# Recently Diagnosed Hashimoto



## Ashlization85 (Feb 20, 2014)

Hi everyone! so I joined this forum in hope to reach out to some people who also has Hashimoto Disease and maybe I can get a better understanding of things. So here's my story:

I was just recently diagnosed with Hashimoto, I was having menstrual period every day (literally) for a year straight. I've been battling heavy depression since I can remember (I'm also deaf so I think that has a role in my depression and anxiety issues as well). I have always been sensitive to cold, my energy level is very low and I'm always very tired, I have issues focusing, memory issues sometimes.

My lab work:

TPO AB : 945

Vitamin D, Hydroxy: 19

TSH: 21:53

I am currently taking Levothyroxine 125 MCG since 1st of this February. My doctor is wanting me to do blood work in about 2 or 4 weeks from now to see where my levels are at with the new medication then from there she might send me over to a endocrinologist also I'm prescribed Zoloft to help out my depression/anxiety issues.

I come here in hope to learn as much as I can about it.


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## Viv22 (Sep 3, 2013)

Welcome and sorry you are in this predicament. I guess you have to jump on the rollercoaster and hold on tight because it's going to be one HELL of a bumpy ride!!! You will have a university degree in thyroid function by the end of it all.

I've been refraining from answering your post this morning because I am feeling so negative about the medical profession but thought what the heck, let me tell you how it is for me (and many others).

I'm in the UK and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's last July. I suspect I have had this for many years and I have blood tests ranging from the start of January 2011 testing only my TSH and was told all was normal. I recall also having very heavy periods and being referred for an ultra scan and was told everything was "normal" - I think there is a link here as to one's hormones becoming very unbalanced. My initial complaints were hair loss, gaining weight (despite going to the gym sometimes 5 times a week) and hormonal imbalance. Guess what some of my problems still are!!! Only now, I am so chronically fatigued that I do not even go to the gym anymore.

I am on Levothyroxine (poison) too. I take 100 mg one day and 75 mg the other day but last night I was informed that I am slightly hyper so I must reduce my dose to 75 mg again. I have been down this road before. I swing from hyper to hypo and back again. I am chronically fatigued, severely constipated, moody, irritable, cannot remember anything etc etc etc. I cannot tell you how many times GPs have tried to throw anti-depressants at me. I in fact took some but I found the dose was getting higher and higher and I didn't want it to escalate any further so stopped them - I am not saying that you should stop your medication but for me, I knew that I was not depressed. Yes, I would feel down and depressed at times, but not as a whole.

I have been diagnosed with IBS and last week I was diagnosed with CFS which prompted me to do some research and I found that there is a close link between chronic fatigue and a low T3, along with constipation, memory problems and everything that I am having issues with. What are your T3 levels like? You need to put your ranges in for the experts on this site to interpret. I am no expert. I am learning slowly and only because nobody else seems to care about my symptoms.

I went to the GP last night and the guy was so ignorant. I showed him that in nearly a year of being sick my T3 levels remain very very low and that in order to feel healthy, your T3 needs to be in the upper range. He would not listen to me. He would only say, your results are all within range. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I have twice been to the hospital with palpitations in the last year and been told my results are all within range. I sometimes feel like I am totally losing the plot. I am fighting a war now to get well. Oh and guess what else causes palpitations - LOW T3!!! I want them to give me T3 medication but have to get the specialist to do this. I am told that he will check my tests on Monday and let me know what he thinks. My vitamin D levels are also slightly low and cholesterol slightly high - part and parcel of Hashi's.

I cannot accept that I have gone from a very healthy, energetic and happy individual to the person I am today. I am sick of hearing myself drone on.

Like I said, I am having a bad time but I am sure some people have happy stories.

This is a good place for support. I hope you don't have too many problems but please do let me know your T3 levels - this could save a whole lot of suffering.


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## Ashlization85 (Feb 20, 2014)

Thank you for responding and its ok I don't mind positive and negative feedbacks, I want to learn from others experiences, things I may expect to happen, things to look out for.

My T3 level is 92 (standard 50-170)

Free T4 is 0.8 (standard 0.8- 1.7)

So those were ok.


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## Viv22 (Sep 3, 2013)

I'm no expert but this is what I've learned. Your T3 needs to be in the top of the range in order to feel well and energetic. Your T4 looks like it needs to be raised too. I will wait for some of the experts on here to comment. I think low T3 has a lot to do with low mood. Levothyroxine is meant to make you convert T4 to T3 but if after some time this is not happening, you will need to get some T3. Most Hashi's sufferers do better on combination medicines and not T4 alone.

My specialist has said he will write a letter to my GP asking him to prescribe it - this is the way it works in the UK. So hopefully next week I can test this out. My T3 levels have always been low but they seem to have got even worse.

Good luck with it all.


