Thyroid Issues

[kaliraksha]

Anyone experience any thyroid issues? Symptoms? I think I may need to go get checked out but my insurance isn't covering me right now due to my dropping a class and being a part time student instead of full time. So, unwisely, I'm trying to self diagnose in the mean time. Sigh. The bold ones are the ones I've experienced/am experiencing. On top of that- 3 of my Mom's sisters have thyroid problems. Is it genetic?

Symptoms-

• Children
  • Similar to adult symptoms
  • Poor school performance

• Adults
  • Early symptoms
    • Easy fatigue, exhaustion
    • Poor tolerance to cold temperatures
    • Constipation
    • Carpal tunnel syndrome (pain at the wrists and numbness of the hands)
  • Later symptoms
    • Poor appetite
    • Weight increase
    • Dry skin
    • Hair falls out
    • Intellectual ability worsens -
    • Deeper, hoarse voice
    • Puffiness around the eyes
    • Depression
  
  [*]Adults
  
  • Insomnia
  • Hand tremors
  • Nervousness
  • Feeling excessively hot in normal or cold temperatures
  • Frequent bowel movements
  • Excessive sweating
  • Menstrual period becomes scant, or ceases altogether
  • Joint pains
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Eyes seem to be enlarging

• Elderly
  • Worsening of angina (chest pain) in person with heart disease
  • Worsening of shortness of breath in person with heart failure
  • Muscle weakness, especially in the shoulders and thighs

 

[MsCuppyCakes]

I thought I had a thyroid problem so I went to the doctor and had my blood drawn. I'm grateful that I don't have a thyroid problem. My advice go see your doctor. I understand that you don't have insurance but it's better to know then wait when it may be more complicated.

 

[MiCHiE]

I would go to a doctor. Honestly, going by what you've highlighted, it could be anything.

 

[kaliraksha]

Yeah I know you guys are right =) I was just curious to hear experiences with thyroid- know anyone in your family or friends that have the abnormality?

I may talk to my mom and see if she can help me pay for doctor's visit to get it off my mind for now.

 

[~LadyLocks~]

A few years back, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease which is Hyperthyroidism. I think we may have caught it early on because the only symptom I noticed was insomnia. And the way we found out was kind of an accident but things always happen for a reason. At the time I was about 22-23 and was still under my mothers insurance. Your only allowed to be carried for so long so before I got taken off the insurance, I went to the Dr. and asked her to do a complete physical to make sure I was in good condition. A few days later I get a call back and what do you know, I was diagnosed.

They put me on meds for almost a year and it worked. My levels went back to normal and now I'm all fixed

. During pregnancy, it's know for your thyroid to inflame, especially after giving birth but luckly for me, nothing had changed.

This disease is no joke, I suggest you go and get that checked out

 

[choseck]

I've been experiencing a lot of those symptoms and was almost hoping it was my thyroid - just so I would know what was causing it. The worst is being cold all the time, and dry skin with cracked and peeling nails.

I don't know if its good or bad that my thyroid came back 'normal' but apparently there is a completely different test that should be taken to check your thyroid, not just have your blood drawn, but for some reasons doctors don't suggest it, you have to ask for it. Or so I've been told.

 

[ExquisiteImages]

I need to go get my thyroid levels checked also. For those who went to the doctor without insurance, what's the price I'll be looking at to get checked as well as get the labs done?

 

[caffn8me]

Your first set of adult signs and symptoms relates to hypothyroidism where your body doesn't have enough thyroxine. The second set relates to hyperthyroidism where your thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine. As you have signs and symptoms from both sets, it's a bit contradictory. Having too little thyroxine slows your body down (cold, sleepy, constipated). Having too much speeds things up (hot, insomnia, frequent bowel movements).

A blood test is needed to determine the cause of the problems. My feeling is that you should really obtain tests for TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. This should cost about $50 - $100. The most basic test for thyroid disorders is the TSH test by itself but this can often give incorrect results; it did with me. As a result, my GP wouldn't treat me. In the end I paid for a full test to be done independently and the tests showed that I was indeed hypothyroid - but with a rarer form of the disease missed by just relying on TSH tests. That's why it's better to get the other two tests done too.

Many doctors simply look at the result of a TSH test and take it to mean the patient doesn't have a thyroid problem if the result is "within the normal range". The "normal range" may well be too wide and more recently, clinicians with an active interest in thyroid disorders have been using lower thresholds in the TSH test. They have also gone back to doing what doctors did years ago, before the ready availaibility of TSH tests. They are looking at the patient's actual signs and symptoms and treating those rather than treating the test results.

The laboratory which does the blood tests will tell you whether any of the results are outside the normal range but you really should take the results to a doctor for proper interpretation. If there are results which the laboratory shows to be abnormal then it would be better to see an endocrinologist.

As an example of price, HealthCheckUSA offers a Thyroid Panel II which is TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 for $85

...and yes, thyroid problems do seem to run in families

 

[princess lissa]

Thyroid problems do run in the gene pool. My mother, her sister(my aunt), and her mother (my grandmother) all have thyroid problems. They have a form called hashemotos or something. I have been tested and show all the symptoms but nothing has ever shown up. The number one sign that I have is my thyroid is extremely enlarged and causes my neck to look swollen. Yet all my tests have come back negative.

