For the new members - Please introduce yourselves so we can get to know you. :)

[ReneeP]

1. How long have you had Hashimotos? 

Diagnosed in February 2008, but in hind sight have had it for at least 3 years.

2. What are you doing for treatment? 

Using synthroid (have been on it for 11 years after giving birth to my first daughter) but looking for a doctor where I live that will prescribe Armour I'm wondering if my symptoms would lessen with it I have heard very good things about it.

3. Are you satisfied with the progress or do you feel you need to find a better combination of treatment?

No not satisfied I would like to find a better treatment.

4. Have you tried any successful diets (whether for losing weight or controlling symptoms)

No, so far haven't had probelms with weight but would like to find a diet that would help control symptoms.

5. Tell us anything else about yourself - age, location, etc. that you would like to share.

I am 34 have four very beautiful healthy children ages 11, 9, 7 and 4.  I have also been Type 1 diabetic since I was four have not had any health issues because of it until last year and was told then that my kidneys are not filtering completely but it's at the beginning stages and I also found out last year after having issues with  feeling full and bloated shortly after I ate that I had possible gastoparesis or acid reflux (don't think it is acid reflux).
I have been on synthroid for 11 years after the birth of my first daughter had been on the same dose (0.1 mg) for all those years, but after talking to my doctors many many times about my symptoms after the birth of my last child in 2003 I was just diagnosed with Hashi's this February after a nurse suggested having an antibody test ran had very high antibodies and was also told that most of my thyroid is gone now. Since reading on the internet about Hashi's for the last few months I'm beginning to wonder if my kidney and stomach issues are due to the Hashi's.
When I was diagnosed with Hashi's in February the doctor changed my synthroid dose to 0.112mg just had it checked again a few weeks ago my TSH was 1.37 and my T4 was 1.8. I doubt the doctor will change my dose of synthroid when I see him in May.  I am having an awful lot of trouble with my stomach I eat very little and no matter what I eat it bloats me and I am so full to where I don't want to eat I am also having a lot of trouble with constipation more. After being on the new dose of synthroid for 2 weeks it seemed like my stomach problems were getting a lot better but now after 9 weeks of being on the new dose I am having more trouble again even more than before.  Could this also be due to the Hashi's and also because of the synthroid?
I really don't know what to expect with this if it's going to be a hard long struggle to get back to feeling better again.
It will be nice to be able to talk with others with Hashi's and hear their thoughts and suggestions.

Renee

[Mo]

Welcome Heather! You mentioned you were looking for more natural ways to deal with this disease. If you go to my home page, I think you will get a good start in your research! Also, my blog has a good amount of information about what I have tried and what I recommend when you are first starting out. You can find both of those links at the top of this forum. (or from my home page)

I am very impressed that your Endo prescribed Armour. That is a rare situation. Having said that, I mean this in a good way. It usually take "getting out of the traditional medical system" to get Armour. I take Naturethroid which is very similiar. Armour is from cow's and Naturethroid is from pigs (dessicated thryoid glands of these animals). Your Endo is right. It is a much better alternative to Synthroid. You should begin to feel more energy. Synthroid only provides a portion of the natural thyroid hormones your body needs. It is T4 only which, in most cases, we thyroiditis patients, don't convert this to T3 which gives us the energy we are missing. I hope you feel relief soon but give it a few weeks before judging it. Synthroid needs to be eliminated from your body and your dosage of Armour might need to be adjusted as that happens.

There are so many good changes you can make to your diet. I have an article that outlines some of the main things I would suggest to someone just starting out with this diagnoses. Here's the article:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2080117_live-better-hashimotos-thyroiditis.html

By the way, how did you find this forum? It is always good for me to know how people get here - it helps me know what is most important to people and how they get to it. I'd appreciate you letting me know how you found it.

You sound very calm in your approach to this disease. That is a very good thing. There is time to improve your situaiton and you will find relief. In fact, many of us here believe it can be reverse which is a VERY uncomfortable statement in the traditional field. Alternative therapies even get a bit uneasy of the thought but I know there is a cure. I believe emotions have something to do with it too. In fact, the whole body will need attention when trying to reverse a condition as difficult as an autoimmune disease.

