um, feeling very bad... but not pregnant...UPDATE

[lizajane]

update:
went to the dr today and she did order a full thyroid panel. so we will see. but mostly, she thought i was depressed. and maybe i am. but for heavens sake. SOMEONE please believe that i have a MEDICAL problem that is not simply emotional!!! she put me on wellbutrin. (in addition to the zoloft i take for OCPD.) happy to take it, as i do feel awful. but still. i just can't help but think that i MUST MUST MUST have a throid problem as i have almost EVERY symptom.

original post:
i have all these symptoms that i can easily describe as "just what it feels like to be pregnant." but i JUST had my period. so not pregnant. (tired, tired, tired, no matter how much sleep i get, dizzy spells, hot flashes, feeling kinda down, gaining weight and feeling fat, really hungry all the time, not sleeping well...)

and now i am lactating. sticky. like colostrum. (i weaned in mid june.)

FREAKING OUT HERE.

what is going on??????????????

[mum1day]

Have you had your thyroid checked? Just a thought. It can affect lactation and all of your symptoms sound hypothryoid to me...

Hope you're feeling better!

[nfowife]

Yes, I concur with the pp. Thyroid issue was the first thing that popped into my mind. Go get a thyroid test!

[kelly ann]

Just curious...

Who should do the thyroid test? Do you go to an endocrinologist or your regular internist?

[JFC]

No ideas on what is going on... just sending some ((HUGS!!)). Hope you feel better soon!

[MommyAllison]

DH was concerned about his thryoid level and went to his regular dr for the blood test. HTH

Allison

[mum1day]

either, but an endo is more experienced/knowledgeable, imho.

[katiesmommy]

Um, well, I don't know if it would be for you, however, when my mom got pregnant with my youngest sister, she had her period for the first three months. So just because you just had it, doesn't necessarily mean that you aren't pregnant.

[ShanaMama]

I am in total shock! I have been feeling the same way- even though there's no way I can be prego I just bought a home pregnancy test just to be sure!
I will def have to talk to my doc about checking my bloodwork.
Thanks for the advice everyone- it often helps others besides the original poster.

ETA: Can the colostrum also be a result of low thyroid? I've been having a tiny bit of leaking on one side, and I haven't BF in 9 months!! That was what really freaked me out!

[lizajane]

i am so excited to have a symptom-soul-sister. let's go get tested together. ;)

i have had my thryoid tested a number of times in the past and never had an issue. but i think i will go to my friend's endocrinologist, just to get a more complete result.

[ShanaMama]

I had suspected I was anemic, but never thought about thyroid. Plus I have had a few stomach bugs in the past few weeks so everyone probably thinks I'm pregnant & not telling!
Good luck- hope it turns out to be nothing.

[sadie427]

The endocrinologist will do the same screening test as your regular doctor, and you'd probably get a more thorough workup from a good internist because they would look at non-endocrine causes also. I'd recheck a pregnancy test, as you can have bleeding that seems like a period and still be pregnant. Hope you feel better!

[o_mom]

It could be high prolactin levels. That can be caused by anything from anti-depressants to pituitary tumors. I think an endocrinologist would be the best person to check it out, but you may have a wait to get in, especially as a new patient.

[zoestargrove]

this is really weird to find this post here today. I am still bf my 22 month old, but I took a pg test last week even though I had just had my period. I've been tired, not losing the water weight between periods, nauseous, dizzy spells, etc. I had my regular physical last month and had my thyroid tested because my periods were becoming drawn out with multiple days of spotting. My thyroid test came back normal.

I just started the pill this month, but I was feeling these symptoms before I started it and continue to now. Now, I don't know what to do.


Kelly

[brittone2]

Another vote to get some bloodwork done...prolactin, thyroid, etc. Your thyroid does influence other hormones, although off the top of my head I don't know if it would affect prolactin.

One thing I remember coming across multiple times when I was getting tested for PCOS and thyroid issues is that many docs only test TSH levels. There are more complete thyroid panels that may pick up things that a simple TSH test can miss. I believe you also want to have them test T3 and T4 and look at that ratio, if they haven't already. Also different docs will have different levels for what they consider normal...sometimes textbook normal isn't really normal if you are symptomatic.

I hope you can get some answers so that you'll be on the road to feeling better.

[lizajane]

yes- this is kinda my story. i have gotten my thyroid tested before and it always comes back normal. but here i have all these "perfect" symptoms for hypothroidism. it is making me nuts. i have an appt at 10:30 tomorrow morning with my general practioner. i will let you know what i find out.

[mamato1]

No advice, but sending well wishes.

Chris

Mama to Brendan, aka Boomer, my little peanut who is allergic to peanuts! 01/16/04


http://b3.lilypie.com/FnI6m5/.png

[lablover]

Just wanted to add one more thing. Find out the actual numbers of your thyroid results. The normal range per the lab for TSH is usually 0.5 - 5.0 but according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists anything over 3.0 is indicative of a thyroid problem. Knowledgable endocrinologists know this but there are a lot of doctors that will see a TSH of 4 or 5 and say it is normal because it falls within the lab range. Also you should get the actual thyroid hormones tested, which are T3 and T4, and your numbers should fall in the top half of the range. If your results come out questionable I would seek a second opinion from an endocrinologist.

