My TT was 7/17/09, and it has not been a good recovery for me. I have suffered with Hashi's for over 25 years, going hyper to hypo at least 8 times. Each time I was hyper, I would lose close to 100 pounds. Consequently, after 25 years, my antibodies had raised to a level far beyond anything my endo and surgeon had ever seen. One day prior to surgery, my antibodies were over 22,000. I am now 10 weeks post-surgery, and have had so many problems. My surgeon said I would be back to work within 2 weeks or so, but I am sorry, it is unbelievable how rough the recovery actually is. 10 weeks prior to my surgery, my TSH was almost 11, and I was really hypothyroid. 10 weeks after surgery, my TSH is now 0.177, which is really hyperthyroid. I have terrible sweating fits, I mean, drenching soaking wet sweats, both day and night, I run fevers anywhere from 95.7 to 101. One day, I have energy, and the next, I am a complete zombie. My endo kept me on the synthroid dose of 175 mcg that I was on prior to surgery, and added Cytomel 5 mcg twice per day, because I was so tired and exhausted, and so my Free T3 and Free T4 are really good labs right now. I am very, very depressed, and for instance, I went for a haircut over the weekend, and when I got to the salon, the receptionist told me that the gal I was scheduled with had called in sick that a.m., and no one bothered to call me. Now, normally, this would not bother me too much, but I broke out in the most gushy, sobbing crying you can imagine. It just came over me, and I couldn't control it.
I feel weak most of the time, confused, depressed, exhausted, lack of energy, no motivation to do even the basic household things such as vaccuuming and doing the dishes. I can go for 3 days in a row without a shower. I just have no desire. I've never been in this bad of shape before.
My Hashi's was very severe. The pathologist stated that he had never seen a thyroid gland so diseased and the surgeon said that the gland was lesional all over, and it was almost black in color, ink blue on the interior. Which ultimately comes from many years suffering with Hashi's.
I can't imagine going through this much longer. Honestly, I need some reinforcement, as I almost feel like I need to be admitted to the nut ward at the hospital. I cannot control how depressed I am feeling. Every day, I just feel like I want to cry.
Is this going to get better?
Help.
I feel weak most of the time, confused, depressed, exhausted, lack of energy, no motivation to do even the basic household things such as vaccuuming and doing the dishes. I can go for 3 days in a row without a shower. I just have no desire. I've never been in this bad of shape before.
My Hashi's was very severe. The pathologist stated that he had never seen a thyroid gland so diseased and the surgeon said that the gland was lesional all over, and it was almost black in color, ink blue on the interior. Which ultimately comes from many years suffering with Hashi's.
I can't imagine going through this much longer. Honestly, I need some reinforcement, as I almost feel like I need to be admitted to the nut ward at the hospital. I cannot control how depressed I am feeling. Every day, I just feel like I want to cry.
Is this going to get better?
Help.
Almost 20yrs ago I had radioactive iodine treatment to destroy my thyroid. I had been diagnosed with severe Grave's Disease and Hashimoto both.
I went to the Joslin Diabetic and Endriconology Center ( a highly noted place in my area) for treatment. My temperment was how do I say it "off the wall".
The specialist told me that thyroid patients often need anti-depressants. I didn't want to believe that statement and went for about a year without taking any. I finally had to give in because I felt so out of control.
That was a wise choice and one you may want to ask your doctor about.
The other thing I've noticed is when my thyroid levels get over the normal limit, even while on anti-depressants, I still tend to be a bit more ouchie and over emotional.
Hope this helped.
I went to the Joslin Diabetic and Endriconology Center ( a highly noted place in my area) for treatment. My temperment was how do I say it "off the wall".
The specialist told me that thyroid patients often need anti-depressants. I didn't want to believe that statement and went for about a year without taking any. I finally had to give in because I felt so out of control.
That was a wise choice and one you may want to ask your doctor about.
