symptom comparison and questions

[Guest guest]

Just comparing notes, if you don't mind.

I have been remembering back, and I think fatigue has stolen over my

life over the last several years so slowly that I didn't recognize it. I

just kept doing less, because I felt less able, but I didn't recognize

it happening. My family thinks I'm just lazy, but when I try to do

things, I get exhausted. I even hate taking my shower and doing my hair

every day because I just feel wipe out afterwards.

Just this week, I had two days where I felt pretty good. I wasn't tired,

I didn't have symptoms to speak of, but I also did nothing other than

sit and work at the computer, or sit and work on my jewelry. I felt so

average that I wondered if maybe I was actually crazy considering

whether I have hypo or not.

Then, today came.

Today, I left the house to take care of a friends house while they're

out of town. Going up and down the stairs a few times left me feeling

like a 120 year old woman instead of a 37 yr old woman. I couldn't

muster the energy a few times to do some of my chores there, and

actually laid down on the bed and had to rest - more than once! I got so

sleepy, and my limbs just felt heavy-ish. Is that what you all get with

this?

Last week was really bad. I exerted myself on Saturday, and on Sunday I

was almost completely out of commission. A normal person would not feel

that tired from what little I did!

I'm frustrated too that I've gained 20 pounds in 4-1/2 months. Only one

pair of my extra fat jeans fit. My temps are generally between 97.4 and

98.2, but in the afternoons I can go up to 98.6. (One week I was spiking

up to 99.1 and 99.4 in the afternoons, but still dropped to 97.4 or 97.7

at night) On my last doctor visit, the nurse took my temp and it was

97.8. She exlaimed, " that's good! " We disagreed on that, I think it is bad.

My sister, who is hypo and happily takes only synthroid said she doesn't

think I could be hypo, because she never had symptoms or felt sick at

all when she was diagnosed. So, now I feel sort of crazy again. (She was

fluke diagnosed when a specialist felt her throat and recognized the

swelling of her thyroid)

The nurse at my last visit said, " your hair looks fine " and " you have

eyebrows - if you didn't have eyebrows, THEN you'd be hypo. " Well, she

didn't even let me tell her that my very long hair used to be very much

thicker! It seems to be thinning for the first time in my life. Yes, it

is waist length, but something is suddenly going wrong with it seeming

less thick and full. She didn't look closely at my eyebrows to see that

the outer 1/3 is very thin. My brother I've just noticed doesn't seem to

have his outer 1/3 at all! (He's 18 yrs older than me)

Am I nuts about this - isn't this hypo sort of stuff? Sometimes I just

feel like a loon. There are more symtpoms, but how much do you want to

read?

Thanks for listening,

-Lynn

[Guest guest]

you need t3 and t4. take a list of your symptoms with you to talk to your doc. if your doc won't treat you.. go to another one. i know how you feel.. the eyebrow thing is one of the first things the doc that diagnosed me noticed. the people that know my story know that i was basically bedridden for about 3 years... i didn't have energy to do more than pee and occasionally go for rides in the truck. now i'm split between days of just feeling tired and feeling as normal as i can remember feeling because it's been so long lol. i want to file for disability on the days i feel like crap and then on my healthy days i think... why? you're alright, you're getting better... then i have another bad day and wham! all i can do is sleep because it's what my body wants. it's not depressive sleep, it's just from a tired body *you all know how that is*. good luck love, your whole family sounds hypo honestly and tell your sister that every body is different... hang in there.