 

[ExquisiteImages]

Thanks caffn8me for additional, detailed information. You're always awesome!

I'll be visiting a doctor soon since the approximate price for the tests seem reasonable for me since I've noticed a lot of the thyroid symptoms posted above.

 

[kimmy]

it is a hereditary issue and is more common in females than males, so if your mom's sisters have it, get checked out as soon as possible.

my grandma has thyroid problems, so does my mom and..lo and behold, so do i. they caught it on accident, they drew blood because of a completely seperate medical problem i was having when they realized my thyroid was all effed up. i'm currently taking a daily medication for it, and even though it's a tiny dose (my problem isn't THAT horrible, it's just slightly messed up) it makes a HUGE difference. i used to never sleep, and now i sleep pretty normally. it hasn't helped my weight problem, which we were hoping it would...but it's improved my mood, i'm guessing because i'm actually getting rest now which makes everyone feel better haha!

but definately go get it checked as soon as you can, it sounds like you may need to get in on some medication for it. and it's always better safe than sorry, you know?

 

[MAC_Whore]

I have a hypoactive thyroid. My mother does as well. I take a small dose daily pill in the a.m. and that's all it takes to sort me out. I have a very mild case. It really is a fairly common problem and easily regulated for most though.

I didn't really notice any symptoms other than lethargy. I keep a full schedule with work and the gym and it got to the point where it was taking everything I had to make it through the day. I finally went to my doc and she gave me a blood test. Hypothyroidism it was.

That little pill has made a huge difference. It gave me my energy back. We all know how being tired leads to other symptoms: Bad mood, frustration at not being to get everything done in a day, etc., so the pill really helped my overall picture. HTH

 

[Ms. Z]

Caffn8me you are good.

Hypo & Hyper are pretty common, but there are many other types of thyroid problems. I know a few people who were diagnosed with Hypo or Hyper and feel fine after treatment and/or medication.

I was diagnosed at 29-30 with a goiter. I don’t remember feeling any symptoms; the doctor ran the test when he noticed that my neck seemed too big for my petite body. The first time it was Hypo & two weeks later hyper. 85% of the time my TSH test is normal, but the goiter kept growing & the nodules started to multiply & get larger. I was totally distraught when it was confirmed. I’ve had to get biopsies about twice a year because my condition can get cancerous.

I have never been on medication, but my goiter started to become a problem about two years ago. Last year I had to get surgery to remove my thyroid and nodules because they were choking the life out of me. I had to do it because it was so large others could now see the growth on my neck, the ultrasound showed that the nodules multiplied from 5 in 2001 to 11 in 2006, and I could not lay down w/o choking and waking up with my heart racing.


I didn’t want to have my thyroid gland removed because it would leave a scar (yes, I am a bit vain) and I was told that I would have to be on medication and Calcium for the rest of my life (or die). Luckily the surgeon was able to save half on my thyroid gland, so I don’t have to take the medication and what they removed tested negative for cancer.


Although I have not read anywhere that it runs in families, there might be some truth to that because in the past few years I have discovered that the woman on my father’s side are the ones w/the thyroid problems although I am the only one who has had a multi-nodular (I’m not sure I spelled this correctly) goiter.

A good source for information is http://www.mayoclinic.com

 

[Ernie]

I was diagnosed with Graves disease last year. I had a lot of the second set of symptoms you described. I waited 6 months (and I have insurance) to get diagnosed because it started slow until I felt like I was jumping out of my skin. I figured it might be early menopause (I'm 44 yo). My doctor gave me beta blockers right away and said I was lucky I did'nt end up in the hospital. My pulse was 120, hot flashes, I had lost 20 pounds and I was very cranky. Hyperthyroidism can run in families, I urge you to get tested maybe you can go to a clinic at your local hospital, they usually will work with you if you have no insurance. Good luck.

 

[kaliraksha]

I'm looking into options for just paying for my own insurance for the next 6 months til Fall semester. It's expensive but will cause me a lot less stress. Thanks for all your help, ladies =)

 

[Ms. Z]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaliraksha I'm looking into options for just paying for my own insurance for the next 6 months til Fall semester. It's expensive but will cause me a lot less stress. Thanks for all your help, ladies =)

Can you get the health through the school during the months that you don't have class (instead of being on your parent plan)?
I'm not sure if all schools provide this, but when my child was at BC the offered a plan that was less than $400 per year.

Its possible that you might qualify for medicaid, if you are on your own.

 

[talk2mesun]

::raises hand:: hypothyroid patient here.

thyroid problems are genetic, but i dont have any relatives with thyroid probs except one of my maternal grandmother's sisters.

my thyroid issues are not under control. i was diagnosed hypothyroid when i was 15, and i am now 3 weeks from being 21 and am still majorly struggling. i am scheduled to see a neuroendocrine specialist soon. i wish us both luck.

by the way, the symptoms you bolded fall under hypothyroid more than hyperthyroid, but there isa condition called hashimotos thyroiditis that can cause people to feel hyper or hypo thyroid even if their TSH/FREE T4/FREE T3 come back normal. In this case they test for thyroid antibodies. Also be sure they check FREE t3/FREE t4 and NOT total t3/total t4 or t3 uptake t4 uptake because this does not show them anything, the free is what is actively in your system doing the work.


any questions you might have, dont hesitate to shoot them my way. i may not have all the answers but id love to try to help at least!