I recently found out that I have a low thyroid. Here are the symptoms that led me to search in the first place and how I got the correct diagnosis, because many doctors don't do the correct tests and many people come back as false negatives...only to feel like they are going crazy!
For the last nine years (since I got pregnant with my first child) I have been struggling with fatigue, mood swings, dry and brittle hair/skin/nails, muscle aches and cramps, foggy head, nausea upon waking, extreme hypoglycemia, anxiety (sometimes leading to panic attacks during times of excess stress), extreme food intolerance, and I've been extremely cold all my life with my hands turning blue, white, even purple, and losing feeling in my fingers on a regular basis.
It was easy to explain every symptom away as hormonal changes, lack of sleep due to small children, working out too hard, etc. When my workouts got less and less intense and I was still having muscle aches and barely making it through, when normal daily chores required breaks, when I slept 8-10 hours and still felt tired in the morning, when my panic attacks started to be more regular, I realized something more was wrong.
I have spent 20+ hours researching, done the blood tests, and searched for a doctor who would truly listen to me (I settled on a doctor who is both an MD and a Naturopath as I like the marriage of Eastern and Western medicine). Today, I feel fantastic...like I did in my 20's!!!
If you feel healthy already, no need to change anything. However, if you have unexplained aches, pains, depression, etc., here are some things to look into.
1. Thyroid disorders are passed down from the mother to her children (not from your dad)
2. The symptoms of thyroid disorders are somewhat different in men and women.
3. Your pituitary gland sends out signals (THS) if your T4 levels are too low. The normal test they do for thyroid is a THS test only. This level can be "normal" (some doctors say it should be zero to be normal, but you can look at the current accepted range) and you can still have a thyroid problem. T4 is inactive and must be converted to T3 (the active thyroid hormone) to do what it needs to do. If you have enough T4, but have a problem with conversion, you still have a thyroid disorder.
4. Because of what I said in #3, a full thyroid panel with THS, T4 and free T3 should be run for an accurate assessment.
5. If your temperature is regularly below 97.8 degrees, you likely have an issue with your thyroid. (You can google thyroid and temperate tests for more information)
6. If you have unusually low blood pressure and low resting pulse rate (anything below 70) and you are not a trained athlete, you likely have an issue with your thyroid.
7. Family history of thyroid disorders, through your mother's side, is a good indication that you may have a thyroid disorder.
8. There is no "one" body type that has thyroid issues. I have now run in to all sizes and shapes of people with thyroid problems.
9. Many things, including bipolar disorder, depression, and chronic fatigue are often misdiagnosed cases of thyroid disorders. These cases are ones that do not respond or do not respond well to the treatment they are currently on.
10. Treating a thyroid disorder is not a magic weight loss pill, but it does give you back normal energy, even moods, and the tools with which to better manage your weight.
11. Treating thyroid can be very effective if done with the care of a doctor and regular screenings to make sure your dosage is correct.
As always, if you have questions, I'm happy to respond! I'm not a doctor, so keep in mind that this is just the research I've done and how I understand it. If you find that I've gotten something wrong, please let me know!