: ),

symptom comparison and questions

Just comparing notes, if you don't mind.I have been remembering back, and I think fatigue has stolen over my life over the last several years so slowly that I didn't recognize it. I just kept doing less, because I felt less able, but I didn't recognize it happening. My family thinks I'm just lazy, but when I try to do things, I get exhausted. I even hate taking my shower and doing my hair every day because I just feel wipe out afterwards.Just this week, I had two days where I felt pretty good. I wasn't tired, I didn't have symptoms to speak of, but I also did nothing other than sit and work at the computer, or sit and work on my jewelry. I felt so average that I wondered if maybe I was actually crazy considering whether I have hypo or not.Then, today came.Today, I left the house to take care of a friends house while they're out of town. Going up and down the stairs a few times left me feeling like a 120 year old woman instead of a 37 yr old woman. I couldn't muster the energy a few times to do some of my chores there, and actually laid down on the bed and had to rest - more than once! I got so sleepy, and my limbs just felt heavy-ish. Is that what you all get with this?Last week was really bad. I exerted myself on Saturday, and on Sunday I was almost completely out of commission. A normal person would not feel that tired from what little I did!I'm frustrated too that I've gained 20 pounds in 4-1/2 months. Only one pair of my extra fat jeans fit. My temps are generally between 97.4 and 98.2, but in the afternoons I can go up to 98.6. (One week I was spiking up to 99.1 and 99.4 in the afternoons, but still dropped to 97.4 or 97.7 at night) On my last doctor visit, the nurse took my temp and it was 97.8. She exlaimed, "that's good!" We disagreed on that, I think it is bad.My sister, who is hypo and happily takes only synthroid said she doesn't think I could be hypo, because she never had symptoms or felt sick at all when she was diagnosed. So, now I feel sort of crazy again. (She was fluke diagnosed when a specialist felt her throat and recognized the swelling of her thyroid)The nurse at my last visit said, "your hair looks fine" and "you have eyebrows - if you didn't have eyebrows, THEN you'd be hypo." Well, she didn't even let me tell her that my very long hair used to be very much thicker! It seems to be thinning for the first time in my life. Yes, it is waist length, but something is suddenly going wrong with it seeming less thick and full. She didn't look closely at my eyebrows to see that the outer 1/3 is very thin. My brother I've just noticed doesn't seem to have his outer 1/3 at all! (He's 18 yrs older than me)Am I nuts about this - isn't this hypo sort of stuff? Sometimes I just feel like a loon. There are more symtpoms, but how much do you want to read?Thanks for listening,-Lynn

[Guest guest]

Thanks and ,

I needed that reinforcement. *hugs*

Maybe I read something wrong, but do you mean you still don't feel right

all the time even on the meds? I was hoping that if I can ever (a) get

the money for testing and doc appointments (2) get diagnosed and (3) get

treated that I could go back to being a busy active person again ...

someday. I used to walk, ride horses, play, go places, see people, ....

Seems like ages ago.

Thanks again,

-Lynn

[Guest guest]

It all depends on how severe your hypo was and for how long.... I was all messed up.. over a decade of being underdosed on a med that my body didn't use properly in the first place.. then no work and no insurance and no meds....

Even as bad as I got..... needing crutches to walk, pain 24/7 for the better part of 6 years... and a ton of symptoms.. I've had a LOT of improvement.. I've been off crutches for three years now. I can do a lot of things standing that I had to sit to do before (dishes, cooking)... and I was doing pretty good with walking again until my shoes died (long story... thanks Tina!). I'm do longer dealing with chronic pain.. not in body or headaches... digestion is back to normal...

That's why the group is here, why we are always pushing to not give up.. to not just sit and 'wait and see' the sooner that you get the hormone levels CORRECT and not just 'in normal range' or 'close enough' the sooner your body gets back to living again.... it can repair a LOT of damage.. but if it's been too long.. or too bad... it can't fix some of that stuff.

I can do my chores now without collapsing.. there are days when I get pretty sore.. but I think that has more to do with my circumstance and not having the opportunity to be up and around moving around in the house some days of the week... long story short... I don't have free run of the house when others are home and often stay in my office all weekend and weeknights... Sitting at the puter... It's during the week that I get to be up and around and such...

I got pretty sore with all that was going on this week and was pretty happy to be sitting when I finished up the running around stuff Friday afternoon.... A few years ago that level of pooped outness would have had me crippled up for a week.. as it is I got a decent sleep Friday night and woke up this morning just fine!