We're glad to have you here. Please take the time to look through the resources I have tried to make available for new sufferers and feel free to start a new topic on the board whenever you would like.

Take care and have a great weekend!

Mo

[grnmtnmama]

Welcome Heather and Renee!
 
I'm nursing at computer so I will type my comments in bullet form  (this is all based on ALOT of reading that I do and some work with a couple docs--take it, or leave it--just hypotheses in some cases)...

• Heather~ chances are high that you actually had Hashi's before and during your hypo diagnosis. your doc probably didn't know to test for antibodies which eventually cause hypothyroidism. you can have antibodies for years before showing hypo symptoms
• Renee~ because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, it is typical that you would develop another automimmune disease...
• which goes for all of us, unfortunately.
• once our body starts to attack it's own tissue, we are at higher risk for other autoimmune disorders (of which there are 80-150--two numbers from two diff. sources) These are severly under/misdiagnosed
• I feel that much of our society's ills are related to autoimmunity, but alopathic medicine treats symptoms and does not look to find the root cause
• But what causes autoimmunity?
• A theory is: damage to the digestive system--mainly the intestinal lining
• How? things we are exposed to (or not, but should be) from in-utero, such as drugs and antibiotics during pregnancy and birth, not being breastfed but fed corn-syrup based fake milk, vaccinations containing harmful chemicals and heavy metals, poor nutrition (industrialized food, pesticides, herbicides, preservatives...), antibiotic use, birth control, amalgam fillings, stress/trauma...(there is another thread on possible triggers)
• it is the intestinal lining's job to only allow food to pass through in a useable form that is small enough for the body to recognize as part of itself.
• when the intestines are damaged enough by the above exposures, the flora becomes out of balance creating an environment where bad bacteria thrive, such as Candida. Candida can become systemic if it passes through the intestinal wall. This in of itself can create and autoimmune attack.
• Once the lining becomes permeable, food will also pass through in too large of a form that the body's defense system considers foreign. Here occurs attacks. (this is often called leaky gut and the foods are considered allergens/sensitivities)
• eventually our immune system becomes overreactive and unable to distinguish between foreign invaders and our own body tissue.
• this is when other organs begin to become attacked and damaged and autoimmune diseases present symtoms
• for testing, there are different antibodies related to different organs/tissues. anti Tgab and anti-TPO are just for hashi's.
• they key: healing the gut to stop the attacks before more tissue is destroyed

ok, now i'm not nursing but have to scoot. i'll try to add some links and clarify later. google "leaky gut" "autoimmune" in the meantime for more info. sorry this is so hard to read (and maybe hard to understand?) and with a dry tone doing this in bullet form.
chat later
~Janet~

[Mo]

Bravo Janet!

And you did that while nursing!? Great job!

It is very important that we see this as a symptom of something more "basic" going wrong in our system. I believe this information gives us things to work with. I get less discouraged when I fight this as a root problem and not a bunch of "bad things" going on in my body. It can be overwhelmed to look at multiple symptoms and wonder what in the world our bodies are doing "to us".

Although many do believe that all diseases start with a faulty digestive process, we still need to look further as to how to heal this if we are going to have a chance. Is elimination of the culprits a cure or a relief only? I tend to believe that it is a relief initially, giving the body a break, but a long term solution (meaning we can eat foods that are good for us yet previously "allergic" to) is the question. I believe we are the verge of finding a cure - one of my hunches is in "energy healing" since I am no longer reacting to foods I previously could not eat without obvious reactions. (NAET) There are other ways to address this issue which could offer even more promise. Dealing with emotional issues differently can help the body function in an overall more effecient way.

Perhaps we can open a new topic on energy healing - if anyone has any comments or experience with it. I think of things like EFT, BSFF, and NAET but there's also accupuncture and accupressure. What's interesting to me in the latter two, I met a gal who was in the NAET office who said her accupuncturist sent her to get NAET treatments because it is well known that sometimes an allergy can prevent that treatment from working. It can also be an emotion help deeply inside that causes the treatment to not "get through" to the physical level. I think all this information is fascinating and bears our attention for this disease.

