Hashimotos Signs & Symptoms - How do u Feel?

[CDB]

Hi Guys!
 
I'm new to this forum and have only been diagnosed with Hashimotos for about a month, after my antibody levels exceeded 1000 in April. I keep reading that you guys do certain things to 'make you feel better' or make yourselves 'comfortable'. I am just interested to ask what are you making yourselves feel better from? What is it about Hashimotos that really makes you feel terrible?
 
Being so early into it, i am probably not suffering many of the symptoms that you guys are. The worse one for me is anxiety, but other than that, everything seems normal, apart from the fact that I cant consume caffeine anymore or my heart goes stupid!.. btw, is this typical for hashimotos?
 
Basically - what is it about having Hashimotos makes you feel crappy? How can you tell that it is the hashimotos or if you're just having an off day?
 
Would appreciate your input
 
Regards,
Carolyn

[missrebecca84]

Hey Carolyn,
 
I new to this too.  I definitely am interested in hearing others responses.  I have been on Synthroid for a month and a half now.  The only benefit that I have outright discovered is ligher periods.  I have been on birth control for 5 years and I have always had heavy, long perids.  This month was the first month that they were longer and sporatic within a week's time.
 
I think my worst issue is the weight gain.  I have gained 80 pounds in 3 years.  I have a constant battle with depression and I can sleep for hours.  On the other side, if I don't have at least 6 hours--I am USELESS.  I'll have one week of constipation versus another of constant diarrhea.  My Grammy has had Hashi for over 40 years and she takes metamusil to handle this.  I haven't started it yet.  I had major swelling in my legs (still do) which is what brought me into the doctor's office.
 
 
I'm also interested in hearing the feedbacks from the veterans to overcome this.
 
<Hugs> I'm right there with ya.
 
Rebecca

[Mo]

Hello to both of you!

It's so nice to have you here.

I hope others join in too, because there is one thing I must say right at the start, so far there are no real experts at dealing with this disease so unfortunately time doesn't always give us a better grasp of management. But, we have learned things along the way and I will share what I have learned and am still learning....

First of all, I have found that Hashimoto's (in my humble opinion) is a symptom of a larger issue. I am now concentrating a lot more on whole body health. If that is addressed, the Hashimoto's Disease will also be addressed. There are some aspects that Hashimoto's alerts us to though to help us in this battle. For one, certain foods are known to suppress the thyroid gland. I try to limit them as I improve my diet. The ones I limit the most are soy (except for the imported fermented soy products), broccoli and veggies from the same family and I tend to add things to my diet that has been known to jump start the thyroid like seaweed and coconut oil. At the moment, I am concentrating more on emotional health because I am a believe that this area is one of the most unsuspected causes of this disease. I don't believe Hashimoto's just "happens" to a person. But it is true that the cause is widely unknown. That doesn't mean that we are not on the verge of figuring it out. I believe the best people for the job are the sufferers themselves even over medical science. All they can see is the presence of the disease, but the sufferer knows the conditions they were operating in before the disease was diagnosed. This is invaluable to moving in the right direction.

I am trying to get a questionaire going on this forum that will help us find common demonimators to our Hashimoto's beginnings. I think that will be very interesting.

But I don't think I'm answering your questions very well. As far as symptoms: I have had cycles of highs and lows in the years I've had it. If you check out the health page of this site:

http://myhashimotosthyroiditis.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=29

There are some common questions about dealing with Hashimoto's and why there appears to be "cycles" of symptoms. Also, on a personal note, I started out having palpitations when I was about 18 years old. Looking back, I see it was after two important events in my life.... one was the traumatic event at 17 when my dad died in my arms of a heart attack and then at 18 I began birth control pills because my cycle was really messed up - I had very irregular periods. I am now wondering if it was the birth control pills that caused some of my symptoms. But on the other hand, I still experience mild palpitations when I eat something like caffeine or certain food with chemicals in them and also when I have an anxious moment. So, believe it or not, I am still troubleshooting but I have come a very long way since then and can pretty much avoid the worst symptoms. I wrote my story about palpitations here:

http://hashimotosthyroiditis.googlepages.com/home

Many people with Hashi's start out with hyperthyroid symptoms which then moves into a stage of hypothyroid symptoms.  On my main page, there is a video describing what Hashimoto's is and the reason for it's name if you haven't seen it already.

