Low Thyroid Level.....

Ok so i went a month ago and had my annual blood work done.
Everything came back good except my thyroid level.  It was low....Dr. said he wanted to repeat in a month.  Went yesterday and had it drawn again....even lower than a month ago.

Sooooooo......How anyone dealt with low thyroid before?  Is this something they see in WLS patients......

I am sooo tired, and have gained a few pounds.....not sure if this is due to the thyroid level or not.

I am waiting to hear from the Dr. office as to what I have to do next.

Any suggestions????

Love, Holly

Hi Holly,
I have a non-funtcioning thyroid- but it has been that way for yrs. They will probably start you on a low-dose thyroid pill, & adjust it as needed. i know i gained weight, was tired/fatigued, & really had trouble concentrating when mine first acted up.Hope you feel better soon!

Holly,

I was diagnosed with hypothyroid when I was 3 months post-op. They put me on synthroid...and tested me every 6-12 weeks to see if I was in range and changed the dosage when needed. It takes about 6 weeks for a new dose to be stable in your body. I go to an endocrinologist for mine. I was going to a pcp but she thought you had to go from 125 mcg to 150 mcg. She didn't know there was a combination of pills you could take to get 147 mcg....which is where I was for awhile. I haven't had a normal thyroid level since my coma though so now I'm up to 200 mcg and now in range yet.

Look up hypothyroid in google. There's a whole host of symptoms; tired, weight gain, brittle & dry hair/nails, dry skin, forgetfulness, etc. When I go to my endo, I look at the chart in his office and just kinda 'yep', 'yep', 'yep' to myself as I read the symptoms.

As per my endo, it is fairly common for post-ops to become hypothyroid. Many of us were borderline pre-op. I know I had been borderline for the 25 years prior to my RNY.

An endo will counsel you on when to take your synthroid too for it to be the most effective. Mine told me to take it 1 hour before eating or 2 hours after (I take it as soon as I get up), drink a whole glass of water with it, stick to name brand, and don't take any other vitamins within 4 hours of taking the synthroid. As hard of a time as we have of getting me in range, I follow his instructions to a 'T'.

Sherri

Hi Holly,

I was diagnosed prior to wls (I'm 3 yrs post-op now).  I'm like Sherri, my levels have been hard to manage for the last several months (not related to wls though).  Thyroid problems tend to be hereditary, but not hit every generation.  My great grandmother had a goiter (enlarged thyroid), but my grandmother, mother and sister have no thyroid problems.  But I work with a lady who has thyroid problems and so do her mother and grandmother, so it is very hit and miss. 

I've been told the same things that Sherri mentioned (don't use the generics, don't eat for 1 hour after and don't take ANY other medicine or vitamin/mineral supplement (especially calcium) for 4 hours.  You can definitely find a lot of info on the internet on the thyroid.

It isn't too bad to deal with, but trust your body.  If you start feeling tired all the time, get cold and stay cold no matter what you are wearing or any of the other symptoms, tell your doctor to check your levels.  My numbers went off the chart last fall and I didn't realize it until my thyroid started growing.  It got big enough for me to see the nodules in my neck and I wound up having a biopsy done (it was negative).  So now I'm much more proactive about it.  Good luck to you.