# just diagnosed a year ago



## stacyterramiggi (May 21, 2010)

I have just been diagnoised a year ago and I am on 100mcg of levothyroine I am always so tired I hate it I love to go out and do things everytime they adjust my meds 3 months latter I am tired again. also my hair is like a dryed up nest on my head my skin is so dry it is embarrassing and I have gained like 40 pounds and no matter how hard i diet it wont go away does any one have any advise on shampoos fopr the hair and lotion for the skin that seems to woprk better then the typical stuff


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

Leading dermatologist told me many years ago that if you slather your skin in run-of-the-mill lotion immediately after you pat yourself dry after a shower or bath, it will lubricate the skin well. If you wait a while after towel drying, don't even bother. Lotion has to get into those opened pores.

I swear by Cetaphil. Can buy it anywhere and it's relatively inexpensive. I'm sure Jergen's or Vaseline Intensive Care work well, too.

As far as hair: over the years I've learned not to use blow dryers or curling irons and the like except on very, very special occasions. My hair is long, dry and thin and colored, which doesn't help matters]; I don't wash it every day. When I do wash it, I just roll it up in 2-3 bill rollers before I go to sleep. Shampoos and conditioners with polymers should add shine. I like the John Frieda products [sold in Target, supermarkets]. I just use the shampoo, conditioner, and the Frizz Eze. No other stuff.

Save your money on the expensive stuff. It's all marketing hype.

As far as the weight gain.....many of us, I'm sure, can relate. But the first step is to really track your food consumption [calories] on a daily basis for a week. Be vigilant about it. Make sure you have a real handle on your intake and exercise.

And above all - just let your personality and compassion shine. They trump hair and skin any day of the week!


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## wickets_mommy (May 5, 2010)

For the skin the dermatologist I used to work for always recommended Eucerin cream. Try to avoid products that list water as one of the main ingredients. I also have very dry skin and it works pretty well for me. Just keep in mind that everyone is different what works for one won't always work for all of us. The shampoo and conditioner I have been using are the garnier fructis with fruit oils in it. Doesn't get rid of all the dryness but it helps.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

stacyterramiggi said:


> I have just been diagnoised a year ago and I am on 100mcg of levothyroine I am always so tired I hate it I love to go out and do things everytime they adjust my meds 3 months latter I am tired again. also my hair is like a dryed up nest on my head my skin is so dry it is embarrassing and I have gained like 40 pounds and no matter how hard i diet it wont go away does any one have any advise on shampoos fopr the hair and lotion for the skin that seems to woprk better then the typical stuff


stacy,

You poor thing - you sound terribly under-medicated. You need to ask your doctor for the copies of your thyroid labs and post them along with the lab ranges and we'll figure out what's going on with you.

The correct tests to be running to track your levothyroxine are a TSH, Free T-4 and a Free T-3.

Post your results and you will get some good feedback.

:hugs:
lovlkn


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

stacyterramiggi said:


> I have just been diagnoised a year ago and I am on 100mcg of levothyroine I am always so tired I hate it I love to go out and do things everytime they adjust my meds 3 months latter I am tired again. also my hair is like a dryed up nest on my head my skin is so dry it is embarrassing and I have gained like 40 pounds and no matter how hard i diet it wont go away does any one have any advise on shampoos fopr the hair and lotion for the skin that seems to woprk better then the typical stuff


Welcome to the board. It does not sound like you are at the euthyroid state which is where you feel well. And also where you can lose weight.

Most of us like our labs w/ TSH down around 1 or less and the FREE T4 and FREE T3 mid-range or higher. Have you had these labs recently and if so can you share the results and the ranges?

Have you had any antibodies' tests?


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## stacyterramiggi (May 21, 2010)

I first wanna say thank you for all the great advice. I just got my blood worked on last week and I dont yet have the results but as soon as I do I will share the results. Im just so tired of being either over emotional or not able to have emotions at all not to mention I feel like I am 80 Im so tired all the time Im 42 and I should be having the time of my life with the kids grown and single. I do have a very supportive boyfriend but i feel like a oumpalompa with now my wieght at 193. I have worked so hard the last 3 weeks taking in 1500 calories or less and lost a whole 1 pound:sad0049: I know these things take time but 1 pd in 3 weeks of hell i mean i ate no fat at all i was so faithful to the cause. i guess im scared I will never be able to be my old self.

