Anybody know anything about thyroiditis? Need advice.

[Tazicket]

K- here's the deal, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism back in January and have been receiving treatment since then. I went back to the doctor for a checkup at the end of February and let him know that I felt ok for a couple of weeks (after starting the meds) and then sort of crashed and felt as exhausted as I did before starting the meds and was mostly tired. He said he wanted to draw more blood to check my levels again and the earliest they could get me in was March 21.

Ok fast forward to today- got a call from the Dr's office b/c they got the results of my blood work back. I'm still feeling exhausted, cold, forgetful, and like I'm moving in slow motion all the time. According to the girl from the office, my results show my levels are normal, but I have thyroiditis. My question is, how in the world do I go from having hypo- to thyroiditis (which seems to have the opposite symptoms from what I've been able to find online) while I still feel the hypo- symptoms? I asked her how I would still be feeling so gross if my levels are normal. She wrote down my question, and I assume she was going to let my Dr. know about it.

They want me to come back in 2 months for more bloodwork to check on the thyroiditis.

A little background of my life over the last couple of months- I started a new job, DH and I started looking for a house, and will be closing on it later this week (not sure if this would have any bearing on anything, but thought I'd throw it out there just in case).

Does anybody have any idea what's going on with me? I'm wondering if I should see a specialist (currently being treated by my GP). I adore my GP and I don't want to hurt his feelings (I know he's done a lot of research into thyroid stuff b/c one of his kids has thyroid issues) and I'd have to have a referral from him to see a specialist.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Go to see an endocrinoligist. I have hypothyroidism and my meds have to be adjusted at different times. I know exactly when I am not at normal levels. My hair comes out in clumps, I get dark(er) circles and there are days that I literally could sleep all day. BUt as soon as the meds are adjusted I feel good again. You should make an appt as soon as possible because it has been my experience that endocrinoligists are one of the hardest drs to get into.

 

[DizBelle]

I have hypothyroidism too. What is a typical dosage for the synthetic thyroid hormones (levothyroxine/synthroid) and how high of a dosage can you get? For those of you that have been on these meds for years, how high of a dosage are you on now (if you don't mind sharing)?

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

I have hypothyroidism too. What is a typical dosage for the synthetic thyroid hormones (levothyroxine/synthroid) and how high of a dosage can you get? For those of you that have been on these meds for years, how high of a dosage are you on now (if you don't mind sharing)?[/QUOTE]


I am on .3 right now which is extremely high. .2 wasn't working the past 6 months I was feeling bad. Now the increased doasge has me normal again. But the dr wants to bring it down now just a bit to .2 1/2

 

[Tazicket]

Is it possible to have normal levels and also have thyroiditis? It seems like having one should exclude the other.

 

[lindakmonty]

I have several family members w/thyroid issues... my synthroid is only 75(I think it's micro grams)... I dont have the bottle w/me my mom on the other hand is on 200 she has hyperthyroid and most the others have hypo... I also have a cyst on my thyroid too they drain it every so often it it becomes bothersome...the other poster is right. Once you get your meds straightened out, you'll see a huge difference! My mom seems to think her dr's office is crazy b/c they're always changing her dosages...so be careful and go with what feels right for you!

 

[Tazicket]

the other poster is right. Once you get your meds straightened out, you'll see a huge difference!

That's what I'm hoping, but they aren't going to change my meds at this point because they say that I'm normal, so I should be feeling fine, even though I'm not.

 

[claudia]

Did he say which type??? Hasimotos being the most common type. Did he do a thyroid antibody test?? After taking thryoid replacement your levels would become normal, so that only indicates that the medication is working, but the fact that you still feel lousy leads me to believe that they did not do any t-4, t-3 testing, just a TSH.
Being a thyroid cancer survivor and going through hypothyroidism I would strongly suggest getting yourself to an endo.

 

[claudia]

Is it possible to have normal levels and also have thyroiditis? It seems like having one should exclude the other.

your would have normal levels because of your medication.

 

[Tazicket]

Did he say which type??? Hasimotos being the most common type. Did he do a thyroid antibody test?? After taking thryoid replacement your levels would become normal, so that only indicates that the medication is working, but the fact that you still feel lousy leads me to believe that they did not do any t-4, t-3 testing, just a TSH.
Being a thyroid cancer survivor and going through hypothyroidism I would strongly suggest getting yourself to an endo.

