My thyroid is rubbish.
August 11, 2011 7:13 AM Subscribe
I've just found out my thyroid isn't working right and I've made an appointment with my GP for treatment. However, it's not for several weeks, and I would like to start feeling better now!
The results of my recent blood test are back and apparently I have nothing like enough estradiol in me (120-ish instead of 450-650) and my thyroid function is "lower than the normal range".
The first one I can band-aid quite easily before my appointment (I'm transsexual, I take estradiol daily, and I've taken higher doses for very long periods in the past, so I can happily double or even triple my dose without worry). But as for low thyroid function, I'm unsure.
I've been low on energy and have had trouble sleeping (and yet I'm always tired). I also feel swollen and a little numb in my limbs, have aches and pains and muscle cramps, but these are just as easily attributable to my Hypermobility Syndrome. My dad has hypothyroidism and is on medication for it.
I take a supermarket-brand multivitamin every couple of days. The google suggests I should be taking "high quality" vitamins from a health food shop along with iodine supplements, essential fats and the like, but the google is notorious for not separating good advice from total quackery so I'd rather not go barrelling into Holland and Barrett and come out with armfuls of expensive nonsense unless that's actually worth doing. I've been using sleeping pills more and more to get to sleep lately.
Is there anything I can buy without prescription, or anything I can do on my own time, that will offset the symptoms of low thyroid function and get me some of my energy back?
The results of my recent blood test are back and apparently I have nothing like enough estradiol in me (120-ish instead of 450-650) and my thyroid function is "lower than the normal range".
The first one I can band-aid quite easily before my appointment (I'm transsexual, I take estradiol daily, and I've taken higher doses for very long periods in the past, so I can happily double or even triple my dose without worry). But as for low thyroid function, I'm unsure.
I've been low on energy and have had trouble sleeping (and yet I'm always tired). I also feel swollen and a little numb in my limbs, have aches and pains and muscle cramps, but these are just as easily attributable to my Hypermobility Syndrome. My dad has hypothyroidism and is on medication for it.
I take a supermarket-brand multivitamin every couple of days. The google suggests I should be taking "high quality" vitamins from a health food shop along with iodine supplements, essential fats and the like, but the google is notorious for not separating good advice from total quackery so I'd rather not go barrelling into Holland and Barrett and come out with armfuls of expensive nonsense unless that's actually worth doing. I've been using sleeping pills more and more to get to sleep lately.
Is there anything I can buy without prescription, or anything I can do on my own time, that will offset the symptoms of low thyroid function and get me some of my energy back?
When I was hypothyroid, nothing really made me feel better except Synthroid. I'm not sure how health care works, exactly, in the UK, but if you have a blood test that shows a clear indicator of low thyroid function, can you call your GP with the results and ask them to fax a prescription to your local pharmacy based on your labwork today? You may be able to start on a prescription before your appointment, and use the appointment to get a second blood test to see how the dosage is working for you.
posted by juniperesque at 7:55 AM on August 11, 2011
posted by juniperesque at 7:55 AM on August 11, 2011
In your situation I'd call your doctor back and leave a message with a nurse that you're feeling lousy and would like the appointment, or at least the medication, now.
I've been in similar situations for the past few months, and you have my sympathies. Sometimes you really have to remind people that hey, you're dealing with symptoms NOW, and yes, you are still in pain/fatigued/whatever, and six weeks (or whatever) is a long time to wait for treatment.
I have had better results when using phrases like "affecting my daily life" and pointing out symptoms with specific details (not just "bad" but "severe enough to wake me from a sound sleep," that sort of thing).
Good luck -- hope you're feeling better soon!
posted by pie ninja at 8:01 AM on August 11, 2011
I've been in similar situations for the past few months, and you have my sympathies. Sometimes you really have to remind people that hey, you're dealing with symptoms NOW, and yes, you are still in pain/fatigued/whatever, and six weeks (or whatever) is a long time to wait for treatment.
I have had better results when using phrases like "affecting my daily life" and pointing out symptoms with specific details (not just "bad" but "severe enough to wake me from a sound sleep," that sort of thing).
Good luck -- hope you're feeling better soon!
posted by pie ninja at 8:01 AM on August 11, 2011
When I lived in Camden borough, my local GP besides appointments also offered walk-ins. I never had to wait more than half an hour. A few weeks sounds like a long time. Maybe I was spoiled but mine usually didn't require more than a few days.
