New to group

[Guest guest]

,

So sorry for your lose and that you had a reason to find these

wonderful women. I had my ep in Jan., found out Christmas eve I was

pg and didn't even really think about it much either (I was bleeding

for 6 wks). To maybe ease your mind some, I still have my up and down

days. In the beginning I didn't think about it much, then I had a

time where I thought about it a lot and now it is just on certain

days. I am coming up on my due date soon too (Aug. 22nd) and I'm not

sure how I will handle it. Some of the women here have done different

things like, released balloons, had a memorial, etc. I agree that if

I were pg right now I think it would be easier, but know for a fact I

won't be. I'm telling you these things to hopefully make you realize

it is okay to feel what you are, they are normal feelings! In this

group you will find that there are all different stages; some are pg,

some are ttc; some are waiting to start ttc (me) and some are just

deciding what to do. It is a good place to come to ask questions and

feel " normal " . With all the different stages you are bound to find

someone who has felt or is feeling like you and to offer comfort.

Hope you find these women as helpful and supportive as I have. If

you'd like you can email me at klenw@...; I'm usually on early

mornings or late at night (if husband hasn't taken over when he is

home).

Take care and have a good day! Hope this helped some.

Kel

[Guest guest]

,

So sorry for your lose and that you had a reason to find these

wonderful women. I had my ep in Jan., found out Christmas eve I was

pg and didn't even really think about it much either (I was bleeding

for 6 wks). To maybe ease your mind some, I still have my up and down

days. In the beginning I didn't think about it much, then I had a

time where I thought about it a lot and now it is just on certain

days. I am coming up on my due date soon too (Aug. 22nd) and I'm not

sure how I will handle it. Some of the women here have done different

things like, released balloons, had a memorial, etc. I agree that if

I were pg right now I think it would be easier, but know for a fact I

won't be. I'm telling you these things to hopefully make you realize

it is okay to feel what you are, they are normal feelings! In this

group you will find that there are all different stages; some are pg,

some are ttc; some are waiting to start ttc (me) and some are just

deciding what to do. It is a good place to come to ask questions and

feel " normal " . With all the different stages you are bound to find

someone who has felt or is feeling like you and to offer comfort.

Hope you find these women as helpful and supportive as I have. If

you'd like you can email me at klenw@...; I'm usually on early

mornings or late at night (if husband hasn't taken over when he is

home).

Take care and have a good day! Hope this helped some.

Kel

[Guest guest]

,

So sorry for your lose and that you had a reason to find these

wonderful women. I had my ep in Jan., found out Christmas eve I was

pg and didn't even really think about it much either (I was bleeding

for 6 wks). To maybe ease your mind some, I still have my up and down

days. In the beginning I didn't think about it much, then I had a

time where I thought about it a lot and now it is just on certain

days. I am coming up on my due date soon too (Aug. 22nd) and I'm not

sure how I will handle it. Some of the women here have done different

things like, released balloons, had a memorial, etc. I agree that if

I were pg right now I think it would be easier, but know for a fact I

won't be. I'm telling you these things to hopefully make you realize

it is okay to feel what you are, they are normal feelings! In this

group you will find that there are all different stages; some are pg,

some are ttc; some are waiting to start ttc (me) and some are just

deciding what to do. It is a good place to come to ask questions and

feel " normal " . With all the different stages you are bound to find

someone who has felt or is feeling like you and to offer comfort.

Hope you find these women as helpful and supportive as I have. If

you'd like you can email me at klenw@...; I'm usually on early

mornings or late at night (if husband hasn't taken over when he is

home).

Take care and have a good day! Hope this helped some.

Kel

[Guest guest]

,

Hello and welcome to the group and I can relate! My due dates are fast

approaching and I want to be pg again so much to take some of the pain away!

We are scheduled to do IVF Sept-Oct, which is ironically my due dates. One

is Sept 15 and the other is Oct 26. I guess that should keep me busy.I am

not sure how to deal with the due dates. Just the thought of them coming up

is scary. But you have come to the right place. I know that no matter wht

theses ladies are here for me on my due dates, and they will be here for you

too.

And it takes time to heal after a loss. You can't just get over it.

You have to grieve your losses . And it is hard when you are not getting

correct answers. Please know we will be here for you,

Kim ttc #1, 4+ yrs

mom to angel babies,

Christain (12-31-99) early m/c

(3-11-00)EP, metho

[Guest guest]

,

Hello and welcome to the group and I can relate! My due dates are fast

approaching and I want to be pg again so much to take some of the pain away!

We are scheduled to do IVF Sept-Oct, which is ironically my due dates. One

is Sept 15 and the other is Oct 26. I guess that should keep me busy.I am

not sure how to deal with the due dates. Just the thought of them coming up

is scary. But you have come to the right place. I know that no matter wht

theses ladies are here for me on my due dates, and they will be here for you

too.

And it takes time to heal after a loss. You can't just get over it.