I saw the blood work form and it had tests ordered for TSH T-4 and T-3 on it. But, they didn't tell me the specific results from the tests.

I did ask the Dr if he thought I had Hashimoto's back in February, and he said that it wasn't b/c I didn't have the burst of Hyperthyroid before I sunk into the hypothyroid. Is it possible that the hyper burst was just late in coming?

 

[claudia]

I saw the blood work form and it had tests ordered for TSH T-4 and T-3 on it. But, they didn't tell me the specific results from the tests.

I did ask the Dr if he thought I had Hashimoto's back in February, and he said that it wasn't b/c I didn't have the burst of Hyperthyroid before I sunk into the hypothyroid. Is it possible that the hyper burst was just late in coming?

You should ask them to give you a copy of your labs and then post them here, with the lab values. Also, were they Free T's? And did he do the antibodies? That would give a better picture of what is going on with your levels and why you are feeling so bad.
If it isn't Hashimoto's, then what type did he say you had? I've never heard anything about a hyperthroid burst, although your levels may have been hyper before you were tested? Oh..did they do an uptake scan?
I really would get to an endo....

 

[Debbie Jean]

You need to see an endocrinologist. Although your numbers may now be within normal range, they still need to be lowered for you to actually feel better. I know mine did and the doctor continued to increase the synthroid... I'm at .125 now... because I continued to experience symptoms.

BTW, she checks my bloodwork every 3-6 months... I'm also diabetic ... to make sure all the numbers are still within normal limits and adjusts the medications accordingly.

As others have said, when you reach your proper dosage, you will begin to feel so much better, it will be amazing!

 

[WilmaBud]

I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Sometimes, people get short bouts of thyroiditis that go away (after pregnancy or a virus, for example). My doctor had me come back a month after my first blood test to see if anything had improved. It hadn't, and that's when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I didn't know you had to have a hyper burst before going hypo with Hashi's, but I sure did! It was horrible.

I started Synthroid (50 mcg's a day) to try and level things out. My original bloodwork showed an elevated TSH (mild hypo) with really high antibodies. I get my blood checked every 3 months, and I've been in range for over a year now with the Synthroid. But I still have some pretty hypo periods, when I'm feeling sooo tired and achy. I also get mildly hyper periods, too where my pulse races, and I have bad insomnia. I also have other weird, annoying symptoms, too.

Anyway, I'm living proof that you can be within range and still have symptoms. Thyroid problems are tricky, and it can be hard to find that "sweet spot." I do know you have to give thyroid medication at least 6 weeks to reach full efficacy. Some doctors won't give you anything unless your TSH is high; others will give you meds if you have high antibodies and symptoms of hypo. They probably want to see if your antibodies go back to normal levels after a period of time before they think of medication.

You should definitely see an endo. Sometimes, with a thyroid problem you have to "doctor shop" till you'll get someone to take you seriously. There's a great thyroid board on "About.com" where there are lots of people who are much more well-informed than I am about this stuff. They seem to be able to answer almost anything. Also, they have a listing of top thyroid docs in every state with people posting comments about the docs.

I hope I've helped you. Good luck!

 

[rie'smom]

I too am hypothyroid but I take Armour thyroid. My dosage is 3 grains. Synthroid just didn't work for me even in combination with Cytomel.

 

[NotUrsula]

and that's when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I didn't know you had to have a hyper burst before going hypo with Hashi's, but I sure did! It was horrible.

My endo described the typical Hashimoto's onset as a "flame-out" sort of scenario. It speeds up so badly that the thyroid literally burns itself out.
Happened to me after DS was born. No one wanted to take me seriously when I wondered about how weirdly fast I was losing baby weight, but when it finally stopped it was suddenly like I was trying to walk through a glue field.

 

[lyeag]

I went through a burst of hyperthyroid last fall that turned to hypo after about 6 weeks. I was told I had thyroiditis due to a virus. We watched my levels for about 2 months and then was put on synthroid. I had lab work done after 6 weeks on meds and was told they were in the normal range. I am going for a follow up with the dr on the 4th. I have read that thyroiditis due to a virus can straighten itself out after a few months of being hypo, so I really hope that is the case!

Unfortunately, I was also told that the virus may have attacked my heart as well causing my ejection fraction to be lower than it should. I follow up on that in May.