The other thing I've noticed is when my thyroid levels get over the normal limit, even while on anti-depressants, I still tend to be a bit more ouchie and over emotional.
Hope this helped.
I had been seeing a psychiatrist for so many years, and I have been on antidepressants for years, and my endo thinks it is all due to the Hashi's back and forth. I've got a complicated history here. I have obstructive sleep apnea, obviously caused by the severe weight gain from Hashi's, I am now pre-diabetic again a complication of Hashi's and take Metfornim - the Hashi's totally screwed my metabolishm up, and now they are monitoring my glucose, which is still elevated, Cymbalta 90 mg, high blood pressure medication, Provigil for my apnea, and I'm also on Yaz birth control non-stop for PMDD. My psychiatrist also put me on Lamictal 250 mg for depression. So, those areas are covered. She does not want to make any changes until my endo drops my synthroid, which will be Thursday of this week. I believe she will take me from 175 mcg down to 150 mcg. It's amazing to me that after a TT, and my TSH being over 10.0 prior to surgery, that I would end up hyper with TSH below 0.2. The Cytomel has actually helped with energy, but again, when you are hyper, that's one you really have to watch. The depression feels like it's gotten worse since surgery, all the sweating I've had, just drenching sweats, and the like. I just don't feel normal anymore. Even when I went through bouts of hyper and hypo, I still never felt this bad. I'm on short term disability until God knows when. I can't go back to work and start crying ever time something happens like I did at the hairdressers the other day. And, I get so exhausted from being hyper, my heart feels like it's going to come right out of my chest. I almost wish I had never had the surgery, but I knew it had to be done. The gland was so severely inflamed, and diseased and my antibodies had reached a crest, so in my mind, I know it had to be done. I just can't control how I feel one day to the next. And, to top it all off, another thing to worry about is 2 weeks prior to surgery, I was laid off, so now I'm on COBRA. I've been off work now for 3 months, and am going nuts, but I guess I should just sit back and relax some and focus on getting better. Maybe by reducing my Synthroid to 150 mcg, it will make a huge difference. I have to say - it doesn't get any worse in my view than it is right now. I've never felt this way, ever.
Things to know:
1. since your thyroid antibodies were so high, it could take more than a year for them to normalize. Extremely high antibodies have been known to really screw with your mood. If at all possible, wait until your antibodies are within a normal range before messing with psychotropic drugs.
2. SSRI, SNRI anti depressants (Lexapro, Effexor, Paxil, and all the "new" anti depressants) can mess with thyroid hormone function in normal people. That means, if you already have problems, there's an increased chance that these drugs can mess with your function.
3. It is well known that lithium messes with thyroid hormone function. Less well known, but in the drug insert, you'll find that anticonvulsants like Lamictal can also interfere with thyroid hormone function.
4. Most psychiatrists have no knowledge of the impact of these drugs on thyroid function, so you wind up chasing one symptom with the drug complication. If you decide to try psychotropic drugs, make certain your psychiatrist and your endocrinologist are talking with each other and sensitive to the relationship between thyroid hormone and psychotropic drugs.
The best thing you can do for yourself is forgive yourself and give yourself time to heal and normalize. Once you're on a steady hormone level, and your antibodies are normal, give yourself a good 6 months before starting psychotropic drug treatment. It frequently takes us a long time to start feeling normal because thyroid hormone effects ALL metabolisms, including those in the Central Nervous System. That doesn't mean you have to ignore your psychological symptoms - therapy, anti anxiety drugs, atypical antipsychotics for short term use, can have their place if you get so deeply depressed that you need that level of help.
Should you decide to take an anti depressant or Lamictal or Geodon or Depakote or something, make sure your thyroid levels are tightly monitored. Psychotropics can interfere with TSH levels, they can mess with t4 binding, they can mess with t4 to t3 conversion, and they can mess with t3 binding. If they mess with thyroid hormone at any of these levels, you're just putting yourself on the thyroid depression rollercoaster - your thyroid levels are off, so they up your thyroid hormone, but you feel like c**p, so your shrink ups your psychotropic, which messes with your thyroid levels so your endocrinologist ups your thyroid hormone replacement, but you still feel like c**p, so your shrink ups your psychotropic or switches it completely, leading to its own set of trouble.
