Thyroid Problems & Solutions

I’ve had thyroid problems since 2010. Many suffer from horrible bouts of fatigue, depression and brain fog. Doctors often dismiss the seriousness & fail to do proper tests. No matter how dire your situation is, here are vital resources to help you immediately. I find these resources to be invaluable.

Did you know that more than 25 million Americans are suffering from thyroid issues? Women are more likely than men to have them, but they impact people from all walks of life. This is a difficult road to navigate because you truly need to find a special kind of doctor who can help you. This is your life and you absolutely must advocate for proper care and testing. Doctors fail their patients when they don’t properly check thyroid levels, when they don’t do a full panel of tests and when they don’t follow optimal reference ranges. Over the years, I have spoken with many others suffering with thyroid problems and it is a very serious health issue for those dealing with it. It can be extremely difficult if your doctor isn’t helping you fully as he or she should. I recommend seeking out a new doctor, and doing that as many times as it takes in order to get the right care. I will provide full resources below if you are looking for a doctor to help with your thyroid issues. I know it can be really difficult to have to do so much work to get a good doctor, but these issues are complicated and unfortunately many everyday doctors aren’t familiar or knowledgeable about it. I have some incredible resources at the end of this post for you.

Thyroid problems manifest in many ways that initially may appear to be vague and undefined. They tend to worsen if untreated. If you are dealing with a multitude of issues – from puffy eyes, dry skin and scalp, fatigue and changes in your weight – this is something you need to seriously look into. If these problems are severe enough, you probably already are trying to get help with the issues. Thyroid problems can cause a multitude of debilitating and annoying symptoms. Your thyroid is an integral part of your endocrine system and it regulates your metabolism, which helps your body convert food into energy. If one system in your body is lagging or not working properly, it will impact every other part and it will take its toll on you physically and mentally, eventually. This will impact how you look, how you feel and how people see you. You may be surprised to learn about some of the actual indicators and symptoms of thyroid problems. So, let’s jump into those right away. Also, please note that I am trying to condense a whole lot of information into this post. If reading and you have questions, please leave it in the comments below. I will try to help.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid gland, where it is unable to make enough thyroid hormone to keep the body running normally. People are hypothyroid if they have too little thyroid hormone in the blood.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Some common hypothyroidism symptoms can include: fatigue, sleep issues, mood swings, depression, weight gain (and sometimes weight loss), inability to lose weight, constipation, dry skin issues, brittle nails or ones with ridges, brain fog, and a general unwell feeling. Those are the very general symptoms, we will get into more details about lesser talked about ones, below. Also, although weight gain is quite common in hypothyroidism, personally I have had weight loss. I wanted to briefly explain that one as it’s caused confusion. For me, when I am hypothyroid and unmedicated or taking a medicine for it that isn’t working for some reason – I become so extremely fatigued that I barely have energy to make myself meals. My metabolism slows but so does my appetite and ability to provide for myself with as much food as I normally would eat. It sounds extreme but my fatigue at these times is so extreme – I tend to lose weight and feel overall unwell, weak, out of it, tired.

Indicators of Hypothyroidism that You Can Check At Home

Let’s say you suspect you may have hypothyroidism. There are even more symptoms to look for than the generally recognized ones listed above. Functional medicine doctors who have years and years of experience with thyroid problem patients, tend to know what to look for. I have been fortunate enough to have one of these incredible doctors, who is located in southern Wisconsin, and I will share some of his expertise with you here. First, if you want to get an indication as to whether or not you may be suffering from a hypothyroidism issue, here are some things you can look for in a do-it-yourself method at home. First, this is going to sound weird – but take a look at your tongue. This provides a whole slew of information because if your tongue is swollen, it is an indication of a thyroid problem. How can you tell if it’s swollen? Look at the sides of your tongue for indentations or a scalloped tongue appearance. I will insert a photo from the web here on the right. Besides that, you can also take your temperature at home. If your temperature is lower than normal (average normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees), that too is an indication. Another symptom of being hypothyroid is having swelling or pain in your throat at times that doesn’t coincide with a cold, flu or regular illness. Having unexplainable bouts of fatigue is another huge indicator, as well as brain fog and trouble sleeping. Feeling very cold or having cold extremities is another indicator.