You have to grieve your losses . And it is hard when you are not getting

correct answers. Please know we will be here for you,

Kim ttc #1, 4+ yrs

mom to angel babies,

Christain (12-31-99) early m/c

(3-11-00)EP, metho

[Guest guest]

Welcome Beth!

It's very possible that your Synthroid dose is too low.... a starting place would be to find out what tests they have been giving you and what the results are... if you could post the results and the lab's ranges we could give it a once over and see what it looks like.

What dose are you on now, and how long have you been on it?

It's not uncommon for women with low thyroid hormone levels to have problems getting pregnant and keeping the pregnancy..

Taking a peek at your labs will also tell us if they have done tests to find out why your thyroid wasn't producing enough hormone in the first place.

Sad to say a good many docs aren't very well trained in thyroid diagnosis and care, that's why we're all here, not just to support each other in dealing with thyroid problems... but to share the information that we have collected to help others avoid some of the mistakes we've made a long the way.

Oh, gosh, that sounds ominous. I didn't mean it to. But understanding this stuff is the first step toward feeling better... and the body working better... and in your case, may help with your plans for a family.....

When you have some time, take a peek at our website, it will give you some basic information to get started with. A good one to start with would be: www.thyrophoenix.com/thyroid_101.htm

There is lots to learn, so don't hesitate to ask questions.

Topper ()

Minnesota, USA

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 18:33:27 -0000 "" writes:

Hi, my name is Beth and I am 26 years old and live in Akron, Ohio. I was diganoised with hypothryoid disease when I was in middle school. I have been taking Synthroid, with little improvement. I have been struggling with infertility for the past 7 years. I would love to get to know you better, especially the women who are struggling with infertility due in part to thyroid disease.

[Guest guest]

Hi there,

Right now I am on Levothyroxin 125mcg, and have been for about a

year and a half. I haven't been to the doctor in awhile due to the

fact that we don't have medical insurance. But have an apointment at

the end of the month..so they'll more then likely do blood work and

I'll let you know all the details then.

Beth

> Welcome Beth!

>

> It's very possible that your Synthroid dose is too low.... a

starting

> place would be to find out what tests they have been giving you

and what

> the results are... if you could post the results and the lab's

ranges we

> could give it a once over and see what it looks like.

>

> What dose are you on now, and how long have you been on it?

>

> It's not uncommon for women with low thyroid hormone levels to have

> problems getting pregnant and keeping the pregnancy..

>

> Taking a peek at your labs will also tell us if they have done

tests to

> find out why your thyroid wasn't producing enough hormone in the

first

> place.

>

> Sad to say a good many docs aren't very well trained in thyroid

diagnosis

> and care, that's why we're all here, not just to support each

other in

> dealing with thyroid problems... but to share the information that

we

> have collected to help others avoid some of the mistakes we've

made a

> long the way.

>

> Oh, gosh, that sounds ominous. I didn't mean it to. But

understanding

> this stuff is the first step toward feeling better... and the body

> working better... and in your case, may help with your plans for a

> family.....

>

> When you have some time, take a peek at our website, it will give

you

> some basic information to get started with. A good one to start

with

> would be: www.thyrophoenix.com/thyroid_101.htm

>

> There is lots to learn, so don't hesitate to ask questions.

>

> Topper ()

> Minnesota, USA

>

> On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 18:33:27 -0000 " " <danielshawno@y...>

> writes:

>

> Hi, my name is Beth and I am 26 years old and live in Akron, Ohio.

I

> was diganoised with hypothryoid disease when I was in middle

school. I

> have been taking Synthroid, with little improvement. I have been

> struggling with infertility for the past 7 years. I would love to

get

> to know you better, especially the women who are struggling with

> infertility due in part to thyroid disease.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Britt....

Well, you know now that your TSH was WAY too high.... not just a 'tad'.. your doc leaving you like that was criminal, plain and simple.

Have they run any tests to determine why yet?

Fibro is linked to low thyroid hormones, so, depending on how long you've been bad enough for Fibro, getting your thyroid hormones up may relieve some of that too..... it all depends on how long you've been that bad.....

50 mcg isn't a very high dose... How long have you been on it? When are your next labs scheduled? Can you post your last labs, with ranges, so that we can see what they've tested so far and what the levels look like.

You give Ami a BIG hug for getting you started in the right direction!!!!

Way to go Ami.. helping others find answers is a great feeling, ain't it???

Skipping meals is a BBAADD thing... I know when you don't feel well and the pounds keep adding up it's hard to get back to eating.. but skipping meals makes the thyroid hormone stuff not work right...

Scroll back in the messages to a little earlier today.. I posted some stuff on Selenium and eating that will explain it a bit more... if you still have questions... don't hesitate to ask......

Welcome....