Have you checked that your local surgery doesn't offer walk-ins?
posted by vacapinta at 8:27 AM on August 11, 2011
Have you checked that your local surgery doesn't offer walk-ins?
posted by vacapinta at 8:27 AM on August 11, 2011
Thyroid meds can take a while to really take hold in your body, so the sooner you can get medication, the better off you'll feel. If you have labwork, I don't see why you can't get someone to call in a script for you.
Anytime I've had to get medication over the phone, I always tell the PA or Doctor that it's affecting my normal life (sleeping, eating, etc.) And that usually prompts them to take action.
In my experience (I've was diagnosed with Hashimoto's at 11.) I've not found anything that helps a poorly functioning thyroid aside from meds (whether that's natural thyroid or synthetic is entirely up to you and your doctor) Try to eat right, exercise, and not stress out too much. All the standard healthy things won't hurt, but without replacement thyroid in your body, you'll probably still feel lousy until that regulates a bit.
Good luck!
posted by carmenghia at 8:47 AM on August 11, 2011
Anytime I've had to get medication over the phone, I always tell the PA or Doctor that it's affecting my normal life (sleeping, eating, etc.) And that usually prompts them to take action.
In my experience (I've was diagnosed with Hashimoto's at 11.) I've not found anything that helps a poorly functioning thyroid aside from meds (whether that's natural thyroid or synthetic is entirely up to you and your doctor) Try to eat right, exercise, and not stress out too much. All the standard healthy things won't hurt, but without replacement thyroid in your body, you'll probably still feel lousy until that regulates a bit.
Good luck!
posted by carmenghia at 8:47 AM on August 11, 2011
Do NOT take iodine supplements if there's any chance that you have an autoimmune thyroid condition! I'm serious about this. Long-term iodine overdose is the most likely cause of the high rate of autoimmune thyroid disease in developed countries. Iodine supplements are a good idea only if your iodine intake has been low.
When I had to have iodine, for an angiogram, it seriously exacerbated my hypothyroidism and thyroid eye disease. Somehow, iodine overstimulates the body's autoimmune attack on the thyroid. My endocrinologist told me this would happen, but there was no alternative. My thyroid symptoms were much worse than usual for a good six months afterward.
My endocrinologist told me that I should limit my iodine intake to no more than 100% of the recommended daily intake of iodine, or 140 micrograms per day; it's easy to consume a good four times this much, every day, if you drink milk (in areas where iodine is used to disinfect udders, this supplies at least 100% of the recommended daily intake by itself), if you take a multivitamin (which often contains 100% of the recommended daily intake of iodine in each pill), and eat prepared food or restaurant food, in which the excessive quantities of added salt are often iodized.
Here are a few references.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 10:04 AM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
When I had to have iodine, for an angiogram, it seriously exacerbated my hypothyroidism and thyroid eye disease. Somehow, iodine overstimulates the body's autoimmune attack on the thyroid. My endocrinologist told me this would happen, but there was no alternative. My thyroid symptoms were much worse than usual for a good six months afterward.
My endocrinologist told me that I should limit my iodine intake to no more than 100% of the recommended daily intake of iodine, or 140 micrograms per day; it's easy to consume a good four times this much, every day, if you drink milk (in areas where iodine is used to disinfect udders, this supplies at least 100% of the recommended daily intake by itself), if you take a multivitamin (which often contains 100% of the recommended daily intake of iodine in each pill), and eat prepared food or restaurant food, in which the excessive quantities of added salt are often iodized.
Here are a few references.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 10:04 AM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
(I meant to type 150 micrograms of iodine per day, not 140.)
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 10:05 AM on August 11, 2011
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 10:05 AM on August 11, 2011
My sympathies on this. I'm hypothyroid and I remember well how crappy I felt before I got diagnosed. It's pretty sucky.
My advice would be to do whatever you can to get that appointment moved up and start on prescription levothyroxine (Synthroid et al). That's the only thing that made me feel better and it took a while before all my symptoms resolved. The good news is that it's very effective and has essentially no side effects. And I feel SOOOO much better now that I'm on meds.
