HYPOTHYROIDISM ANYONE??

[NB]

Hi everyone,
It's been a couple years since posted with a new question. My IC feels like it's calmed down, i almost feel normal when i take care of myself which is good b/c i'm 22 and i have alot of time for it to get worse. I'm off my Elmiron due to it's side effects (lethargy, and then the hair loss didn't help)

But the hair loss promted my new GYN to test my thyroid and the results reveal that my thyroid is barely if at all working!
And i don't know how long it's been this way and i'm surprised my URO never thought to test it b/c when i used to comoe here all the time i'd hear alot about thyroids but i never thought it applied to me.

Does anyone have this, i'm curious as to what to expect treatment wise and if my symptoms will go away.
I have dry eyes really bad at night,
always anxious and moody but always have been
i'm still thin, no weight gain so far
IC
hair loss
anyone know if this relates to IC or if you have this?
just thought i'd ask,
hope everyone is doing well!!

[vm]

NB - If you go to the "Related Conditions" board and browse through past topics you will find much discussion of thyroid disorders and people here who do have thyroid problems. You should be able to click to bring up topics for the past year. :)

[Silverfox]

Dear NB,
I also have a severe case of Hypothyroidism (low thyroid disease) I was Hypothyroid since I was a real small child, and I didn't get diagnosed correctly until I was nearly 40. My early symptoms were sensitivity to cold, carpal tunnel syndrome, low energy, constipation, lack of cordination, and bladder frequency.

As time went on, my bladder became very severe and I went to countless urologists and other Drs. Ins search of help. Some very top urologists even told me that I had IC and had an end stage bladder. Fortunately, I found out that I was severely Hypothyroid and began treatment.

My current Drs. tell me that I suffer from a Hypothyroid neuropathy. (thats nerve damage) They tell me that it is throughout my entire body. This means that many of the symptoms that I suffer with, are to my autonomic nerves and to my distal nerves sensory nerves. The autonomic nerves control bladder, bowels, lungs heart, glands and we normally don't have to think about them they just work for us. The other nerves are mostly distal sensory neuropathy and they do cause me severe painful sensations. :(
An example of autonomic nerve damage is severe constipation that is not relieved with added fiber and water. This causes trouble like IBS with gas, hemmoroids, and straining of bowels.

This is pretty complicated stuff, but found this that might explain it better. I will quote it:

"The pathophysiology surrounding hypothyroid neuropathy remains unexplained. In people with hypothyroidism a mild peripheral neuropathy is relatively common and may include facial mononeuropathy, sensorineural hearing loss, distal sensory neuropathy, and sensorimotor polyneuropathy. One study reported changes in nerves consistent with a dying back process and possible underlying slow axonal transport. There may be preferentual loss of larger caliber myelinated fibers. Carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve mononeuropathy at the wrist) the most common mononeuropathy encountered. As we have seen in dogs, the relative proportions of axonal degeneration (seconday to disturbance of neuronal metabolism?) and demyelination (primary Schwann cell involvement?) varies from case to case. Onion bulb formations are infrequently found. Ultrastructural changes in affected human nerves include prominent cluster formations and excessive glycogen deposition in Schwann cells, myelinated and unmyelinated axons, endothelial cells, and perineurial cells." This paragraph I found in my daughters Veterinary books. Now I need to find the someone out there who knows how to heal the nerves...Hmmmm,... I wonder if our favorite veterinarian bunny Dr. Buffington can give us information about this. Just thought this is so interesting yet little research is being done about Hypothyroid Neuropathies.

Please make sure that your good Dr. does more than the TSH test, You should also have the Free T4 and Free T3 and remember that many have normal thyroid levels, yet have all of the symptoms.

Some Drs. take great consideration in the symptoms, and some will treat with thyroid hormone just see if the hormone helps. I feel the best on 3 1/2 grains of Armour thyroid and the dose is individual for all patients. Armour thyroid has both the T3 and T4. The T3 hormone is biologically ready for your body cells to use immediately. It is several times stronger than the T4. Check out the Armour thyroid site! People on T3 sometimes feel its effects within minutes after taking it. Check this out: www.armourthyroid.com (http://www.armourthyroid.com)


There are as many as 20 million sufferers in the US - and 13 million of them are undiagnosed. Women are seven times more likely than men to develop thyroid problems, with a one in five lifetime chance of developing a thyroid problem. For both men and women, the risk of thyroid disease increases with age.