I have found that some of the most consistent symptoms across many patients are anxiety, sluggishness, trouble sleeping, and a big problem seems to be always concentration problems or "brain fog" which I also wrote an article on recently:

http://hashimotosthyroiditis.weebly.com/brain-fog.html

I had some fun writing that article because it has been the most consistent of my symptoms and it is one that I have had some relief in over the years. But, I still believe there are answers we haven't found yet which is why I started this forum!

Hopefully others will reply and give their experience. I can't help but say that the thyroid gland is a symptom of a root problem - many people think all disease starts in the gut. Which leads me to remember that digestion was also always a battle and allergies too. I think these are all connected.

If I had any special advice, it would be to make sure you have a good doctor, preferably one that sees your body as a whole and will be your partner in finding natural solutions and, of course, seek to have a positive attitude about healing. Another important thing for me was to be on natural thyroid supplements (like Armour or Naturethroid) because these contain more than T4 and are more true to what our bodies are missing.

Thank you for being here and feel free to post a new topic. We can all learn from each other.

Mo

[jennys]

Hi All,

I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid about 18 months ago.  My Doctor carried out further tests and discovered that I have Hashimoto's.  I have been on thyroxine, which seems to be upped every time I go to the Doctor (after blood tests) - so I guess I haven't go the dose right yet or it's slowly getting worse. 

In the past few months I've felt like absolutely crap!  Tired all the time, periods of feeling very down, extremely heavy periods and physically it's starting to take it's toll.  My hair is now so dry and brittle that I just want to cry, my nails have turned brown and split and break off, my skin is dry and I tend to look tired all the time due to the puffiness and also - being tired! 

I've sat down today to see if anyone else has the physical symptoms (hair/skin/nails).  Does this get better when you sort out the right dosage or is this something that I just need to live with? 

I am suffering brain fog too, which is not great in my job as I need to think on my feet 8 hours a day! 

Does anyone else have these symptoms and how best to treat???  Also, I have a girlfirend who's partner is a chiropractor and he thinks he can get rid of my hashi through back care? What the?

Look foward to any comments.....

Jen

[Mo]

HI Jen and welcome to the forum:

Is it possible that your doctor would consider letting you try Armour or Naturethroid which have T3 and other important components to thyroid function? I found that after I supplemented with a natural dessicated thyroid supplement, my energy was greatly improved, I then slept better and many of my symptoms improved. The forum will serve as a great education if you browse around. It's not easy to find an alternative doctor but I really recommend them. They come in the form of chiropractors sometimes but curing Hashi's with adjustments only doesn't seem possible to me - that doesn't mean this doctor doesn't have a good explaination for why he/she feels they can make good progress. I wouldn't commit to it but you might ask details as to why they feel it could be done.

I am doing allergy elimination through NAET (other posts explain this) but the road is long and I won't really know it's outcome for a few more months probably. I am patient because along the way, I am getting rid of many chemical sensitivities that cause me mild to severe symptoms as well as multiple food allergies. That is why some of us are convinced all disease starts in the digestive tract. An approach many people try is diet and letting the digestion improve which can make a big difference. There are many ways to approach healing and since we are all here with different "stories" or "journeys", what works for one, may not work for another. Being your own detective is a good way to get started. Ask yourself:

What is my diet like?
Do I drink or eat caffeine that could be keeping me up at night? (sleep is HUGE for a Hashi sufferer)
Am I eating more processed foods than I should and am I allergic or sensitive to them?
Do I have multiple food or chemical/environmental allergies/sensitivities?
What other medications do I use over-the-counter or prescription and what are the side effects?
What stresses me and what changes can I make to begin changing bad thought habits (EFT is a great place to start)


Those are just a start of the things I was able to change at the beginning and had really good results with many of my symptoms. However, the antibodies are still being researched (trying to find the "root" problem) but I believe I am getting closer.