Moral of the story: give yourself plenty of time to recover, including allowing yourself at least a year to get to a normal antibody level. Give yourself at least half a year after everything is in normal range to feel better. Don't jump into a psychotropic unless you research research research the drugs, and unless your psychiatrist knows what a thyroid is, and your shrink is talking to your endocrinologist.
There's a reason why the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM IV-TR) tells shrinks to Rule Out thyroid disease as a cause to any newly contemplated diagnosis of bipolar disorder, especially in women over 40 - that's because thyroid disorder, at its worst can look a lot like bipolar disorder. It also means that many of us have walked in your shoes. Some of us unfortunate enough to get a psychiatric label when all we needed was adequate thyroid care, proper care and management of the psychological symptoms of our thyroid disease, and TIME.
Hope that helps.
1. since your thyroid antibodies were so high, it could take more than a year for them to normalize. Extremely high antibodies have been known to really screw with your mood. If at all possible, wait until your antibodies are within a normal range before messing with psychotropic drugs.
2. SSRI, SNRI anti depressants (Lexapro, Effexor, Paxil, and all the "new" anti depressants) can mess with thyroid hormone function in normal people. That means, if you already have problems, there's an increased chance that these drugs can mess with your function.
3. It is well known that lithium messes with thyroid hormone function. Less well known, but in the drug insert, you'll find that anticonvulsants like Lamictal can also interfere with thyroid hormone function.
4. Most psychiatrists have no knowledge of the impact of these drugs on thyroid function, so you wind up chasing one symptom with the drug complication. If you decide to try psychotropic drugs, make certain your psychiatrist and your endocrinologist are talking with each other and sensitive to the relationship between thyroid hormone and psychotropic drugs.
The best thing you can do for yourself is forgive yourself and give yourself time to heal and normalize. Once you're on a steady hormone level, and your antibodies are normal, give yourself a good 6 months before starting psychotropic drug treatment. It frequently takes us a long time to start feeling normal because thyroid hormone effects ALL metabolisms, including those in the Central Nervous System. That doesn't mean you have to ignore your psychological symptoms - therapy, anti anxiety drugs, atypical antipsychotics for short term use, can have their place if you get so deeply depressed that you need that level of help.
Should you decide to take an anti depressant or Lamictal or Geodon or Depakote or something, make sure your thyroid levels are tightly monitored. Psychotropics can interfere with TSH levels, they can mess with t4 binding, they can mess with t4 to t3 conversion, and they can mess with t3 binding. If they mess with thyroid hormone at any of these levels, you're just putting yourself on the thyroid depression rollercoaster - your thyroid levels are off, so they up your thyroid hormone, but you feel like c**p, so your shrink ups your psychotropic, which messes with your thyroid levels so your endocrinologist ups your thyroid hormone replacement, but you still feel like c**p, so your shrink ups your psychotropic or switches it completely, leading to its own set of trouble.
Moral of the story: give yourself plenty of time to recover, including allowing yourself at least a year to get to a normal antibody level. Give yourself at least half a year after everything is in normal range to feel better. Don't jump into a psychotropic unless you research research research the drugs, and unless your psychiatrist knows what a thyroid is, and your shrink is talking to your endocrinologist.
There's a reason why the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM IV-TR) tells shrinks to Rule Out thyroid disease as a cause to any newly contemplated diagnosis of bipolar disorder, especially in women over 40 - that's because thyroid disorder, at its worst can look a lot like bipolar disorder. It also means that many of us have walked in your shoes. Some of us unfortunate enough to get a psychiatric label when all we needed was adequate thyroid care, proper care and management of the psychological symptoms of our thyroid disease, and TIME.