Hashimotos & Hypothyroidism

Most people who are hypothyroid also have something called Hashimotos. This is an autoimmune thyroid disorder. Most doctors don’t test for it, but if they did, many more people would be diagnosed. Basically your body is attacking your thyroid through this autoimmune reaction. There are many possible causes and it is quite complicated so I will save that for another post. But, there are many more symptoms that can be experienced by those with Hashimotos, in addition to regular hypothyroidism symptoms already listed here. One major symptom I suffered from before being diagnosed was a swollen throat. It was very painful and felt like a lump in my throat. I would sometimes think I was getting strep throat, only to have it dissipate days or a week later. Another symptom is dry skin, dry scalp and for some, itching. Many people with autoimmune disorders also suffer from stomach issues – usually chronic, as well as food sensitivities. With Hashimotos, some people experience both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid symptoms and this can be very confusing and distressing. For me, if I would ‘swing’ hyper, I would sometimes have anxiety out of nowhere and heart palpitations at times, as well as problems sleeping with incessant anxiety. The anxiety seemed to be caused by absolutely nothing, yet everything at the same time. This was a strange situation for me and it took me a while to be able to recognize it as a hyperthyroid episode. Once recognized, it was easier at least because I understood what was happening. I am fortunate to not have depression-related issues, but I know many people who are so fatigued do develop that as well.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is having an overactive thyroid and it occurs when your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. Hyperthyroidism speeds up your body’s metabolism, causing unintentional weight loss for some people, anxiety for others and a rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism

Symptoms can include: feeling overheated, sweating, anxious, nervous, shaky and having heart palpitations. Some people lose weight while hyperthyroid. Puffy eyes are a symptom of both hyperthyroidism as well as hypothyroidism and some hyperthyroid people also develop bulging eyes. You may also have an increased appetite, speedy metabolism leading to weight loss, going to the bathroom more often than normal, brittle hair and difficulty sleeping.

Graves Disease – Autoimmune Hyperthyroidism

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid. Some symptoms of Graves’ disease include: shakiness, tremors, overheating or sweating, higher body temperature, weight loss, swollen neck (goiter), weight loss and hormonal issues and changes in a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Important: Proper Testing for Thyroid Problems

At the very minimum, you should be tested for TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. If you suspect or just want to know if you are also dealing with an autoimmune thyroid issue, you would then also need to have these tests done: Thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO) and Thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb).

And, although there are normal reference ranges at labs, with the thyroid testing, optimal levels are what you should strive for. I will share a chart of optimal levels here, but please note that people who take Natural Dessicated Thyroid (NDT), which is a form of thyroid medicine usually originating from pigs – which contains T3 and T4 – will often have suppressed TSH levels that are lower than what is recommended. This happens whenever someone takes a NDT medicine, and is nothing to be concerned with. A good doctor will understand the correlation. It is not abnormal for someone on NDT medicine to have levels around 0.5, sometimes lower and sometimes a little higher.

What If Your Doctor Will Not Do the Tests?

You would think your doctor would be understanding and want to help, but it is not uncommon for doctors to refuse to do tests other than TSH. Please know that TSH alone is never an accurate indicator of your thyroid function. And, if your doctor doesn’t know how to interpret the full panel of tests, you need a new doctor. If you are desperate for help and to get a better understanding of your issues, and your own doctor will not test you  for these things, you can still get the tests done if you can afford it. I have purchased bloodwork tests online in the past from a few different websites and the one I trust the most, is DHAlab.com. You can purchase the tests by yourself from your home and the prices are better than most sites I’ve used in the past. Then, they receive your order and process it and they have a doctor sign off on it as the ordering physician. You then get an email and I believe it will have what is called a requisition form in it to print off. You will then go to your local LabCorp location to have the blood drawn. DHAlabs will email you the results. If you have an account with LabCorp as well, they will notify you when the results are uploaded too. It usually takes about a week. You can order individual tests or a panel of tests.

Their Advanced Thyroid Panel Test is currently $190 and it covers: TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Total T4, Reverse T3, Total T3, T3 Uptake, Thyroglobulin Ab, TPO, Ab. That is the absolute most comprehensive testing out there for thyroid issues.

They have a Basic Thyroid Panel for $98 and it covers: TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Total T4

You can also order individual tests that are very affordable – anywhere from $30 and up. If you want to test Vitamin D levels, iron levels or other things – you can do that as well. I’ve done so many more tests that my normal doctor would not do for me, and it’s been invaluable. I also recommend testing your iodine levels (I did and mine were quite low) as this too can cause thyroid issues. They have that test as well but it’s a bit pricey at around $120.

What Should You Do With These Results?

So, if you are in the unfortunate situation where  your doctor doesn’t understand these issues or how to read the results, there is a problem. After moving very far from my old home, I am in this situation. The best recommendation I have is for you to do the test on your own and then seek out a functional medicine doctor and he or she can then interpret the results and help you. I know things cost money and it should all be covered by the insurance you have, but for some reason doctors are quite inexperienced with these issues and are more infuriating at times than helpful. If I’ve seen 10 different doctors, there tends to be one who is open-minded and familiar with these things. I have great insurance (several kinds of insurance) but currently where I live, I have no one to help with these issues. They sometimes will refer you to an endocrinologist, but I have had worse experiences with them (who are supposed to be experts) than any regular doctor.

