...THYROID.
I was diagnosed with hypOthyroid about 2 years ago, after my 4th baby arrived. It took me about 6 months and about 3 different levels of meds to get to where I THOUGHT I was regulated. I have a really GREAT Dr, who always says, "Numbers are numbers, but how do you feel?" The biggest indicators of a thyroid issue are unexplained fatigue and dry skin/hair. He would always ask, "Are you fatigued?" To which I would answer, "Of course! I have five children!!!" I guess I just assumed that I would be fatigued until they were in college!
Recently, I went back to have my routine thyroid check and I mentioned to him that I had been working out, but wasn't feeling THAT much better energy-wise. He ran my blood for another check of my hormone levels (TSH levels are what they test for). They came back well within the "normal" range, but he called and said, "You know how I feel about numbers. How do you FEEL?" When I again shared my standard five children response, he asked if I would consider upping my dose again and seeing how that felt.
That was about 3 weeks ago and can I tell you? I cannot BELEIVE the difference! The fatigue is all, but GONE! 3:00pm used to feel like 3:00am to me. I could hardly keep my eyes open!Now that this new level of meds have started kicking in, I feel so much better. I am not dragging around at all. He only raised it by less than .5 micrograms (and that is small), but I guess it is just the tweak I needed to my thyroid function. I go back in a few weeks to have my levels rechecked and just make sure that they are still within normal.
This is SUCH a common disorder, especially in women. If you have had children, and/or are overweight, and/or have problems with fatigue I would STRONGLY consider getting your thyroid levels tested. It is a simple blood test. The "normal" range is between 1 and 4, but MY Dr likes to see numbers stay at 1. Even if you have had it tested, gotten a "normal" result, but still feel some of these symptoms I would call and find out where you were in that range. It could be that you just need a little bit of help with thyroid function. It could make ALL the difference!
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5 comments:
Glad to hear your feeling great! I love the new pictures on your sidebar! Such a cute family!
I have wondered about this for myself lately ... I'm so tired come 3 p.m., like you said, and I'm noticing more hair coming out and my skin is SUPER dry ... not to mention how hard it is for me to lose even 1/2 pound (I know I'm older, but come on!). Who do you go see ... just a regular general physician or a specialist?
Thank you Jennifer! I am going to try and keep the current every 6 months.
Heather,
I go to my general prac. Yours should be able to do the test for you, but make sure you ask what the exact number is that comes back. This last time I went in, I saw his PA and she just sent me the results in the mail. Under the results, she wrote, "All is well. See you in 6 months". When I looked at the number, it seems on the higher end of normal to me, so I called and talked to my Dr. specifically. He agreed and here I am. Within normal range is still a large range of function for a thyroid, so it may be that you need just a little help.
Hair falling out is a BIG symptom, especially since Grace is almost 3. The dry skin, especially brittle nails, are also big indicators.
Let me know how it goes.
How wonderful that you are feeling so much better! Yeah! It's great to get your energy back!
Glad you are feeling better! I am going to ask my doc about this possibility for me.
Thank you for sharing with me!
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