Topper ()

On Sun, 29 May 2005 15:28:43 -0000 "Brittey" writes:

Hi everyone. My name is Britt and Ami invited me here (as she was the one who diagnosed me!) I went to Mayo last spring after a bout of some mysterious viral illness that left me with Fibromyalgia. I then developed Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome on top of it. For the past two years my TSH has always been a tad high (between 5.72 and 9.00) and the doc never did anything about it because my fT4 was okay. Ami sent me the article on changing guidelines for hypothyroidism and I took it to my NEW doc (who I love) and he agreed to start me on Levo 50mcg. I was a research coordinator/Nurse before I got sick and loved my job so much. I miss it a lot. But my pain, headaches, tendonitis and muscle spasms from the Fibro keep me a prisoner in my own house. For the past two years I have been SOOOO tired and I began losing my hair like crazy! How long will it take for my hair to stop falling out?I am never hungry and hardly ever eat anything but I gained about 20 pounds over the past year as well. Will the Levo help this to turn around?All of your words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!Britt

[Guest guest]

Britt

Welcome and here come the questions. Topper has already asked a bunch of

the main ones, so I'll ask how long you've been on the 50 mcgs. Weeks?

Months? If months, then it's probably just enough to downplay your own

natural thyroid function even more, as when the pituitary gets the signal

that there's a LITTLE bit to thyroid hormone available, it may signal the

thyroid to downplay it's own hormones even more. Thus, a thyroid that's

already sick, stops producing even more. If it's been several wks since you

were put on this dose, then you need testing again and probably need to be

raised some more. This is why a good thyroid doc makes the testing and

raises sooner rather than later, IF he/she knows what they're doing. Have

you had antibody testing to determine what the cause of your thyroid ailment

is? Hashimoto's antibodies? This is very important in the disease

management. Hashi's patients who are in the throws of this often need their

TSH suppressed or almost suppressed below .1 or so, and the thyroid hormones

themselves probably with say half to upper limit of Free T4, then around

upper limits or over on the Free T3. It is very important to have a Free T3

test run to determine how you're converting from T4 to T3 and other reasons.

Knowing whether you have antibodies aimed against your thyroid lets you know

more of how to fight the battle. I was hypo for at LEAST 8 yrs or so before

I finally had to run my own antibodies tests to discover what was going in

my body. It's still frustrating, but maybe not as frightening as it was all

that time ago. I had studied the thyroid hormones for quite some yrs, but

only in the mainstream medicine sense. It wasn't until I got with the

thyroid groups that I discovered what I know today. Not all the knowledge,

but a lot more than what I knew already. I was astounded at what none of

the doctors I'd ever had didn't know. Thank God for Networking!!!

New to group

> Hi everyone. My name is Britt and Ami invited me here (as she was the

> one who diagnosed me!) I went to Mayo last spring after a bout of some

> mysterious viral illness that left me with Fibromyalgia. I then

> developed Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome on top of it.

> For the past two years my TSH has always been a tad high (between 5.72

> and 9.00) and the doc never did anything about it because my fT4 was

> okay. Ami sent me the article on changing guidelines for

> hypothyroidism and I took it to my NEW doc (who I love) and he agreed

> to start me on Levo 50mcg.

> I was a research coordinator/Nurse before I got sick and loved my job

> so much. I miss it a lot. But my pain, headaches, tendonitis and

> muscle spasms from the Fibro keep me a prisoner in my own house. For

> the past two years I have been SOOOO tired and I began losing my hair

> like crazy! How long will it take for my hair to stop falling out?

> I am never hungry and hardly ever eat anything but I gained about 20

> pounds over the past year as well. Will the Levo help this to turn

> around?

> All of your words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

>

> Britt

[Guest guest]

-Hi Britt,

Thank you for sharing your story. I myself used to be and emergency

room tech and I was in the nursing program until hashimotos took

over. I loved my job as well and i so want to finish the nursing

program. Any way, Everyone here asked me a lot of questions and

gave some suggestions and After the short time I have been here, I

finally have some hope. I feel better, my thyroid levels are better

and I know I am headed in the right direction. I have some other

things going on, my hashimotos had affected my heart so that is a

totally separate ordeal now but, I feel that even that will

eventually calm down. There is a lot of research, experience,

hopes, dreams, and support here and I am so glad you decided to

come.

(tdybear5150)

-- In The_Thyroid_Support_Group , " Brittey "

<britteybooboo@y...> wrote:

> Hi everyone. My name is Britt and Ami invited me here (as she was

the

> one who diagnosed me!) I went to Mayo last spring after a bout of

some

> mysterious viral illness that left me with Fibromyalgia. I then

> developed Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome on top of it.

> For the past two years my TSH has always been a tad high (between

5.72

> and 9.00) and the doc never did anything about it because my fT4

was

> okay. Ami sent me the article on changing guidelines for

> hypothyroidism and I took it to my NEW doc (who I love) and he

agreed

> to start me on Levo 50mcg.

> I was a research coordinator/Nurse before I got sick and loved my

job

> so much. I miss it a lot. But my pain, headaches, tendonitis and

> muscle spasms from the Fibro keep me a prisoner in my own house.

