Diagnosed with Hashimotos. Anyone else have this?

[2bfit 62]

A year ago my surgeon found a lump on my thyroid, it was benign. Six months later it grew and others surfaced as well. Again, benign. About 3 months ago I gradually started to gain weight, my hair kept falling out, I was EXHAUSTED all the time despite working out and eating right and my skin was very dry. I was walking around in a fog. I finally took my booty to the endocrinologist like my surgeon recommended. The surgeon told me I probably had Hashis and that I would be put on meds and would start to lose again. Now there is also a chance I have PCOS (ovarian cysts) or endometriosis (which I do have a history of). I have been in excruciating pain. I feel like a lab rat! I am trying to control all of these things at once. It's frustrating. I had finally got my life and health back and WHAM!!!

I am now taking Synthroid and I am absolutely ravenous despite my sleeve. I am terrifed that I am going to gain even more weight. As it is, I have 10 pounds to lose to get back to my fighting weight. However, this weight feels different. It's almost like an unnatural swelling if that makes any sense.

Does anyone else out there suffer from this? If so any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[ooffa511 505]

I had a total thyroidectomy due to cancer. I had everything removed including parathyroid and lymph nodes.

Your life definitely changes bc of this. Stay on top of your meds. The synthroid is amazing stuff, but I was told to never take generic. As well as Calcium when u take it. Even milk in your coffee will counter act your synthroid

Once your synthroid gets regulated which could take months to years you will start to feel better. The synthroid actually helps me w my weight now. My doc actually keeps me a lil hyper active now and I love it. Good luck w everything!! Anything else u want to know you can message me. I have been dealing w thyroid issues for about 15 years

[lark60 429]

I was diagnosed with hashimotos thyroid after my second child was born (back in 1979). I have been on synthyroid ever since the diagnosis. I also had endometriosis (hysterectomy at 25 to cure the pain and anemia). YES this condition affects your weight. I would gain weight every time a new PCP would mess with the dose. This is one of the reasons I went for WLS. I had been working on loosing weight with low carb/high Protein diet and managed to loose 65 lbs (3 years ago). When I moved to a new town and of course a new PCP he said I needed to lower my thyroid dose because my labs were off. I did and gained the 65 lbs back within 3 months. When I went back to the doc and was bawling from my frustration, he suggested WSL (and raised my thyroid dose back to the original level)

Since I have lost 100 lbs with the sleeve, I have been able to decrease my thyroid medication to 1/2 the dose of pre surgery but have lowered this VERY slowly. The medication comes in over 12 different doses and each is micrograms (very small difference between doses) Also, I recommend you make sure the doc write DAW (dispense as written) on the script to make sure you get the real synthyroid, not generic. If you have to take generic, make sure the pharmacy gives you medication from the same manufacture company each fill. Again since this is in micrograms, the quality controls are different company to company and you will be on a different dose even though the bottle seems the same but the company is different.

[WorldTraveler 79]

My mother had Hashimoto's and I was diagnosed with it in 2003. I take Levoxyl daily (I had side effects with Synthroid) right when I get up. Make sure you do not take Vitamins or Calcium until the afternoon (at least 4 hours apart from thyroid-it lessens the effects). I'm sorry to say it takes time to find your optimal dose and this changes over the years. You have to monitor you symptoms and get your levels checked regularly. If Synthroid doesn't work well for you, try Levoxyl or Armour Thyroid (which I really liked but it's not available through Kaiser). You will even out and feel better soon

I also have PCOS-it sucks! I was diagnosed with that at age 14 after ultrasound and exploratory laporoscopy for excruciating cramps/pms. I'm still dealing with it - their solution=birth control pills. I have 2 blood clotting disorders and can't take them, so I endure it every month. The only diet that has ever worked for me with PCOS is low-carb. I am 3 weeks away from being sleeved and looking forward to a permanent tool to enforce smaller portions (Protein and veggies first).

If you can take hormones-that's what they put you on to ease the pain. If not, you suffer through. Unbelievable to me that in 2014 they still have the same options for treatment that they did 26 years ago when I was first diagnosed.

Hang in there-when your levels even out, you will feel much better.

[Sleeveless in seattle 208]

I have hashimotos also. It as never affected my appetite or caused swelling. I do swell quite a bit when I don't drink enough Water. I'm on Armour thyroid. My insurance won't cover it but even my dose of 210 (very high) is only $25 cash at costco so I still get it. It's worth it.