Hey, about your symptoms when treated correctly with the right amount of thyroid hormone your dry eyes will improve, your anxiety and depression will improve, and perhaps the bladder IC symptoms will improve. Many children with Hypothyroidism are thin due to poor apetite. Many older hypothyroid people are a little overweight due to lack of energy and are often tired and depressed.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism are many and vary but often include:

Fatique, trouble awakening in the morning, daytime sleepiness

Feeling cold when other people do not

Drier skin and hair; hair loss

Muscle Cramps

New or worsening memory lapses

Depression

High cholesterol level

Puffy face

weight gain

Heavy menstrual bleeding

Carpal tunnel syndrome with pains and numbness particularly at night

This list is much longer and many could add more to this list. eek
I once saw a list of nearly 200 symptoms!

for more information see www.thyroid.about.com (http://www.thyroid.about.com)
and check out Dr. Barry Peatfield's book
THE GREAT THYROID SCANDAL AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT
SEE www.baronsdownpublishing.com (http://www.baronsdownpublishing.com)

Hey NB, JANUARY IS THYROID AWARENESS MONTH
PLEASE TELL OTHERS ABOUT THYROID, THYROID CAN BE LIFE-CHANGING

Best Wishes, and just ask if you need further information on Hypothyroidism.

Hugs Silverfox (premature grey hair is another Hypothyroid symptom!) wink

[rnewman]

Hey NB! Good to hear from you!!


Im GLAD you have a smart GP!!

Im also glad I have a smart GP now too. I was tested this year.....and I was started on thyroid medication about 9 months ago.

I cant believe yours is barely working!! Do you know what your numbers were?? For me, my numbers were just very boarderline, but I was SOO symptomatic, I began on a very low dose of the medication. I am only 24...so I was scared to do so....but even though I was boarderline, I was feeling the symptoms.

Kim is right....we have had a LOT of discussion on this lately!! Because I just worked a really long tiring shift, lmao I dont feel like typing it all over again.

http://www.ic-network.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=138;t=000744

There was also a really good thread under the PT catagory....I wanted to add it because it has a lot of good information. The sciatica pains or physical therapy type problems may or may not pertain to you, but there is still a lot of great information on this thread.

http://www.ic-network.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=19;t=000262


I know deciding weather to do thyroid medication is a scary decision.....it seems like a permanant decision....and it seems like it can change everything. And as with ANY treatment that involves hormones, it WILL change a lot of things. For me, most of these changes were positive changes. I had the weight gain, high cholesterol, dry skin, the hair loss, muscle aches, very very slow metabolism, fatigue and horrible constipation. There are also other conditions that can mimic thyroid conditions. You have to consider your lab reports, this is true, but also consider how you feel, and if you have been feeling good, you may want to hold off awhile. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me!!

Also...just wanted to double check...make sure your doctor is talking about hypOthyroidism. If you can easily keep weight off (or if you have lost weight recently) and if you have a lot of anxiety, you may have hypERthyroidism. Because there are so many different thyroid hormones, by you saying your numbers were way off, that could go either way.

For me, a lot of my problems (mostly the pain and constipation and the weight gain) have gotten better. Im still experiancing the hair loss thing, and I truely believe that is a symptom of IC.....My doctor and I are going to check into cortisol as a cause for that. There is more info in the threads I gave you.

Hope this helps. Again, feel free to email me rnewman13@hotmail.com. Glad to hear youve been doing well!
Hugs
Rachel

[havingsuccess]

I take 2 grains of armour a day. I had all the symptoms with hair loss and fatigue being the worst. My tests were fairly normal but my doc started me on the armour anyway. I feel much better, that was almost a year ago. I don't know if it's related to the bladder problems or not. I still occasionally have symptoms while taking it so I don't know about that. God Bless!

Success

[NB]

thank you so much Kim, Silverfox, Rachel, and Success.
I've looked on websites but they all say the same thing such as it being caused by lesions or tumors on the thyroid, or Hashimotos Disease or a couple of other things. And it lists the symtpoms so you girls helped me alot.

I do have my lab results, the T4 is in normal ranges but my TSH is 13.568 and the normal range is .3-5 so it is definately HYPOthyroidism.

I'm just a little anxious about the meds b/c i'm starting my second semester of Nursing school where i'll be in clinicals and i can't afford to have wacky things going on. The first semester was hell but i managed with a 3.7 average and i said to myself right after that was over how i don't know if my body can take that on again. So you can imagine why i'm worried.

