[Just a girl..]

(Sorry, ahead of time, this might get lengthy.)

I don't know if I told you before, but I am hypoglycemic. (I have low blood sugar.) ,, I was diagnosed years ago. But lately it's been getting worse and worse.
I went to the doctors yesterday and she said it could be because of my insulin. (Meaning, I might have switched from hypo to diabetic.) - but she REALLY doesn't think that's it. ,, her other idea was that I have something wrong with my Thyroid. ( That's a gland in your neck that basically decides everything with your metabolism.)
She also told me that my weight has been at a steady decrease since May. -which I didn't even know. and I check my weight often.
I'm 5'2 and I weigh 95 pounds.
Anyways. I looked up symptoms of having thyroid problems.

it says: "When your thyroid doesn't function, it can affect every aspect of your health, and in particular, weight, depression and energy levels.
Since undiagnosed thyroid problems can dramatically increase your risk of obesity, heart disease, depression, anxiety, hair loss, sexual dysfunction, infertility and a host of other symptoms and health problems, it's important that you don't go undiagnosed."

The top ten symptoms are :

10. Muscle and Joint Pains, Carpal Tunnel/Tendonitis Problems. (which even my doctor said it could be connected to my 'abdominal migrains'

9. Neck Discomfort/Enlargement. (idt i have that one)

8.Hair/Skin Changes. (I think my skin is fine, but my hair does fall out a lot more than an average persons does. I just have SO much that you can't really tell.)

7. Bowel Problems. (Idk if I have or not? I don't think so though.)

6.Menstrual Irregularities and Fertility Problems. (My period is all kinds of messed up. & (I know I shouldn't) but I've been having unprotected sex for the past two years with the same guy. & nothing has ever happened. (knock on wood.) , so who knows, I might have fertility problems?

5. Family History. ( I have no idea.)

4. Cholesterol Issues (no idea.)

3. Depression and Anxiety. ( I DEF have.)

2.Weight Changes. (I apparently have. - from what my doctor says.)

1. Fatigue. (I think I have.)

so with just those ten symptoms, I have 6 of them , and don't know about the other four. & the website says that there are other symptoms, but that you don't need to have ALL these symptoms to have something wrong with your Thyroid.
The doctor took blood to test my insulin and my thyroid. - So I'm basically just waiting for results..


..If this is my thyroid, then all the problems I have are all connected to one thing... Is that good or bad? ..do I want it to be my thyroid and have it all figured out..? That still doesn't get any of that back.. It doesn't solve anything. It just tells me what's wrong. The only thing I don't want back from that, is my weight. , which is probably the only thing they're going to try to fix.....
If it's not my thyroid, then I'm back to having all these seperate problems and still no way to fix it.....
comments please...

Well, it really isn't a question of good or bad. It's a question of getting the thyroid
stabilized if that's the problem, and it sounds as if it might be, but only your physician can let you know for certainty.

If it's diabetes, that will show up in the bloodwork also and you will need to be on
medication for that.

If both are there, then you will probably be given Levothyroxine or another thyroid
hormone supplement and Metformin, a diabetic medication often given when diabetes
is first discovered. There are literally hundreds of medications that will be appropriate to treat those illnesses.

You're doing just the right thing by having bloodwork done to determine the cause
of your difficulties, and you will know within a week or so just how you'll be treated medically for whatever the conditions are.

Look forward to better feeling tone within weeks of beginning a medication schedule.

Please feel confident that your doctors will be able to help and very soon.

Take care.

[faerie_moon_x]

I think that it is a good idea to get tested. It is important to find out if you have issues like this, and if it turns out it is your thyroid that's not a terrible thing. Yes, it would tell you what is going on. There are treatments for thyroid troubles. There are also diets for thyroid, too.

Either way, it is a good idea to get tested for it especially if you're losing weight. That's not so good. She may also want to test your GAD level and your c-peptide to see how your body is producing insulin and if you have the antibodies for type 1 diabetes, just in case. Mood swings are also common with blood glucose levels that are too high and too low.

[faerie_moon_x]

Originally Posted by genetic

Well, it really isn't a question of good or bad. It's a question of getting the thyroid
stabilized if that's the problem, and it sounds as if it might be, but only your physician can let you know for certainty.

If it's diabetes, that will show up in the bloodwork also and you will need to be on
medication for that.

If both are there, then you will probably be given Levothyroxine or another thyroid
hormone supplement and Metformin, a diabetic medication often given when diabetes
is first discovered. There are literally hundreds of medications that will be appropriate to treat those illnesses.

You're doing just the right thing by having bloodwork done to determine the cause
of your difficulties, and you will know within a week or so just how you'll be treated medically for whatever the conditions are.