[bubles089 35]

I have battled with this for going on 13 years now, only diagnosed for about 9. It is a very very frustrating disease! I was told for years I was crazy and nothing was wrong with me. I gained so much weight for no reason and was told I was lying about what I was eating so i gave up. They finally diagnosed me with it and it took 6 years of constant all over the place tsh readings. I finally ended up on 200 mcg. I am 18 months post op from my sleeve and just found out in severely hyperthyroid now( and still 20 lbs over weight wtf is that!?). I also just got tested for celiac's. There is a strong correlation between gluten sensitivity and autoimmune disease. The gluten causes inflammation . It also causes the hashimotos to flair up and not be well controlled. I wish someone had told me this 10 years ago and maybe I wouldn't have gotten to 260 lbs and had to be sleeved! Look into the gluten thing, I've been told by many it helps. I am removing it from my diet starting this week!

[2bfit 62]

Thank you all for the responses! I have been out of commission for the last few weeks because I had to have surgery for female issues. Now I am on hormones and Syntrhoid. Fabulous! :/

I will say that I am feeling better. The thyroid medication has finally started to kick in and I am feeling more like myself. The plus, I did lose the 10lbs I gained before being diagnosed and I stopped losing my hair.< /p>

I am starting to research the gluten connection. That's a great tip! I really do believe there is truth with regards to the inflammation it can cause. My biggest problem is I am going to have to reevaluate all of my food choices and implement something that works for me. I just don't know which direction to go. I finally had a routine that worked for me, now I have to start all over again!

I am with you Bubles089 some doctors treated me like I was crazy too. I wonder how long I have had this and wasn't diagnosed properly. It's almost as if after I lost weight the doctors started listening to me more if that makes sense. When you are overweight all they see is someone who is out of control and therefore not worthy of being listened too. Little do they know the amount of will power and strength it takes to be heavy. You keep trying to find an answer on how to get healthy and get your life back. For me the final tool was the sleeve. Luckily I had found a doctor who supported me and helped me through the approval process. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It has changed my life is so many positive ways.

[VitaleEM 44]

It's so hard trying to balance autoimmune protocol diet for Hashi's and Protein intake for sleevers. It's a daily battle....

[_Kate_ 2,224]

I could type a long story here, 22 years worth but won't, I'd bore you all to death lol.

I was diagnosed with a severe form of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis when I was living in Canada. I returned to England 6 months after being diagnosed.

After never feeling right for about 18 years and always being told, " BUT YOUR BLOOD TEST SAYS YOU'RE FINE" I decided to research till I knew more then the Doctor (not endocrinologist) and insisted over a period of about a year, that I was given a private prescription for Erfa Thyroid and after a few weeks of taking them everything changed. I came off Prozac, was able to lose weight (but not keep it off, had lots more energy) and I felt tons better. It wasn't easy getting the go ahead from the Doctor's. A lot in England are very anti natural thyroid..

So then I felt better but still had the weight so hence the sleeve. I am only a week out but I have no regrets.

@@Sleeveless in seattle. Do you get your med's from costco without a prescription and how many do you get for $25?

Kate

[Sleeveless in seattle 208]

I could type a long story here, 22 years worth but won't, I'd bore you all to death lol.

I was diagnosed with a severe form of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis when I was living in Canada. I returned to England 6 months after being diagnosed.

After never feeling right for about 18 years and always being told, " BUT YOUR BLOOD TEST SAYS YOU'RE FINE" I decided to research till I knew more then the Doctor (not endocrinologist) and insisted over a period of about a year, that I was given a private prescription for Erfa Thyroid and after a few weeks of taking them everything changed. I came off Prozac, was able to lose weight (but not keep it off, had lots more energy) and I felt tons better. It wasn't easy getting the go ahead from the Doctor's. A lot in England are very anti natural thyroid..

So then I felt better but still had the weight so hence the sleeve. I am only a week out but I have no regrets.

@@Sleeveless in seattle. Do you get your med's from costco without a prescription and how many do you get for $25?

Kate

Kate, you do have to have a prescription. My insurance just wouldn't pay for it. Recently I found out they are now paying so it is a $10/month copayment. Since my original post, costco had gone up to almost $40 per month and that was with my new, lower dose so this was a huge blessing!

[Thinkingthinner1109 485]

I was diagnosed with it after my WLS about 6 or 7 months. I don't have it bad I am on the lowest dose. It does make me feel more like myself and not so dog tired everyday.