But i'm hoping too that the meds will make me feel better. I just never really feel that great, especially mood wise.

Now i'm rambling, thanks again so much and it was good to hear from all of you!!! bunny

[PPP]

Hello NB

I just read your posts, and would like to add that I have been taking Synthroid since 1990. .125 per day up until November of 2003, and then reduced to .112 per day...probably due to my aging body...ugh....
To have to live with hypothyroidism is not a good thing. My TSH level was 28 before I started on replacement therapy. You will not believe the change in yourself once the dose is at the proper level....WOW
No more constipation--some days I thought I would never go again in my life.
No more fuzzy brain feeling. I remember going to Silence of the Lambs and telling my husband that I was sorry, but I just didn't understand the movie...I felt really "Mentally challenged" until my doseage was correct.
I was so crabby and crying all the time and nothing seemed to be right UNTIL I started thyroid therapy. Puffy and water retention! Slow heartbeat...so many things went away!
So, if your thyroid is not working, you have to take the replacements for the rest of your life because you certainly won't want to go back to living with an underactive thyroid gland....
Also the unchecked low thyroid will raise havoc with many other parts of your body....as alas, I have Reynaud's phenomenon, arthritis, low body temp and now to top it off IC. WOW for us, eh?

You will feel lots better in 3-6 weeks. Good luck!

PPP

[NB]

Hi PPP,

Wow, i'm so glad that the meds worked! That's great!! And thanks for reassuring me.

I don't have constipation problems though. I know i'm ALWAYS cold, have severely dry eyes at night, hair falling out more often, and i'm axious. I would love to get rid of those symptoms. I'll go to the DR tomorrow, i'll fill you in!
take care!! grouphug

[rnewman]

PPP.....funny you mention.

I had the "fuzzy head" thing going on too. Didnt realize that TOO was related to the thyroid!! It has deffinatly cleared up for me with my Armour thyroid. And I am only on fifty micrograms.

NB~ just for the record. I KNOW that when you go onto all those Hypothyroidism websites, they list the lesions, the tumors, and Hashimotos. I want to just let you know for the record that I have NONE of these. Like I said, my labs were boarderline low. TSH was perfect at 1.4, but my FREE t4 was low at .8 (low range normal) and FREE t4 is more important to know than TOTAL t4, because FREE t4 is what is available for the body to use. While those conditions on all those thyroid websites are the only DOCUMENTED thyroid conditions, there are other "subclinical hypothyroidism" conditions that are not so black and white. (Thats my diagnosis ~ subclinical hypothyroidism.)

As far as YOUR condition, I think I understand whats going on. With thyroid hormones, what happens is called a Negative inhibition cycle. I will try to explain.

Your thyroid gland itself makes t3, which is the metabolically active thyroid hormone, and t4, which converts to t3. When the levels of t3 OR t4 in the body get too low, the pituitary gland senses this, and creates MORE TSH to try and stimulate the thyroid gland to make MORE t3/t4. In Hypothyroidism, the gland usually can NOT produce more t3/t4, and the TSH goes sky high, and the patient feels symptomatic.

I think what is happening in your case is YES, you DO have hypothyroidism, BUT, your body is compensating well. Since your t3/t4 are normal, and you are NOT symptomatic, I think trying the medication at this time might make you have hypERthyroid symptoms...tachycardia (high heart rate) nervousness, anxiety, weight loss, diahrhea....... and those things arent good either. (PS.... Anxiety is not really a hypothyroid related thing, as too much t3/t4 or hyperhtyroidism cause anxiety.....depression is more of a hypothyroid thing)

Although I let my primary care MD manage my thyroid, and I usually do NOT reccomend endocrinologists, as they do not recognize "subclinical hypothyroidism" as a diagnosis, I think in your case a Endocrinologist evaluation would be good. My fear in starting thyroid replacement hormone too early is that eventually your thyroid will burn out, and you could end up having a myxedema coma, which is when your thyroid burns out all at once (and you are already on thyroid medications) and you end up being terribly hyPERthyroid for a few days. This feels HORRIBLE, and can be life threatening. Julie B had this happen to her......not fun.

