How did you get Hypothyroidism?

Hi James, I was diagnosed with hypothyrodism since 1988. I gained a lot of weight, always tired, etc. I'm not sure how I got this disease. No one in my family has (or had) it. I've been taking medication and I feel a bit better than I did before but I'm still tired and losing weight is very slow.

How are you and your family doing with this disease?

I have no idea how I got mine and really have no symptoms other than weight gain! I am now taking 112 of synthroid.. I also now have high blood pressure.. I think both mine came after i stopped taking premarin after 15 years! Good luck and be sure to take your meds!

Carmen,

I also gained a lot of weight in 2000/2001 and was sluggish. I could' hardly stasy awake all day. Needed a nap at lunch and I was still tired after that.

I've done well on 150mg of synthroid for years, but only recently was able to lose weight by cooking my own foods to avoid processed foods like white bread and sugar. Since I started the diet in March, I went from ~170 lbs to 155 lbs and am staying at that weight!

My mom and oldest sister are doing well - mom takes less medication, sister takes more. Thanks for asking!

Hi there -

I've got Hashimoto's. Found out in January of this year. Have been on synthroid since 2005 for hypothyroidism. Have been reading a LOT and got my dr to put me on a blend of synthroid and cytomel in May. Brain fog is GONE. Finally losing weight & able to work out regularly! NO NAPS in over 3 months!

Although none of them were diagnosed with it, three women in my family displayed many symptoms of Hashimoto's/Hypothyroid. However, I also ran a very high fever associated with a virus and I understand that can trigger autoimmune disorders.

All the best!

Julee,

Welcome to Life with Hypothyroidism.

I also enjoyed regaining the ability to do normal things within a few months of starting synthroid in July 2001. Like you said, no more naps, I spoke clearly and could think again!

I didn't have the fever however - that's something I hadn't known occured with HypoT.

I have Hashimoto's... it was a long trip in finding out...
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 1998. I gained 30 lbs in about 2 months, started sleeping in the middle of the day and could NEVER get warm. I asked my Dr for help, explaining the symptoms, and he said, "I am sure if you diet and exercise you will feel all better". After almost a year of thinking that I was going nuts and gaining even more weight (not eating anymore) I was at my OBGYN for a check up and he said, "Oh my you have gained a lot of weight this year, what is wrong?" So I just sat there crying (by this time in the depths of depression) telling him how I felt. He simply did a bloodtest and there it was.
My OBGYN sent me to an endocrinologist. The best Dr I have EVER had. I told him my mom and sister were both overweight and suffered from depression, he urged me to tell them to be checked. They were both HypoT as well. We have since all been diagnosed with Hashimoto's.
Sorry long story but the whole diagnosis of all of us took about 3 years.
Wish I could say that the weight has slowly melted off after starting meds, but not so much. (I forget to take them sometimes and that doesn't help) But mood and the rest has improved greatly.

If your mood hasn't improved since 2003, maybe you should talk to your soctor about increasing your dose. You may have clinically good levels right now, but if you're not feeling "normal," a change may be in order.

I mentioned above that I had trouble loosing weight as well, despite years of being on synthroid. Early this year, I greatly reduced the amount of processed foods and sugar I eat. It's done wonders for me! The food I *cook* tastes much better and I'm more energetic to boot.

As for depression, I had that and a few months in group therapy really helped.

Best wishes.

My story is ditto to all the above except I had thyroid problems long before I started taking Premarin. So I have to debunk that theory.

I do believe the disease is hereitary, brought to me from my father. The sad part of that is that they have a history of depression and weight gain that I now believe was disease related. Very sad but long ago people just didn't consider these symptoms as warning signs of something being medically wrong.

I still am over weight ( went from 130 to 160 in four months) and have done some pretty interesting things to obtain the meds that I know keep me from the black hole.

I have been diagnosed with Hashimotos but the more likely cause was being given vaccines while pregnant. Army mystery injections. I stumbled into this post because I like this writer's comments on the Pledge of Allegiance.

I was diagnosed a few months after my son was born in 1994. I think it was somewhat related to my pregnancy, which probably was the trigger for it to present itself. However, it is also genetic on my mom's side of the family (mom, grandma, aunt, cousin). I get my levels check at least every 6 months as I have always had difficulty with my dosages and levels which seem to fluctuate frequently. I have been pretty stable for a couple of years now, thank goodness!

I have Hashimoto's as well. I am the only member of my family with it. Lately they have had to increase my thyroid medication. I feel chronically tired but some of that may be due to other health conditions. I like your comment about eating better as I think that can always be helpful.

Maria,

Although I'm no doctor, I'd say it's likely you had below-normal T4 levels from birth. Puberty may have caused full-blown hypothyroidism is you. If your diet was low in iodized salt, that could've been a contributing factor. Even without a family history of this disease, the human body is very complex and malfunctions can occur at any given time.

It's normal for a doctor to start you on low levels of replacement hormone so your body adapts to it. With hormone levls like yours, I'd be surprised if you don't end up taking 125 to 150 micrograms. My T4 was 0.7 and TSH around 300 in 2001. I've been steady since early 2002 at 150 micrograms.

As for weight loss, I found excercise and, more importantly, a good diet of unprocessed foods works well. Getting the salt and preservatives out of your food will help greatly.