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Unexplainable Weight Gain and GI Symptoms with Hashimoto's
Autoimmune Diseases | Last Active: Jul 5 12:18pm | Replies (47)Comment receiving replies
@kayabbott
I’m glad that you get your hypothyroidism treated by your symptoms and not just numbers.
Everyone is not the same and your body will let you know when something is off.
Also, the absorption and metabolism can also be different in different patients.
One of my daughters has Hashimoto’s and celiac disease- well controlled.
Another daughter also has celiac disease and trying to get diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. She is very symptomatic and TSH numbers are climbing. Her regular doctor doesn’t seem to have much knowledge in this field- she will see an Endocrinologist in a week.
Replies to "@kayabbott I’m glad that you get your hypothyroidism treated by your symptoms and not just numbers...."
Great that she is seeing an endocrinologist. Most doctors just seem to want TSH within range. My TSH ramped up to 1.76 after a new doctor decreased my synthroid. I switched doctors and mentioned all my hypothyroid symptoms, and she just said she thinks the symptoms are something else. I had to get up to 3 with more documentation before I got an increase. I'm a research scientist and doctors still don't always listen. It is important to research one's health issues, because medical staff doesn't always have the time or relevant expertise.
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I had ever increasing thyroid auto antibodies and many symptoms but my rheumatologist and primary doctor never referred me to an endocrinologist. Wasn’t ever told I officially had Hashimoto’s (mother had it and sister had thyroid cancer). I had a thyroid nodule I found on my own CT scan for cervical spine surgery. After lobectomy of the suspicious nodule, the pathology confirmed Hashimoto’s and only then did I get prescribed levothyroxine for hypothyroidism. You shouldn’t need to have surgery to get treated for Hashimoto’s. Your TSH level that is optimal for you may be much lower than the maximum of the “normal” range. I would not be able to get out of bed if my TSH was over 2 and feel much better when TSH is lower than 1.0 (ideal would be ~0.5). If you are not getting relief of symptoms to help you function optimally, pursue other doctors who understand optimal TSH levels tailored to their patients’ symptoms vs. “normal” reference ranges and no treatment if you fall into that range. I have suffered for 7 years unnecessarily and wasted too much money trying to get answers and treatment to improve quality of life. This should be a simple solution for those with thyroid autoantibodies and symptoms and family history of Hashimoto’s. We wonder why our healthcare system is so expensive with poor health outcomes. This is a simple example of that. Are doctors, medical practices, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, employers, government, etc. motivated and incentivized to really care about our health and quality of life? Are we getting value from what we are paying for with our insurance premiums, deductibles, copays and coinsurance and time spent dealing with the healthcare system??!! My experience is definitely NO! Be a strong advocate and voice for your own health and do not settle!