Currently for me, I stay in touch with my functional medicine doctor who lives quite far from me – at the other end of my state. I can contact him by email if I do updated bloodwork and I am confused about it and need his advice. I can call him and do a phone consultation for anywhere between $50-200. I can’t recall the exact amount but as long as I have some type of appointment with him yearly (by phone or in person) I can then email him for help and it’s included, pretty much free, unlimited. He also writes my prescriptions from afar and I pick it up locally. My prescription isn’t covered by any insurance anyway, so it wouldn’t matter if I saw someone locally to help me with it. I am taking a natural thyroid medication (NDT) and have been taking Nature Thyroid for years, but wanted to switch and try Armour Thyroid. It’s more pricey but I wanted to give it a try because I’m having some issues and wanted to see if this new medication worked better for me. Functional medicine doctor’s prices vary, but to pay even $100 to $200 to see someone who will truly help you (who you only see once or twice a year hopefully) is so beyond worth it to me. I realize in bigger cities, it may be a lot more expensive. So, please look around. Search for functional medicine doctors in your area. Most of these types of doctors don’t take insurance, but it is more than worth it if you can manage it financially. My doctor in particular, isn’t really advertised as a functional medicine doctor. For him, he has helped so many people that word has spread about him online and by word-of-mouth.

There is such a dire need for experienced doctors who specialize in thyroid issues, that some functional medicine doctors work via phone calls from out of state and many can also prescribe medications for you. I have seen numerous websites with expert doctors who offer their services via skype or phone calls and this is a new age of telemedicine that we live in. This is a positive thing because some people are truly in need of help but don’t have access to doctors nearby. So, I will do further research on this to find ones that are highly recommended and used by many and vouched for. I would never want to recommend someone who would waste your time or money. Also, you can always ask your local pharmacists if they know of doctors who prescribe natural thyroid medicine. Some doctors do fall within regular practice that accepts insurance. You never know if you don’t ask. I have had to ask my local pharmacist lately for information on this very thing. They are usually very helpful. *I will update this post later if I can find more resources and recommendations.*

Here is a List or Database of Recommended Doctors Who May Help with Complicated Thyroid Issues.

Recommendations

If you are suffering from Hashimotos, you will have to learn a lot more about your health than any doctor could personally assist you with. I highly, highly recommend this book: Hashimotos Protocol. If you don’t want to spend the money, please just read through her website and wealth of articles here. A functional medicine doctor would likely tell you this, though a normal doctor would not – if you have Hashimotos you should stop eating gluten. If dairy affects you, you should give it up as well. These foods are very inflammatory, in addition to other issues. Here is a very helpful article to explain why – Is Gluten to Blame for Your Hashimotos? Giving up gluten and dairy is a process that is not easy. I high recommend this incredible cookbook called Clean Eats. The recipes are absolutely delicious and healthy.

The most important supplement to take is Selenium, 200mg daily if you have an autoimmune thyroid disorder. I take the Now Foods Brand here. It’s super affordable and less than $10 for six-months worth of supplements. There is a lot of medical research to support its importance in thyroid health. It is also important to take in enough iodine, but this must be done with caution and care and I can’t explain it all in this very post. But, know that it is also important and the type you take is important as well. Personally, I take Nascent Iodine from Infowars. I believe they have one of the best products and the one bottle lasted me well over a year and a half.

Most doctors will recommend starting you on a standard prescription to help you if your thyroid is lagging – the standard is called: Levothyroxine. This may work for some people but many people don’t feel back to “normal” or well enough on it. So, some functional doctors will prescribe a natural dessicated thyroid medication. In Levothyroxine, there is a standard T4 thyroid hormone in it. The problem for many people is that it must be converted to T3 which is the potent form of the hormone (that gives you actual energy to function) and many people cannot convert T4 into T3. So, the hellish symptoms remain. An alternative to this nightmare is to be prescribed a natural thyroid medication that comes from the actual thyroid of an animal – usually pigs. Sounds weird, but if it helps alleviate my symptoms – I wouldn’t care what animal it is derived from. Pig thyroid glandulars are ideal because the hormones are biologically similar to human ones, providing you with T4, T3, T2, and T1 hormones (not just T4). When it comes to dosing while on NDT, it should not be determined by TSH levels, but rather by a patient’s symptoms and their clinical responses to gradually increasing NDT dosage (and by testing FT3 and FT4).

Also, if anyone is in Wisconsin (especially southern) or northern Illinois, feel free to contact me and I can give you details of who the doctor is who has helped me and countless others.

Lastly, if you have any type of autoimmune disorder, please look into Low Dose Naltrexone. It has been the most life-changing medication for me. I will write a separate post on it.