There's some talk that vitamin D is helpful, but it's not going to cause the kind of change you'll get from the levothyroxine. Be very nice to yourself in the mean time and wait it out.
posted by gingerbeer at 10:18 AM on August 11, 2011
My advice would be to do whatever you can to get that appointment moved up and start on prescription levothyroxine (Synthroid et al). That's the only thing that made me feel better and it took a while before all my symptoms resolved. The good news is that it's very effective and has essentially no side effects. And I feel SOOOO much better now that I'm on meds.
There's some talk that vitamin D is helpful, but it's not going to cause the kind of change you'll get from the levothyroxine. Be very nice to yourself in the mean time and wait it out.
posted by gingerbeer at 10:18 AM on August 11, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks very much for all the advice! For now I've picked up some supplements and tomorrow I'm going to try and get a walk-in appointment. There is a drop-in centre in Soho Square that I've used before, so if I can't get anything from my GP I'll ask for a copy of the test results and go there.
I've also bought a chocolate bar, because god, I needed one.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 10:44 AM on August 11, 2011
I've also bought a chocolate bar, because god, I needed one.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 10:44 AM on August 11, 2011
Oh yes, chocolate is very important for making you feel better! Did I leave that out? You should eat more chocolate.
posted by gingerbeer at 5:23 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by gingerbeer at 5:23 PM on August 11, 2011
Best answer: Thyroid stabilization can be long bumpy road. Be careful about treating yourself before you know more about your diagnosis. In my experience, doctors are very reluctant to do full thyroid testing (T3, T4 and antibodies).
Your symptoms seem very typical for thyroid disease.
Mary Shomon may be the internet "expert" on thyroid disease and she runs very active discussion forums. (http://thyroid.about.com/bio/Mary-Shomon-350.htm ) . There are some connections between thyroid disease and synthetic estrogens, one of many probable causes.
Some diet info: http://thenaturalhealthplace.com/Articles/ThyroidFunction.html
posted by what's her name at 8:06 AM on August 12, 2011
Your symptoms seem very typical for thyroid disease.
Mary Shomon may be the internet "expert" on thyroid disease and she runs very active discussion forums. (http://thyroid.about.com/bio/Mary-Shomon-350.htm ) . There are some connections between thyroid disease and synthetic estrogens, one of many probable causes.
Some diet info: http://thenaturalhealthplace.com/Articles/ThyroidFunction.html
posted by what's her name at 8:06 AM on August 12, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for that link. I'm sort of gloomily unsurprised to find that synthetic hormones could have caused my thyroid problems; they triggered my hypermobility too! Bloody things.
Going to do some reading tonight, sleep all weekend and maybe talk to the walk-in place on Monday.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 9:16 AM on August 12, 2011
Going to do some reading tonight, sleep all weekend and maybe talk to the walk-in place on Monday.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 9:16 AM on August 12, 2011
I have thyroid issues too (hyper), but I've been able to drastically lower my medication thanks to a few things.
Don't mess/supplement with iodine, please. It can backfire.
Stop eating gluten and sugars for now. Make your meals mostly meat/fish/eggs and vegetables.
Keep taking your vitamins if you want to. But most important of all, make sure to take Vitamin D, atleast 5000 IU per day (yep, that's 4 zeros), even if you think you're getting plenty of sun.
Don't exercise too much, do light activity only. Sleep whenever you can.
This should make you feel much better until you can get help. Good luck!
posted by midnightmoonlight at 5:37 PM on August 12, 2011
Don't mess/supplement with iodine, please. It can backfire.
Stop eating gluten and sugars for now. Make your meals mostly meat/fish/eggs and vegetables.
Keep taking your vitamins if you want to. But most important of all, make sure to take Vitamin D, atleast 5000 IU per day (yep, that's 4 zeros), even if you think you're getting plenty of sun.
Don't exercise too much, do light activity only. Sleep whenever you can.
This should make you feel much better until you can get help. Good luck!
posted by midnightmoonlight at 5:37 PM on August 12, 2011
Response by poster: Update: I've been on Thyroxine for two weeks now, and I'm feeling more stable and chipper and less exhausted. Thanks loads for all the advice; it really kept me going during the long wait for an endocrinologist.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 4:49 AM on November 21, 2011
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 4:49 AM on November 21, 2011
Glad to hear you're feeling better.
posted by gingerbeer at 8:05 AM on November 21, 2011
posted by gingerbeer at 8:05 AM on November 21, 2011
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You could also try calling your GP first thing every morning to check for cancellations.
posted by missmagenta at 7:49 AM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]