Even got ambitious and worked on a 'busy project' that I'd been wanting to do for a while that kept my hands occupied while I've been reading through emails... Only 450 something to go through for this group.. haven't even touched the other groups!!! hehehehe

Remember, and this part is hard... don't compare yourself with others when you are trying to decide how much you've improved... only judge how you are doing today over how you were doing yesterday, or last week, or last month or last year...... Be happy and proud of improvements that you've made and dont' be discouraged when you can't do something that someone else can.

I can't run around the block and we have folks here that can run a mile, or more.... but I don't need crutches to go pee... to me that is profound.

Make up your own yardstick.. and be proud!

Topper ()

On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 21:54:44 -0600 Lynn with Poochi's Tailor writes:

Thanks and ,I needed that reinforcement. *hugs*Maybe I read something wrong, but do you mean you still don't feel right all the time even on the meds? I was hoping that if I can ever (a) get the money for testing and doc appointments (2) get diagnosed and (3) get treated that I could go back to being a busy active person again ... someday. I used to walk, ride horses, play, go places, see people, .... Seems like ages ago.Thanks again,-Lynn

[Guest guest]

I still don't feel right on meds. It will be a while before I do because I have myself brainwashed that I have a shot at having a healthy life and that I deserve it. (Imagine that). My bad days now are as bad as my good days 3 years ago. Which says a lot. I can now function completely inside my house if I just sit infront of the tv or to do laundry, or clean one room a day (spotless), or to walk around and go shopping. There are other things I can do, but some days I still wake up and my neck is swollen, face is puffy, I'll be tired and sleep a few extra hours (as opposed to sleeping in 7-12 hour stretches and never feeling fully rested). I have came a long way. Volunteering doing odd jobs for the performing arts center and a knitting group for the women's resource center (maybe 2-6 hrs a week total) can still be a bit much for me, either half way through (the f*ckits kick in.. you all know what those are I think.. adrenal probs) and then I get really tired, or for the week after I have a mini adrenal flare.

I'm getting better, it will just take time. I don't schedule anything on those days when I feel bad (you can feel them coming on once you get a bit more leveled). And if that means I don't do anything for a week, then I don't. God bless the people that help make my housewife job possible. It's about all I can do right now lol. But it's more than what I could do 3 years ago, that's for sure.

I'll say while I think it's impossible to be 100% perfect like you were before you broke, I'll say it's absolutely possible to get 99.9% of it back and realizing it's okay to negotiate the other .1% lol.

This is why I'm thinking of disability. I know I'll get better eventually completely, just not right now.

a.

Re: symptom comparison and questions

Thanks and ,I needed that reinforcement. *hugs*Maybe I read something wrong, but do you mean you still don't feel right all the time even on the meds? I was hoping that if I can ever (a) get the money for testing and doc appointments (2) get diagnosed and (3) get treated that I could go back to being a busy active person again ... someday. I used to walk, ride horses, play, go places, see people, .... Seems like ages ago.Thanks again,-Lynn

[Guest guest]

I didn't lose any hair. Still haven't lost hair.

I wasn't diagnosed until I complained of cold intolerance which was the first

symptom I REALLY noticed. Hindsight being

20/20 I now realize all the things I stopped doing, little by little because of

fatigue. At this point I hardly do

anything but sit in front of a computer. If I go and get groceries I'm done for

the day never mind doing gardening and

landscaping.

When I went to the endo last Thursday I told her I just wanted to be able to

garden and landscape again. Hell I haven't

been canoing in forever.

Scooping the cats litter boxes leaves me wiped out. I have to watch what I try

to take on every day or I'll be useless

for the next three.

Anyway not everyone has the same symptoms.

Lynn with Poochi's Tailor wrote:

> Just comparing notes, if you don't mind.

>

> I have been remembering back, and I think fatigue has stolen over my

> life over the last several years so slowly that I didn't recognize it. I

> just kept doing less, because I felt less able, but I didn't recognize

> it happening. My family thinks I'm just lazy, but when I try to do

> things, I get exhausted. I even hate taking my shower and doing my hair

> every day because I just feel wipe out afterwards.