For

> the past two years I have been SOOOO tired and I began losing my

hair

> like crazy! How long will it take for my hair to stop falling out?

> I am never hungry and hardly ever eat anything but I gained about

20

> pounds over the past year as well. Will the Levo help this to turn

> around?

> All of your words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

>

> Britt

[Guest guest]

> Hi, Britt....

>

> Well, you know now that your TSH was WAY too high.... not just

a 'tad'..

> your doc leaving you like that was criminal, plain and simple.

I think a lot of docs just don't know about the new guidelines. At

least my new doctor LISTENED to me when I asked him about it! Which

makes me eternally grateful!

>

> Have they run any tests to determine why yet?

No. Can you suggest what they should look for?

>

> Fibro is linked to low thyroid hormones, so, depending on how long

you've

> been bad enough for Fibro, getting your thyroid hormones up may

relieve

> some of that too..... it all depends on how long you've been that

> bad.....

I woke up after a trip to Arizona on Valentines Day of 2004 with a

horrid viral illness. Fever, swollen glands, joints were all hot and

swollen and I couldn't even bend my elbows. Within about a month or

so, I started having neurological symptoms like troubles with coming

up with words for things, names of family members, stumbling when I

walked. They did an MRI of my brain (yes the old " showed nothing. " )

Well that was a 'no-brainer!' So when I had had 3 months of this I

insisted that I get a referral to Mayo and they diagnosed me with

Fibro, and I had 4 liver lesions (benign.) The fever and sweats and

joint pain kind of went away but turned into horrible muscle pain

and spasms, and the worst headaches. I would say I have been really

bad for about 9 months now.

>

> 50 mcg isn't a very high dose... How long have you been on it?

When are

> your next labs scheduled? Can you post your last labs, with

ranges, so

> that we can see what they've tested so far and what the levels

look like.

I have only been on the Levo for about ten days now. I also found

out that my Vitamin D level was low and he started me on Vit D.

(This also after Ami suggested I test for it!)

I see my doc monthly (sometimes sooner as I usually get sinus

infections about every two weeks or so.) So I don't know exactly

when he will be doing my labs again. He usually does whatever I ask

when I come in. Here are the labs that I can find:

May 2003

TSH 6.49 (Range 0.50-5.00)

T4 7.1 (Range 5.0-12.0)

August 2003

TSH 3.09 (Range 0.50-5.00)

April 2004

TSH 9.02 (Range 0.50-5.00)

Lyme Screen 1.37 (High)

<1.00 Negative

1.00-1.19 Equivocal

>1.20 Positive

But I was only reactive on 1 of the 3 IGG bands on the Western Blot.

So they called it negative.

Positive EBV

ANA Negative

Sed Rate 14

Negative Parvo B19 (They checked me for these because I had

the " LUPUS rash on my face and thought I might have Slapped cheek

disease.)

CRP high (1.0) Normal <.02

Blood sugars are always high (but barely) but my A1C's are always

below 6.0 as they should be.

The rest of my labs were pretty normal throughout the year except

for my blood sugars, my CRP's (indicating some sort of inflamation)

and my liver enzymes.

April 2005

TSH 5.32 (Range 0.49-4.67)

Free T4 0.97 (Range 0.71-1.85) The next month I saw him is when I

asked him to put me on something.

All of my cholesterol ranges are bad.

AST (SGOT) (LIVER) 48 High (Range 15-37)

ALT (SGPT) 96 High (Range 30-65)

Vitamin D 18 (low)

>

> You give Ami a BIG hug for getting you started in the right

direction!!!!

>

> Way to go Ami.. helping others find answers is a great feeling,

ain't

> it???

I wish I could!! Thanks Ami!!

>

> Skipping meals is a BBAADD thing... I know when you don't feel

well and

> the pounds keep adding up it's hard to get back to eating.. but

skipping

> meals makes the thyroid hormone stuff not work right...

I know I need to eat more regularly. It's so frustrating. I never

eat and I feel so fat. Life bites sometimes.

>

I have so many symptoms I don't even know where to begin. Maybe I

should put that in another posting as this one is getting pretty

long already!

I really appreciate you taking the time to help out. I was a nurse,

but really never had any experience with thyroid stuff. The only

thyroid issues I faced were with my husband. He had Graves and then

had an ablation and is now on Levoxyl for life. Poor thing has the

bulgy eyes too. ( I couldn't have been so lucky as to get the one

that you actually LOSE weight on! ) Just kidding. I wouldn't wish it

on anyone.

Thanks again and I hope to gain insights from you as well as offer

some. I am definitely hoping that my fibro symptoms get better. The

past 9 months have been almost debilitating. I don't work anymore

and I can barely make it through the days.

Thanks again!

Britt

[Guest guest]

- thanks for the reply. I feel very overwhelmed with all of

this. I guess I always had the same mind-set that it's only

a " little high. " And sometimes it has been in the normal range. I

guess it depends on when you test me.

