cjmuro's Journal, 01 December 2020

Take care of the thyroid, it is most important.  

I agree with WindyFlowers for I have hypothyroidism and knew my thyroid medication might be off, but put off going to the doctor and ended up not able to even walk. That little gland controls TONS of stuff. Stay on top of it - don’t end up with a hospital bill like I have. Plus, so many kids know everything and you just can’t get through to them. Sorry you’re going through so much. 😟 

I feel your pain. after nearly 3 years of strange neck lumps and pains, popping up along my neck, under my jawbone under my tongue and in the voice box area, all I got from doctors was a resounding shrug. i even went to get a few scans done and then to the ENT doctor and they couldn't find anything. I just got told, it'll go away, (the implication was that it was in my head, and I was blowing it out of proportion due to anxiety issues). i was massaging and touching the lumps so much that the area kept getting bruised and then I couldn't tell if the pain was from the massaging or the underlying condition, whatever it was. I also was cycling through periods of extreme mania, staying up for up to 2 days at a time, followed by extreme exhaustion, which I still have to this day. I can and do sleep 24+ hours at a time and then unless I. up and about, drinking caffeine, then I get sleepy and fall back asleep. I have anxiety/depression but I do not have bipolar so it was a puzzle. finally my partner convinced me to switch doctors to a competent one, his doctor, and straight away she took me seriously, ordered a battery of tests (im in Australia so they are free, its not like she was ordering them all to get rich) and starting zoning in on the problem. a few blood tests (and nuclear xray thingy) later, and she had the diagnosis. It was that easy. WHY did no other doctor pick up on these symptoms, or order these tests? even when I did do tests woth them they never bothered to ring me when the results were back, its like they forgot. I had to chase them down. I regret not seeing her years ago. a good doctor is so hard to find. Turns out I have 'thyroiditis' which might also explain the strange periods of energy vs extreme fatigue. basically my thyroid is both over AND under - active, it cycles between the 2 states, usually staying over active for a few weeks and then slowly cycling towards under active. so frustrating, its hard enough dealing with one of those let alone both. She tentatively has me on the lowest dose of this medication and a monthly blood test to track exactly how the disease is working, but it is frustrating to say the least. I don't know how this will affect my weight loss efforts either. BUT I have to say, I almost cried when she gave me the diagnosis, because, finally, I had an answer!! Whatever it is is better than not knowing. i felt so much relief that it wasn't in my head, like other doctors had implied.  

I also am hypo! I had half of my thyroid removed. It took 5 years to get my medication dialed in, but since I lost weight these past 4 months it had to be reduced. I'll have bloodwork again in 3 months to see how it's going but they said if I feel like it's off I can get tested sooner. I hadn't even noticed it was high. Except I was a bit more fidgety. I've had this for about 11 years now and I have some nodules they ultrasound every year for changes. At one time when my levels went high I was having panic attacks. It does make things more challenging but effects everyone a little differently. I take the usual levothyroxine and also 5mcg of liothyronine for my T3. It's an odd dose of 1 tab 4x week and 2 the other days. I went to an Endocrinologist because my primary had me taking the pills all in the morning and that's what gave me the panic attacks. He said my body would regulate it but my endo said to take one in the am and one in pm and that fixed it! Don't let it derail you if you can help it. Dont be afraid to ask questions or seek an Endocrinologist that specializes in thyroid. Hopefully the meds will help regulate things for you quickly!