>

> Just this week, I had two days where I felt pretty good. I wasn't tired,

> I didn't have symptoms to speak of, but I also did nothing other than

> sit and work at the computer, or sit and work on my jewelry. I felt so

> average that I wondered if maybe I was actually crazy considering

> whether I have hypo or not.

>

> Then, today came.

>

> Today, I left the house to take care of a friends house while they're

> out of town. Going up and down the stairs a few times left me feeling

> like a 120 year old woman instead of a 37 yr old woman. I couldn't

> muster the energy a few times to do some of my chores there, and

> actually laid down on the bed and had to rest - more than once! I got so

> sleepy, and my limbs just felt heavy-ish. Is that what you all get with

> this?

>

> Last week was really bad. I exerted myself on Saturday, and on Sunday I

> was almost completely out of commission. A normal person would not feel

> that tired from what little I did!

>

> I'm frustrated too that I've gained 20 pounds in 4-1/2 months. Only one

> pair of my extra fat jeans fit. My temps are generally between 97.4 and

> 98.2, but in the afternoons I can go up to 98.6. (One week I was spiking

> up to 99.1 and 99.4 in the afternoons, but still dropped to 97.4 or 97.7

> at night) On my last doctor visit, the nurse took my temp and it was

> 97.8. She exlaimed, " that's good! " We disagreed on that, I think it is bad.

>

> My sister, who is hypo and happily takes only synthroid said she doesn't

> think I could be hypo, because she never had symptoms or felt sick at

> all when she was diagnosed. So, now I feel sort of crazy again. (She was

> fluke diagnosed when a specialist felt her throat and recognized the

> swelling of her thyroid)

>

> The nurse at my last visit said, " your hair looks fine " and " you have

> eyebrows - if you didn't have eyebrows, THEN you'd be hypo. " Well, she

> didn't even let me tell her that my very long hair used to be very much

> thicker! It seems to be thinning for the first time in my life. Yes, it

> is waist length, but something is suddenly going wrong with it seeming

> less thick and full. She didn't look closely at my eyebrows to see that

> the outer 1/3 is very thin. My brother I've just noticed doesn't seem to

> have his outer 1/3 at all! (He's 18 yrs older than me)

>

> Am I nuts about this - isn't this hypo sort of stuff? Sometimes I just

> feel like a loon. There are more symtpoms, but how much do you want to

> read?

>

> Thanks for listening,

> -Lynn

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Mickie,

I've been cold almost all my life. My hands and feet get so cold. If I

touch someones hands when mine are cold, they'll ask if I'm dead. (no, I

only feel like i am)

Thank you so much for sharing. I sat here nodding my head saying, " I can

related! " to all your stuff.

Well, here's hoping we'll all get so much better that we can have normal

day activities.

Hugs,

-Lynn

Mickie wrote:

> I didn't lose any hair. Still haven't lost hair.

>

> I wasn't diagnosed until I complained of cold intolerance which was the

> first symptom I REALLY noticed. Hindsight being

> 20/20 I now realize all the things I stopped doing, little by little

> because of fatigue. At this point I hardly do

> anything but sit in front of a computer. If I go and get groceries I'm

> done for the day never mind doing gardening and

> landscaping.

>

> When I went to the endo last Thursday I told her I just wanted to be

> able to garden and landscape again. Hell I haven't

> been canoing in forever.

>

> Scooping the cats litter boxes leaves me wiped out. I have to watch what

> I try to take on every day or I'll be useless

> for the next three.

>

> Anyway not everyone has the same symptoms.

