Hypothyroidism Support Group
Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...
Does this disease make anyone else feel like a hypochondriac? I am sitting at home waiting to hear from my primary doctor because my blood work results should be in and I am so worried that my levels won't be as off as I think/hope they are because of how I am feeling. If they are still borderline I think he will think I am a hypochondriac. Sure sometimes I think I am too, but that was before I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I first saw him in August of 08 to see if I had diabetes because I was feeling overly tired all the time. My blood work came back fine. He said I was perfectly healthy. In October I started going to therapy thinking I must be depressed. Stopped going..Didn't like my therapist. In November I found a lump on my thyroid. Dec. went to Endo. was diagnosed. Last week I went back to my primary doctor and when he saw me he said "oh you're back!" and I took that as him thinking I am a hypochondriac. haha.. perhaps I am just self conscious. I don't know. Just wanted to vent about it.
If the thyroid levels are off, there are so many symptoms that present themselves, causing us to begin feeling worried about our general health. There are many times I've gone in for something that I had no idea would end up being connected to my thyroid levels being off, but it ends up being the case. I've actually gotten pretty tired of my doctor tying my hypothyroidism in with every single one of my problems. I actually end up putting off doctor visits for too long sometimes, just because I'm so afraid of being considered a hypochondriac. So yes, I totally know how you feel.
I feel like since I got a diagnosis (the first day I felt relief b/c I was also tested for leukemia) but now I so relate to you all- still waiting to see if my med is going to work, am I tired because I am sick or am I making myself sick by thinking too much about it??!!
There was a link somewhere here to a great article about Hashimoto's and when I read it, I felt so relieved- I made my bf read it too, because I was convinced he thought I was being a hypochondriac.
Please feel free to drop a line anytime :)
Jen
It seems that every morning I wake up, there is something that does not "feel right" and the whole day is this constant rumination on what EXACTLY feels wrong.... mostly it's just malaise, the feeling of being unwell... nausea here and there, suddenly dizziness, weird cramps, chills, etc etc etc.....
My levels are still off, I think, as I have not been in to adjust my medication.... so I know I'm to blame for this limbo I'm in but....
Anyway, yes. Especially when I was undiagnosed-- I seriously thought I was dying every day, and could NOT figure it out.... Everyone knows me as a hypochondriac, but they just don't understand how much Hypo affects in one's body!!
Hang in there. We are all normal people dealing with what feels like all these abnormalities, but we CAN feel healthy again..... I believe that.
I'm not new to the site but new to this group. I can relate to all of you. I was diagnosed about 20 years ago with hypothyroid. It's been an ongoing mountain with the meds, up and down and the symptoms sometimes worse than other times. I can share this much and take it for what it's worth. Since it's an autoimmune condition, I've learned I'm prone to developing other autoimmune conditions. And so it goes, I recently was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis so now I have another battle to fight. I can only encourage each of you to educate yourself about autoimmune conditions and have yourself tested till you find the problem. If you are taking your thyroid meds the way you should, you shouldn't still be having all the symptoms, not as severe anyway. It could be an underlying problem..so check it out.
About a month ago, I became so sick, I couldn't function. I thought it was the MG but when I went to the ER, the blood work came back that my TSH was 37.8..kinda out there. So I'm just now getting my meds regulated for the umpteenth time. After going to a new Endo guy, he said, DO NOT take any kind of supplement, nature herbs, vitamins,,especially Vit D with your synthroid. I also have Osteomalacia which is a severe diffiency of Vit D. After all the years I've had hypo and been taking synthroid, I did not know I couldn't take a vitamin with it. So he told me to take your synthroid first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and space out at least 6 hours from any other medications. I'll find out if it's working in a couple weeks when I go for more labs. My problem is I have so many health issues I can't differentiate one from the other. Alot of the symptoms are similar or the same. But I didn't find what my problems were till I started seeking. I refused to accept that hypothyroid was causing everything and unfortunately it wasn't. But I'm at least getting down to the problem of it and getting treated properly. So I know what it's like to feel like a hypochondriac. Don't let anyone label you and don't feel like you owe anyone an explanation,,that's their problem. Anyway, this post seemed like a good place for me to start at in this forum. I hope I didn't barge in. I wish all of you healing and my prayers are with all of you.