Thank you all again
Stacy


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

stacyterramiggi said:


> I first wanna say thank you for all the great advice. I just got my blood worked on last week and I dont yet have the results but as soon as I do I will share the results. Im just so tired of being either over emotional or not able to have emotions at all not to mention I feel like I am 80 Im so tired all the time Im 42 and I should be having the time of my life with the kids grown and single. I do have a very supportive boyfriend but i feel like a oumpalompa with now my wieght at 193. I have worked so hard the last 3 weeks taking in 1500 calories or less and lost a whole 1 pound:sad0049: I know these things take time but 1 pd in 3 weeks of hell i mean i ate no fat at all i was so faithful to the cause. i guess im scared I will never be able to be my old self.
> 
> Thank you all again
> Stacy


Right now, thank God you could lose a pound. That is a whole lot better than nothing. Hard work; I know. I can lose 1/4 lb. a week and I have to try really really hard but I do it. I lost 60 lbs. this way. Lord have mercy. But let me assure that I "now" have very very good eating habits and exercise habit and I maintain my weight. I have never gained it back. This has been over 10 years now.

Will be anxious to see your labs and results.


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## GD Women (Mar 5, 2007)

My goodness, I'd gain weight on 1500 calories. You don't want to know what I have to cut down to, to lose weight and I won't tell ya either. Wonder I'm alive. But I do it, for now, because it makes my summer activities easier when I am thinner. I am eons old and I feel and act like 20.

If you are never your old self again then except your new self, as a new beginning to a positive future and a better persons for it. That can't be bad.

Your diet might have to be a life time change that you'll have to live with forever, if you want your weight down. This is not just a thyroid issue, but comes with age as well and many people are in the same situation with their weight.

Maybe you'll have to find another diet or cut down on more calories, whatever. You can do it if you set your mind to it and it will make you a stronger person for it.

Hang in there!


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

As a diabetic I know a lot about weight loss because many diabetics have to deal with it early in the game.

Here's the thing: if you weight 193 pounds, odds are you're consuming around 2000 calories daily assuming you're about 50, are of average height, and have a sedentary lifestyle.

Now let's say 130 [just an example] is the ideal weight for you. That means you would need to consume around 1500 calories daily. So if you cut out 500 calories a day without increase in exercise, then you should lose a pound a week - which is a safe weight loss.

Here's a good link that calculates the calories you're probably consuming today at 193 poounds. Figure out what it takes to maintain that weight. Then recalculate based on what a healthy weight would be for you. [And please no anorexic weight!] The difference between the two tells you how many calories a day you need to omit.

http://www.caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/weight-maintenance-calculator-women

Let me caution you......you're obviously not twenty anymore, so trying to be 110 pounds may be out of the question. Just use common sense here.

One of the tricks I've learned is to log in everything that goes in my mouth. It's a royal pain in the tush, but if you do that for a week you might learn something about your eating habits.

Wish you luck! You can do it!


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## stacyterramiggi (May 21, 2010)

I can tell you for sure I am not tring to wiegh 110 lol. maybe 150 but any hoot thanks again you all have made me feel a lot better. I am taking in 1500 calories a day again I am 5/8 so i dont look that bad at 193 but you see it isn't vainty for me, my mother was very ill and her wieght killed her in the end wieghing 280 pds. Now I have a bad thyroid and high blood pressure with high cholesterol high triglicerites, I am just tring to get a hold on this before it gets me and who ever said to learn to love the me I've become I will thats great advise thank you :hugs:. I feel my thyroid henders how i lose wieght but im not gaining and I did quit smoking 8 weeks ago so I will remain faithful to my diet and see how that goes


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

You can do it.


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

Congrats on quitting smoking! That is HUGE! Quitting smoking for me maybe triggered my Hashimoto's. I quit last year. At the same time, I also went NUTS with cutting out calories and exercising like a crazy woman so I wouldn't gain weight. I gained weight anyway - about 15 lbs. And, sent my body into slow mode in the process.

I think whatever calorie recommendation you are following, take off another 100-200 calories a day to account for hypothyroidism.