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## visc (Feb 22, 2014)

I too was also tossed under the bus to anti-depressants... I tried them and stupidly the doctor put me on the therapeutic dose and I had a terrible reaction. I have been suffering an undiagnosed condition for 3 years. I finally got my answer, but after being told its just stress. I'm pissed.... I know my body and I'm not mental, ok maybe a little. 

I'm beginning treatment too, but I opted for half the dose because I am afraid. Maybe I should have gone higher. I take 50mcg for a TSH of 15. I have aTPO of 750 and aTG of 335.

To the experts: does it get better? Will I feel stable and well again? I mean who knows, but does it happen?


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## Ashlization85 (Feb 20, 2014)

I would love to know the answers to those questions as well. I hope I feel better soon


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

visc said:


> I too was also tossed under the bus to anti-depressants... I tried them and stupidly the doctor put me on the therapeutic dose and I had a terrible reaction. I have been suffering an undiagnosed condition for 3 years. I finally got my answer, but after being told its just stress. I'm pissed.... I know my body and I'm not mental, ok maybe a little.
> 
> I'm beginning treatment too, but I opted for half the dose because I am afraid. Maybe I should have gone higher. I take 50mcg for a TSH of 15. I have aTPO of 750 and aTG of 335.
> 
> To the experts: does it get better? Will I feel stable and well again? I mean who knows, but does it happen?


Have you had an ultrasound? Many, many people who cannot tolerate treatment (myself included) have TSI...and many people with TSI and that high of a TgAB have cancer.

For me, yes life is back to normal. But it did take removing the thyroid.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

I want to remind everyone that the infinite majority of Hashimoto's patients do EXTREMELY well on Levothyroxine and other drugs. They are usually not found on this forum. Instead, they're out enjoying life. So everyone newly diagnosed should be optimistic!


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## visc (Feb 22, 2014)

joplin1975 said:


> Have you had an ultrasound? Many, many people who cannot tolerate treatment (myself included) have TSI...and many people with TSI and that high of a TgAB have cancer.
> 
> For me, yes life is back to normal. But it did take removing the thyroid.


I don't think I'll need that. But who knows. It's relatively early to say. I'm sure my endo will get me an ultrasound though. Also my dose is probable to low.... So a bump in that might help. My gp palpated my thyroid and didn't feel anything unusual. Cancer would be extraordinarily rare though... something like 1.7% of people with high antibodies. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20465529


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## ifthespiritmovesme (Jan 8, 2014)

joplin1975 said:


> Have you had an ultrasound? Many, many people who cannot tolerate treatment (myself included) have TSI...and many people with TSI and that high of a TgAB have cancer.
> 
> For me, yes life is back to normal. But it did take removing the thyroid.


joplin1975, can you tell me what TSI is? Thanks...


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

> http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003685.htm


TSI stands for thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin. TSI tells the thyroid gland to swell and release excess amounts of thyroid hormone into the blood.


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## ifthespiritmovesme (Jan 8, 2014)

Thanks a bunch!


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## Ashlization85 (Feb 20, 2014)

I'm noticing that I'm not feeling as cold as I normally do. Is this a sign that the levothyroxine is kicking in?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

It could. I think the take home point is that thyroid disease rarely travels on a linear trajectory. You'll have good days and bad days. Hopefully, it'll be more good days than bad days.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

Hi, wow, I mean WOW!!! Who wouldn't be depressed!! Regarding the girl-stuff -- hopefully the thyroid meds will take care of that -- but on the other hand - there are some conditions that can cause that and I would *urge* you to go to go to a doctor who specializes with that in addition to what you're already doing.

Hope you're feeling better soon -- I personally would want to avoid antidepressants (that's a whole 'nother ballgame & rollercoaster) and get the medical things under control/resolved (unless you're in dangerous need of them) and see if getting the body back into proper balance by the help of your physicians and proper medical attention - helps take care of things -- but there's a lot of work ahead and YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH - BLUE SKIES & SUNSHINE and new days & super happy times are wonderful refreshing times to look forward to!!

As a side note - wow -- you must be terribly low on iron - has anyone checked that? If you are low - proper iron (like by Thorne Research Labs - Ferrasorb) could make you feel amazing!) But you don't want *too much iron* and some people have trouble with taking iron supplements and must also use something like senna so as to avoid problems... But Ferrasorb is special & very natural & great ingredients... You can check with the doctor. You can find them online at Thorne Research Labs. Something as simple as this under a doctors care would probably make you feel a little better in just a small period of time -- But I'm not talking *AT ALL* about your conditions that are serious and need a doctors care -- but I'm saying even perhaps the iron - if labs show you're low -- can make you feel so much better emotionally/energy.

