Thyroid Disease Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is remarkably common & about 4 to 5 times more women than men will suffer from it, particularly in the over 40 age group. I was about 30 however when I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism after the birth of my second child & put down my tiredness & lethargy to sleepless nights with a baby & a young toddler! I was just lucky that I had a great doctor who was able to put 2 and 2 together & do a blood test & diagnose an underactive thyroid. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in my case!
However, I think it is important to be able to recognise the signs & symptoms of thyroid disease especially if, like me, it runs in your family. Early diagnosis of thyroid disease will help speed your recovery as some people can take up to 2 years to feel well again - I know it took me a long time & there are still "off" days even now several years down the line.
The main symptoms of hypothyroidism to look out for include fatigue & lethargy - I know I was able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat as soon as I sat down & this was the main issue that made me go to my doctor in the first place as it didn't do well to pass out when in charge of 2 small boys! - intolerance to cold (not good when you're a ski buff like me), constipation, unexplained weight gain, excessive menstruation, dry skin & hair plus hair loss (very distressing at the time), loss of libido & a hoarse voice.
Seek advice from your doctor as soon as possible - you will on all likelihood be started on a low level of levothyroxine to replace your body's natural thyroid hormones & this will gradually be increased if necessary.
However, some people still have hypothyroid symptoms even when they are on their optimum dose of thyroxine. This can be due to many things. It can be that they are not on enough thyroxine for their needs. Before blood tests came into play, people were given more than 200mcg, although many doctors now don’t like to give more than 150mcg. Thyroxine should also be given according to weight, so the bigger you are, the more you should have. In reality, this does not happen. Each doctor seems to have his own ideas about the highest level he will allow his patient to be in the range. He then tells the patient that she cannot have any more thyroxine, even though the patient still has symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Another reason many people still feel ill on thyroxine is that they are not converting the thyroxine into T3 (tri-iodothyronine). This conversion takes place outside of the thyroid, mainly in the liver, so if the patient has some kind of problem with the liver or any of the other places where conversion takes place, then deficiency will occur. Certain vitamins, especially those of the B group and some minerals are also necessary to aid conversion, namely: iron, selenium, magnesium and zinc. If you are deficient in any of these then conversion will be less effective. If this is your problem, then you will need to supplement your T4 with T3 (which is what I do as prescriptions for hypothyroidism sufferers are free on the NHS) or take the natural form of thyroid hormone. Armour natural thyroid is an excellent alternative, which has not only T4, but T3, T2 and T1, but you'll have to order & pay for it yourself privately.
I think the main thing I held onto when I felt unwell & down with hypothyroidism was that it had probably taken me a long time to reach feeling this unwell & I should expect it to take the same amount of time for my body to recover & adjust to the drug regime & to feel truly well again so don't despair that you're never going to feel your old self again because I do & you will get back there again too!
These days I exercise at the gym to help keep my weight under control (it's also handy for keeping the mood swings at bay!), my hair's grown back (maybe not as thickly as before if I'm honest, but there's plenty of it) & tiredness these days is usually due to late nights at the weekend rather than anything medical :)
THYROID DISEASE
HYPOTHYROIDISM