As a recent grad of ALL types of nursing schools wink , I think the anxiety might be school related. I know mine was!! The hair falling out started for me in nursing school too.....although some was hormone related, I think some was also stress induced (telogen effulvium).....I have been out six months and I have tiny fine feathery new growth....yay! :D As a side note, heavy metal toxicity and certain medications (elmiron) can also cause hair loss.

I wish you the best of luck in deciding what to do. I suggest if you dont go to endocrine, ask your primary care MD what they think about your body compensating and about myxedema coma. Your thyroid IS sluggish, but for now, its compensating very well.

Please let us know how you do. Congrats on your GPA!! YOu tottttttallly deserve it!!
BIG hugs,
Rachel (CRNP)

[rnewman]

I also wanted to say....

Have you had ANA titers? (Antinuclear antibodies?) Also, when it comes to information....be careful about websites. You probably have some kick butt textbooks at your disposal wink
Hugs again,
R

[MamaKay]

re: ANA titers

I have had IC for 9 years (really a lifetime), suffered my first flare in 9 years, fibro, IBS, etc.

Anyway, they keep testing my thyroid and saying it is ok, but my ANA is rising - up to 640!

Does anyone else relate to this?

[NB]

Rachel,
Thanks for the advice! grouphug
But i think you misunderstood or i forgot to mention that i AM symptomatic. Even before i started RN school, months before.
My hair fell out, my eyes are terribly dry at night, my joints ache, i'm tired alot, my periods have always been loooong and heavy until i got on the pill. So aside from the anxiety, there's that whole other slew of physical symptoms that won't go away. My T4 is normal, but my TSH is 14 and it's supposed to be .3-5 so taking that into consideration along with my symptoms, i feel i should get on medication. My DR prescribes synthroid 50 mcg.
BUt yes, that does make perfect sense about when you said if i was asymptomatic then maybe it would be better to wait but i've had these symptoms for 11 months and i've tried vitamins (i thought i might have had a nurtitional deficiency) and i don't take elmiron anymore. So i think i need to be on medication as well.

But thank you for all that information, i really appreciate it. Even in all those RN books, it really doesn't talk much about hypo. OR IC!!!! cussing But maybe soon they will know more :confused:
Thanks so much :D

[NB]

....and i forgot to mention too that i'm always freezing!!!
I forgot to ask, how long did it take you to feel better? My DR said two-three weeks. I'm starting the 50mcg of synthroid tomorrow.
thanks

[Silverfox]

Hi NB,

The shorter the time that you have been hypothyroid, the sooner you will feel better. You should start to feel warmer in a few weeks and you and those around you might start to notice that you have more energy. I was hypothroid for more than 30 years and so my recovery was not as quick.

You are young, so you should do very well and you will start to feel better in weeks and more complete in a few months.

NB if you do not feel that the Synthroid is working after a few months, don't forget to ask your Dr. if you can try some Armour thyroid.


When I tried Synthroid for several months I actually began to become Hypothyroid feeling colder and tired. My Dr. put me back on Armour thyroid and increased it a small amount. He told me that 3 grains is about the amount that the thyroid gland produces in a day. Each person is different so most have to experiment with dose.

I hope that you do really well, and please let us know how it's going.

All of the states in the USA now have a thyroid support group, patient run and patients helping each other find a good Dr. The state of Michigan now has thyroid support group meetings for patients and a thousand members. grouphug

Please join your state thyroid support group. You can make a difference. Nurses who understand thyroid diseases would be wonderful. You can make new friends and help someone find help.

Here are 2 sites, please check them out:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyroid_Support_Groups-USA
grouphug

www.cafeshops.com/thyroidpatients (http://www.cafeshops.com/thyroidpatients)

http://home.earthlink.net/~meritime/tabtools.htm

[Silverfox]

Hi Mamma Kay,

Many do not know this, but the usual thyroid tests for some may be next to useless. I had low-normal thyroid test results. You may wish to talk to your Dr. about all your symptoms. I had so many Hypothyroid symptoms, and most of them are gone now.

About the ANA titers, before I found out that I was Hypothyroid, they did my ANA tests and they were very high. They didn't know why. Months later after I was put on Armour thyroid hormone at 2 grains, they did my ANA test again and the results were way down. They did not know why.

I cannot tell you what it means for you, please ask your Dr. When they first did ANA titers they were thinking that I may have lupus or MS. They also did a spinal tap and my protein level was very high and this is often seen in Hypothyroidism. Do not ask for a spinal tap, because that is not necessary. Your regular family GP can help you.

treatment for Hypothyroidism is inexpensive and easy if you are suspected with hypothyroidism.
Sincerely Silver :)

PS. JANUARY IS THYROID AWARENESS MONTH!

