THYROID DISEASE MAIN-PAGE
INTRO: Patients being treated for thyroid diseases experience varying degrees of improvement. Some see near complete recovery of their health and quality-of-life while others continue to experience symptom struggles and difficulty coping with their disease. These patients are seeking ways to better cope with the change in their ability to carry on the same level of activities they enjoyed prior to their thyroid disorders. There are many diseases that affect thyroid function, including those that cause hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroid swelling (goiter), tumors in the gland (nodules) and thyroid cancer. Patients with thyroid diseases can experience complications despite being treated for their thyroid disorders. Some complications may be related to inadequate treatment that is in need of being better optimized while other complications arise due to the disease itself and must be treated as a seperate health disorder.
-Jim Lowrance-
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H.H. male – OK
Large Solid Thyroid Nodule
I work as an officer for a large loan company and about eight years ago began to notice a lump on the right side of my throat below my adams apple. I found that even drinking coffee was hard to swallow. I went to my family doctor who sent me to an Endocrinologist and after sending me for a thyroid sonogram found that I have a large nodule. I was losing a lot of my hair beginning about four months previous to this finding and I was feeling very tired more than half of the time. The endocrine specialist took a sample of the nodule from my neck using a hypodermic needle and after analysis showed no cancer was present. I was put on a high dose of levothyroxine hormone to reduce my TSH to at an 0.5 reading and within two months the nodule reduced to less than half its original size. I’m hoping after the thyroid medication is reduced later on, the nodule stays small and I won’t have to have part of my thyroid gland removed. The thyroid medication also makes me feel nervous so I’m also looking forward to that symptom being gone when the thyroid drug is discontinued. I’m hoping the nodule will stay small after the drug is discontinued. I don’t want to lose my thyroid gland to removal but also don’t want to live with a sick gland that keeps me unwell. I guess I’ll have to see what the future brings for me and hope for the best.
Jim Lowrance ARTICLE HERE>> My Hypothyroidism Story - Jim Lowrance ____________________________________________________________________________________________
J.S. female – AR
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
At the start of 2005 I had severe anxiety problems and couldn’t sleep sometimes for days at a time. I felt like I was having one continuous hot flash and was starting to drop some weight which I liked at first and was the one symptom I didn’t mind having. I saw my doctor who tried to convince me I had bipolar disease but too many of my symptoms were physical ones so I did not agree to the taking of the antidepressants he wanted to prescribe me. A few months later I started having severe constipation that would not go away. One of my girlfriends insisted I see her thyroid doctor and provided me her phone number. She tested my hormones and my thyroid was running slightly low. She had blood drawn again and my result showed my thyroid antibodies to be in the 1,000s. I was sent for an ultrasound thyroid image and found to have Hashimoto’s thyroid disease, causing my gland to be underactive. The doctor expects I will need to start thyroid hormone therapy a few months down the road but wants to make sure I don’t have too much thyroid hormone in my system by treating it too soon. She said that lots of people are at the same I’m at when they see a doctor who can diagnose but not yet treat them. I look forward to the improvement in life I’ll have when mine is at the point it can be treated. The doctor did let me know my thyroid is not enlarged and doesn’t contain any tumors.
Jim Lowrance ARTICLE HERE>> Hypothyroid Hormone Therapy - A Perfect Treatment?...
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J.A. male – N.C.
Thyroid Problems as a Baby and an Adult
Shortly after I turned 33 in 1998 I started having symptoms I thought were from a vitamin deficiency. I was so tired at times I didn’t even feel like walking across the floor when I woke up in the morning to put my cloths on. I took a high-potency multiple vitamin for months but felt even worse as weeks went by. My doctor saw my dry skin and that my eyebrows were thin around the edges and he ordered tests for thyroid conditions and for detecting diabetes. I was found to have moderate hypothyroidism and the doctor treated it with Synthroid, a prescription thyroid hormone drug which I still take now 9 years later. I don’t feel really great but much better and am trying to lose weight now which should help some with my energy too. My mother recently reminded me that my thyroid was not working when I was born and I had to be treated with synthroid back then too. This makes me think that some people carry thyroid disease around with them from birth or maybe are born with defective thyroid glands. I’m just happy not to feel as sick as I did before being diagnosed as an adult and hoping a health diet and exercising more will help more as I continue my best with that.
Jim Lowrance ARTICLE HERE>> Thyroid Related Anxiety Symptoms - My Experience
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NOTE: The metabolism of the body is regulated by thyroid hormones. These include the T-4, T-3, Reverse T-3 and TSH.
The levels of these hormones are tested to determine thyroid function but some of them continue to be retested at regular intervals, to monitor thyroid hormone replacement therapy.
Thyroid patients who are better educated in regard to these hormones have better ability to be proactive in their treatments and communicate with their doctors so that they recieve the best possible results from their therapies. -Jim Lowrance-
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F.H. female – WA
Addisons’ Disease and Thyroid Dysfunction
When I was a teenager my parents were concerned because I was not having menstrual cycles at the age I should have been and I was having debilitating fatigue that caused me to be absent from school for days at a time. I started to get dark patches of skin on my arms and neck and a couple of small ones on my face. Even moderate sun exposure caused these to appear. Our doctor sent me to an endocrine specialist and he ran a thorough blood report on me at the hospital. I was found to be very low on sex hormones with my male hormones being out of balance and depressing female hormone production. I was given a cortosyn stimulation test and diagnosed with a variation of Addisons’ Disease which causes adrenal underproduction.
I started treatment with hormones including ones for thyroid replacement which was also low but improved and was no longer needed a few months later, so my doctor slowly stopped the thyroid drug. I do have to continue the other drugs to fix my sex and adrenal hormones from being low and have been told these will have to continue throughout my life. I’m not totally improved from all of my symptoms but am doing much better than before treatment that started about four years ago. At least now I can work at a job and carry on my life at a fairly normal pace. Even my dark patches are better although not faded completely and new ones are not coming up on me either. The ones I have are easy to cover with makeup.
Jim Lowrance ARTICLE HERE>> Thyroid Hormone Therapy Dose Adjustments _____________________________________________________________________________________________
C.Z.-N. Female-United States
Hashitoxicosis (phases of hyperthyroidism with Hashimoto's thyroiditis)
Hello Jim!
I am so shocked to have found your article on Hashitoxicosis. I experienced the exact same thing before (and still) being diagnosed with postpartum thyroiditis in 2002. I had a new baby and EVERY doctor, even at the emergency room, told me it was hormonal or anxiety but I knew it couldn't be because I was not worried about anything, even during these "spells" I would have to rationalize my mind with my body asking myself what was going on, could it be anxiety? I was never told about Hashitoxicosis, never apologized for being misdiagnosed (with everything from pituitary tumor to MS) for months. These were months that I could've been medicated and 'cured' of hypothyroidism, since it was postpartum. I have read many things and the closest explanation to what I experienced was myxedema shock/coma. My symptoms were almost like this and when my thyroid levels are off, or if my medication needs adjusted or changed my body goes right back to the same, albeit milder symptoms as when I was first diagnosed. I know this, but the Dr.s look at me like I'm a total nut. Thank you, thank you for affirming that I'm not a total nut!! Thank you for being a talented writer and using your gift for good. Sincere Thanks
Jim Lowrance ARTICLE HERE>> Things that Affect Thyroid Hormone Dose Levels
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