[megs4413]

I wanted to echo this. I struggled with thyroid problems for years but because i was only getting the normal TSH test done when i went to my general practitioner, it was being missed. It took an enlarged thyroid to even get me sent to an endo. The endo immediately found the problem and got me started on treatment. I know the test of mine that was off was the antithyroid antibody panel--it detects a specific kind of hypothyroidism. I also had to do a urine test for methylmalonic acid (definitely didn't spell it right, but that's the way it sounds).

My other thought is a hormone imbalance of some kind. progesterone off maybe? PCOS sounds like a possibility, but not as likely. I hope you get some answers soon...and in the meantime...take a pregnancy test anyway if you haven't already........

[ShanaMama]

Liza- thanks for the update. Glad you went for the testing, I hope you do find an explanation- just b/c its so frustrating not to be taken seriously. But I hope it's something simple and not major.

Now I on the other hand, am dragging my feet. This sounds really dumb, but I'm not that comfortable with my internist. We moved here a couple of years ago & I never found a doc I was that comfortable with, so I use the one DH was using. But I honestly find him a little intimidating. No way am I discussing my period & breast issues with him. Even though I am usually so comfortable with these things I'd talk to the mailman! LOL
I did discuss it with a friend IRL, who is encouraging me to call my midwife. I am much more ok with that, but my concern is, would they be experienced enough in a thyroid/ hormonal issue? I know they do well woman care (not just OB), so I am probably jsut looking for excuses to procrastinate. Well, they're closed now, so I'll try to call tomorrow.
Kelly- how are you doing? How random is it that a few of us are going thru this at once? Good luck

[deenass]

Liza,

Depression IS a medical problem, not simply an emotional one. Chemicals in your brain are not acting the way they should which is why medication can help. Please do not feel like depression is "less of a problem" then something like your thyroid or kidney stone. It affects your ability to cope with everyday things and is quite serious. Most docs like for you to do some "talk therapy" in addition to the meds, so that is something to consider also.

I hope that the welbutrin helps.

[Alys the Cat]

Hope you get the answers you're looking for. And I hope you start feeling better!

[prettybutton]

to look for a prolactin secreting pituitary growth (benign tumor).

edited for spelling

[lablover]

Keep in mind that depression is a symptom of hypothyroidism. I hope you get answers soon.

[jesseandgrace]

I have no idea how old you are, so this might be totally ridiculous, but my aunt went through peri menopause at 37, symptoms were very much like what you describe, and because she was so young it was very hard to detect. Some people start getting pre-menopause symptoms very young.

[Saartje]

>update:
>went to the dr today and she did order a full thyroid panel.
>so we will see. but mostly, she thought i was depressed. and
>maybe i am. but for heavens sake. SOMEONE please believe that
>i have a MEDICAL problem that is not simply emotional!!! she
>put me on wellbutrin. (in addition to the zoloft i take for
>OCPD.) happy to take it, as i do feel awful. but still. i just
>can't help but think that i MUST MUST MUST have a throid
>problem as i have almost EVERY symptom.

Lizajane, you do realize that clinical depression is, in fact, "a medical problem that is not simply emotional?" Be glad she ordered appropriate testing for your thyroid, and that she's willing to do that and to diagnose depression regardless, rather than telling you it's all in your head (as too many doctors *still* do!). If your thyroid panels come back normal, you might need to add therapy to your medication regimen to help you deal with your OCPD and possible depression — that's the one thing that seems to be being left out, from your description. Yes, as someone else said, depression can be linked to hypothyroidism... but depression's symptoms can also mimic hypothyroidism.

[dules]

My OB was sure I had one but prolactin came back low-normal. The blood test is quicker and more likely to be covered by insurance, as a start.

Best,
Mary

[o_mom]

Did she also order a prolactin level?

When you get the results, make sure you get all the actual numbers, not just "normal/abnormal" There are many doctors who believe that because the lab says it is normal, you are fine. The Endocine Society and American Acadamy of Clinical Endocrinologists both say that lab reference ranges are usually incorrect in saying that a TSH of up to 5 is normal.

[Moneypenny]

Liza,
I had very similar problems and it turns out that it was my thyroid and depression. One of the symptoms of a thyroid problem is depression, so it's really hard to say what came first. I will say I spent a hellish year on nearly every antidepressant under the sun because my original thyroid tests came back in the normal range. After the year of hell, my doc decided to test my thyroid again. This time it came back slightly low. I started thyroid medication, weaned off all the antidepressants, and felt significantly better. Turns out what is normal for my thyroid is not that same as what is normal for other people's thyroids. I did end up on Wellbutrin because I wasn't quite back to myself. My doc said that I had spent so long (probably a good year or two with symptoms before I started the Year From Hell with him) with my chemicals out of whack and that it was perfectly normal to need a little additional assistance getting everything back in balance. The Wellbutrin worked very well for me.

Susan
mama to my cutie pie, Avery
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