Thyroid Disease

Question: thyroid disease? about a year ago i was diagnosed with graves disease, which is a thyroid disease, and i was treated for it about 6 months ago by having my thyroid killed off with a radioactive iodine pill, and now i've been taking thyroid hormone replacement medication for about 6 months now. i was wondering what kind of effect thyroid diseases have on your weight. in about 2 years, i've gained 20 lbs (my lifestyle and diet have changed slightly, but not much), and i've been dieting and exersicing for 5 months now, but have only managed to lose 10 lbs. i lost that 10 lbs in the first 3 months, and since then, i havent lost any weight. i was wondering if this was due in part to my thyroid disease. please let me know what you think!!! i need some advice about trying to loose weight while still having a thyroid (metabolism) disease. sorry inspiredbeme, but i have been dieting and exersizing for 4 months now, and i have only lost 3 lbs. i was 118 two years ago, and now i'm 140. i have been changing my diet and i exersize 1 hour a day, and i still havent seen any results. i just want to know if it's because of my thyroid that i'm having such a hard time. and you're only 118! what do you have to worry about?! *oops, sorry, 113!

Answer: Technically, you don't have a thyroid disease as you don't have a thyroid anymore. I have had Graves for over seven years and am now in remission. I lost 40 lbs when it started before I went to see a MD; I learned my lesson. It is now a matter of regulating your hormone medication to regulate your weight and not a Walmart pill. I am surprised that your MD decided to destroy your thyroid instead of trying Tapazole to get it under control. You are going to gain weight as you are in a permanent "hypo" state.

Question: What is thyroid disease in childen around one year to two years old? This one year old's soft spot has not healed over and he has some dry skin problems and a small loss of weight. This is some signs of thyroid disease. Hopefully it will turn out to be just a coincidence.

Answer: I would assume this child has been tested for thyroid disease. In the US, mandatory thyroid testing of infants has taken place since 1976. If this child has not been tested, then get him to a doctor as soon as possible. He may have congenital hypothyroidism. Even if he had been tested, it may be a good idea to test again. Hypothyroidism in a child can be devastating. Congenital hypothyroidism is a disorder that affects infants at birth, and occurs in about 1 in 4000 live-born babies. It is characterised by the loss of thyroid function, due to the thyroid gland failing to develop normally. In some cases, the gland is totally absent. About 10 per cent of cases are caused by an enzyme defect leading to deficient hormone production, iodine deficiency and a brain pituitary gland abnormality. If the diagnosis is delayed, and immediate treatment is not given, congenital hypothyroidism can lead to growth and developmental defects, and severe mental retardation (cretinism). Fortunately, routine testing for thyroid function in newborns has been mandatory since 1976. Within the first week of life, a heelprick blood sample is taken to assess an infant's thyroid hormone level. If any abnormality is found, a repeat blood sample is taken. If this confirms congenital hypothyroidism, the infant is immediately given thyroid hormone replacement therapy (T4 — thyroxine). Normal growth and development should then continue, with no adverse effects on the child's mental capacity. Before newborn thyroid screening began, this condition was easily missed. Even within a few days, subtle symptoms would emerge, such as poor feeding, constipation, low body temperature, cool skin, slow pulse, prolonged jaundice, increased sleepiness, and decreased crying. After a few weeks, other physical signs would become more noticeable, such as poor growth and development, dry skin and hair, poor muscle tone, slow tendon reflexes, hoarse crying, enlarged tongue, umbilical hernia, and puffiness or swelling. By this time, there would already have been some devastating consequences. Treatment with thyroid hormone replacement would have resolved most of the physical symptoms, but the child would more than likely have had permanent brain damage.

Question: Why is thyroid disease called the butterfly effect? I have hypothyroidism, and i was wondering why thyroid disease is called the butterfly effect?

Answer: It actually has a double meaning. The thyroid gland is shaped like a "butterfly", but also regulates so many other parts of the body that it can cause a "ripple" effect if not functioning properly. The "butterfly effect", or "chaos theory" states that, essentially, a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the world can cause a breeze that eventually will result in a tornado over here. Basically something seemingly insignificant can have major consequences to something else that appears unrelated. So a diseased thyroid can result in hair loss, for instance, although hair seems unrleated to the thyroid.

Question: Why does it say to consult a doctor if you have thyroid disease? On a lot of antihistamine and sinus medications it says to consult your doctor if you have thyroid disease. What is the reason for this? I have hypothyroid and a bad cold so I need to take something so I can sleep. I know this is a question I should ask my doctor (and I intend to when I see her on Monday) but is it dangerous for me to take sinus medication?