Look forward to better feeling tone within weeks of beginning a medication schedule.

Please feel confident that your doctors will be able to help and very soon.

Take care.

Being that she's a teenager and underweight, she needs to get tested for type 1 which sounds much more likely. Metformin is only for type 2. It would be a real shock if she has type 2.

Also it won't show up in blood work unless they specifically test for it. In this case, I would say a hemoglobin A1c and random fasting might not be enough because of the hypolgycemia. Testing the antibodies and pancreas function is the best way to go, just to be safe.

They are all blood tests, justagirl, so don't worry about that.

If it's type one you'll need insulin, not metformin. I used to have a friend in high school who had type one. None of us cared that she had to take her shots or test her blood before eating. We all thought it was pretty cool, actually. In fact, she was one friend I wish hadn't disappeared right after graduation.

[Anika.]

Mood shifts are also common with thyroid problems. A lot of dr's test thyroid before they prescribe antidepressents or other bipolar meds to rule out thyroid problems first as mood problems are a common symptom of thyroid troubles. And thyroid is treatable . I'd say it is good if they can pin your issues down to one cause. Better than trying to treat multiple illnesses or trying to treat only symptoms without knowing the root of them and treating the actual problem.

If it is thyroid I doubt they would only try to fix your weight. I have know many people both with hypo and hyperthyroidism and treatment focuses on correcting thyroid function.

Hopefully they will have an answer for you.

Never had a psychiatrist, Anika, who tested before prescribing. In fact, I asked one
about that and the answer was "I check after prescribing". I've always thought that testing first is the real answer. And, in fact, with mental conditions, because chemistry is so often skewed, it seems logical to me that bloodwork is called for before anything else is done (except where emergency treatment is necessary).

Glad you've had experience with youngsters who may have thyroid difficulty. Obviously, I know it only from an adult's treatment (I have it).

[Trippin2.0]

My sister once thought she had joined me in cuckooville, turns out I am the only bp'er, her mood fluctuations are a thyroid problem. Since she's been medicated she is back to 'normal' mood shifts.

Justagirl, whatever it is, I hope they find the source sooon so you can have a better quality of life, because that's the main objective right?

[faerie_moon_x]

I was tested for thyroid and diabetes before I was diagnosed, actually. I've been tested since then, too. But, it wasn't a psychiatrist who tested me for those, it was my GP, because at my appointment he walked in the room and asked "how are you today?" and I crumpled on the floor weeping. So, yeah...

[Just a girl..]

I wish they'd just get the results back already. I'm freaked out about being a medicine again... everytime I'm on medicine something goes wrong.. I see things, or I'm like half dead, don't talk, I'm like a zombie... litterally. Medicine does weird things to me, and I'm not looking foward to being on more....................

[Victoria'smom]

If you need meds. just go slow.

[cocoabeans]

Originally Posted by genetic

Never had a psychiatrist, Anika, who tested before prescribing. In fact, I asked one
about that and the answer was "I check after prescribing". I've always thought that testing first is the real answer. And, in fact, with mental conditions, because chemistry is so often skewed, it seems logical to me that bloodwork is called for before anything else is done (except where emergency treatment is necessary).

Glad you've had experience with youngsters who may have thyroid difficulty. Obviously, I know it only from an adult's treatment (I have it).

In Canada, unless you're in an ER or arrested on a psych hold, by the time you see a psychiatrist you've exhausted your GP. Psychiatrists have never done any testing on me but, my GPs loved taking my blood. Vampires!

Unprotected sex is stupid.

[Anika.]

Genetic, both times I was dx'd ten years apart I was reffered to a psychiatrist immediately. However both times the gp's I saw did up blood work first and the psychiatrists did as well. However they are only looking at a few things..anemia..thyroid..

There are many many physical illnesses or conditions that can contribute to mental illness symptoms they never bother to look at. Food allergies is often just overlooked as well as other rather common problems. You'd think dr's realize the brain is an organ in the body yet for some reason always try to seperate and treat it as if it stands alone.

In Canada tho yes you have to see a gp first to get reffered to a pdoc, you cannot just pick one and make an app. Unless conditions like Cocoabeans mentioned where you would immediatly be seeing one. But I never had to exhaust a GP either.

I don't think thyroid hormone supplement is likely to give you the reactions that
psychotropic medications are capable of doing. Try to be patient and await the outcome of the blood testing.

Ask your doctor about any expected side effects of medications once you've been
prescribed one or two. That should help relieve your nervousness about it all.

I'd be much more concerned about the unprotected sex, frankly. That's so risky
in many ways, and it would make drastic changes in your young life if you should
become pregnant.

You're in good hands; it will all work out for you well in my view.