Question: I have what feels like a lump in my throat but docs say

they don't think it is a goiter, they think it is swollen glands. It

just feels weirder than glands to me?

I guess I need to get a list of items to take to my doc when I see

him next month. Maybe you all can help out on my list for me.

Thanks for being so kind and taking the time to post! I really

REALLY appreciate it!!

Britt

> Britt

>

> Welcome and here come the questions. Topper has already asked a

bunch of

> the main ones, so I'll ask how long you've been on the 50 mcgs.

Weeks?

> Months? If months, then it's probably just enough to downplay

your own

> natural thyroid function even more, as when the pituitary gets the

signal

> that there's a LITTLE bit to thyroid hormone available, it may

signal the

> thyroid to downplay it's own hormones even more. Thus, a thyroid

that's

> already sick, stops producing even more. If it's been several wks

since you

> were put on this dose, then you need testing again and probably

need to be

> raised some more. This is why a good thyroid doc makes the

testing and

> raises sooner rather than later, IF he/she knows what they're

doing. Have

> you had antibody testing to determine what the cause of your

thyroid ailment

> is? Hashimoto's antibodies? This is very important in the disease

> management. Hashi's patients who are in the throws of this often

need their

> TSH suppressed or almost suppressed below .1 or so, and the

thyroid hormones

> themselves probably with say half to upper limit of Free T4, then

around

> upper limits or over on the Free T3. It is very important to have

a Free T3

> test run to determine how you're converting from T4 to T3 and

other reasons.

> Knowing whether you have antibodies aimed against your thyroid

lets you know

> more of how to fight the battle. I was hypo for at LEAST 8 yrs or

so before

> I finally had to run my own antibodies tests to discover what was

going in

> my body. It's still frustrating, but maybe not as frightening as

it was all

> that time ago. I had studied the thyroid hormones for quite some

yrs, but

> only in the mainstream medicine sense. It wasn't until I got with

the

> thyroid groups that I discovered what I know today. Not all the

knowledge,

> but a lot more than what I knew already. I was astounded at what

none of

> the doctors I'd ever had didn't know. Thank God for Networking!!!

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

- thanks for replying. What kind of heart issues does Hashi's

cause? My blood pressure is high all the time too. (Unless I am

going through one of those weird Fibro things where it plummets down

to 70/40 and I pass out and go through the coffee table. My husband

has begun to pad the sharp corners in our house!)

It is always nice for someone with fibro to get some " hope " of ANY

kind! Every single day I ask myself how I am going to live the next

40-50 years in this much pain each day.

Britt

> -Hi Britt,

> Thank you for sharing your story. I myself used to be and

emergency

> room tech and I was in the nursing program until hashimotos took

> over. I loved my job as well and i so want to finish the nursing

> program. Any way, Everyone here asked me a lot of questions and

> gave some suggestions and After the short time I have been here, I

> finally have some hope. I feel better, my thyroid levels are

better

> and I know I am headed in the right direction. I have some other

> things going on, my hashimotos had affected my heart so that is a

> totally separate ordeal now but, I feel that even that will

> eventually calm down. There is a lot of research, experience,

> hopes, dreams, and support here and I am so glad you decided to

> come.

> (tdybear5150)

>

>

[Guest guest]

Britt

This very low blood pressure on rising from sitting and walking, etc....is

further confirmation of low adrenal, i.e., cortisol. It doesn't look like

you've been tested for this, looking at your test results. This is called

postural hypotension, regardless of whether your blood pressure is running

or normal. Your blood pressure should always be taken in the supine,

sitting, AND quickly upon rising from sitting. This tells the story on

this. Lupus and some other autoimmune diseases also carry this feature, but

then, again, low adrenal is the stress result of an autoimmune disease that

has taken it's toll on adrenal output. When the thyroid has been low quite

awhile, or when you have another disease, cortisol is made to try to " cover "

the illness and to make up for low adrenal output. This condition will not

correct itself, it has to be treated, if at all possible.

Re: New to group

> - thanks for replying. What kind of heart issues does Hashi's

> cause? My blood pressure is high all the time too. (Unless I am

> going through one of those weird Fibro things where it plummets down

> to 70/40 and I pass out and go through the coffee table. My husband

> has begun to pad the sharp corners in our house!)

> It is always nice for someone with fibro to get some " hope " of ANY

> kind! Every single day I ask myself how I am going to live the next

> 40-50 years in this much pain each day.

>

> Britt

[Guest guest]

Britt

> - thanks for the reply. I feel very overwhelmed with all of

> this. I guess I always had the same mind-set that it's only

> a " little high. " And sometimes it has been in the normal range. I

> guess it depends on when you test me.

Thyroid hormone controls are very tight, even though different ranges may be

comfortable at different levels for different people. I doubt that ANYone

does well at a TSH of 5.5 or higher, and we even know now that above 3 is

too high for most people, i.e., they're hypo. TSH aside, a .9 Free t4 is

too low for most people, even though it's " in range " according to these

ancient guidelines the labs and so many doctors have stuck to.

