my mood & bizarrely gives me energy.
I am having no heart palpitations now and my sleep pattern is a lot better.
I don't know how much of it is related to exercise & how much is related to my drugs being the right level, but whatever the reason, life is good at the moment....:)
All I need now is this Friday winning Euromillions ticket.......!
THYROID DISEASE, DIET, GOING MAD AND COTTAGES IN SCOTLAND
Hashimotos Thyroiditis Thyroid Disease Hypothroidism
Hashimotos Thyroiditis Thyroid Disease Hypothroidism
Well, I had kind of forgotten about my thyroid blog - have been renovating an old cottage in the North of Scotland for the last couple of years
( it's finished, hurray! If I ever get a website set up for it I'll post the link on here) so hypothroidism had gone on the back burner.
So....update!
By mid 2010 I was feeling pretty unwell - had convinced myself that I had some sort of early onset dementia as my brain wasn't working in the slightest; was forgetting everything, struggling at work to write anything coherent - it was awful thinking back in retrospect. I honestly thought I was going mad, which struck me as rather ironic as I work at a mental health day service!!
Plus I'd become a right moody so-and-so (my poor husband & kids putting up with me). Eventually after yet another temper fit I agreed it would be a good idea to go and see the doc. Asked her to test my bloods, even though I wasn't due a test. Lo & behold, severely hypothyroid, increased from 175mg to 225mg.
Felt like I was getting my brain back - but, alas, was at my utter fattest ever (not counting when I was pregnant, but was almost as heavy!!) which was really depressing :( as I'd put on weight because the levothyroxine doseage wasn't high enough. What most folk don't realise though is that when your drugs are increased all that does is put you back on an even keel so to speak, you don't actually lose any weight, you just don't put any more on!
It was good to get my head back together though & I think everyone around me appreciated the new, improved me without the terrible mood swings!
Well, at this point I was already going to the gym 3 times a week around work & everything else. How could I do more exercise? I also didn't really want to diet as I'm absolutely hopeless at it & just end up in a real grump & usually manage to last until Wednesday afternoon when I'll then scoff a packet of biscuits because I've been denying myself everything all week! I never manage to lose any weight on diets & I also honestly believe that when you're hypothyroid it's soooo much harder than for the normal person in the street.
I'd been doing a wee bit of running on the treadmill as part of my gym sessions & looking at calorie indicators online I decided that increasing the exercise was the only way I could lose a few pounds.
And do you know what? I went running outside along an old railway track nearby (I am very lucky living in the country) & it was really enjoyable.
I do jog very slowly (I make Eddie Izzard look like a sprinter!) but after a couple of weeks I found I could jog along for miles.
It worked! No change to diet - still drank wine & ate chocolate - and lost about 12 pounds without even trying.
It's really made me rethink the whole dieting weight loss malarkey. I now really think that the secret to weight loss if you're hypothyroid is seriously increasing your exercise, and I don't mean going for a wee walk one a week for half an hour as that'll never help, but really upping your level of exercise; if you can't run, then go for a walk every day, but walk quickly, make yourself work at it.
I'm not running intensively at the moment (it's winter here in Scotland...brrr...) but have maintained running on the treadmill as part of my gym routine so my weight has stayed the same.
I feel mentally much better & happy with the weight loss. I think the exercise helps with your mental wellbeing too - it really helps lift my mood & bizarrely gives me energy.
I am having no heart palpitations now and my sleep pattern is a lot better.
I don't know how much of it is related to exercise & how much is related to my drugs being the right level, but whatever the reason, life is good at the moment....:)
All I need now is this Friday winning Euromillions ticket.......!
THYROID DISEASE, DIET, GOING MAD AND COTTAGES IN SCOTLAND
Hashimotos Thyroiditis Thyroid Disease Hypothroidism
Monday, 26 January 2009
Hypothyroidism & Memory Loss
THYROID DISEASE HASHIMOTOS THYROIDITIS UNDERACTIVE THYROID
Well, it's now 2009 - so Happy New Year to one & all. It was Burns Night here last night so it was haggis, neeps & tatties all round! (hubbie had the whisky!)
I had my bloods checked 2 weeks ago & alas I am hypothyroid again - I was aware of some hair loss & weight gain - but as usual, you just ignore it & get on with life!
But actually what I have been very aware of in retrospect is a bit of a foggy memory & inability to recall quite simple facts & details which I'm putting down to my low thyroid. Either that or I've suddenly developed very early onset dementia!!
What I've been finding most interesting about the whole low thyroid problem is that I was trundling along quite the thing on 200mg thyroxine a day then doctor reduced it to 150, obviously wasn't enough, they increased it again to 175mg levothyroxine, which is where I've been for a while (have been naughty & not had thyroid levels checked for ages) & lo & behold, my thyroxine has been increased again to, you guessed it, 200mg! I will not be reducing it again unless I'm drastically hyperthyroid. I think I need to be more assertive in requesting all my results rather than just taking the doc or nurse's word for it when they call.
I'm hoping to be back on track a couple of months from now :)
The study I've read recently re thyroid disease & alzheimers unfortunately for me & you appears to point to a link between a thyroid malfunction (regardless of whether low or high) & up to a threefold increased chance of developing alzheimers. Because this has only been an observational study, the scientists have been unable to ascertain what exactly the link between the thyroid & alzheimers is. The fact that the brain tries to maintain thyroid levels at a relatively narrow range may suggest that for it to function optimally, it has to be maintained within this range and going below or above that is not a good thing.
It's not clear, though, how thyroid hormone levels outside this optimal range might trigger Alzheimer's disease. The link was also only observed in hypothyroid women (don't the guys get all the breaks?!!)
Anyway, re memory loss , blueberries & coffee (!!?) are apparently supposed to help. Looks like we'll have to eat & drink up....!!!!
THYROID DISEASE HASHIMOTOS THYROIDITIS UNDERACTIVE THYROID
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