Thanks everyone!

Mo

[Heather.]

Mo, thanks so much for making me feel welcome here.  Actually, I found this forum through a search engine.  I was on Google, trying to research more about hashi's and I found this forum.  I was very impressed by the sense of unity here and how you all come together to help one another fight this disease, so I decided to join.
 
Until I found this forum, I wasn't aware it was so hard to be prescribed Armour.  I've been on it for about two weeks now, and so far I'm feeling about the same.  My endo did say I would probably have to be on a much higher dose and for a much longer period of time.  He just wanted to start me out slow and then work up to it.  So hopefully that works.
 
Thanks for your input! =]

[Venee710]

Hi,
 
My name is Carla and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's sometime early this year (Jan 08). 
 
1. How long have you had Hashimotos? 

Although I was just diagnosed, I believe that I have been experiencing undiagnosed symptom's of Hashimoto's for 2 years or more.   I experienced terrible headaches, fatigue, muscle sorenss, depression, trouble concentrating, short-term memory loss, hair loss, and all kinds of other things.  I was sent from doctor to doctor and received conflicting diagnoses (some thought I might've had CFS, chronic fatigue syndrome).... I was actually relieved when my endocrinologist finally arrived at the Hashimoto's diagnosis.  I was so tired of not knowing what was wrong with me.... So, although I'm not ecstatic about having Thyroiditis, I'm grateful to at least have a name to go along with what I have.

2. What are you doing for treatment? 

Right now, I am not on any medication.  My endocrinologist is apparently taking the more "wait and see" approach.  I see her every few months and tell her of my symptoms, but she has implied that until my thyroid had finished being killed off, there's nothing that I can do.  And let me tell you, I am MISERABLE....  I am tired ALL the time..... (I can sleep 14 hrs a night and still feel sleepy in the morning)... I get dizzy spells and aches and pains in my arms and legs often, and now, I've recently develped a terrible case of acid reflux.  I've had to miss work or leave work early quite frequently, and the stress of being sick all the time, combined with a high-stress job is really starting to take its toll on me.  I've even begun to consider going on Short Term Disability until my symptoms calm down.....  I just feel like I can't seem to live a normal life anymore.

3. Are you satisfied with the progress or do you feel you need to find a better combination of treatment?

I am definitely not satisfied with the progress and I feel like I definitely need a better treatment plan.
4. Have you tried any successful diets (whether for losing weight or controlling symptoms)

I recently started eating healthy again and going to Curves (a ladies only gym) twice a week.  I wish I could go to the gym more often, but my symptoms currently prevent me from going any more than I already do.  The healthy eating has definitely seemed to work.... I've already lost 5 lbs in just over a week.  But I don't know if this is what I'd call a long-term solution.

5. Tell us anything else about yourself - age, location, etc. that you would like to share.
 
I am 27 years old and I live about 25 minutes outside of Philadelphia, PA.  I am so frustrated with this disease, it drives me crazy sometimes.  I find myself depressed a lot because of my inability to have the energy to do more things with my day.  Sometimes, I get so frustrated with myself (one of my symptoms is occasional loss of short-term memory and/or a serious inability to concentrate at work), that I break out into tears while I'm at work. 
 
Some of my friends make fun of me a lot because of how much I sleep or because I'm so tired all the time....(they are all aware of my disease, but I think that, due to lack of education about it, they just assume that it's something I can easily overcome, if I actually wanted to).  I feel like I should be living my life so much more than I am now and I don't want the rest of my life to be spent always being tired or not being able to have fun and/or spend time with my friends and family the way I want to because of my symptoms.  I'm definitely open to any ideas or suggestions.  After reading your website and various postings, I've decided to call my endocrinologist tomorrow morning and see if I can get an earlier appt. (I am due to see her at the end of May).... I'm going to tell her how horrible I've actually been feeling since our last visit and request that I be placed on Armour or something similar.  I think it's about time that I start taking better control of my own health.

