You Suspect Hypothyroidism . . . What Should You Do Now?

When you have multiple symptoms associated with hypothyroidism the chances are strong that you have a thyroid problem.  If you are at a heightened risk for the illness this increases the chances that you are right in thinking that these problems are thyroid related.  Do not let a doctor's interpretation of your blood test results detract you from finding the source of your problems; remember, many doctors do not even order all of the right tests, let alone interpret all of them collectively.

If you wait a while and let your symptoms intensify, then you increase the chance of a doctor being able to pinpoint your problem from your blood results. In the meantime, though, you are going to suffer both phsyically and emotionally.  Is this worth it? It certainly wasn't for me.

Do not wait until you get sick enough for a doctor to be able to verify the source of your problem from your blood tests - follow up on the problem now.  Remember: NO ONE KNOWS YOUR BODY BETTER THAN YOU DO!!


Based upon my own thyroid journey, this is what I recommend my family and friends to do when they suspect thyroid related problems:


1) Immediately begin to familiarize yourself with the illness, which includes getting to know the symptoms of the illness. You can find some of that in this site, but there is a lot of background information and articles at Mary Shomon's website. You can find Mary's website posted on this site on the Favorite Links page [http://www.thyroid.about.com] . Here you can check out the basics of thyroid problems. There is a lot of information here on what hypothyroidism is all about.


2) Make sure to print out a list of the general signs and symptoms of thyroid problems. You can find a thorough list of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, along with a list of at risk factors, on the "Symptoms Checklist" link at this site.

You will probably be intrigued by the symptoms of hypothyroidism, because most of these symptoms are considered normal side-effects of the aging process on women. How many times have you thought that bitchiness, hair loss, or slower metabolic functioning is just something that some women have to learn to deal with as they age?

I think that it's awful that so many women end up suffering unnecessarily for so long from things we are told are normal, when they are not normal at all. These are signs of a problem!

[note: I read in an article in a magazine about a year ago that but for a single digit percentage, the majority of obesity in America is the result of undiagnosed thyroid problems. I am still trying to find this article!]


3) It's time for you to find an appropriate doctor. This is not as easy as you might think. From personal experience, I recommend against finding a specialist or an endocrinologist in the yellow pages. Many doctors claim to be specialists in this area, but really are only familiar with severe cases of hypothyroidism. They will not be able to detect the every day sufferer, because they are not familiar with the multiple ways of suffering from hypothyroidism.

To find your own doctor right, you need to listen to recommendations by the patients of these doctors. An excellent site to view patient recommendations is at Mary Shomon's Top Doc Directory. You can find Mary's site listed on the "Favorite Links" page to this site, but a direct link to her top-doc database is http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdocs.htm.

Search the comments posted by other people suffering from some of the side effects of hypothyroidism, hear how the listed doctors in your particular city or state treated them, and see if this is something you can relate to.


4) Now is the time to schedule an appointment with a doctor you've chosen after researching patient feedback. I recommend calling the doctor's office before your actual visit, and letting them know that you believe that you are a thyroid sufferer and are curious about the methods that doctor uses to diagnose hypothyroidism. Check to see what blood tests they use, whether they consider base body temperature an indicator of a problem, and whether they include the patients' symptoms as part of diagnosis.

Feel free to let them know that you have done your own research [which you should be by this step] and are familiar with the methods for diagnosis. Make it clear that you believe you are a sufferer, and before visiting them secure that they will be receptive to your complaints while searching for an adequate solution for you.

Your going to the doctor's visit armed with information is imperative, because getting diagnosed with hypothyroidism is a proactive event. That is, unless you wait 12 more years to test outside the range, like my mom. By going to the doctor's appointment armed with information, you are drastically improving your chances of receiving legitimate help.

[note: if you can't afford some of the doctors listed in the Top Doc directory because some of them may not take insurance, then I would recommend you making a list of the doctors the Top Doc directory includes from your area, & calling to secure which of them accepts your insurance. If you can't find any, you can attempt to locate a physician posted at the American Academy for Anti-Aging Website at http://www.worldhealth.net, which lists many competent doctors, able to diagnose hormonal imbalances that other doctors often miss]

5)  While you are waiting for your doctor's appointment, document your body temperature and heart rate for a few days. The lower either are, the more likely it is that you are suffering from hypothyroidism. Dr. Broda Barnes believed that any temperature routinely under 98.0 was enough to diagnose one with hypothyroidism!  [you can see an entire theory of self-diagnosis based upon this principle at http://www.alternate-health.com/thyroid.html]

So while you are waiting for your doctor's appointment, you should arm yourself with as much information about the current condition of your body as possible.

6) Get a blood test at this doctor's office. Note, blood tests aren't necessarily the end-all-be-all to getting diagnosed, but they still play a role in this process. Most important in diagnosing hypothyroidism is your body temperature. This source of diagnosis was made famous by Dr. Wilson, and you can read more about this at his site found on my Links page.


The blood tests you want taken are, at minimum, a TSH, T3, Free T3, Reverse T3, T4, Free T4, and Reverse T4 taken. [It helps if the doctor you are visiting is aware that these tests are all needed, and is able to read them. If not, you will have the requested tests for your file for your future doctor to review].


6) Get the results of these blood tests, and make sure to get a copy of these results for your own file.


7) If the doctor is accomodating and indicates that you have a problem, then that is it. You found your doctor right! Make sure to keep the blood test results for your own medical files. If the doctor says that you are normal, then you find another doctor. Don't give up if the first doctor you go to isn't familiar enough with the disease to make an adequate diagnosis.