Hypothyroidism question

worrywart

Good afternoon, I was hoping anyone could hopefully give me some insight into Hypothyroidism.
After having my doctor take some blood he cam to the conclusion that i suffer from this condition and while it stopped me from worrying what was wrong i am now concerned about the illness.
I have been told that it is a permanent condition that i will most likely deal with my entire life and have to take meds for it every day from here on out.
My main question is this:Is it dibilitating? At the moment i have to worry about college,work,girlfriend,family etc. this has caused me more worry than i care to admit in public and i really did not feel comfortable talking with my doctor about it.Anonimity making it easier to talk and all that.
Well cheers for reading and if i have any misconceptions please let me know...seems i will be dealing with it for awhile.

worrywart

Sorry for the double post but after a house call from my doctor he decided to place me on eltroxin and he did mention that i may be off my game for a couple of months.Does anyone have any experience with this drug and adjusting to it? and help would be greatly appreciated
Cheers in advance.

CathyMoran

Hi< i have had hypothyroidism for about twenty three years and have never had any problems with it _ just remember to take your tablets!

spurious

For some people, taking the daily thyroxine sorts them out. For a large minority, it doesn't really help with most of the symptoms.

As my doctor says the thyroid is the 'conductor of the endocrine orchestra' - when it's out of whack, everything is out of whack.

While not really 'debilitating', except for a very few unlucky people, some of the side effects can have an effect on your lifestyle. The constant tiredness is the main one of course, though personally it was the way my periods went mental that was the greatest inconvenience to me. I'm talking heavy unstoppable bleeding for weeks at a time. Thankfully the Mirena IUS has sorted that out.

Make sure your doctor listens to how you are feeling and doesn't just rely on the 'numbers' from blood tests. If your type of thyroiditis is auto-immune (Hashimoto's) it can put you at a slightly higher risk for other auto-immune diseases, so you need to be aware of that.

There is an excellent site about thyroid disease in general, including all sorts of info and a very active forum here.

worrywart

Thank you very much the reason i first went to see my doctor was because of the constant tiredness and just checked my blood from there,i am hoping it gets better because i can sleep up to 14 hours a day and even if i am no asleep i am just so tired its hard to concentrate on anything. My doctoer recomended disability allowance application which i am not going to take as i see it as more of a possibly temporary problem till my meds kick in. One more thing,what has peoples experience been in adjusting to there meds,i have read about alot of people not getting the right dose,and are there any tell tale sign that would indicate a wrong dosing,just wanna get self sufficiant as soon as possible again my girlfrind has been spectacular to me over the last month and i wanna get better so i can let her be ^^

spurious

They should start you off on quite a small dose and gradually up it. I started on 25 micrograms (April 2000) and gradually went up to 150 a day (from September 2000). I must say I felt quite a bit worse before I felt any better. From November on, I noticed a difference for the better.

Your gender can make quite a difference here. Many men notice definite improvements, while some women find the gradual increase in Eltroxin has a knock on effect on periods, making them much heavier usually, at least for a while.

Your thyroid being out of whack can affect so many other things from mood to libido to just general 'zest' for life, it's always good to get onto Eltroxin to have some chance of getting back to 'normal'.

worrywart

I am on 25 now and i was told i would need to head back for another blood test so he can check something. I must admit i have noticed to other symptoms your describing. My moods have been pretty dire lately and people have been saying i seem pretty down but now i know that while it may take some time i can get better aswell as my gf mentioning my...uuhh...lack of interest? i love her to bits but i thought i had just lost it for awhile.
Well atleast i know what i am in for now and cheers for the help,kinda helps to hear from someone who has been through it soyou have my undying gratitude!!:D

spurious

Feel free to PM me at any time.

BanzaiBk

Only saw this thread now! I have been dealing with hypothyroidism for years and have had excellent progression thanks to Eltroxin. I take nearly 300mg a day, started on 50mg I think and it has improved my energy fantastically. I am female however, and noticed improvements only gradually but they are still there. Once you remember to take your meds every day (put an alarm reminder on your phone) you'll be grand. Best of luck, and relax:)

worrywart

Cheers for all the info,its just while i know it is a very managable condition when your told you will have a condition for the rest of your life it can be a downer and i had read that alot of people can be odd either adapting to the med or just severity of condition however i must say i am feeling alot better now that i have heard from people who go through it day to day so cheers to all of you!:D
gonna have a chat with my doctor asap and see where i go from there but thanks so much for taking the time to help me out,if i win the euromillions friday i will treat ye to a mansion!:D

BanzaiBk

Awesome:D

LegacyUser

hey there,

ive been on eltroxin (on and off) with six years. I had hyperthyroidism (also called graves disease) since i was 14. Eventually they decided that a total thyroidectomy was the only option left, because i was in and out of hospital every few weeks
on 175mg of eltroxin at the moment.
2things u def need to do
(1) Take the medication everyday!
(2) Go for regular blood tests (TSH and T3's)

thyroxine usually takes a while to build up in ur system, so dont expect any miracles. ur not gona take it 2day & 2moro and be fine. Eltroxin is a fantastic medication...before i had very little quality of life...now im startin to live properly again:)
i totally understand wat u mean, wen u say ur uncomfortable talking to ppl about it. Its hard to explain the illness to others, been there, done that. Plus u dont have to tell people, maybe tell close friends & family but dont allow the illness to define you. I let that happen for all my teenage years, feelin inadequate because i was sick. Im only 21, so i know what its like tryin to get ur head around it. But u will be grand, trust me!!! Im gonna be on eltroxin for the rest of my life, but its far easier to take the meds than be feelin dreadful if u dont take it

Hope some of that helps! if u need to know anything else, u can email me Hippiedippy@yahoo.co.uk

xoxo