Answer: I have hypothyroidism also. If you're on medication, certain meds can counter-act with the meds your on. Call a pharmacist and ask them. Tell them what you're on and tell them the med you want to take and they'll tell you if its safe or not. Im on synthroid and have never had a problem with being able to take any sinus meds. To ease your mind and make sure, just call the pharmacy, they will gladly help you with anything you need to know! Good luck! Hope ya feel better soon! :)

Question: What can I expect if I have thyroid disease? My doc said that my TSH level is low, so I need to get more comprehensive test for thyroid disease. Will I always need to take meds? If my tests come back negative, what can I do to make sure I don't get it?

Answer: I know women who personally like the natural thyroid hormone Armour Thyroid. http://www.armourthyroid.com/ It's better than the synthetic thyroid drugs like synthroid. Also taking 1 tablespoon of raw virgin organic coconut oil with each meal will rev up your metabolism. And stay away from all Soy. Soy depresses the thyroid. Take a good mulivitamin. I like Dr. Ron Schmidt's. His does not have any additives. http://www.drrons.com/ Salt your food only with Celtic Sea salt. It is unprocessed and has 84 minerals all good for your thyroid. Dr. Rinds sight explains thyroid and adrenal problems. Check it out. Good luck to you. http://www.drrind.com/

Question: Can a Thyroid disease turn in to cancer? I have been struggling with an underactive thyroid for 13 years. What is the worst that can happen? Is this a serious disease?

Answer: Any part of the body can become cancerous, but being hypothyroid doesn't increase the risk of thyroid cancer. It just means that you will need to be on meds to control it for your entire life and your thyroid levels will have to be monitored. Thats about as bad as it will get.

Question: Is having hot flashes a part of having thyroid disease, or am I still going through menopause? I have thyroid disease and I am taking synthroid for it. If I start to get hot I will break out into a sweat. It is like a hot flash. I don't have night sweats so I know I am over the menopause thing. Does anyone out there do the same thing that has thyroid disease? This is very bothersome to me... a real drag!

Answer: The symptoms of thyroid disease and menopause are almost the same. What you need to look out for are additional symptoms so that you can tell the difference between the two health conditions. Aside from hot flashes, thyroid problem symptoms include pain in the neck and swelling of arms and legs. Visual disturbances and extreme fluctuation of weight are also signs of a thyroid problem. If you are suffering from night sweats and vaginal dryness, you are most likely to be suffering from menopausal symptoms. I've been visiting this site to learn more about hot flashes. http://www.hotflashfreedom.com/

Question: Is it possible to be on hormonal birth control with an overactive thyroid caused by Graves disease? I am a 20 year old female who was diagnosed with Grave's disease 4 years ago. My gynecologist told me I was not eligible for hormonal birth control because of my thyroid disease. I plan on asking my endocrinologist my next appointment. Could my endo overrule my gyno in this situation?

Answer: You can take birth control pills. Just be prepared for them to affect your thyroid levels. You will need to have your medication adjusted. Get your thyroid tested a month after starting on the pill. Have your medication adjusted. Repeat every month until you are totally stable again.

Question: What will happen if thyroid disease is not treated by medicine?Do you think RAI is the last resort? those who are experiencing thyroid disease please give me some details about taking medicine (how long do you take?) and taking the radioactive iodine to treat thyroid problem. thanks

Answer: my mum has a thyroid problem. firstly you need to be more specifics as there are 2 types of thyriod. i dont think she takes RAI as this is the only medication she takes for thyriod. anyway well all i can say is that a 3 yrs ago she was dignosed with overactive thiriod, did the meds for 12 months and then stopped. anyway its been roughly 1.5-2 yrs since she stopped using it and all i can say is that she had severe hairloss. her hair went half bald. (yes scary) and at the time i was in college living away from home so i couldnt say much else. anyway i moved back home recently and doctor diagnosed her with it again 4 months ago and she is not on that medication and since then all her hair has grown back and its growing back extremely fast, based on her experience thats all i can tell you though.

Question: When is it time to surgically remove the thyroid gland due to multinodular thyroid disease? I have had multinodular thyroid disease for many years. My thyroid gland works perfectly, but I have been monitored by various endocrinologists for years. I take Synthroid to get the nodules in check. However, in January, my tests (an ultrasound and a nuclear medicine scan) showed I now had 6 large fluid filled cold nodules. The Dr assured me they are benign. My Dr. increased my thyroid dosage for 6 months to see if there would be any improvement. I just had another ultrasound prior to my doctor's appt next week & now I have 30-40 nodules. I have some difficulty swallowing, especially at night if I lay on my back, and my neck sometimes hurts. I am I know that the medical people are reluctant to remove a thyroid gland that works, but I am beginning to feel that maybe it is time for the surgery. I am 54 and in good health otherwise. Has anyone else had this situation? Do you think I should discuss this with the endocrinologist and maybe get a 2nd opinion?

Answer: I certainly agree, you need to see another endocrinologist and get a 2nd if not a 3rd opinion. Do not neglect your condition, your current doctor might be right but might also be wrong. Good luck.