[rnewman]

Silverfox is right.

ANA titers could be indicative of thyroid disease, but can also be indicative of MANY other types of diseases.

Have you had inflammation markers (sed rate, Creactive protein) done? I also believe that you can run ANA specific tests.....like if your ANA is high, they should be able to specify WHICH type of ANA it is, be it rheumatoid, thyroid, etc.

Hope this helps. Let us know what you find.
Big hugs,
Rachel

[ICyuck]

I've been on thyroid meds (hypothyroid) for about 3-4 weeks now and am really starting to feel a difference.

Before, (if my bladder would let me) I was literally sleeping 14 hours a day, and didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't even have the energy to sit in a chair for long, I wanted to lie down all the time. Doing housework felt like Mt. Everest. Today, I woke up after only 7 hours of sleep, feeling more rested, more awake and alert and energetic than I have in many many years.

Today I've been able to do housework without wanting to cry from feeling so exhausted and tired and without longing to lie down and sleep again. I do not have to have the temp up to 90 - I am comfortable at 70. I have NO desire for a nap! :)

I feel happy and not just tired and worn out and a billion years old. I feel young, alert, my brain is working right (no more brain fog!)

For those of you who don't know what the hypo fog is like, it's like...you know when you are in that state of between a dream and awake? Where you feel confused and you can't quite think straight? That's what it felt like for me. Like not being fully awake.

I'm even typing faster now! Before, I felt like...like my batteries were just worn out. Now I feel "me" again.

Oh and no more stool softeners/enemas for me, thank you, my body is working fine again in that department after many years of miserable constipation!

Too much info, I know, LOL!

Oh I am soooo happy! I love this medicine! I just hope that I won't ever have to go off it and go back to being half-dead again.

Don't know yet if it helps my bladder because I'm still on Elmiron.

Love, ICY

[NB]

ICY,
Hi-that is so great that you feel so good now!!!
Wow! I've been on the medicine for 5 days now, i can't wait 'till it kicks in. I'm so tired now!!! I don't know how LONG i've been hypo, but i never felt like doing anything since i got my wisdom teeth out in December, and before that i was always busy with school. So my whole entire break i've been so damned tired. I don't exercise anymore and i was doing so for six months straight and i can't wait to start again. I used to clean too! But i know what you mean, i do the dishes and i'm warped. I used to do the whole house, and laundry and it seems impossible now. I'm 22 going on 90!!!

ICY, what medicine are you on? They put me on Synthroid 50 mcg. I'm so glad you have your energy back, enjoy!!!

[ICyuck]

I'm on whole dessicated thyroid - the natural stuff - not sure how much but I am taking one capsule per day....

Love, ICY

[Silverfox]

Congratulations Icy,

I am so happy thyroid hormone is helping you! Wow! It seems that there are many with IC who are also HYPOTHYROID.

I am guessing that you are taking Armour dessicated natural pig hormone. It is made from the thyroid glands of pigs when they cut pork chops and bacon at the slaughter house. All the pig thyroids are saved frozen and sent to the pharmaceutical co. to be dried, measured, and made into thyroid tablets of different sizes. blah

p.s. JANUARY IS THYROID AWARENESS MONTH!
PLEASE TELL OTHERS ABOUT THYROID, YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! scream

[ICyuck]

Yes, that's what it's called! My psychiatrist agreed to let me try the natural stuff instead of synthroid because I'd heard so many stories of people who were helped more by the natural stuff (and I kind of lean toward "natural" anyway, I've always had butter instead of margarine, etc.) and I think she has an open mind maybe because she is originally from another country (India) and maybe not as close-minded as American docs can sometimes be. She even suggested doing yoga to me! I would try that except my knees are killing me and honestly I'm afraid to.

Whew!

Anyway, this is the weirdest thing - my depression has disappeared. It didn't happen right away, took a few weeks, but - it's gone! Even with two different antidepressants, I still had depression (I kept trying different ones, they just didn't really work right on me)I mean, really bad I-don't-wanna-be-here type depression, you know?

And for some reason this stuff made it go away entirely.

I've heard that being hypo can cause some depression, I wonder if that means, if you cure the hypo, you cure the depression? All I know is that for the first time in about a decade or more I'm not depressed.