[Mo]

Hello Carla and welcome to our forum!

First of all I want to let you know that we understand and feel for you. We know what you are going through. Some of us have had the same feelings you are having and some still are. It might encourage you to know that I am becoming more and more optimistic about this disease. I've been diagnosed for at least 14 years and have learned a lot about how to deal with it. Many of the symptoms are secondary to the disease - in other words, there are other components to the symptoms in most people. Many of us have food allergies, substance sensitivities, etc. that can be controlled by avoidance or by allergy elimination treatments. I am so encouraged about some of the treatments I believe will indirectly help thyroiditis lately. If you read a bit around my forum, you will find posts and excitment about energy healing techniques that have begun to make complete sense to me now. I stayed away from them for years thinking they weren't scientifically proven and perhaps a bit too "out there" for me. But after understanding the body's energy system for the first time in my life, I am very excited to continue in the research of this amazing field.

A couple things popped out while reading your post. The biggest is that letting Hashi's "go" for a few months and waiting to see how you feel is a very strange suggestion from an Endo! I have never meant this more than I do now.... you will likely find many more options getting help through a natural therapy doctor. If your Endo is willing to put you on Armour, you might want to find this out over the phone before wasting your time with them in the office. On the other hand, this is a great time to consider a second opinion with someone who treats this disease naturally. I really recommend finding an allergy elimination treatment in your area (NAET.com has a list of doctors you might find in your area) as well as possible alternative therapy doctors from the Armour website. These avenues might sound expensive at the onset, but they can get you to where no (in my opinion) traditional doctor or Endo will be able to get you - a natural treatment with the possibility of reversal. One day I believe we will not sound so crazy when suggesting that this disease might be reversed. You are still young and just diagnosed - telling you to just wait til your thyroid dies is the worst thing a doctor can say. They truly don't understand how these words can affect a patient! By the way, did they give you the results of your tests? It might be interesting to see them on the board. In the end, it's how you feel, not what the tests say, that really matter though. The tests should be a guide but the doctors should be listening to how we feel.

This leads me to the emotional side of this disease. Many of us have emotional issues (just like most, if not all, of the population) but ours manifests itself partly as Hashimotos. Now, I'm not saying everyone who has Hashi's has emotional issues at the root, but most of us can attest to having severe stress in our lives leading up to diagnoses. So, is there help out there? I never knew there was until I began to look into NAET and EFT as well as BSFF. These are energy therapies (and simple at that) which balance the meridians in the body. They can neutralize food allergies and emotional trauma that is hurting the body. I don't mean to sound technical here - it really is the simplest therapy I've ever experienced. You may desire to check into it.

In the meantime, consider some of the steps I outline in my article on ways to begin to heal naturally with Hashimoto's Disease:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2080117_live-better-hashimotos-thyroiditis.html

It sounds to me that you could either use Armour (or Naturethroid) or a good natural doctor to help you get your energy back.

Have you checked your body temperature? It often gives you clues as to how your body is fluctuating throughout the day. Mine used to fluctuate from 96 to 99 to 97 to 98 to practically 95 all in one day! What a rollercoaster!

If you act like a detective, you will find that you have much more control than you presently think over this disease.

I'm sorry to hear of your struggles at work. It is no fun to go through the painful memory problems and how terrible it is to not be able to remember simple words. I am so thankful I took the approach I have. I am a new person but believe strongly I would have never felt this good if I had stayed in the traditional medical (HMO) route.

I hope some of this has helped and hope to hear more from you and how you are doing.

Take care,
Mo

[vykt0r]

Yep, new :>.  Mo, you know me.  I'm the guy who sent you some of the things researched by Loren Cordain.  Hello to everyone.

A little background info:

I'm 19 years old.

I've had hashimoto's probably for about three years now.

I am currently taking T4 and as of a few days ago the brand Levoxyl which I started out with but from which was switched to Synthroid when my dose was bumped up the first time.  I've been undergoing treatment for around 6 months now.

