January is Thyroid Disease Awareness Month

[penguin129]

Hi ladies! This month is Thyroid Disease Awareness Month. I thought we could do a check-in of sorts and also a Q&A for anyone being tested or recently diagnosed with a thyroid problem: hyper or hypo.

1) Are you hypo or hyper? Hashi's or Graves?

2) How long have you been getting treated? What caused the doctor to check your thyroid?

3) What meds do you take: generic or name brand? Which works better if you've taken both?

4) Who treats you: family doctor or endo?

5) How are you feeling? 

[penguin129]

1) Hypo. I'm not sure if it is Hashi's. Some of you told me you suspect it in previous posts.

2) I was diagnosed in September 2014 after being tested in August 2014. I thought I was having late onset PPD. The doctor tested my thyroid since I just had DD that year and pregnancy can be a trigger.

3) What meds do you take: generic or name brand? Which works better if you've taken both? I take generic now, but that may change.

4) I was seen by a PA for the past year and 3 months or so. I find out if the new family doctor I want to see will take me on soon and will see if he thinks I need to see an endo.

5) I don't feel hypo. I feel more hyper than anything. I am non-stop for the most part. Everything I read about hypo says your supposed to be sluggish and have brain fog, etc. My TSH is hypo .

[joy]

1) Are you hypo or hyper? Hashi's or Graves? Hypothyroid, Hashimoto's

2) How long have you been getting treated? What caused the doctor to check your thyroid? 14 months. It was a standard "get to know you" blood panel by my new GP. I didn't feel right, but I wrote it off as so many other things and would not have gone to the doctor complaining of "tiredness" or "inability to concentrate."

3) What meds do you take: generic or name brand? Which works better if you've taken both? Name brand. I chose to go with Synthroid due to its T4 consistency from pill to pill. Generics have a wider range of error. When I started on generic at a higher dose, I had wretched migraines so I wanted to ease the adjustment by giving myself to as nearly the same amount as possible every day. I'm through that adjustment period now and I could probably switch back to generic at this point. The price is one reason making me lean that way. We'll see!

4) Who treats you: family doctor or endo? Originally it was a family doctor, but now I'm going to an endocrinologist. I'm happier with the endocrinologist.

5) How are you feeling? Good.

[kawaiikitsune]

I am currently being tested for a thyroid issue. My GI has been noticing my blood pressure rising and recommended me to a new GP. He sent me for blood work, focusing on my thyroid numbers since my sister has hyperthyroidism and apparently that can cause elevated BP. I am currently waiting for the results. He did put me on medicine for hypertension though. His youngest patient so far (I'm 29 in two months), yay. (sarcasm)

[Deleted]

I'm just lurking MH has some type of hypothyroidism. He is going in for more testing when he has insurance again, and my MIL is in the middle of testing to determine if she has Graves.

[Deleted]

1) Hypo

2) I've been in treatment since the spring. I had an over 100 day cycle followed by almost 2 months of heavy bleeding, which made me go to the dr. I had been blaming my super dry cracking skin on my excema and my lack of memory on DS. Once I started meds, those symptoms went away.

3) I take synthroid, 75mcg every morning.

4) I'm being treated by my family dr. She has never mentioned and endo to me, but that could be because of the over 1yr wait time.

5) I'm feeling pretty good.

[Quinstar]

1) Are you hypo or hyper? Hashi's or Graves?
 Hypo


2) How long have you been getting treated? What caused the doctor to check your thyroid?
 Since October


3) What meds do you take: generic or name brand? Which works better if you've taken both?
I don't know, still on my first bottle


4) Who treats you: family doctor or endo?
Family


5) How are you feeling? like absolute shit. 

My hair is STILL falling out, my face has BROKEN out in acne worse than when I was twelve. I just keep gaining weight too, and I just got my blood results back. My TSH levels fell from 5.22, to 0.698 and my TFree went up from 1.18 to 1.55. 

I have no idea what it means. The doctor said that they found thyroid antibodies in the test as well, so supposedly my levels will go in swings, and my body is attacking my thyroid. The doctor saw my levels were ok (Even though .693 seems pretty dang low) and now I have to find a time to get an appointment with her to tell her everything isn't going ok. 

[BabyStandish]

1) Are you hypo or hyper? Hashi's or Graves? Hypo

2) How long have you been getting treated? What caused the doctor to check your thyroid? a little over a year now. Found out about it when I was pregnant with DS

3) What meds do you take: generic or name brand? Which works better if you've taken both? generic. I take levothyroxine (or however you spell it) 75 mcg 6x a week. Haven't taken name brand for long term so not sure which works better.