(My TSH had been borderline for over a decade, same with my free thyroxine - just barely inside of the "sick" line....so my thyroid has been sputtering out for a long time and I've had symptoms for a long time.)

Has anyone else had depression lift as a result of thyroid meds or am I just imagining it?

Love, ICY

[Silverfox]

Yes, Thyroid hormone can cure or help with depression. Its wonderful when someone can be helped by just adding a little low cost thyroid hormone daily. I think you found yourself a good Dr.( Do you mind if I ask her name) I know someone who needs a good thyroid Dr., she lives in that part of the country.

Some Drs. think that one third to one half depressed folk are suffering from unrecognised hypothyroidism. Some are in psychiatric wards, and taking expensive and powerful psychotropic
(mood altering) medication, with side effects.

An underactive thyroid can cause any of the following mental symptoms:

Depression
Mental sluggishness
increased sleepiness
Forgetfulness
Emotional instability
Loss of ambition
Decreased ability to pay attention and focus
Decreased interest
Slowing of thought and speech
Irritability
Fear of open or public spaces (agoraphobia)
Audiovisual hallucinations and paranoid delusions(rare, only in very severe hypothyroidism)
Dementia (usually in long-standing severe hypothyroidism)
Manic behavior
and don't forget those "panic attacks"

Psychiatrists know that it is very important to get this diagnosis right because tranquillizers and antidepressants will not ever help with these if the patient is Hypothyroid. Even mild hypothyroidism can cause so much trouble.

Scary, but everyone is a little different so you can see how Hypothyroidism can effect your entire life, and with the right treatment it can be life-changing and maybe even save your life.

Icy, I am so happy you are feeling better emotionally and physically. :D Keep working with your Dr. and with blood tests and more important how you feel. I just love my Armour thyroid and not long ago my Dr. increased my dose from 2 to 3 1/2 grains. I feel fine and I am not hyper on this amount. My Dr. said that years ago he gave 3 grains to everyone and they always did well. He said that about 3 grains is what the usual amount of thyroid the gland produces daily. It's really safe and you can't get mad cow disease!

Hypothyroidism never is cured and you will always need to take thyroid hormone every day. And once your Dr. finds the correct dose, your needs can change from time to time. Like when you are pregnant you might need an increase. I think they are now testing all pregnant women for Hypothyroidism. They found that low-thyroid in the Mom can lower the child's IQ.

You can find some good books on thyroid. and it really helps be informed so you can help your Dr.
You are the one who knows how you feel and your bladder might feel better in time. My Dr. says I have hypothyroid neuropathies and it is throughout my whole nervous system. It was what caused me bladder urethral pains, many other symptoms, like carpal tunnel, IBS and fibromyalgia pains. I had this for such along time before I learned that I was Hypothyroid, now he doesn't know if my nerves will ever heal. But when someone like you is treated early, the results are very good.

Have hope, some Drs. think that hope is very important to getting well. I wish you the best in your recovery. Please let us know from time to time how you are doing. And what the amount of hormone you are taking. Maybe it can help others find good health.

Love and God Bless You, Silverfox kissing

hey, JANUARY IS THYROID AWARENESS MONTH!
(please tell others)

[ICyuck]

Thank you so much, Silverfox! For the first time in my life, I feel life is good! I think I might have been hypo practically from birth - maybe I inherited it or maybe it was from the soy formula I was given...but I looked it up and the signs of hypo in children - late teething, late talking/walking, frequent infections, intolerance to cold, etc. - all of those I had!

The doctor I am going to is at Ft. Belvoir and the only way your friend could go to her is by being a military dependent...

If she's willing to marry a soldier or else become a soldier, LOL, she can go to my doctor then! :)

Love, ICY

[Silverfox]

Yes, Hypothyroidism is often genetically passed on from one generation to the next. I had all those symptoms as a baby and as I grew up they became more severe, yet no Dr. ever recognized all the classic symptoms of Hypothyroidism. I remember having bladder problems very early. Even as a little child I thought that I was going to be told that I had MS. Sometimes I felt that I would die early because I was feeling so bad. :(

Now, I learned that my Grandmother and her two daughters were also Hypothyroid. Now my two sisters and my 3 children are Hypothyroid.

