# Thyroid question



## JennT (Jul 17, 2000)

Okay, I've been grouchy, weepy, clingy, lonely, absolutely exhausted and several other Disney Dwarves for about a month. I am *not* pregnant. The last time this happened (although it was to a lesser degree), I had a blood test and they put me on synthroid .25. This was about three years ago, and it always hits me hardest in the winter. It's like having PMS for a month. Dreck.Anyway, I think maybe my synthroid dosage needs adjusting, although it read fine last September. As soon as the doctor's office opens (8:30 PST), I'm going to call them and make an appointment for a blood test. In the meantime, does your thyroid go out of whack that quickly (like suddenly in the middle of January)? Or something else, maybe (not pregnancy so maybe... what...mono)?


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## CaseyL (Jul 23, 2001)

Jenn - Maybe you have SAD (seasonal affective disorder)? I don't know much about this except that you get it in the winter months when the daylight hours are shorter. But at least the days are getting longer... I don't know anything about thyroid problems, but getting it checked again is a good idea.


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## JennT (Jul 17, 2000)

I do have SAD (although my doctor has always called it Seasonal Fatigue, since until this year I only got the fatigue, not the depression). But none of the usual fixes are working this time - I have a full-spectrum plant light, I take Vitamin D, etc.


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## K9Mom (Sep 20, 1999)

Surprisingly enough, thyroid hormones do fluctuate slightly with the seasons (per an Endo at an Atlanta hospital that spoke to our support group). The hormones also follow a circadian rhythm (25 hr cycle). I hope that they test your thyroid hormones as well as your TSH JennT. TSH is actually a pituitary hormone that is used in the feedback loop which tells the thyroid to "make more thyroid hormone" or "stop making thyroid hormone".PLEASE get a copy of your lab report. Look for yourself where your blood tested. Look and see what reference range your lab uses. It's easy to understand once you get the hang of it...some even have little graphics to show if you are above or below the reference range.Also, know that you can be symptomatic if you're at the low or high end of the reference range.Kudo's to you for being proactive about this. I hope it's a clear cut case when you get the labs back. Good luck!


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## JennT (Jul 17, 2000)

Thanks, K9, although the kudos should go to Mr. JennT for telling me (nicely) that I was being a royal whirling one (I just thought that cold was knocking me down).I don't know yet about the lab tests, but I did see that they had four things checked on the lab test "to do" list. I know two of them were TSH and hematocrit (in case I'm anemic). One of the other two may be the thyroid hormone test. Since I have PCOS and am under the yearly care of an endocrinologist for the Insulin resistance that comes with it, they're very careful to test all hormonal aspects...


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## JennT (Jul 17, 2000)

So, lab tests should be back Tuesday or so; it could be later as today is a holiday for us (no mail, no banks, no libraries, some people working, but probably not the lab for non-emergency stuff).I really hope it is my thyroid meds needing adjustment or me needing iron; I don't really want more tests!


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## K9Mom (Sep 20, 1999)

Keeping my fingers crossed for you Jenn!


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## JennT (Jul 17, 2000)

Thanks, K9!If it's not thyroid there'll be a bunch of tests. Blech. But I'd rather know what is wrong than keep being like this!


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## JennT (Jul 17, 2000)

K9,The Thyroid Hormone and TSH tests came back within the acceptable range (well within). Because I am still all weepy, having trouble sleeping in spite of extreme fatigue, and breaking out a lot (sometimes I feel like my chin is one big zit), they're assuming it's something hormonal (just not thyroid hormone). If the tests and exam they do tomorrow don't do anything, they'll send me back to teh endocrinologist.


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## K9Mom (Sep 20, 1999)

Jenn, I'm actually sorry that it didn't show anything because the Synthroid adjustment might have been an "easy fix". I guess that they will do some "detective work" now to find out what is going on and try to track down the culprit?Have you taken a look at Mary Shoman's About.com Thyroid site? She has Hashimoto's (hypothyroid) and has lots of articles/info. Many of the posts on the forums over there deal with people still feeling bad on their replacment hormones. Evidently some people have trouble converting T4 into T3, leaving them with low T3 and symptomatic. There's a whole host of reasons why some still have symptoms. Anyhow, it might be of interest if you have time.Good luck, I hope someone can give you some answers soon!


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## JennT (Jul 17, 2000)

Thanks, K9.Actually, I've felt okay once it stabilized on teh synthroid about three years ago, until the last couple on months. I think though, that I sometimes forget that thyroid hormone is not the only hormone I deal with - there's all the girly hormones plus insulin as well that may be out of whack with the PCOS and all.Oh, well, more tests. At leasy my doctor is a good thorough practitioner...


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## JennT (Jul 17, 2000)

Test results from teh rest of the blood tests are in. They are all well within normal parameters (even blood sugars and cholesterol - yay!). So the diagnosis here is a low-level depression/anxiety disorder. Apparently this is *extremely* common here in North America since September 11th. The doc also said that she sees it more commonly in patients with IBS and migraines and things like that.She asked me if I had been under any stress lately, and I said nothing more than usual. By the end of the conversation, I realized that "the usual" is a whole lot and that it's been getting steadily and gradually worse for the last several months, and that good stress is still stress:Mr. JennT's back is very bad, so there's the stress of worry about him and the stress of taking over all tasks he can't do (bad stress)Mr. JennT works at Boeing. Constant threat of layoffs (bad stress)A cloud of unease lies over us since 9//11 (bad stress)Sis got married last November (good stress). Mom, Dad, Sis, and her new Hubby were gone for Christmas (I'm happy for them, but stressed nonetheless)Post-Christmas is busiest time at work. (Just stress)Friend of a friend accidentally kills himself (bad stress all around me, causing some bad stress for me too)I've been sick (bad stress)usual day-to-day stressApparently all this stress causes chemical imbalance (too much of whatever chemical in the brain), causing depression and anxiety in my already prone-to-them) system. Doc is putting me on Celexa - a quarter dose at first, and then a half dose for a while to see how I do.


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