There's some really nice & helpful & smart people here (smarter than me when it comes to thyroid experience & thyroid meds) I'm also on the Hashimoto's ride - mine has gotten under control -- and the encouraging thing is that you will probably get thingsi in control in just awhile and feel so much better after all your conditions are addressed & treated 

Take care & hope your day is a happy & restful one full of highly nutrition-packed food.


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## Airmid (Apr 24, 2013)

Ashlization85 said:


> Thank you for responding and its ok I don't mind positive and negative feedbacks, I want to learn from others experiences, things I may expect to happen, things to look out for.
> 
> My T3 level is 92 (standard 50-170)
> 
> ...


Total T3 (or T4 for that matter) doesn't mean a whole lot. You always want a free T3 level and usually when we talk about T3/T4 around here we mean free unless otherwise noted. So just because your total is okay doesn't mean your free is. Your T4 is still in the basement, barely qualifying as normal. You definitely will need to go up on thyroid meds unless things level out at the next lab - thyroid meds do take a bit to work.

I sympathize with the female issues. I've gone from sometimes not having a period for months (and then one only a couple days long yet extremely painful) to bleeding for weeks on end with pain, low blood pressure and migraines. It's been a real frustration. I do have endometriosis as a complicating factor but as my thyroid has gone more and more out of control so have my periods and other womanly issues. Not a fun place to be as they start piling on hormones to correct a problem partially caused by my thyroid with their own risk factors.

Depression and anxiety do go hand in hand with Hashimoto's. I would definitely make sure those meds are watched and adjusted as needed along with your thyroid medication. Not only can these issues change with thyroid problems being medicated, but it has been found that patients can also become over-medicated due to your sluggish GI track from Hashi's waking up and working better.

It may be wise to get an ultrasound and see what's up. While antibodies are suggestive of autoimmune diseases depending on which ones you have, the gold standard is a biopsy. This would normally be done during a FNA of a nodule if you have a suspicious one (anything over 1 cm and/or with certain characteristics). If you don't need an FNA don't sweat it, there's usually no issue with going on a presumption of Hashi's due to antibodies being present, especially a good amount like you. You actually beat out my antibodies from my last FNA and is a good reason to get an ultrasound to see what's happening. Not all nodules or goiters for that matter can be felt from the outside and getting a clear picture of everything is always a good idea. Ultrasounds are inexpensive (in the medical world anyways) and non-invasive ways to get answers as to your condition.



CA-Lynn said:


> I want to remind everyone that the infinite majority of Hashimoto's patients do EXTREMELY well on Levothyroxine and other drugs. They are usually not found on this forum. Instead, they're out enjoying life. So everyone newly diagnosed should be optimistic!


This is extremely true (or they hang out here to help other people too  ) A lot of people do respond well to Synthroid with or without added Cytomel. Others do better on Armour. Most do get better though keep in mind it does take a few months to reach the proper levels. There are ups and downs along the way and you may feel good one day and bad the next as your thyroid becomes more controlled. Please don't take this as things never getting better - they will.

Some of us do have issues with uncontrolled Hashi's. Keep in mind though many times our cases are unusual and usually very complicated with a lot of factors going into them. We are not the norm by any means and I do think that anyone newly diagnosed with Hashi's should keep that hope that things will be controlled. The most important thing is to find a doctor that listens and works with you. It sounds like you do have a doctor who's interested in keeping tabs on you and making sure things are going well.


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## Airmid (Apr 24, 2013)

visc said:


> I don't think I'll need that. But who knows. It's relatively early to say. I'm sure my endo will get me an ultrasound though. Also my dose is probable to low.... So a bump in that might help. My gp palpated my thyroid and didn't feel anything unusual. Cancer would be extraordinarily rare though... something like 1.7% of people with high antibodies. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20465529


Not all suspicious nodules are palatipable manually and need an ultrasound to find them. This can be due to numerous factors including positioning, whether they are deep, the amount of skin/fat on your neck (varies from person to person and can change how things feel) etc.

I honestly stopped worrying about statistics years ago when I managed to get several things that were very rare for my age group and one just rare in general on top of it. Not to scare you but when I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had a good portion of my thyroid removed the only warning signs was that side felt hard and came up cold on a scan. That's it, no nodules no nothing. While being cold can suggest cancer the risk from that is only 5%. I fell into that group at the age of 28 and the reason I still have a piece of malfunctioning Hashi swollen thyroid is due to my age. The specialist thought he was doing me a favor by leaving in that part that has only caused me issues and now I'm looking at having cancer again.

Like I said this isn't to scare you, and thankfully the most common type of thyroid cancer is one of the most easily treatable. I do think we sometimes do a dis-service to thyroid cancer survivors on this board as not all kinds are so amendable to drinking radioactive iodine to their deaths. Even the most common kind does have an aggressive form and especially in older adults may stop responding to RAI. While these situations are rarer I do feel at times we are doing a dishonor to those who have survived or lost their fight with these cancers. While I know no harm is meant, I always cringe when I see a statement like "If you have to get cancer thyroid cancer is the one to get!" as though only kind exists and we all respond the same way. Sorry for my small rant here, been meaning to mention it for a while and I'll put away my soap box.