I hope this helped again and hope others comment too. Ask your chiropractor if they have experience with NAET as some of them do which could be why they are speaking about reversing your Hashimoto's. Although I wouldn't give up, if it were as easy as a few chiropractic treatments, I think most of us would be well by now because news would travel REAL fast. I know chiropractic cannot hurt though. You just have to determine what you want to start with. I would try to find a good alternative doctor who can offer you suggestions without taking a ton of money. I would look for a consultation on the disease and see how they would approach it. Come back to the board and let us know what you find out and others can give some input which could help you make a more confident decision.

See this disease as a journey - it didn't happen overnight and it will likely not go away overnight. But, I believe the symptoms can be minimized with the right treatment and lifestyle changes.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Mo

[grnmtnmama]

Hello all~

To answer the original question of "how do u feel?" I will answer in relative terms to where I started the Hashi journey:

When I was diagnosed with Hashi's I was experiencing severe Hypothyroid symptoms. Hashimoto's does not exactly have it's own set of obvious symptoms, per se, however hypo- and hyper- thyoidism are symptoms of hashimoto's that develop over time. It is these symptoms that usually lead one to a doctor and testing and eventual diagnosis of hashimoto's disease.

The symptoms that lead me to the diagnosis were: extreme mood swings (including rage), depression, fatigue, unable to sleep well (would wake up and not fall asleep for hours--mind would not shut off), hair falling out, dry patchy skin on face--especially around eyes, puffy eyes, weight-gain, slow-metabolism & low basal body-temp, constipation, and brain-fog (probably some more I can't remember right now).

Now, two and a half years after diagnosis, I am feeling "relatively" great! Most of the month (I usually look at symptoms based on menstrual cycle) my mood is really good--even keel. I can handle stressful situations much better (though I still try to avoid them .  My metabolism (hence weight management) is MUCH better--I did loose most of the weight I had gained. The constipation, brain-fog, hair loss, and sleep issues are gone (for the most part).

The couple issues I still have (or are new) are: I still have dry patches on face and my menstrual cycle is pretty short with spotting/bleeding during ovulation. I do have about three days a cycle where my mood plummets (will cry over anything) and I get headaches. Haven't found anything to alleviate this as of yet.

The things I am doing that may be contributing to managing this disease with positive results:

• I take 1 1/2 grains of natural dessicated thyroid each day (this contains T4, T3, T2, T1)
• I have made great strides in lowering stress
• I try to be asleep by 10 pm
• I have cut eggs from my diet which I tested to be allergic to (i had not idea prior and ate them everyday)
• I sporatically take: cod liver oil, iodine, selenium, B complex, post natals, coconut oil (in cooking), probiotics
• I eat a diet higher in iron and protein and one with emphasis on whole foods, mostly organic and made from scratch.
• I try to get more sun to increase vitamin D production (will probably take a supplement this winter)

Things I think I SHOULD do but have struggled with:

• increase amount of daily exercise
• cut coffee COMPLETELY (still drink one half caf/half decaf every morning). this does "pump me up" for the day--probably not a good thing for my adrenals!!! which are still suffering and could be partial cause for hashi's/hormone issues.
• cut alcohol (I think this affects me very negatively--i still drink a couple drinks about 2-3 days per month)
• take my supplements more regularly
• eat less carbs to lessen the weight around my middle to avoid diabetes
• maintain overall health and well-being to avoid other autoimmune disorders (as we are at greater risk for others now that we have one)

So, that is where I am at right now. I would love to "beat" this thing but I am not sure that is possible. I am thankful, however, that I am feeling so much better. The misery I felt, at my worst, was almost unbearable.
I truely wish better health for everyone here and wish there was more concise information in the medical world of how to get there. But, like Mo said, I think we need to rely on ourselves and other sufferers for information as the medical world is rather behind on this issue.
~Janet~