Hope that helps.
This is an old post, but id love to know how golferdame is doing...
hi i had a full thyroidectamy when i was 27 it took over year to diagnose i gained alot of wieght in a 3 month period after my marriage very down had a great lump in my throat very depressed everybody great at telling you what alot of weight you have put on especially family great makes you feel fantastic way of making you feel better
i have had all the sweats mood swings depression low libido you name if i have had it i managed to get my weight under control went to scottish slimmers and this helped i have noticed my weight starting to creep up again so i need to watch this i still suffer night sweats and sometimes so tired cant keep awake during the day at the minute going to get my levels checked i had full thyroid ectamy as i say at 27 was off work for over a year in and out of hospital appointment had 2 major surgeries with in 12 weeks had all my glands removed calcium glands thyroid glands as they were malignant and then had to go back to get lymph glands removed also knacered is not the word i would use but people dont understand i think people think you are being lazy and you cant help how tired you are, getting my medication right was a nightmare took about 2 years went from 150 upto 300 some days i feel ok other days exhausted no energy and i dont believe itwill ever get any better just have to grin and bear it and change the meds as n:-)
I can feel for you and want you to know you are not alone. In the past since I was a teenager and now I'm forty, I've suffered with severe fatigue, unexplainable aches and pains, congitive problems, sleepping problems, bouts of anxiety and depression. I was diagnosed with post partum Hashimotos over ten years ago with my first child. Since then I've been mostly hypothyroid but have bounced up and down for years. I've seen therapists, psychiatrists, rheumatologists, neurologists. Of course I've seen many different endocrinologists who have just given me doses of theyroid hormone. So, each doctor has had me feeling like a complete hypochondriac. Recently, I started getting a type of double vision that was making it difficult to do simple things like walk my dog or drive my car. Even cleaning the house. I went to a neuroopthomologist who diagnosed me with nystagmus. He sent me to a vascular neurologist who did an mri of the brain. They were looking for auto immune problems like ms, demyelating diseases, other types of lesions on brain or brain stem which I still don't have results of. Today, the neurologist calls and says the blood work showed sky high thyroid antibodies and said I have major hashimotos. After researching treatments for this disease, It really sounded like there was no silver lining and just a lot more fun symptoms to deal with even if they did a thyroidectomy I understand the auto antibodoes still attack and you still feel like c**p. I've done research on this and I wish someone would tell me things will at least improve.
i have suffered for 3 years. Started canadian erfa yesterday, feel much better
Please dont succumb to the depression! Your mind and body need your mental strength to gain your physical strength back. I am scheduled for a TT in a few weeks with a TSH over 8 and antibodies over 4000. I'm scared too and was looking to YOU for help. I started taking Zoloft 6 years ago for anxiety which is probably when my Hashis starting flaring. I probably mistook the heart palpitations for panic attacks. Either way, Zoloft has changed my life as far as anxiety and depression go. Might want to consider it as you recover from your disease. I wish you luck and a speedy back to normal.
Susan
Susan
I have Hashimoto's - my antibodies are in the thousands, but not the tens of thousands! Have you tried eating only meat and non-starchy vegetables? In other words, nothing that comes in a package, and no grains? If I eat gluten, my symptoms are so much worse - that is the biggest "other factor" that I have discovered. But I still have the ups and downs. Reading your post just made me want to reach out to you. Don't give up!
