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Just diagnosed hypo (after many years of suspecting it!), and new to the forums here!

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Thyroid Disorders
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Posted 5/22/2012 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all!

My name is Noa, I'm a 19-year old pre-professional ballerina training to become a professional...

Long story short, for many many years we have suspected hypothyroidism, but every doctor brushed it off without concern. My mom recently took me to the GYN for the first time who insisted I have PCOS, but I was doubtful of that diagnosis and went off to the endocrinologist for a second opinion yesterday.

This new endo is fantastic and actually listens to me and understand me! It was the best doctor's visit experience I have ever had!

Now, the endo doesn't think PCOS is likely, but this morning I had some fasting blood labs which will say for sure either way (I did have an ultrasound which the GYN said showed cysts, but...still...lol)!

But after looking at the labs the GYN ran, and talking with me about my symptoms and concerns and actually having a very thorough discussion (so rare!), she said that even though my TSH, which is 3.35, is within the 'normal' range of 05.-5.0, they actually want to lower the normal range to have a cut-off of 3.0 or even 2.5, and that someone my age is best off at a TSH of 1.0-2.5. She said that it's an easy fix and treating it should help me feel a lot better, as well as help with the weight I need to lose.

So, finally, I am being treated for the hypothyroidism we suspected since several years ago! I am now taking 50 mcg Synthroid. Well, I start tomorrow morning.

And besides that, now I'm just waiting to hear about the PCOS and whether I have it or not. I hope I don't!

Last spring I had a big health scare when IBD was suspected, but in the end I was told I just have IBS! So that's good - better than having IBD!

I wonder if these are all connected. I wouldn't be surprised!

I seem to feel generally better when I follow a low carb diet. Has anyone ever noticed a connection between that, and hypothyroidism? I know a lot of people say low carb helps PCOS and IBS, I just wonder about the hypo.

Well anyway - nice to meet you all! turn
Posted 5/22/2012 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HealingWell, Noa. I'm glad to hear you finally found a doctor who will listen to you.

I'm not aware of a link between carbs and hypothyroidism, but many people do feel better when they limit their carbs. One healthy way to do this is by using whole-grain products; these provide all the nutrients of grains but have a lower glycemic index.
Posted 5/22/2012 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Noa,

I'm glad you are getting treatment for hypoothyroidism. Actually, the old "normal" range for TSH

was .5 to 5.0 or 5.6. However in 2003 the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists

recommended changing the normal range to 0.3 to 3.0. Unfortunately a lot of labs and doctors

still follow the old normal range for TSH so a lot of people are not getting treatment when it would

really benefit them.

Your question about low-carbs is very interesting. Studies have shown a connection between

gluten and hypothyroidism.  Here are a couple of discussions about it and they mention the

studies if you wanted to look at them.

http://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/latestresearch/a/celiac.htm

So if you are feeling better following a low-carb diet, it might actually be because you have

reduced your gluten. You might try eliminating gluten for a few weeks and see if it makes a

difference. It might also help you with your IBS symptoms. If you go the Crohn's or

Ulcerative Colitis forums, there are many discussions about going gluten-free. It is really

difficult (I'm still not all the way there yet) but you might find that it will make a real

difference for you.

      

Posted 5/23/2012 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Judy2 and thank you!

maggiemay, I have been tested for gluten intolerance (to rule out celiac last spring when I was having many digestive and bowel problems), but both lab work and colonoscopy biopsy came out negative (we ran blood work a few times, btw). Although I see that the link you posted said that the blood labs are inaccurate.

I do, however, think it's more to do with overall carbs rather than gluten itself. I do not want to try eliminating gluten (I have my reasons :) ), but eating low carb is easy enough and, more than that, it feels GOOD! So I will do that. When I eat low carb, my IBS is like non-existent. It's really neat, actually, and quite wonderful!

Since that seems to be enough to do the trick, I don't see a need to go the gluten-free route (I am trying not to think about food, and eliminating gluten would force me to do so, to an uncomfortable and obsessive point - so unless it is absolutely necessary - which it isn't, at least not at this point - it's not something I feel comfortable doing).

But it is true, as you said, that by reducing my carbs I am also inadvertently reducing gluten. I don't eat much bread, that's for sure!

So I have another question. I was doing some reading up on hypothyroidism and on treating it, and I keep hearing how you have to play around with the dosage until you get it right, and also that different brands may work better than others. Since obviously it's for life, I am not expecting nor necessarily asking for a quick fix and getting it right immediately, but obviously I want to make the process as efficient as possible. Even my ballet teacher told me today that you sometimes need to adjust the doses.

Well, my endo said to see her in two months, which really turned into three because I will be out of the country until August. My concern is that there is potential to find myself in a situation where, maybe after a month of taking the 50 mcg Synthroid, it is not the right dose for me. What then? Obviously I can't see her while I'm not in the country :P

Luckily I do have a way to contact her through Patient Portal online, so I will definitely put that to use if need be. But, I guess I am just concerned about being out of the country while starting all of this. Maybe it's not such a big deal?

I guess what I am asking is for some people's experiences of 'how it goes'. How long until I notice a difference? What exactly marks this noticeable difference? What happens if I need to change the dose but I don't see her for another 2 months?

I guess all this talk about the difficulty of finding the right brand and dose is making me nervous! I should probably stop hypothesizing and looking too far ahead into the future - I haven't even started the Synthroid yet, after all! First pill tomorrow. I'm kind of excited, is that awful of me?! Lol!

In the meantime, I think I'll browse the forum to see if I can find any answers to my questions :)

Thanks, you guys have been so helpful already!
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