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I have had more than one person suggest that I might need to have my thyroid checked to see if it is functioning properly.
I have never had this done before and I would like to know what it entails before going to the expense of seeing a doctor. I am not interested in any testing that involves needles.
Can anyone who has had this done, please tell me what the procedure is?
Thanks
20yrsinBranson
As stated by many others a blood test is needed to check your thyroid. If you are against that there are some natural sites you can check but you will have to diagnose or guess what your problem is and you could be wrong without a blood sample. Here is a site you can check. I have no idea if any of this works so research carefully. Good luck.
No, I do not. I do not allow anything invasive to be done to my body. It looks like I am just going to try a kelp supplement and see if that is helpful.
Thanks to all for your replies.
20yrsinBranson
Well, let me tell you what you're in for if you have an under-active thyroid and do nothing but treat it with kelp.
Inappropriate weight gain and the inability to lose it
Constipation, sometimes severe
Hypothermia/low body temperature
Chronic fatigue and exhaustion
Sluggishness and lethargy
Coarse, dry, brittle and breaking hair that falls out in clumps
Dry and cracking skin
Cracking and bleeding lips
Dry, cracking cuticles and fingernails
A hoarse, gravelly voice
Puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
Extremely painful aches in your joints, hands and feet
Carpal-tunnel syndrome
Irregular menstrual cycles
Severe menstrual cramps
Depression
Restlessness
Mood swings
Difficulty concentrating
Short term memory loss
Anomic aphasia (the inability to articulate your thoughts)
Loss of interest in sex
More frequent infections
Snoring
Sleep apnea
Shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
Dry, gritty eyes, which can lead to abrasions of the cornea
Light sensitivity
Dizziness and vertigo
Migraine headaches
Tinnitus (ringing in ears)
Recurrent sinus infections
Oh, and do you know what the last two symptoms of hypothyroidism are, if left untreated?
Coma
Death
Don't screw around. See your doctor. Trust me, this is not a disease you want to play homeopathy with. It is extremely painful and debilitating.
The bottom line is that if you truly have a thyroid problem, you can die without treatment. While you may think that I am exaggerating or that is an extreme case, I can assure you that it is not. I ended up in the hospital and they were not sure that I would live through the night because of a misdiagnosis from a specialist. Also, there can be significant damage to your heart. Get yourself to a qualified doctor (you can start with your family doctor) asap. I prefer a female doctor (my specialist was male).
and to think......all that can be resolved by a simple blood test.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jill61
Well, let me tell you what you're in for if you have an under-active thyroid and do nothing but treat it with kelp.
Inappropriate weight gain and the inability to lose it
Constipation, sometimes severe
Hypothermia/low body temperature
Chronic fatigue and exhaustion
Sluggishness and lethargy
Coarse, dry, brittle and breaking hair that falls out in clumps
Dry and cracking skin
Cracking and bleeding lips
Dry, cracking cuticles and fingernails
A hoarse, gravelly voice
Puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
Extremely painful aches in your joints, hands and feet
Carpal-tunnel syndrome
Irregular menstrual cycles
Severe menstrual cramps
Depression
Restlessness
Mood swings
Difficulty concentrating
Short term memory loss
Anomic aphasia (the inability to articulate your thoughts)
Loss of interest in sex
More frequent infections
Snoring
Sleep apnea
Shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
Dry, gritty eyes, which can lead to abrasions of the cornea
Light sensitivity
Dizziness and vertigo
Migraine headaches
Tinnitus (ringing in ears)
Recurrent sinus infections
Oh, and do you know what the last two symptoms of hypothyroidism are, if left untreated?
Coma
Death
Don't screw around. See your doctor. Trust me, this is not a disease you want to play homeopathy with. It is extremely painful and debilitating.
You really should get checked. It is a simple blood test. My ten year old daughter has autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's), and believe me you need to know if you have thyroid problems and get treated - the sooner the better!
If you are against traditional treatment, you may elect to see a Naturopath. There are more natural treatments for this condition. My daughter takes Levothyroxine and natural supplements. She is under the care of a Naturopath.
If you are interested here is a link to my daugher's thyroid "story" from another thread. It may help you to take the next step.
and to think......all that can be resolved by a simple blood test.
Yeah, unless you go to this guy....
Quote:
The bottom line is that if you truly have a thyroid problem, you can die without treatment. While you may think that I am exaggerating or that is an extreme case, I can assure you that it is not. I ended up in the hospital and they were not sure that I would live through the night because of a misdiagnosis from a specialist. Also, there can be significant damage to your heart. Get yourself to a qualified doctor (you can start with your family doctor) asap. I prefer a female doctor (my specialist was male).
It's been a while since you last posted. I hope you made an appointment to get checked out.
Lab results don't lie. Please don't look for excuses not to do this.
Misdiagnoses happen, even doctors are only human and err, but you can always get a second opinion. Your best bet is to get to a specialist (endocrinologist) without going through a general practitioner. The specialist will know what to test for, and will be better able to interpret results, thus reducing the chance for misdiagnosis.
It's easy, cheap, and just requires a bit of blood. Everyone should have it done every once and awhile just to see how it goes, especially as you get older. It can cause a wide range of problems, and if left untreated for a long time can do severe damage.
my daughter just had her levels checked. Results came back fine.
PROBLEM is........she feels something in her throat. It's really bothering her--a lot! She's been through this before when she had multiple cysts on one side of her thyroid gland. They removed it and left the gland on the right side. that was about 8 years ago.
Now,out of the blue comes the symptoms again-but on the other side.
So she goes to the doc and the doctor barely touches her throat,orders the levels and when they came out ok, the doctor was just going to dismiss the SYMPTOM!!! WTH?? Doctors these days are useless. One must go on and tell them what is wrong and what test they need. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh.
So my daughter tells the nurse who called with the test results that she expected the levels to be ok and that doesn't stop the feeling that something is in her throat. duh!!! So duh nurse says if it continues, they will refer her to a specialist. Of course!!
Rant over............
Quote:
Originally Posted by subsound
It's easy, cheap, and just requires a bit of blood. Everyone should have it done every once and awhile just to see how it goes, especially as you get older. It can cause a wide range of problems, and if left untreated for a long time can do severe damage.
Re: Thyroid Testing...yes, I believe you do have to fast. Thyroid function works along with how well you are metabolizing food so I believe it does require a fasting blood test...last time I was tested which was a month ago...I did fast..and I do have a thyroid issue. Been on levoxyl for 5 years.
I've have a standing order at the lab for my thyroid testing...i don't have a thyroid anymore but before it was removed...no fasting for the blood draw.
After it was removed, still no fasting for the blood draw.
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