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Hypothyroidism - 5/5/2010 3:50:45 PM

sunshinemiss

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Hi everyone,

I'm asking if anyone has any ideas about dealing with hypothyroidism. I have consulted a number of physicians, and I've tried all the normal stuff. I take my medication (without it I'm a nut job and am exhausted). I exercise - not perfectly but pretty well. I eat very healthy. I don't eat too little - that would be like shooting myself in the foot and would make my condition worse. I also don't overeat.

The only time in my life that I was anything close to normal was when I lived in Peru - living high in the mountains meant that just walking one block down the street was a workout (thin air and all that). I actually lost a lot of weight and didn't have to do anything out of the ordinary. In fact I didn't do any exercise besides walking because of how the thin air affected me.

Now I'm at a point where I am walking a good bit, thinking about a bike.... but the reality is that I have to exercise wayyyyyyyyyyy more than other people because of my metabolism just to lose a few pounds. As a perspective - I followed a strict weight watchers diet for 6 months. I exercised 6 days a week - 1 hour of cardio, one hour of weights, and an hour of yoga or pilates. Faithfully. By all rights I should have lost about 40-50 pounds. I lost ten. It is disappointing.

Now I'm of a certain age and I'm having some knee issues from a hiking accident of many years ago. The pain doesn't go away. I feel it every time I go up stairs. (To get to my classes, it's about 150 steps up to the building then 50-75 to the class inside the building. *whew*).

I'm willing to try just about anything at this point. Any ideas? (moving back to Peru is not an option. I actually need to make some cash, and I can't afford to live there).

Best,
sunshine

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RE: Hypothyroidism - 5/5/2010 5:39:21 PM

Kalista07

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Hey Sunshine,

Welcome to my world....I had my thyroid removed about 12 years ago and after gaining 175 pounds the doctors finally put my on some replacement meds.

My experience is there is a huge difference between synthetic hormone replacement medications (synthroid or levothyroxine) and natural hormone replacement. I felt like I was barely hanging on for a while there and then they finally put me on a combination of both. If you want information on which one I take it has made the biggest difference in my life. It's not a cure all, but I swear by it. And the truth is the manufacturer of the natural one decided to fuck people over. So, now I have an apothecary who makes it for me. It's made a big difference.

Let me know if I can do anything to help.

Kali

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RE: Hypothyroidism - 5/5/2010 5:47:11 PM

DesFIP

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Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
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Tell me about it. If I take the level of medicine needed to get the TSH levels down to about 1, it causes my anxiety disorder to kick in big time. I'm down to 13 from 43 but that's not where I should be.

Eating less white carbs, more veggies, blood sugar is down but not weight.

If you live in an urban area, walk everywhere. Because carrying your groceries half a mile is weight bearing, walking two miles to and from movie theater is exercise. And you get a lot more exercise than you realize.

I don't have, but need to get a pedometer. I'm told you should work up to 10,000 steps daily. Take stairs not elevator and so on.

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RE: Hypothyroidism - 5/5/2010 6:09:51 PM

ShaharThorne

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My doctor took me off of my medicine because it was making me gain weight (over 30 lbs in 2.5 months). I am trying to walk more, especially when I am shopping at walmart. I forego the little go cart (unless my hips start hurting me, then I use the sucker), I am cutting back my soda intake to one can a day (I am known for having computer marathon sessions for having liters of MD when I am working on something). I just brought my last case of diet MD.

Somewhere around here is my pedometer...last time I saw it, it was in my purse...I am so exhausted...

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RE: Hypothyroidism - 5/29/2010 9:34:31 PM

PrettyJewel

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I had my right lobe removed in Dec. 2008 because of a HUGE nodule (thought it was cancer... it was not. Whew!). I'd always been sluggish and slow, and even more so after the thyroid removal. Been on Synthroid for a year and a half... going from 75 mcg to my current 112 mcg. I feel like A PERSON again. It is amazing. I'd like to eventually try the natural medication, but for now I'm happy. Even "normal" thyroid tests mean nothing... I am positive I was hypo even though my tests were normal.

- Jewel

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RE: Hypothyroidism - 5/29/2010 10:52:20 PM

sunshinemiss

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Hi Jewel,
I know what you mean! I felt like someone had given me back my life. My doctor told me when she put me on synthroid - ahhhh your levels are finally low enough we can give you medicine. I'd had not been told there was an issue before that. And she'd been diagnosing me as "depressed" for several years. After a week on the medicine, I was just furious that I'd been living under the physical feeling of depression despite not being sad.

I ahve been without my meds only once in my life really and it was just awful! Now I make sure I take them every day like clockwork.

I have to exercise in short bursts to jump start the old metabolism, but that's ok.

Glad to hear you are happy. YAY for the magic pill!

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RE: Hypothyroidism - 5/29/2010 11:35:56 PM

taken2010

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I have nothing to add other than my mother who is 83 and is on thyroid meds for the last several years. She has battled the weight issue all her life and no matter how little she eats can't lose weight and she is beyond frustrated.
Due to my mother's heart condition and other ailments she is in a catch 22 position due to being limited to the types of exercise she can do. She wants to be 50 again!

< Message edited by taken2010 -- 5/29/2010 11:37:26 PM >

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RE: Hypothyroidism - 5/30/2010 3:44:03 AM

Level

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quote:

ORIGINAL: PrettyJewel

Even "normal" thyroid tests mean nothing... I am positive I was hypo even though my tests were normal.

- Jewel

This is important; I wish I had the link still, but a friend showed me once that there is a HUGE lack of knowledge regarding what truly constitutes an out-of-whack thyroid reading. And, as many of you have stated, finding a doctor to respond properly can be a daunting task.

Sunny, I'll try to find some info for you later today, if I don't post it, I want you to remind me; there's no sense in people suffering from this.

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RE: Hypothyroidism - 5/30/2010 5:47:24 AM

DesFIP

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No soy products. For many people soy interferes with normal thyroid production. So if you are perfectly controlled with 50 mcgs of artificial thyroid, using soy could mean you need to jump up to 250 mcg. And the side effects as you raise your level of medication are not fun.

Try removing all soy from your diet. Beyond that, weight loss gets harder once we're out of our 20s. Each year harder than the year before. Could you take dance lessons or something fun like that? My sister started salsa and lost more than 50 pounds. It's a lot of fun and it burns a lot of calories.

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