I think the Teachers in schools should be taught to look for those Hypothyroid symptoms in the children that they are teaching. If they notice these symptoms, they could tell the parents. Early treatment with thyroid hormone can mean better success in school and less suffering for the child. baby

Icy, I really believe that your bladder will get better. I have done some reading about Hypothyroid neuropathies. Some of the best information can be found in veterinary medicine. bunny

I found this and I will quote it, "The pathophysiology surrounding hypothyroid neuropathy remains unexplained. In people with hypothyroidism a mild peripheral neuropathy is relatively common and may include facial mononeuropathy, sensorineural hearing loss, distal sensory neuropathy and sensorimotor polyneuropathy. One study reported changes in nerve loss, consistant with a dying back process and possible underlying slow axonal transport. There may be preferentual loss of larger caliber myelinated fibers. Carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve mononeuropathy at the wrist) the most common mononeropathy encountered"

This is by a veterinarian who has done many nerve and muscle biopsy's on dogs. He also says that the few cases reported in the literature do not refect the prevalence of this metabolic neuropathy. (by a veterinarian at Scott-Richey neuromuscular laboratory at Auburn University and at his own peripheral nerve laboratory) I lost his name, I will try to find this man and ask him for more information. He sounds like a real expert in Hypothyroid Neuropathy. My oldest daughter is a veterinarian and she once told me she knew of him. Well now I have brain fog and can't remember his name.

I believe the nerve damage that many who have IC have is the distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy. that means all of the nerve endings in the bladder area and vaginal area are damaged. eek

Strange as it may sound, I also have pain in my feet and fingers(distal nerve damage also) Mine is much more severe than most. If you look at the picture of the nerves coming from the end of the spinal columm you can see that the sacral nerves that go to the bladder, vaginal area and the soles of the feet. You might find a picture of this on a chiropracters chart. I hope this makes some sense as I am not medically trained but this is what happened to me. :(

Icy, everytime I take my Armour thyroid, I say a healing prayer to myself and imagine the wonderful healing of the thyroid hormones traveling through my body to every single cell and healing them. angel My Dr. tells me that the nerves heal very slowly, slower than any other cells in the body.

There are now thyroid support group for each of the states. Maybe when you are feeling better you can join one (on the internet) These are patients helping patients with thyroid diseases.
I have heard that there is a Maryland thyroid support. Maryland may have support group meetings, I will look up the email adress. grouphug

Keep your hope up and think positive, and you will get better and return to good health and a great life ahead of you. Go for it! jester

Love Silverfox

hey, JANUARY IS THYROID AWARENESS MONTH!
(you can make a difference by telling others about thyroid)

[Mimi-in-Chicagoland]

Did any of you have tenderness when you touched the front of your neck right under your chin??

[ICyuck]

Hmmm...I do but I don't know if it's from the poking or what...never tried that before...does that mean something?

You know, I was given soy formula as an infant and now they are saying, that increased my risk of hypothyroid problems 3-fold. You take the fact that 1 in 5 women end up with thyroid dysfunction, and then triple that...I guess I had a better than 50/50 chance of becoming hypo anyhow...

I hope my nerves in my bladder will get better with time.

Love, ICY

[Silverfox]

Hi Mimi,

I think you should ask your Dr. to do a physical exam on your neck to make sure you are ok. I did not ever have any tenderness or pain under my chin in the neck.

There are lymph nodes in the neck area also.

There are thyroid diseases that can cause tenderness, or soreness and swelling. One is called thyroiditis, an inflamation. Also, there is thyroid nodules. blah

I am not medically trained but I would check it out because thyroid diseases when early diagnoses can be effectivily treated.

Please ask your Dr. for his opinion about this.

Best wishes Silverfox :)

Janurary is thyroid awareness month!
Millions do not know they have a thyroid disease!
Do you know anyone who might have a thyroid disease? blink

[ICyuck]

I agree...my tenderness was just cause I was poking too hard. Actually I have been experimenting and if I press down hard enough on any point in my throat, it's tender. I guess my throat just doesn't like to be poked hard. But my throat seems to be normal.

Love, ICY

[Silverfox]

Hi Icy,

Many things can cause one to become Hypothyroid.
I have talked to some that went on an all soy diet thinking that it would be healthy. Then they became Hypothyroid. Soy is something that blocks the thyroid hormone, and yet a little everyday is fine.

Also, some can become Hypothyroid from a lack of Iodine in the diet and that is one of the greatest causes of mental retardation in the world. That is why iodine is put in our salt. But crazy as it is, too much Iodine can make one become Hypothyroid. I guess that means do nothing in extreme.

