Does anyone have "hypothyroidism?"

I went to the doctor back in '96. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. This affects your metabolism, mood, menstrual cycle, body temperature, hair, skin..everything!! I'm wondering if anyone on here has had the same issue.

Also, I went to the doctor recently and he told me my thyroid was normal. We were a little perplexed by my lab results. To my knowledge and my doctor's knowledge, this condition just doesn't go away. Does anyone have any insight?

There is a group on here for people who are hypothyroid.  I am subclinical hypo - I have severe symptoms that are relived by the drug therapy, but my test results always show me in the "normal" range.  Also, I don't respond at all to levothyroxine, a commonly prescribed drug for the treatment of hypothyroid, but I do respond to Armour.  I learned a lot from this site:  http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/.  Tons of info on the web, too.  Good luck!

I was diagnosed back in the '90's as well.  I was on meds for a number of years but the acceptable levels have changed and I no longer require the meds.  I did end up buying a really good book from prevention magazine on the thyroid that was very informative.

Did he test your T3 or T4? There are times when T3 can appear normal even if your T4 is through the roof

I haven't officially been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, but I have all the symptoms, and my mother, grandmother, aunts and cousins all suffer from it, so I am almost certain that when my test results come back in 2 weeks, I will be officially diagnosed.

Did you experience much weight gain before initial diagnosis? I've gained around 14lbs in 3 months from what was already a pretty hefty weight whilst eating 1500 calories daily and doing an hour of exercise daily - its very disheartening!

I'm hypothyroid, was diagnosed about 3 years ago.  It's a pain to deal with, especially when you're trying to lose weight.  In my experience, it takes the doctors a long time to get the meds right, and even when they do, you're going to have good days and bad days.  Bad days for me seem to be cold days when I have a lot of stress, so my thyroid has to work overtime!  It seems like regulating the levels of thyroid hormone in your body is not like filling up a gas tank...they fluctuate throughout the day and are affected by physiological things that are out of your control.  But, it's not impossible...just difficult.

I noticed that you have a new baby (such a cutie!).  I believe my hypothyroidism started developing after my second pregnancy, and might have been caused by the pregnancy.  Babies take what they need from your body during pregnancy, and the mother gets what's left.  It's possible that you weren't getting enough iodine throughout your pregnancy to support you (your thyroid gland) and your little one.  I took iodine supplements with my first pregnancy, but not with my second (different doctor), and this might have been what triggered my hypothyroidism.  It's a theory, anyway.

I wish you luck with your weight loss and managing your hypothyroidism!

Thanks for all the responses. I don't go see the endocrinologist until the end of September. We'll see what she says. I always thought this was a condition that would never go away. During my pregnancy they had to UP my meds. After the baby I was sluggish, depressed, and couldn't lose weight..