> Question: I have what feels like a lump in my throat but docs say

> they don't think it is a goiter, they think it is swollen glands. It

> just feels weirder than glands to me?

Depends on where the lump is. If it's the ones just under the jaw, yes,

those still swell in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and even some further down in

the neck, in an attack of the same. If it's a swelling or hard lump in the

area of the thyroid itself, then we could be talking nodule here. Goiter is

actually simply the entire thyroid in a " puffed up " state, trying to

manufacture more hormone, but can't, i.e., iodine trapping time. It looks

like the symptoms of Hashi's are being ignored, as the doc doesn't seem to

understand that these are all autoimmune attacks. Your TSH needs to be

suppressed and remain suppressed.

Note: That doesn't mean that you need iodine supplementation, it simply

means that it is the main job of the thyroid to work on making thyroid

hormone and that, when it is in dire need, it will puff up and exercise to

get all that it can trap, in a desperate effort to get enough thyroid

hormone made.

[Guest guest]

Hi Britt,

sorry it took me so long to answer. It took a long time for the

doctors to come up with the diagnosis for hashimotos for me and I

went all that time untreated. Yes any untreated thyroid disease can

cause heart problems as well as many others. No doctor ever told me

that is why i have heart problems, I just figured that out myself.

I rule out my heart from any symptoms of my hashimotos because the

doc I was going to prescribed inderal (beta blocker) that I now have

to take daily and it just so happens that inderal is not recomended

for hypothyroid patients because it blocks t4-t3 conversion at a

cellular level( what ever that means??LoL..) any way I should have

been prescribed atenonlol which doesn't have that affect. People

with hashimotos can have hypo and hyper swings but normally when

they are hypo, the pulse is very slow and b/p is low. Mine has

never changed, always about 110 to 120 resting/ b/p always high. So

my heart condition is a totally separate issue. I have a big

heart..left atrial enlargement.. Not a serious condition but enough

of a condition that it makes my heart beat fast and my b/p rise. I

dont't know too much yet, I am still learning a lot. Anyone else

that reads this will probably be able to give you a better out look

at what can happen if not treating thyroid condition properly. So

many doctors act as if they know but they really don't, that is why

we need to educate ourselves to keep our bodies healthy. Crazy to

think that you have to study the subject of your own disease so you

can educate your doc. LOL. But anyway, I am sorry I couldn't give

a streight answer about how hashis affects your heart but i don't

want to lead you in the wrong direction. i have just been learning

from others in the group so you will get a good answer. Then you

and I can learn together. I am so glad you are here. I will talk to

you again soon.

(tdybear5150)

> > -Hi Britt,

> > Thank you for sharing your story. I myself used to be and

> emergency

> > room tech and I was in the nursing program until hashimotos took

> > over. I loved my job as well and i so want to finish the

nursing

> > program. Any way, Everyone here asked me a lot of questions and

> > gave some suggestions and After the short time I have been here,

I

> > finally have some hope. I feel better, my thyroid levels are

> better

> > and I know I am headed in the right direction. I have some

other

> > things going on, my hashimotos had affected my heart so that is

a

> > totally separate ordeal now but, I feel that even that will

> > eventually calm down. There is a lot of research, experience,

> > hopes, dreams, and support here and I am so glad you decided to

> > come.

> > (tdybear5150)

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

You need to be off the Inderal and onto another beta blocker. This is

crucial. T4 to T3 conversion is absolutely necessary in order to survive.

A little T4 is used for the heart, but we're pretty sure that it's not used

very many other places. T3 is the only useable form, except when another

and another molecule is pulled off to be used in other particular body

parts, i.e., T2, T1, and so on. If the thyroid hormone can't convert on

down to these, it's like taking no thyroid at ALL, taking the med for

nothing.

Re: New to group

> Hi Britt,

> sorry it took me so long to answer. It took a long time for the

> doctors to come up with the diagnosis for hashimotos for me and I

> went all that time untreated. Yes any untreated thyroid disease can

> cause heart problems as well as many others. No doctor ever told me

> that is why i have heart problems, I just figured that out myself.

> I rule out my heart from any symptoms of my hashimotos because the

> doc I was going to prescribed inderal (beta blocker) that I now have

> to take daily and it just so happens that inderal is not recomended

> for hypothyroid patients because it blocks t4-t3 conversion at a

> cellular level( what ever that means??LoL..) any way I should have

> been prescribed atenonlol which doesn't have that affect. People

> with hashimotos can have hypo and hyper swings but normally when

> they are hypo, the pulse is very slow and b/p is low. Mine has

> never changed, always about 110 to 120 resting/ b/p always high. So

> my heart condition is a totally separate issue. I have a big

> heart..left atrial enlargement.. Not a serious condition but enough

> of a condition that it makes my heart beat fast and my b/p rise. I

> dont't know too much yet, I am still learning a lot. Anyone else

> that reads this will probably be able to give you a better out look

> at what can happen if not treating thyroid condition properly. So

> many doctors act as if they know but they really don't, that is why

> we need to educate ourselves to keep our bodies healthy. Crazy to

> think that you have to study the subject of your own disease so you

> can educate your doc. LOL. But anyway, I am sorry I couldn't give

> a streight answer about how hashis affects your heart but i don't

> want to lead you in the wrong direction. i have just been learning

> from others in the group so you will get a good answer. Then you

> and I can learn together. I am so glad you are here. I will talk to

> you again soon.