I inherited my low thyroid from my Mothers side of family, as we can see it has been passed down each generation. Same problems over and over.
In my own case, they think that I cannot convert the T4 in my body into the T3. It seems there is a lack of an enzyime that metabolizes's the hormone, and gradually this has a bad effect on the body, and hypothyroid symptoms develop. This is a simplfication of what they think is causing this in our family. :(

My husband became hypothyroid because he lived near a facility where they made nuclear bomb material, and the radioactive wastes were left to scatter in the wind for years, causing much physical harm to the population in that area. Real bad story this is but something to take seriously. eek Read about the "Hanford downwinders"

Please come back and let us know how you are doing! Thank God you are doing better! angel

Love Silverfox blink

[ICyuck]

Thank you! I know that my free thyroxine or whatever they call it is always at the extreme low end of the scale.

It's still "normal" (ha) but so much research has been done that shows, most women don't feel at all well until their free thyroxine is in the upper half of the range rather than rock bottom of the range.

I just thank God every day since my meds kicked in, for how good life is and how good I feel now! I honestly feel like this is the first time in my life I have been truly well!

Love, ICY

[rnewman]

ICY, that post brought a smile to my face. I am so glad you are feeling better.

I just wanted to add....for me, my numbers are all "within normal limits" (WNL) except my free t4 or free thyroxine level was low boarderline normal...still WNL but boarderline, and so my doctor said Hey Rachel look....you are low on something that we have in pill form and we can replace EXACTLy what you are missing, nothing more nothing less. So I started on Levoxyl. That was about six months ago.

I was breast fed as a baby, but as an young women, I am a vegetarian(but I did eat fish). Well, that blew up in my face when I discovered all the mercury issues out there in the US.....and when my doctor discovered the mercury levels in my blood!! And of course, Mercury is a thyroid~depressant....it latches on to the thyroid tissue very easily for some reason. This is one of the explanations as to why I do not clearly have "Hashimoto's Thyroiditis" or positive ANA titers....because there are things in my body supressing that gland.

The other issue IS soy. Soy has estrogenic~ like properties, and while this is great for my mother who is nearing menopause, for me, it causes more problems than benefits I believe. As a vegetarian I ate (and still do eat a decent amount) a HUGE amount of soy, partially as a good source of protein, partially because it is so heart healthy (I have high cholesterol.) I think the LARGE amount of soy I ate contribuited to the supression of the thyroid, so now I try to limit my consumption. I still do have a protein bar every morning, because Im usually on the run, and the bar is soy protein. (I have contacted the company and asked them to make a bar out of whey protein!! LOL) But I limit my intake to that bar, or one serving a day, and I try for at least 3 days a week with no soy at all. I have begun to notice that when I DONT monitor my soy intake at all, and I eat whatever, I get worse PMS (and therefor worse IC symptoms at that time of the month) then when I dont eat as much soy.

Its been tough.....I became a vegetarian because well, I dont paticularly like meat, but for me, it was easier with IC, my bladder was less irritated. It obviously wasnt the best thing for me between mercury and soy lmao but now that I know I pay much more attention to my diet. Its hard, I believe that us ICers can have nutrient deficient diets, and one of those deficiencies for me has been not enough protein. (Did you know you should have your weight in Kilograms in protein every day?? SO if you weigh 140, about sixty three kilos, you should have sixty three grams of protein a day??) I certianly wasnt getting that, and being careful about my diet has made me feel better overall.

ANyway guys, I'll stop rambling now. Off to the doctor for my thyroid med check!!
Big hugs,
Rachel

[rnewman]

Mimi~

I just saw your post, Im sorry!!

Tenderness is NOT indicative of a thyroid problem, and although it could go along with it, it could also be indicative of some other problem, so please see your doctor. If it is directly under your chin, it is NOT your thyroid gland (which is much lower) but it is your sublingual lymph nodes, which could mean you have a cold or a throat infectoin or a sinus infection or even an ear infection.

Funny though.....years and years before I started thyroid medication, even before I had IC, doctors were always checking my thyroid labs because my thyroid always felt "full" on physical exam. That started when I was about fifteen!!!! It took almost a decade, 8 years, until I found a doctor who decided that the fullness, pluss my symptoms, PLUS my boarderline labs were enough to treat me. I wonder how long Ive actually been hypo!
Hugs,
Rachel