I find that this treatment is probably the best one for those with any sort of temporary thyroid issue.  For those who have permanent thyroid problems, I feel doctors should prescribe them Cytomel or any other brand of synthetic T3 on top of the T4 to keep their levels a bit higher during the day.

A few weeks ago, I went on a gluten free diet for the second time since being diagnosed.  a little under a week and a half ago I cut out all grains, legumes and dairy out of my diet.  I have to admit that since the latter, I have felt infinitely better, and my body temperature has gone up.  I find that I am now able to think clearly and my reflexes are what would be considered normal by anybody(I play classical guitar).

This is where I am at now.

[asha]

Help the doctors have lied to me and now I'll have to undergo surgery to remove my goiter which is obstructing my trachea.  I am 25 and don't want to be on meds for the rest of my life.

[Mo]

Hello Asha,

I'm sorry to hear of your situation. The first thing that comes to my mind are a few questions:

1. How did the doctors lie to you? What did they do?
2. Have you considered getting a natural doctor's opinion before having surgery?

I would encourage you to seek out a second opinion in case there are ways to shrink this goiter in a natural enough way and then proceed with a better treatment plan. If I am right, a surgery removing most of the thyroid (is this the intention?) will leave your body no other choice but to receive supplements due to not having a organ that can be restored through other means.

check out some resources to find a doctor in your area:

www.naet.com (for a consultation or a tip for a natural doctor near you for your situation)

You can go on the Wilson's Thyroid website to find a doctor who might have a more natural mindset to give you a second opinion too.

http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/DoctorsListing/

This i s how I found my natural doctor even though I never got the Wilson's treatment. The doctors that are on this list generally believe in more natural ways to deal with the thyroid.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you are doing and what you choose to do.

Mo

[CDB]

Hi Guys!
 
My name's Carolyn and I was diagnosed with Hashimotos about 3 weeks ago by an endocinologist. I've only just turned 19 years old, and am from Australia. All my symptoms came on extremely quickly. At first we thought I was hyperthyroid but all my tests seem to point to the opposite. I am for the first time in my life suffering from anxiety. I have a panic attack probably every 2 weeks, the last one i had was a few days ago and was quite severe. I got pins and needs in my face and hands and felt like i was in a little bubble. My voice was extremely loud and everything my friend was saying to me was as if it was muted. It was terrible! I am curious to know whether the anxiety is linked to the Hashimotos?
I am currently quite thin and have always been so I will keep you posted on any weight gain.
Other than the anxiety my symptoms aren't tooo bad. Can tend to be lazy etc.
To be 100% honest, i was involved last year in some recreational drug use, however the endocrinologist assures me this has nothing to do with it.
I am just curious to see if anybody else suffers from the same anxiety I do as it is becoming reaaallly annoying!
I am currently not on any medication, apparently my TSH levels arent high enough yet (They were firstly around 9, and then around 5. Normal levels are apparently between 0 and 4.) The specialist said once my TSH levels go above 10 then I will begin Thyroxine in very small amounts.
 
Looking forward to getting to know you guys
 

[Mo]

HI Carolyn,

I am on my way out the door but I had to interject that the numbers your specialist gave you for taking thyroid supplements is way off from what I have learned. Unless I'm misunderstanding you, you have been told that your TSH needs to be above 10 to be treated with supplements. Most of us here take supplements to keep our levels under 2 where we feel the best! So, maybe I'm just misunderstanding. Can you also clarify how you were diagnosed with Hashimoto's and do you have the test results and numbers for that diagnoses. Hashimotos is associated with elevated antibodies. I'm assuming that test was given?

Also, please search through some of the other posts which have some links to articles I've written that might interest you for healing/controlling your symptoms more naturally.

I need to leave now but maybe you can clarify the above and I'll get back to you soon.

Hang in there!

Mo

[CDB]

Hi Mo!
 
