I was diagnosed with having hypothyroid in November 2013 and i started taking Eltroxin 25mcg daily, then it was increased to 50mcg daily, a month later and then my GP referred me to an Endocrinologist as my TSH just kept getting higher and my T4 was out of range (lower end).
I also found out in January 2014 i had two thyroid nodules - this frightened me so i gave up smoking and they are being kept an eye on by my Endocrinologist now.
In April 2014 i had had enough - i felt awful so i went back to my GP - luckily a locum was there. He immediately increased my Eltroxin to 100/50 mcg on alternate days and i had to have bloods done in a month. Then in June my Eltroxin was increased to 100mcg daily.
Then in July 2014 i found out i had Hashimoto's Disease which brought on my hypothyroid in the first place. Then the Endocrinologist increased my Eltroxin to 175mcg daily for six months - my next appointment is in January 2015. Before my increase i was given an ECG to make sure i had no heart problems.
My problem is that an awful lot of GPs do not know enough about the thyroid and how to read the results - most GPs will treat your results rather than your symptoms - so if your bloods are in range and only just in range, lower or upper end, a doctor won't prescribe anything, even if you have symptoms, this annoys me. I have been quite lucky.
With an under active thyroid you put on weight as your metabolism slows down and your body cannot distribute the energy around the body so you feel tired and then you have no energy and then you put on more weight. It is not from over eating - i could only eat 1-2 meals a day as i felt full all the time and i ate because i had to. Some health professionals told me i need to go on a diet and i said it's my thyroid that's causing my weight gain - i couldn't believe their ignorance as they knew nothing about the condition - this also annoys me
I have researched my condition to educate myself and i always get copies of every blood test i have so i know where i am. My bloods are taken to the same lab - the range can vary even in the same lab!! I believe a universal range should be used. If you don't get copies of your blood tests, start doing so and educate yourself
You will soon know what works for you
I was only diagnosed with diabetes type 2 (The doctors think) at the beginning of October of this year but for the 2 weeks previous i was starting to feel better and now i have another Endocrine problem to deal with
But i am not going to let it dictate my life
This is now chapter 2 of my Endocrine journey