Weight gain and hair loss due to thyroid disorder

I was one of the 8 million people who suffered with many problems, and didn’t know what was going on. What was this problem that allowed me and others to walk around not noticing any differences in our health thus remaining undiagnosed–the culprit was Thyroid Disease! There are more than 20 million people suffer from a thyroid disorder, and of that number more than 10 million women have low-grade thyroid imbalance. So, how did I find out I had a problem? A family friend saw me during holiday break and told my mom that I needed to have my thyroid checked because my eyes looked bigger than normal. Though I was really offended at the time, her guess was correct! I had hyperthyroidism for months and never knew it!

What is thyroid?
The thyroid is a gland that sits in the neck and is shaped like a butterfly.

Is the thyroid gland important?
The main function of the thyroid gland is to produce thyroid hormone, which regulate the functioning of the body including regulating mood, emotions, and many other brain functions. In fact, this gland controls the body’s metabolism; specifically it controls the amount of energy the body burns.

What happens if there is a problem with my thyroid gland?
If the thyroid gland is not performing correctly, there are two most common problems, which are as follows:
1. Hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis)–this occurs when there is not enough thyroid hormones thus causing the thyroid to become underactive; according to many studies this affects about 10 percent of the population and is the most common cause of an underactive thyroid.

2. Hyperthyroidism (Graves’ disease)–this occurs when there is an excess of thyroid hormones thus causing the thyroid to be overactive.

What are some of the obvious signs of a thyroid problem?
Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism have different signs or symptoms. The following are a few signs to make note of:

Hypothyroidism: weight gain, tiredness, increased sleepiness, hair loss including loss of eyebrows, joint pain, constipation, forgetfulness, decreased ability to pay attention and focus, cold intolerant, depression, dry skin, etc.

Hyperthyroidism: weight loss, Fatigue, shakiness, increased bowel movement, restlessness, warm intolerant, rapid heartbeat, anemia, increased sweating, irregular menstrual periods, decreased fertility

Is thyroid disease hereditary?
Thyroid disease is an autoimmune disorder, and there is a high percentage that it could be hereditary, but it is not always the case. There could be other factors that trigger this disease and it differs for everyone.

Is there a way to find out if my thyroid gland is okay?
If you are uncertain about whether your thyroid is not properly functioning, please make an appointment with your general physician and ask to have your thyroid levels checked. This is not traditional tested in the yearly physical exams, it is only ordered if necessary or upon patient request. If your thyroid levels indicate that you are hypo or hyperthyroid active, then please make an appointment with an endocrinologist, a doctor who specializes in the endocrine system which includes the thyroid gland, or a naturopathic doctor who specializes in thyroid disorders.

I am writing this post not to scare you, but instead to give you information with the intent of you being proactive about your health. If you have more questions, please post a comment!  You can also send me comments via Twitter and Facebook.

Fine Needle Aspiration – Thyroid Biopsy

My doctor asked me to take an ultrasound guided biopsy due to the discovery of a nodule in my right lobe.  Because I didn’t know much about this procedure at that time, I had no idea that this test could not be done in a lab, but instead it had to be done at a hospital as out patient surgery!   WOW, it’s just a test, right?  Well, after going through this test, it really is more than just a test.  An ultrasound guided biopsy is a technique that is performed with a fine needle and guided by ultrasound–is is called guided FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration).  When this test is performed, the goal is to analyze any nodules and to withdraw cells to determine whether they are cancerous or not.

How does the FNA biopsy work?

Under conscious sedation or basic numbing medicine, a fine needle is inserted in your throat, directly into the nodule, which is located in the thyroid.  An ultrasound device is used to determine the location of the nodule so that the doctor will find the exact location of the nodule. Then cells are extracted and placed on a slide for evaluations.

(NOTE: Because I did not have anyone to drive me home in the middle of the day, and the fact that I spoke with a nurse a few days prior about what to except, I decided to not have conscious sedation done. Instead I decided to treat this process as if I was at the dentist office having a root canal done! There is very little to no pain!)

How to prepare for the FNA biopsy?

1. Work with your doctor to find a hospital (or clinic) that does this sort of biopsy and then schedule the appointment.
2. Find out from the hospital scheduler/nurse all of the required documentations/tests that are needed prior to the biopsy.  Ask the following questions:
   Is additional blood work required?
   Do I need to bring a copy of the ultrasound film?
   Do I need to fast prior to the biopsy? 
   How long will the procedure take?
   What numbing procedure is used for this biospy–basic numbing medicine or conscious sedation?
   Will I be immediately released after the procedure or will I be monitored for an hour or so?
   When will I be able to eat?
   Will there be any soreness?
3. Follow out patient instructions after the biopsy.

Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

In addition to eating a healthy, balanced nutritious diet, taking the proper amount of vitamins and minerals are also equally important.  In fact, vitamins and minerals work with nutrients to help the body function properly such as converting carbohydrates, fats and proteins produce energy.[1] There are many vitamins and minerals with different purposes and it is important to at least take a multivitamin to meet the recommended daily amount.  Vitamin D is important for both men and women because it helps deposit calcium in ones bones and protects against bone disease.  As people age, after age fifty, the need for Vitamin D doubles!

Vitamin D is also important for people who struggle with thyroid disease.  After speaking with my doctor about my thyroid issues (not functioning properly), she ordered an exam to determine my Vitamin D and magnesium levels.  She indicated that there had been studies performed that indicated that Vitamin D is necessary for many thyroid patients, especially those diagnosed with hypothyroid disease…like myself! Moreover, according to Mary Shomon, author of Living Well with Hypothyroidism”, Vitamin D appears to be necessary in order for the pituitary gland to produce thyroid hormone, as well as in supporting  the enzyme to convert T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) into T3 (the active type).[2]

After reviewing the test results with my doctor, I learned that I was in fact deficient in Vitamin D!  I had forgotten that in 2005 I stopped drinking milk and consuming many of the foods that had Vitamin D. Thank goodness for good doctors! Immediately, she gave me Vitamin D liquid drops, as well as tweaked my compounded thyroid medication.  Within a month, my hormones started bouncing back into place!!  I was in shock; I was beginning to feel normal again!

How much Vitamin D do you need?

Birth to Age 50: 200 IUs

Ages 51 – 69: 400 IUs

Age 70 and up: 600 IUs

Where can you get Vitamin D?  Salmon, tuna, fortified foods such as milk, juice, whole grain breakfast cereals, supplements, etc. Also, Vitamin D is made by the body after sunlight hits the skin, but one should limit this exposure time to about 10 to 15 minutes twice weekly. (NOTE: If you’re vegan like myself, I recommend that you purchase the Vitamin D liquid drops and speak with your healthy practitioner regarding the appropriate dosage amount for you.)

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[1] Duyff, Roberta Larson. Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: New Jersey. 2006.

[2] Shomon, Mary J.  Living Well With Hypothyroidism. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.: New York. 2000.

My Thyroid Drama!

Okay, I have been dealing with this see-saw game with my thyroid drama since 1994, when I was first diagnosed.  And you know what?  It is FRUSTRATING with a big fat F!  I don’t know if you or one of your loved ones feels the same way as I do, but it makes me sick at times.  One week I am feeling free and fabulous, the weight is in check and I am looking great and the next two weeks, I am feeling sluggish and have put on an additional 3 pounds despite eating all the right things.  What is really going on?  It shouldn’t be this way.  After all, I did have the radioactive treatment back in 1995; I thought it was supposed to eliminate all of this up-and-down crap!  Yes, I am not a happy camper right at this moment and I need to blog about it so that it can make me feel better to know that I am not alone. 

 

So What Happened? 

I believe in my personal opinion and from articles that I read that I got this thyroid disease due to my traumatic stress.  After all, I was perfectly fine in college.  When I started my first year in graduate school to work on my PhD in Electrical Engineering, I was stressed out and I was a very long way away from home. After being diagnosed, I was put on PTU and synthroid for a year before going to another doctor who introduced me to the idea of this radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment.  It is an outpatient treatment whereby the doctor gives you a dosage of a radioactive isotope of iodine (I131) for you to drink.  This “cocktail” is interesting to say the least. He said that if I was tired of going round and round that I should just have the procedure.  What he failed to tell me was the percentage of likelihood that it would not work long term.  He said that it could be a chance that I develop hypothyroidism (see my previous blog entry on the basics of thyroid disease, http://rhondascooking.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/do-you-have-a-thyroid-problem/), but he never said how much was that “chance” and because I trusted him, I said okay, let’s just do it!  I later learned from various sources online that it was a 75 – 100% effective, so I guess I represent that small percentage of those that the RAI treatment didn’t work.

 

What is RAI treatment? 

According to mythyroid.com, RAI treatment results in destruction of thyroid tissue, there is often a transient period of several days to weeks when the symptoms of hyperthyroidism may actually worsen following radioactive iodine therapy. Many patients are able to tolerate the initial few weeks without any problem whatsoever. Others may not be so successful and will likely become hypothyroid and will continue to have to take meds to manage this!

 

So, just in case you may be thinking about having it done, PLEASE talk to someone first before deciding to do it.  See what happened to them and then make your decision.  I do have an opinion about it—let’s just say that if I had to do it over again, I would have not selected that option because after about 12 years later, I am back on the see-saw with the up and down, hormonal imbalance.  

 

 

Sources that discuss the RAI Treatment:

http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/thyroid/raiprep.html

 

http://www.mythyroid.com/iodinehyper.html