Thanks for your interest Wow! It is interesting to hear that you guys are getting treated to stay below a 2.0 TSH level! I was told the normal level is between 0 and 4.0. My first test i was around 9.0, then 4 weeks later I was about 5.0. Im getting tested again in about 2 months to see where it has gone.
 
Sorry I forgot to mention my antibody levels. Yes i have been tested for this too. Apparently the normal level is below 60? Mine are greater than 1000.

I was told that if i wanted to, i could start thyroxine treatment now, but the specialist said that I probably shouldnt until TSH reached over 10, unless i was wanting to become pregnant etc. I think he thought that thyroxine would exaggerate my anxiety?

Anywho, appreciate your input Its great to speak to people who actually know what a thyroid is haha
 
Carolyn x

[missrebecca84]

Hello All,

I'm Rebecca.  I figure it's easiest to answer the questions

1. How long have you had Hashimotos?  One and a half months

2. What are you doing for treatment? Sythroid 0.075 mcg

3. Are you satisfied with the progress or do you feel you need to find a better combination of treatment?
I am not sure how I feel about it because I see some differences in my bodies, but I figured I'd have more rapid changes.

4. Have you tried any successful diets (whether for losing weight or controlling symptoms)
I haven't amended my diet.

5. Tell us anything else about yourself - age, location, etc. that you would like to share.
I'm 24 and I live in Chandler, AZ with my boyfriend, Stephen.  He has two kids, Alyssa (9) and Matt (6).  We get them every other weekend.
Symtoms that I am experiencing:
constipation and diarhea but not too much in the middle, heavy periods, significant weight gain--nearly 80-90 pounds in 3 years, adema, I feel like I'm always hot despite being in air conditioning, I can sleep for hours on end and still be tired--if I get less than 6 hours, I am useless the next day.  I've been like this as long as I remember. I get a lot of sinus infections, Chronic joint pains since the age of 12, Depression/Anxiety/bipolar
 
I am interested in hearing about the other methods of treatments so that I am armed with information when I go for a follow up appt with my FP doctor.
 

[Egypt]

Hello All,

I'm Egypt. 

1. How long have you had Hashimotos?
I do not know how long have I had it for but it has been 6 months since I was diagnosed. However if I look back I could say that for the past 3 years I noticed a strange weight gain and  several weird things. I am very healthy (no sugar, chocolates, fat, alcohol, smoke) and 5 kilos were a lot for my lifestyle.

I gained 10 cm around my waist and the cold weather in Australia (it's mild compared to an US winter) was causing severe pain in my bones, etc. Apparently those two are one of Hashi's symptoms. The patient will gain between 4 to 5 kilos that are very difficult to loose. As the thyroid is the temperature regulator and everything slows down then the body struggles in winter.

However I'm not happy at all with some fisures in my genitalia - and I swear is not my imagination: this started during the first period after I started oroxine. I've posted more about this in the forum.

BUT I associated all my ailments to stress...so who knows...

2. What are you doing for treatment?
Oroxine - 50 mcg

3. Are you satisfied with the progress or do you feel you need to find a better combination of treatment?
I have lost 2 kilos of pure fat and my skin and hair are back to normal. However these have been the last changes as the body focuses on fixing more "important" organs first. My comment is to cheer those who have been worried about the weight loss. You have to give your body 6 months at least to start seeing the effect and around 1 year to loose weight. This is what I've read in several books and what the docs say.

The best of all is that I can THINK again!!    


4. Have you tried any successful diets (whether for losing weight or controlling symptoms)
I have always been of the diet of BALANCE. I eat everything but moderate - however my sugar/fat intake is almost null as my family history is packed with Diabetes..so I prefer to prevent


5. Tell us anything else about yourself - age, location, etc. that you would like to share.

33 y.o. female - 59 kilos (now) - 1.63 cm.
Originally from South America - now in Australia.
Strong believer in the association MIND / BODY so LISTEN TO YOUR BODIES AND LOVE IT TO THE TOP!! Nurture it because it's unique.

Practice Yoga as it helps you to calm down the thoughts.

I'm glad I have 'met' you all...especially MO.