Does ANYONE understand hypothyroidism?

On the journey to get WLS we found that I had hypothyroidism.  I got the lads down, your numbers should be like 0.5 and mine was 7 so not THAT high, but bad enough to need medication.  So I started to take it and after surgery I got a recheck and it was so LOW that I had to stop taking the medication one day a week.  I was pretty happy thinking awesome this is working.

So went for another blood test to check on my levels, I am so faithful with this medication,  I take it one time everyday, on an empty stomach, with only water and wait at least 30 minutes to eat.  My levels came back at 10!!!  WTF!!!  How did that happen, ON MEDS!! that is higher then when I took it the first time and they found that I even needed medication.

Someone, anyone explain this to me?  What signs should I see that would tell me my thyroid is high and is this slowing down my WL?  Why did my number so up when I am on meds?  How do I get rid of this problem?  How did I even get this problem?

I'm so confused. 

do you still have your thyroid ?,, cause mine did that for a while and then i eventually had to have it removed completly due to goiters,,i have been on meds (synthroid or levothyroxine) since it started but i tell ya they can never get the doesage right,,mine is up and down,,i have it checked now every month ,we had it almost straigtened out right before i had surgery but now i feel we will be on that merrygo round again due to the weightloss now,,(but i dont think i'll gripe about that though,,LOL),,,,

did they ever tell you why yours might be acting up,,have they done a sonagram of your neck yet to see if you have anything going on there?

guessing that you mean the TSH (?)

the level of that is opposite of the actual thyroid level.
TSH high = low thyroid sluggish metabolism, low Blood Pressure, constipation, weight gain
TSH low = high thyroid , amped metabolism, weight loss, diarrhea, palpitations, etc

Also - if the TSH doesn't fit the clinical picture, then ask for a reck.
That particular test is sometimes in error (usually correct though).

If the whole thing is hard to figure, and your family doc isn't getting it right, then ask for a Endocrinology referral.  Most FPs can get most cases controlled though.

Docd is right regarding the TSH.

I hope your doc is checking more than the TSH because all it indicates is there is a problem.  Your Free T3 & T4 levels actually show how much thyroid horemones in your body.

 TSH  (thyroid stimulating hormone) - it kicks in when the T3 & T4  are low to tell your body to make more hormones.  If medication is working the TSH will go low because you don't need to try and make any moreT3 & T4.  If the doc decreases the med only because the TSH is low he really doesn't know how your hormones are just that the med switched off the thyroid stimulating hormone.

Thyroid is hard to manage and can bounce all over  good luck.

Pup

I had a difficult time the first year getting my dose correct. You may need to wait more like an hour before having anything and also, make sure you don't take it with a multivitamin since that will also decrease absorption. It's not unusual in the early stages of being diagnosed that your numbers will be up and down. Just keep on it and work closely with your doctor. Even if your thyroid is off it typically only decreases your calorie requirements by about 200cal daily. That can add up to weight over time but normally doesn't make as big an impact as people would like to think. It sounds like you're doing your best so keep it up and hopefully your numbers will improve sooner than later. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

I have had hypothyroidism for about 5 years. I am by no means an expert, but I will tell you all I know. At the time I was diagnosed I was sleeping all day, my hair was falling out in clumps and I was not having regular periods or able to get pregnant.  I was convinced I was dying, actually. But no I just had a severly underactive thyroid. Sometimes there is no reason why you get it. I found out that it tends to run in families, and after some research, I found an aunt with the same condition. Also the heavier you are the more medication you will need. It tends to require less meds with a drop in weight. If yours is low then with the weight loss this surgery will give you, you may not even require medication eventually. I do know that over time mine has gotten worse and I have required more medication, but with my weight loss recently they keep dropping my meds. I doubt because mine was so high to begin with (86), that I will ever be off medication, even if I reach my goal weight. I was told to take it an hour before eating my first meal of the day, and to take it at the same time every day. If you miss any days or think that you did let your doctor know, because this will effect your numbers. My numbers have jumped up and down before with no apparent reason though (frusterating when you are trying to lose weight). The medication synthroid (or generics) will also affect the absorbtion of vitamin C and D, so make sure you are not taking it with any vitamin suppliments also. Signs to lok for that you need more medication would be: excessive hair loss, fatigue, painful heavy menstrual cycle or lack of menstrual cycle, dry skin (sometimes causing rashes), constipation, weight gain, inability to concentrate, depression, infertility....... I am sure the list goes on, but these are the things that I personally notice. My menstrual cycle and excessive hairloss are usually my first signs.

I have been on synthroid since I was 14 and I will be turning 26 next week. Mine is high also. The only signs I had/have is low blood pressure and no matabolism. Around 14 is when I started gaining all my weight so my PCP did and blood test and that is how she ffound out. I have never felt any changes taking synthroid... my matabolism didnt correct its self...hence the WLS and my blood pressure is still low. I have thought many times to stop taking the medicine all together and even brought it up with my PCP but she recommended that I stay on it because its working you just don't know its working  and if you don't take the medicine you can have whats called a thyroid storm (look it up) its a bad deal and you can die from it. Hopefully they get you lined out somehow and figure out your correct doses. Good luck.

It's very complicated but unfortunately most docs don't even check the right labs.

TSH is the "gold standard" for screening but it is basically useless.  It's a direct measure of your pituitary function and an indirect measure of your thyroid.  Free T4 is not very useful either.

Free T3 and Reverse T3 (where you can obtain the ratio of RT3 to FT3) is essential.  

Basically T3 is what your body uses.  Our bodies convert T4 into T3 to be used.  However, if you have too much Reverse T3 it blocks the receptor sites where the T4 is converted to T3 and no matter how much T4 medication you take (Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc) your body can't adequately convert it to the usable T3 so you still have hypothyroid symptoms (even though your TSH might be normal).

It gets more complicated but the best resource is:  www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

Read, read, read, and then hopefully you can find a doc willing to work with you on it!

Good luck!