8 Top Hashimoto’s Symptoms

A Patient’s Point of View:  

8 Top Symptoms of Thyroid Problems in Women

Women are 5 to 8 times more likely to have thyroid issues than men.

The majority of patients I help in my practice are women, although Hashimoto’s doesn’t have boundaries – you see, I’m a Hashimoto’s patient too.

I know how overwhelming the symptoms can feel.  And when you’re floating on your own, without any guidance, it stinks!

You may feel frustrated when trying the latest hair-thickening shampoo that doesn’t make a darn bit difference or that over-the-counter sleep aid that doesn’t provide any relief from insomnia.

Over the years in my practice of helping those with thyroid problems and Hashimoto’s, I’ve seen clear trends of typical symptoms in my patients.

They ask themselves, their loved ones, their physicians, and me these questions.  Thyroid problems and their answers are like peeling back the payers of an onion, bit by bit.

And not one answer fits all patients.

1.     Fatigue:  Why am I so tired?

What I hear most from my patients is the fatigue and tiredness creeps up on them slowly but steadily.  Even a decent amount of sleep and rest doesn’t improve the symptoms of fatigue.  They are always tired and start to turn to coffee or other caffeinated beverages to get the boost needed to power through the day.  Watch my video (Link to Abundant Energy video 1) to learn more about the top 4 signs of fatigue and see if any resonate with you.

2.     Brain Fog:  Why can’t I think straight?

Forgetting names, misplacing words for common objects, or just plain feeling “out of it” and less than sharp in thought can all be pretty scary stuff.  This fogginess may also start out gradually.

My patients say that their family members and friends eventually call them out on the fogginess and word loss.  You may joke around that you are simply getting older, but it’s no joke.  Check out this video on brain fog (link to video 1 in Save Your Brain sequence) and saving your brain from Hashimoto’s.

This is super important.

3.     Weight Gain:  When did I gain this extra 5, 10, or 20 pounds?

Weight gain can happen when dealing with an undiagnosed thyroid problem because your thyroid is operating at a sub-optimal level.  Metabolism is thrown out of whack.

Even if you’re maintaining your normal diet and activity level, frustration sets in when the pounds become noticeable.  The frustration of weight gain is broken down into easy-to-understand reasons in this video about metabolism and leptin (link to Video 1 in the Perfect Weight sequence).

4.     Depression:  Why am I bummed all the time?

The thyroid makes thyroid hormones needed to keep our bodies humming along.

But when the thyroid is not operating optimally, other hormones can eventually be out of balance as well.  Rebalancing the thyroid with diet and lifestyle changes help tremendously.

Some of my patients have tried meditation with positive results, lifting the depression.

5.     Anxiety:  Why am I freaking out?

Our adrenal glands are two walnut-sized glands that sit pretty on top of our kidneys.  Their job is to secrete the hormones of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol:  stress-busting hormones.

Any issues with the thyroid can knock our adrenals out of whack.

The adrenals are so precious and very important, as we need these hormones to handle stressful situations and maintain a healthy stress response level.

When you’re experiencing chronic adrenal stress, you may feel like you’re spiraling out of control or find it hard to handle the least little bit of stress.

6.     Hair loss and thinning hair:  Where the heck did the outer third of my eyebrows go?

For a lot of my patient their thick, lustrous hair was their crowning glory.

But one day, they notice their hair isn’t quite what is once was.

It has lost its shine and body.

In fact, looking in the mirror, they notice the outer third of their eyebrows have gone missing!

Vanished in the night.

Hair thinning and eyebrow loss are both classic signs of low thyroid, or hypothyroidism.

Have faith, though.  With proper diagnosis, treatment of the thyroid condition and lifestyle changes, your hair will be restored to its youthful state.

And your eyebrows will fill back in, too.

 

7.     Constipation:  I don’t want to talk about it – but I can’t go!

If you’ve had regular bathroom habits and now things are slowed way down – it’s time to take another look.  Thyroid hormone regulates so many bodily functions, including muscle movements of our small and large intestines.  When the thyroid slows down, less thyroid hormones are produced, and our digestion comes to a screeching halt!

Not good.

We can feel bloated, blocked up, uncomfortable.

It’s time to get this in check.  Dietary changes can be of tremendous help.

Here’s a little something more about digestion.

8. Insomnia:  Why can’t I sleep?  To put the idea simply, there’s a “feedback loop” in our bodies when it comes to thyroid hormones.  It’s between our brains and our adrenal glands.  The pituitary, hypothalamus, and adrenal glands work in concert with each other and rely on each other’s signals to help regulate our sleep patterns.

When they’re working together, it’s a sweet symphony.  Or your favorite really kick-butt rock-and-roll song.

When this loop is out of sync, you get nothing but noise and your tune can be a little off and in the wrong key, leading to an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

The pituitary (think of it as the “master gland”) makes thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH for short.  When TSH is produced appropriately, we have a perfect balance of thyroid hormones T3 and T4, and our sleep patterns are normal and regulated.

You can read more details about the whole cascade and the pieces of the puzzle when you read more about the feedback loop.

The Major Take Away

Really, truly:  don’t ignore the warning signs, people!

Let me repeat that.

Don’t ignore your symptoms – they really do matter!

If you’re experiencing some – or all – of these complaints for a prolonged period of time, you may want to reexamine your symptoms.

See if they all add up to uncovering an undiagnosed thyroid problem, especially Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

The sooner, the better.

Since dealing with these symptoms as well as looking for a diagnosis of thyroid problems can be overwhelming, you don’t have to go through the process alone.

You can find out if you really have a thyroid condition with specific and proper testing, how to alleviate your symptoms, and discover positive lifestyle changes with my online Heal Hasimoto’s Program.

It’s a great place to start, and get your personalized answers to these questions.

The program consists of written materials, videos, live Q & A sessions, my Hashimoto’s Healing online support group with other awesome patients, and one-on-one appointments with me.

You may feel hopeless and frustrated.

You may think you’ll never feel better and you’ll never get your life back.

Don’t feel defeated.

Take a deep breath, and know that you’re not alone.

You got this!

I’ve worked with thousands of patients and we’ve been able to improve the quality of their lives working together and rebalancing their thyroid issues.

There is hope, help, and healing – and we can work on your personal journey starting today.

Best,

Marc

Sources

http://www.thyroid.org/media-main/about-hypothyroidism/