> (tdybear5150)

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for the reply. I will print this out and take it with me when

I see the doc along with the labs suggested by . (Thanks

too!) It feels lumpy everywhere, under my jaw and down the sides of

my adams apple. Sometimes it is so swollen that it hurts to tip my

head backwards to wash what little hair I have left!

Britt

> Britt

>

> > - thanks for the reply. I feel very overwhelmed with all of

> > this. I guess I always had the same mind-set that it's only

> > a " little high. " And sometimes it has been in the normal range. I

> > guess it depends on when you test me.

>

> Thyroid hormone controls are very tight, even though different

ranges may be

> comfortable at different levels for different people. I doubt

that ANYone

> does well at a TSH of 5.5 or higher, and we even know now that

above 3 is

> too high for most people, i.e., they're hypo. TSH aside, a .9

Free t4 is

> too low for most people, even though it's " in range " according to

these

> ancient guidelines the labs and so many doctors have stuck to.

>

> > Question: I have what feels like a lump in my throat but docs say

> > they don't think it is a goiter, they think it is swollen

glands. It

> > just feels weirder than glands to me?

>

> Depends on where the lump is. If it's the ones just under the

jaw, yes,

> those still swell in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and even some

further down in

> the neck, in an attack of the same. If it's a swelling or hard

lump in the

> area of the thyroid itself, then we could be talking nodule here.

Goiter is

> actually simply the entire thyroid in a " puffed up " state, trying

to

> manufacture more hormone, but can't, i.e., iodine trapping time.

It looks

> like the symptoms of Hashi's are being ignored, as the doc doesn't

seem to

> understand that these are all autoimmune attacks. Your TSH needs

to be

> suppressed and remain suppressed.

>

> Note: That doesn't mean that you need iodine supplementation, it

simply

> means that it is the main job of the thyroid to work on making

thyroid

> hormone and that, when it is in dire need, it will puff up and

exercise to

> get all that it can trap, in a desperate effort to get enough

thyroid

> hormone made.

>

>

[Guest guest]

People

> with hashimotos can have hypo and hyper swings but normally when

> they are hypo, the pulse is very slow and b/p is low. Mine has

> never changed, always about 110 to 120 resting/ b/p always high. So

> my heart condition is a totally separate issue.

My pulse rate has been very high for the past two years, as well as my

BP creeping up. My systolic is usually okay, but my diastolic is

usually like 96-100, which is WAY too high. So, I am wondering what my

basals will tell me. If I am hypo, why is my pulse rate so high?

Britt

[Guest guest]

I have always had an extremely high pulse rate and the same as you with the blood pressure. The diastolic (bottom number, right?) is always tooooo high. I think perhaps that may have led the doc to believe that I didn't need testing for hypo...

AylaBrittey wrote:

People > with hashimotos can have hypo and hyper swings but normally when > they are hypo, the pulse is very slow and b/p is low. Mine has > never changed, always about 110 to 120 resting/ b/p always high. So > my heart condition is a totally separate issue. My pulse rate has been very high for the past two years, as well as my BP creeping up. My systolic is usually okay, but my diastolic is usually like 96-100, which is WAY too high. So, I am wondering what my basals will tell me. If I am hypo, why is my pulse rate so high?Britt

[Guest guest]

--- Brittey wrote:

> Hi everyone. My name is Britt and Ami invited me

> here (as she was the

> one who diagnosed me!) I went to Mayo last spring

> after a bout of some

> mysterious viral illness that left me with

> Fibromyalgia. I then

> developed Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome on top of

> it.

> For the past two years my TSH has always been a tad

> high (between 5.72

> and 9.00) and the doc never did anything about it

> because my fT4 was

> okay. Ami sent me the article on changing guidelines

> for

> hypothyroidism and I took it to my NEW doc (who I

> love) and he agreed

> to start me on Levo 50mcg.

> I was a research coordinator/Nurse before I got sick

> and loved my job

> so much. I miss it a lot. But my pain, headaches,

> tendonitis and

> muscle spasms from the Fibro keep me a prisoner in

> my own house. For

> the past two years I have been SOOOO tired and I

> began losing my hair

> like crazy! How long will it take for my hair to

> stop falling out?

> I am never hungry and hardly ever eat anything but I

> gained about 20

> pounds over the past year as well. Will the Levo

> help this to turn

> around?