What did it for me? Cutting out most grains. Cutting almost all dairy. Eating vegetables, fruits and lots of lean protein. Eating fat, but the good kinds. Eating 1000-1200 calories a day on mostly a primal diet. Drinking tons of water to release the bloat.

I track my food on the My Plate site (http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/) and it is interesting - before I started tracking, what I thought was 1,200 calories was really closer to 1,600. Those extra 400 calories a day killed my weight loss, until I started tracking and measuring.

I am not advocating that is what you have to do - not at all! I'm just using it as an example that I had to be very drastic in my dietary changes in order to make changes in my body. Once we are hypothyroid, our bodies are different, and I think our metabolism is changed. It is certainly lower, for sure.

How are your thyroid levels - are they optimized? Have you asked your doctor about adding some T3 med into the mix to see if that helps with weight loss?

I also recommend the book "The Thyroid Diet" by Mary Shomon - it is a great resource!

Best of luck - and hang in there!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

stacyterramiggi said:


> I can tell you for sure I am not tring to wiegh 110 lol. maybe 150 but any hoot thanks again you all have made me feel a lot better. I am taking in 1500 calories a day again I am 5/8 so i dont look that bad at 193 but you see it isn't vainty for me, my mother was very ill and her wieght killed her in the end wieghing 280 pds. Now I have a bad thyroid and high blood pressure with high cholesterol high triglicerites, I am just tring to get a hold on this before it gets me and who ever said to learn to love the me I've become I will thats great advise thank you :hugs:. I feel my thyroid henders how i lose wieght but im not gaining and I did quit smoking 8 weeks ago so I will remain faithful to my diet and see how that goes


Good for you on quitting smoking. Yay!! Stacy; can you walk a little each day? It could help you lose weight. You don't need to do rigorous exercise.

If you are not gaining after having quit the ciggies; you are doing something.


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

Andros said:


> If you are not gaining after having quit the ciggies; you are doing something.


FOR SURE! Average weight gain is 10-12 lbs. If you are holding your own, that is fabulous!


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

I quite smoking about 20 years ago and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do.

Try walking 1 mile each day. Start with that. Pick a pretty place, even if you have to drive out of the neighborhood, and just do it. I wear a head set and listen to a favorite radio program. Or sometimes I take my iPod. I'm a huge enthusiast about blooming gardens, so a walk to me is a real treat.

Walking is excellent exercise. You just have to make time for it and treat it like brushing your teeth: one of those things you have to do.


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## stacyterramiggi (May 21, 2010)

Oh my you all are absolutely wonderful and I am going to do what has been suggested to me today its all great advise and i think i would hug each of you if i could. I feel renewed like I can really do this thanks to each and everyone of you I feel very supported i will keep you all informed 
Thanks Stacy


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## stacyterramiggi (May 21, 2010)

what is T-3 and how do I get some for my diet????


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## GD Women (Mar 5, 2007)

T3 is not a food supplement that is added to the diet. T3 (F/T3) is a thyroid hormone. It is tested like and with TSH and F/T4. IF F/T-3 in the thyroid test is low might relate to a problem converting T4 to T3, although this is very rare, it is temporary issue and normally resolves on its own. However there are some who think adding it with their T4 pill or take a combo pill, will correct the situation. Some take T3 for symptoms and say it makes them feel better. In either case science has not proved this to be so. Some doctors prescribe just as a placebo. Take the medicine - trick the mind ie keep the patient happy. Some Psychiatrist prescribe T3 to their patients to hep with their mental issue(s). There are other non/thyroid issues that will cause a low T3 other than conversion. So taking T3 without real justification can be dangerous to ones health.


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

stacyterramiggi said:


> what is T-3 and how do I get some for my diet????


T3 treatment is, well, controversial. Some endos prescribe it. Others think it serves no purpose.

My endo will prescribe it if my T3 level is not optimal.

T3 is the active thyroid hormone. You take your T4 medication, and it is converted into T3 which your body can use. It is converted if everything goes as planned. Sometimes our bodies don't see to convert the T4 to T3 well, or if it converts, our bodies don't use it properly.

Some people report more symptom abatement (of which weight loss is one symptom) when T3 is added to their daily medication in the form on the pill Cytomel. I don't know if this is the case - I am only on T4 (Synthroid) right now.

Armour thyroid medication contains natural T4 and T3. Some people do better on Armour than on synthetic T4. Some don't.


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