I had a total thyroidectomy about 3 weeks ago from having a really high level of autoimmune antibodies from Hashimotos (Hypothyroid) and am bouncing back and forth with feeling like total and utter c**p to feeling a little better. After the surgery I felt worse than before the surgery, but my endo stated I would have bad and good days over the course of a few months. She explained to me that I had just removed an intricite part of my body and that my body was trying to figure out how to work without it. I was also put on Armour thyroid medication about a year ago. I was originally on levothyroxine for about 6 years with no help what so ever. I struggled for many years going from doctor to doctor to no avail. I became my own advocate and began studying everything about the thyroid disease from medical journals to articles to patient websites. Before being correctly treated for my thyroid disease I found out that I had Celiac's Disease and could not eat gluten ever again. It felt like I was taking one hit after another. About a year ago I was lucky to come across a website that would prove very useful in my quest to feeling normal again. I took a chance and found a host of great information and a great doctor through a website I found called www.stopthethyroidmadness.com. This website has been a life saver. It provided me great information and also explained that the testing of the TSH is pretty much useless. The best tests you can get are the Free T-3, Free T-4, and the Reverse T-3. These are the tests that matter. The TSH is really only a measure of your pituitary function. I feel like my doctor truely listens to me and we are partners in my treatment. I was lucky enough to find out that my doctor had Hashimotos Thyroiditis and suffered from many problems. I am very lucky to be working with my my doctor without having to solely rely on blood tests. Behind those blood tests are human beings who are very different and complex....no two are the same so why would one treatment work on everyone?
I just had a total thyroidectomy on 4/20/12 which has been 12 days now. I had Hashimotos. I had a lump with severe pain 7 months prior to my surgery and my Dr. immediately did an ultra sound ... where they saw the mass and some nodules ... so I was immediately sent to a surgeon who did biopsies ... the results came back showing inflammation and hashimotos. But he did not want to take my thyroid out. WHEN DOES A SURGEON NOT WANT TO DO A SURERY ???? Anyhow to make a long story short I became my own doctor for the next 7 months doing a lot of research and keeping up with all of the new and werid symptoms I was having. I finally insisted to my doctor that I wanted something done ! I was sent to an endocrinologist and he asked me what I wanted and I told him I wanted my diseased thyroid out ! So, he had a cancellatiion the next week and I had my surgery.. I cannot say when I will be feeling better .... but I hope I will soon. I have been fatigued for so long, depressed, and not wanting to be sociable. I was put on 50mcg of Levothyroxin for a month prior to my surgery and now am on 100mcg. ALL I DESIRE IS ENERGY AND BEING ABLE TO ENJOY LIFE AGAIN.
I know exactly how you feel. It always seems OK to know others go through what i go through, almost makes me feel normal. i have hoshimotos and was diagnosed when i was a teenager, but had hypothyroid when i was 10. my whole teenage years i went untreated so i did meth to self medicate, at the time i did not really understand what was wrong. when i was old enough to take care of my self, i started getting help. i am 24, post thyroid cancer, surgery, and rai. i still struggle to feel ok. still over weight, and they told me everything would be better after surgery. i found that multi vitamins, d vitamins, omega 3, probiotics, and b vitamins help my mood, but coffee is still my best friend. all the feelings you express i feel, i also have memory issues which have effected my college career. do you experience memory issues? i hope there is a solution for us because the med profession likes to not pay any attention to thyroid conditions.
I know exactly how you feel. It always seems OK to know others go through what i go through, almost makes me feel normal. i have hoshimotos and was diagnosed when i was a teenager, but had hypothyroid when i was 10. my whole teenage years i went untreated so i did meth to self medicate, at the time i did not really understand what was wrong. when i was old enough to take care of my self, i started getting help. i am 24, post thyroid cancer, surgery, and rai. i still struggle to feel ok. still over weight, and they told me everything would be better after surgery. i found that multi vitamins, d vitamins, omega 3, probiotics, and b vitamins help my mood, but coffee is still my best friend.lol. all the feelings you express i feel, i also have memory issues which have effected my college career. do you experience memory issues? i hope there is a solution for us because the med profession likes to not pay any attention to thyroid conditions. they think it is an easy thing, when there ignorance is really to blame. god is my hope, that will be my cure because man has failed! i hope you feel better and keep fighting them to help you and not go based of blood work.
always love,
renem1221
always love,
renem1221
sorry for double reply comp messed up