Bottom line is, don't listen to statistics. If you have really high antibodies it always seems like a good idea to get an ultrasound so you and your doctor know what's going on. It will reveal problem areas that can be dealt with early on.


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## Ashlization85 (Feb 20, 2014)

Swimmer said:


> Hi, wow, I mean WOW!!! Who wouldn't be depressed!! Regarding the girl-stuff -- hopefully the thyroid meds will take care of that -- but on the other hand - there are some conditions that can cause that and I would *urge* you to go to go to a doctor who specializes with that in addition to what you're already doing.
> 
> Hope you're feeling better soon -- I personally would want to avoid antidepressants (that's a whole 'nother ballgame & rollercoaster) and get the medical things under control/resolved (unless you're in dangerous need of them) and see if getting the body back into proper balance by the help of your physicians and proper medical attention - helps take care of things -- but there's a lot of work ahead and YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH - BLUE SKIES & SUNSHINE and new days & super happy times are wonderful refreshing times to look forward to!!
> 
> ...


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

From my personal experience, no matter what good & great food changes I make, and whether or not they make a helpful difference, the most amazing & helpful difference for me is that armour thyroid has given me my life back. For some people it's levothyroxine, or that in the brand Synthroid, or tirosint, or... there are various types/brands -- How long did you say you've been on your medication? I expect that you should be feeling better when you get the right thyroid med for "your" body and the right dosage as the doctors work to figure that out. The good news is that there is so much help and hope! Listen to your body, rest, nourish, rest nourish.


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## Ashlization85 (Feb 20, 2014)

I actually started my levothyroxine and my vitamin D pills Jan 30th. My doctor wants me to do blood work 6 weeks after taking the thyroid med, and 12 weeks to do blood work for my vitamin D. So on the 13th of March I'll be getting blood work done to see where my levels are at now.

I'm just glad I can eat before blood work!

Just trying to take care of me, just feels like a war zone sometimes :-(


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

I hear you! It was crazy for awhile. I literally rested for three months (still having to do some outings) but even shopping was difficult. However with all that I did, it is the right thyroid medicine that makes the most difference in having my life back! I can shop again, swim again,  Overdoing it, however, still takes it's toll and then I have to rest and I'm still waiting for my hyperemic thyroid to fully shrink.

The long of the short of it is... After the docs figure out what works best for you - you should be feeling so much better. It takes time, rest, waiting, and make sure you don't have soy,or iron within 4 hours of your thyroid med (so as not to inhibit it) and not to have calcium within 1-2 hours of it.

Hang in there and take it easy (really rest and don't push too hard) and you should be seeing some improvement --

BTW -- how are you now as compared with January 30th -- what changes have you noticed?


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## Ashlization85 (Feb 20, 2014)

Thanks for all the advice  Well the most recent changes that I'm noticing is sometimes I feel warmer. But that was a few days on and a few days off it seems. I'm napping almost once a day, still feeling tired but I try to get out and do things. My depression comes and goes, feeling just very blah.

Well good thing I stopped drinking soy milk lol, I once tried to go vegetarian for 30 days.... didn't do well at all lol

Today I see a psychiatrist to talk more about my depression.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

I just need to share with you/encourage you - look up the symptoms of hashimoto's in several places before you go to the appointment, you'll notice that there are some emotional symptoms like anxiety!! (that equates to WORRY!) For me, that was crazy ridiculous! Now that I recognize it as a symptom, it's virtually almost GONE!!

I think that before you take ANY meds designed to effect your depression (unless you are in a dangerous situation) please have your IRON LEVELS checked -- as this can make a HUGE difference in energy which has a HUGE impact on how we feel overall and give the THYROID meds time to really do their work -- and get your emotions leveled out.

BEFORE having my thyroid addressed -- I had times where my emotions were so wacky and NOW with my proper thyroid medication -- I AM SO BACK TO NORMAL -- emotionally!!! IT is a huge blessing and I urge you to read/research and learn more about this before taking anything that effects your brain chemistry that's an antidepressant (some of these drugs have irreversible impact & changes -- anything you take PLEASE read read read all of the adverse effects b4 taking anything!) unless of course you feel you need to... But what if getting iron levels right, hormone levels right -- what if it increases your energy which just *DOES* according to what I've noticed make me feel better, happier, YAY, and wow -- (nice sentence lol -- but please research read learn and get your iron tested)


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## Ashlization85 (Feb 20, 2014)

It's hard because to top everything off I've been battling depression and PTSD (which is why I'm trusting my doctor/psychologist/therapist judgements)


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