@dlt, when I was in my early 40s (over 10 years ago), I started having pain in my lower back/hip. Never had pain before. I had blood work done at the time and it showed positive for ANA/RA but dismissed by a rheumatologist who thought I was just depressed (seriously??!!). After not getting anywhere with doctors and being dismissed, I went on my own to a spine doctor to get a MRI. I was told I had a spine of someone in my 60s and severe congenital spinal canal stenosis!! Not sure what was causing that kind of degeneration. That was scary when I was only in my early 40s with a toddler. I do think hormone changes in pregnancy triggered autoimmune issues for me impacting my spine/joints, causing pain, etc. I am also now hypothyroid and confirmed to have Hashimoto's thyroiditis through lobectomy surgery last year to remove a suspicious nodule (which I accidentally found on my own CT scan report when paying a bill...no doctor raised this to me!).

My very expensive blood work done by a new rheumatologist in 2017 showed auto-antibodies attacking my thyroid and elevated inflammation/RA but did nothing. They told my primary doctor I was fine and just to "keep an eye on her thyroid." I did not feel fine. My ANA was also negative/non-reactive in between all of this so not sure if it was an error or if ANA detection in blood work changes with the timing of flares.

It can be frustrating in our health care system to just sit, wait, suffer, waste time/money with no improved quality of life. We just want to feel better and know what is going on with our bodies and what to do/not do. Doctor's treat disease and prescribe pills. They do not know how (and/or insurance companies make it hard for them) to be preventative/proactive in diagnosing and treating things early or taking time to educate their patients (we are on our own to look things up online but some doctors get angry when we do but there is a clear gap). No wonder our health care system is so expensive with so many people unhealthy. Throwing more money at this problem is not going to fix it.

If you are early in your diagnosis for hypothyroid/degenerative spine, I highly suggest you read everything you can about your conditions and what you can do to prevent further decline (reduce triggers/inflammation in your body through diet/nutrition/exercise/stress management/sleep/supplements/self care, etc.). We go to doctor's seeking guidance/advice and walk away empty handed, confused and frustrated. We all really need to educate ourselves and see if there are things within our control we can/should do to improve our health as best as we can on our own and not wait for our doctors to help us holistically. Many years can go by without any improvement (and possible worsening) of our symptoms.

Good luck to you on your health care journey!