4) Who treats you: family doctor or endo? endo

5) How are you feeling? So tired. But I don't think that's my thyroid. I just don't sleep well anymore.

[penguin129]

Quinstar I'm so sorry you aren't feeling good. I hope you are able to get seen by your doctor soon. It sounds like you are like me numbers wise at least. If you have thyroid antibodies I think you might have Hashi's. I'm not an expert though.

[penguin129]

kawaiikitsune I'm sorry you are having problems and I hope they are able to give you an answer soon. My SIL was hyperthyroid for many years. The meds they gave her ended up makeing her hypothyroid.

@wallflwr926 I hope your H can get answers soon. How long does he have to wait to be seen?

[jubilantsquirrel]

1) Are you hypo or hyper? Hashi's or Graves?
Hypo

2) How long have you been getting treated? What caused the doctor to check your thyroid?
Since March 2012. It was part of my physical. I told my Dr at the time about how completely exhausted I was all the time and how even though I had a great diet and was exercising consistently I was still gaining weight like nobody's business.

3) What meds do you take: generic or name brand? Which works better if you've taken both?
Generic. I've only every taken Levothyroxine.

4) Who treats you: family doctor or endo?
Family doctor. Well, ARNP.

5) How are you feeling?
Fine. Tired. But that mostly has to do with not getting enough sleep.

[Deleted]

Jan 4, 2016 10:44:43 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

kawaiikitsune I'm sorry you are having problems and I hope they are able to give you an answer soon. My SIL was hyperthyroid for many years. The meds they gave her ended up makeing her hypothyroid.

@wallflwr926 I hope your H can get answers soon. How long does he have to wait to be seen?

February. He has difficulty with maintaining a healthy weight.

[penguin129]

Sorry for bumping. I meant to ask joy about having hypo and hashi's and her pregnancy.

joy Who is treating your thyroid conditions during your pregnancy? Do you by any chance know what your levels were when you conceived. I'm really curious about hypo and pregnancy since I didn't go have this the first time I ttc.

[joy]

Jan 8, 2016 15:49:52 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

Sorry for bumping. I meant to ask joy about having hypo and hashi's and her pregnancy.

joy Who is treating your thyroid conditions during your pregnancy? Do you by any chance know what your levels were when you conceived. I'm really curious about hypo and pregnancy since I didn't go have this the first time I ttc.

My GP was in charge in my thyroid from October 2014 to August 2015.  She worked out my necessary dosage and got my TSH level stabilized.  She knew I was seeing an RE and expressed concern over treating me while pregnant.  She wanted to me with an endocrinologist at that point.  So, in August 2015, I started seeing one.

He gave me instructions for normal life and what to do if I got pregnant.  For normal life, I was to be checked every 6 months to a year.  However, the day I got a positive pregnancy test, I was to go to the lab and be tested.  He put in standing orders for me so I could go whenever I needed to.   

My last blood draw before getting pregnant was in October.    My TSH was 0.9.

My TSH was tested again on December 14th at 4 weeks pregnant and was then 2.1.

My endocrinologist changed my dosage from 25 mcg seven days a week to 50 mcg two days a week/25 mcg five days a week.

My next draw is on Monday at 8 weeks.  It's my understanding that I'll go in every four weeks now.

Happily, all the dosage adjustments are done over the phone.  I go in, get my blood drawn, and then the endocrinologist just calls me.

[penguin129]

joy Thank you so much! I am trying to get everything in order to get new doctors but it is taking time. Apparently even though my insurance policy says I can see a specialist without a referral I need one to schedule an appointment with most endos. I'm wondering if I don't have a new family doctor before I see my gyno if the gyno/ob could run my labs and test my levels so I don't have to go back to the PA.

[MrsJepp]

Hi I'm new to the board and thought I'd join in this thread since I have thyroid disease.

1) I am hypo with Hashimoto's.

2) It was discovered in September 2013 after a miscarriage and not ovulating for 2 cycles in a row (I was temping to confirm no ovulation). I went in for a physical and my levels came back high.

3) I take generic meds but my levels have been all over the place the entire time so the doctor suggested moving to synthroid if they don't stay consistent in the next few months.

4) I go to an endo although my OB monitored them during pregnancy.

5) I am consistently tired but my levels are within range. Other than that, pretty good.

[penguin129]

Welcome to the board! I'm glad you joined the thread.