> All of your words of wisdom would be greatly

> appreciated!

>

> Britt

Hi Britt, I'm a tad behind (as usual), but wanted to

say hello. As you found out, your TSH is not a tad

high, it's just plain high. I'm glad you like your

new doc and that your doc agreed you needed a thyroid

medication. 50 mcg isn't much of a dose, and while it

may intially make you feel a bit better, you could

also wind up feeling worse. Your thyroid sees the

meds and thinks it can cut back on production. Just

make sure you have blood work done regularly (and I'm

not talking once a year), until you are on what seems

to be your optimal dose. Then you can back off on the

frequency.

Now as for the hair loss. Synthetic meds are

notorious for not slowing or stopping the hair loss.

I didn't have a major hair loss problem, as least not

that I noticed, until last March. I had major surgery

in Januray and in March it was like someone just

flipped a switch and my hair was coming out in droves.

It's stopped now, but my dose was just increased as

well. I switched from Synthroid to Armour last

October and for me, Armour works better. Not everyone

is the same and some folks do just fine on the

synthetic. It's just something to consider if you

feel the synthetic isn't cutting it for you.

Kathy >^,,^<

KitzCat146@...

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[Guest guest]

With a high diastolic, the blood vessels are not open enough to receive the blood, therefore, there is xtra pressure on the artery walls. Whether a person has sustained permanent "injury" to the insides of their blood vessels is a very individual thing. The problems there are varied and complicated. Hypo that has been chronically sustained has a tendency to damage the insides and the structure of blood vessels, so a higher blood pressure would be common in these cases. There are other factors that eventually affect all of this, like the force of contraction of the heart running against artery walls that are "congested" or have thickened, etc......So many varied problems there, but I do feel that hypothyroid is one of the major causes of this, especially when it has gone on for way too long.

Re: Re: New to group

I have always had an extremely high pulse rate and the same as you with the blood pressure. The diastolic (bottom number, right?) is always tooooo high. I think perhaps that may have led the doc to believe that I didn't need testing for hypo...

Ayla

[Guest guest]

> With a high diastolic, the blood vessels are not open enough to

receive the blood, therefore, there is xtra pressure on the artery

walls. Whether a person has sustained permanent " injury " to the

insides of their blood vessels is a very individual thing. The

problems there are varied and complicated. Hypo that has been

chronically sustained has a tendency to damage the insides and the

structure of blood vessels, so a higher blood pressure would be

common in these cases. There are other factors that eventually

affect all of this, like the force of contraction of the heart

running against artery walls that are " congested " or have thickened,

etc......So many varied problems there, but I do feel that

hypothyroid is one of the major causes of this, especially when it

has gone on for way too long.

>

>

>

Thanks for the explanation . I'd hate to see the insides of my

arteries! Scary!

Britt

[Guest guest]

Hello all!

A long, long time ago….I read a book called “Overcoming

Overeating.” It all made a lot of sense, but I guess I just wasn’t

emotionally ready for it. And just a day or so ago, I picked up the book “Intuitive

Eating,” which I’m pretty sure is a lot like OO.

I won’t lie. I want to be thinner. But I’ve

never been much of a dieter. I’ve always known that diets don’t

work and a lot of them are just plain stupid. But I’ve also known that I

eat for reasons other than hunger. I eat for almost any reason. But I’m

ready to start listening to my body more.

I’m 46. I have three kids. One is in his senior year

of high school, but is in full-time dual enrollment at college. The other two

are home schooled.

I’m an author and a Zumba

instructor. If you are unfamiliar with Zumba, check

it out. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had moving my body (I really

mean that, actually). I hate exercise. But when I found Zumba

it was like finding love! I taught for a while at a dance studio and now I’m

going to be starting classes at a local community center. Teaching is like

giving a speech. But I think I can get used to it. And teaching really gets me

a lot of exercise because there are routines to learn and to practice. They

have a website at www.zumba.com.

I was on another email list for a little while and at first

it was inspiring. But most of the discussion was about being good or being bad,

and having control, and resisting certain foods. It just wasn’t a good

fit for me. I am definitely ready to practice intuitive eating.

Dianna

www.diannanarciso.com

[Guest guest]

Welcome Dianna,

Yes, IE and Overcoming Overeating are very much alike. I've read both

of them and thought OO was a great introduction to this concept while

IE is a bit more complete and detailed.

I can so relate with what you said about dieting. I might have

restricted my eating only a couple of times in my younger years and

never experienced much weight gain until I hit about 40 years old. The

it seemed that the more I tried to 'fight' weight gain, the more I

gained! Normal/Intuitive eating makes so much more sense than dieting

which has proven to be a guaranteed way to end up weighing more than

when one started dieting.

I've never been much of a dancer, but I do like physical work

outdoors. Exercise for the sake of weight loss is so uninteresting to

me too.

Hope to hear more from you soon - Katcha