Under active thyroid?

[AnimalsR4Me]

So, I've always had problems losing weight, no matter what I've done, even sticking to a lower calorie(around 1600 calories to start) diet, along with exercising 3 times a week. I've just had a hard time losing weight. I'm currently, by BMI standards, considered to be obese, and I'm only 1 point away from being considered "morbidly obese" being at 39. 40 is morbidly obese. The more I research an underactive thyroid, the more it makes me go "hmm" and wonder if maybe that's truly the underlying cause of so many of my problems.
Symptoms I have on the "checklist" from about.com
(Some of these are probably TMI, but lets just skip our eyes over those lol)

"I have the following symptoms of hypothyroidism, as detailed by the Merck Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the Thyroid Foundation of America

__X__ I am gaining weight inappropriately
_X___ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
__X__ I am constipated, sometimes severely
__X__ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)
_X___ I feel fatigued, exhausted
_X___ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
_X___ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
_X___ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick
____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice
____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
_X___ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet
_X___ I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or it's getting worse (I have the begining stages of this)
__X__ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (longer, or heavier, or more frequent)
_X___ I am having trouble conceiving a baby
__X__ I feel depressed
_X___ I feel restless
_X___ My moods change easily
_X___ I have feelings of worthlessness
__X__ I have difficulty concentrating
__X__ I have more feelings of sadness
__X__ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
_X___ I'm more forgetful lately

I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more frequently in people with hypothyroidism:

____ My hair is falling out
__X__ I can't seem to remember things
__X__ I have no sex drive
_X___ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
____ I'm snoring more lately
__X__ I have/may have sleep apnea
____ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
__X__ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen
____ My eyes feel gritty and dry
_X___ My eyes feel sensitive to light
_X___ My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have headaches
____ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
____ I get recurrent sinus infections
____ I have vertigo
__X__ I feel some lightheadedness
__X__ I have severe menstrual cramps

X's indicate the ones that apply to me.

A lot of these, I just associated with being "depressed" which I have been for a while, and should probably get my butt to the doctor one of these days to get diagonsed and get some medicine to get myself straightened out. But the more I look into this, maybe it's an underactive thyroid causing these feelings, and I'm not truly "depressed" if that makes sense....If I truly have an underactive thyroid, it explains many things, like why my menstrual cramps are so bad that I double over in pain and need to take excedrin every 4 hours on the hour just to be able to bear it, and why I'm always cold, and why my eyes hurt when I'm in a brightly lit room, it just explains so may things.
So, onto the reason I posted. Does anyone here have an underactive thyroid? Are these pretty common symptoms, and/or does it sound like it may be something I have? I know theres some nurses out here, so opinions? Is it something worth looking into further. I don't have insurance, so I'd rather not go to the doctor and get a whole battery of tests done if it's not even something no one thinks I have. Maybe I'm sick...maybe I'm a hypocondriac, who knows! But it certainly would explain a whole plethura of things!

 

[InkedupTara]

All women should be checked with bloodwork every so often for thyroid issues. It is a commonly undiagnosed issue.

Call your doctor and tell them you would like to be evaluated for this. I had thyroid cancer in both lobes. I barely had any of those symptoms, but my OB doctor was doing an exam and checked my neck and the left side was enlarged and I ended up having 2 lobectomies done. I am cancer free, but had I left this go, it could have spread and I may not be so lucky to have gotten it "cured".

So please, when you think something is wrong, go see your doctor. I would rather see my doctor often and have nothing wrong, then to put it off and have something wrong.

( I was told 6 months prior that my thyroid was enlarged by family doctor but they did nothing about it, had they checked, the cancer would have been caught sooner and may not have ended up in both lobes)

 

[caballtaz]

I don't know much about it, but this website looks helpful: http://www.hypothyroidism-healing-options.com/thyroid-function-tests.html

 

[Ash]

I'd definitely get it checked. It's something I need to get checked, too... My younger sister has a thyroid problem, and so does my grandmother, and I exhibit many of the symptoms. BUT I need to get some decent insurance, first.

 

[brittiny]

I have hypothyroidism.
You've checked off more than I had when they checked me (my gyno referred me to a specialist after she felt my throat). I have symptoms of both hypo&hyper--
Unless you need to have the removed there isn't much they can do beside giving you a pill to take 1hr before you eat. =( it kinda sucks.
2 years ago I went to the gyno (irregular problems) and was put on the pill to help, the pill actually didn't help with my cycle until I got on the thyroid pill. Now I'm "normal," the other symptoms go away slowly.

 

[Idgie]

The test for thyroid is called TSH and it is a simple blood test. Depending upon where you live it could cost $75-100. If you are hypothyroid (your TSH is actually high--it's the opposite), then you can get a prescription for a thyroid supplement. They make it in generic and it is very cheap. Most pharmacies will do the 3 months supply for $10 or $12. You would take the pill in the morning about an hour before you eat breakfast.

Now it doesn't sound as if you have hyperthyroidism, and that is the harder one to deal with (and more expensive).

I have known several people with both of these issues. If it is hyperthyroidism, then it is imperative to get tested and treated. Hypothyroidism is very common in middle aged women (and I'm hearing in many dogs lately). I definitley think that it is worth it to get tested.

Good luck.

 

[Midwest Exotics]

I actually was recently in to have mine checked as i have had NO energy at all lately. I didnt seem to have anything though, soo i suppose its good news, however im still unsure whats causing the overly tired feeling.

simple blood work can tell a lot for you, i was scared, but knew its something that would help.

 

[arf2184]

The only way to know for sure is to get tested. Testing for thyroid conditions is simple and shouldn't cost you too much. Just a simple blood draw and labwork. We have a lab here that will test without a doc, but if it turns out you are hypothyroid, you'd need a doc for treatment anyhow.

If you are hypothyroid, they'll likely put you on thyroid replacement medication which (as said) is fairly inexpensive for the generic.

I have an over active thyroid (hyperthyroid)...Graves disease to be more specific. All I do is take meds (thyroid inhibitors) once a day and visit an endocrinologist a few times a year. I'm on a fairly low dose so my meds don't cost much. Hyper has more severe symptoms and can be serious if left untreated. The usual treatment for hyper- is to kill the thyroid with radiation, likely making you hypo-, and put you on thyroid replacement drugs.