>

[Guest guest]

not a problem. glad i can help. the bad day/good day quote you used is exactly how i know i'm getting better and that it's not all in my head. i wonder if it is possible that during your back injury, your adrenal glands got bruised. i think that is what happened to me with my inflammed lower back muscles when i was 16. i do not judge you or anyone else here... that is not my place to. i learned a long time ago, that i had to many of my own problems to judge those who were different than myself lol.

you will get back on your horse and ride again... let that be your reward for all of your hard work : ) you will have deserved it at that point i'm sure.

the swelling for me i notice makes me look like i have a double chin and sometimes my whole face will be swollen (from under eyes to throat). but usually it is just my chin & under eyes... you basically look like you're tired all the time at least for me. you can find some pictures of it online if you search for 'moon face' it looks a lot like that. i also noticed a while back that my hands/feet would swell... that can also be from salt intake or what not but of course my doc said there was no relation to thyroid levels of course... they always go away when i take my pill *eye roll*.

when i was self treating a year ago i decided i wouldn't be puffy anymore so i kept taking pills to keep me from being swollen (thyroid pills) and then i would stop when i leveled out. my face is my thyroid berometer... weird but true. several are like that i think.

i'm glad my story helps you, makes it worth it some how : ).

a.

Re: symptom comparison and questions

Dear ,Thanks for explaining. I liked this part of what you said:"My bad days now are as bad> as my good days 3 years ago. Which says a lot."If I can reach that point, I will be truly thankful. I used to work with my horse, did a lot of training work that was exerting. Ever since a bad back injury (not horse caused) about 5 years ago, I have had less ability to get things going right. I had to send him to live with other people, and he's happily grazing among a herd, but I am dreaming of the day I can have him back and work with him again. He was the center of my universe since he was a baby and I raised him. My best days now might be good enough for a bad day if I can get treated. I'll shoot for that goal!When people here mention a puffy face, what does that look like? I mean - when I get up, I notice there is less definition in my (now fat) face, but I don't think I'd call it puffy. Is that actually puffy-ness?> This is why I'm thinking of disability. I know I'll get better > eventually completely, just not right now.Bless your heart for all your hard work. You do deserve to feel good. Disability wouldn't be a bad thing. I can't contemplate it for myself because my family would kill me if I entertained the idea. And please, don't hate me for caving in to their ideas of what I should or shouldnt do, but you can't imagine the power they can wield about what is appropriate in my life. Pathetic, yeah, I know.Thank you for sharing. It helps me understand.Hugs,-Lynn

[Guest guest]

It's amazing how it creeps up on you... first it's not getting up as quickly in the morning... taking a bit longer to get up out of the chair to go do something... sitting in the car a minute before getting out and heading into the store.. or sitting in the car for a bit after before you start it up to drive home...

You just don't notice it... these little things, one by one so insignificant until one day you realize that you laid in bed a couple of extra hours and by the time you got up to do the supper dishes it was past bed time.....

You mention canoeing... I used to go so much that I had the canoe on top of my car or truck all summer long.. that way I could stop after work and paddle around for a couple of hours before going home.... Makes me shake my head now, thinking back... I was working for Mosquito control.. then drove truck.. both very physical jobs and I still had enough energy to stop off and go canoeing on my way home..... sigh... now my canoe is camped out at my cousin's house, I've not even had it in the water for ten years.....

I miss that... being in the woods on weekends, camping and hiking.. fishing to catch my supper....

sigh

I've lost weight.. but I'm thinking I'd sink the canoe still.... hehehhee Well.. unless I sat in the middle instead of the back.... Hmmmmm hehehehe

Topper ()

On Sun, 12 Mar 2006 03:08:33 -0500 Mickie writes:

I didn't lose any hair. Still haven't lost hair.I wasn't diagnosed until I complained of cold intolerance which was the first symptom I REALLY noticed. Hindsight being 20/20 I now realize all the things I stopped doing, little by little because of fatigue. At this point I hardly do anything but sit in front of a computer. If I go and get groceries I'm done for the day never mind doing gardening and landscaping.When I went to the endo last Thursday I told her I just wanted to be able to garden and landscape again. Hell I haven't been canoing in forever.Scooping the cats litter boxes leaves me wiped out. I have to watch what I try to take on every day or I'll be useless for the next three.Anyway not everyone has the same symptoms.