I think I may have either an underactive or overactive thyroid gland. I'm not sure which because a lot of my symptoms are characterisitics of both problems. I'm seeing my doctor in a couple of weeks, and I was just wondering if anyone on here has or has ever had a thyroid problem of some type. I'm kind of nervous about what I'll find out, but in a way I'll be glad if this is the cause of my symptoms so it can be taken care of. I know the treatment will probably be lifelong medication, and as inconvenient as that is, I understand the need for it.

But anyway, I was just wondering if some of you people on here could share your stories about thyroid problems, the diagnosis process, and what treatment you're on. It would make me feel better to hear some stories.

Hi Sarah,

Once upon a time I was feeling sort of depression, gaining weight, and dragging myself around cuz I felt so worn out all of the time. So when I had a medical checkup, I found out that I had a thyroid condition called hypothyriodism. My thyroid was underproducing and throwing my metabolism off balance. The treatment is not so bad -- a pill (Synthyroid) every day probably for the rest of my life.
If you have hyperthyroid, your thyroid is overworking and you might have weight loss, nerveousness, sweat a lot, and a fast heartbeat. In most cases, this is treated with medication also.
Don't be afraid. Your doctor will take some blood tests and determine if you really do have a thyroid disease. Do you have any family members who have had or have problems with their thyroid? There usually is some sort of family history dealing with this. In any case, it's a good thing that you're having this checked out; if left untreated, you could have additional problems with your heart, muscles, and\or bones. I also developed carpal tunnel syndrome (I use a computer on my job so that doesn't help any). My doc told me later that he's noticed that lots of folks with thyroid diseases also develope joint problems.

Here is a good site that might answer any other questions that you might have.

The one thing that I found out that my doctor neglected to tell me to watch out for -- there are a lot of over-the-counter medications that you shouldn't be taking if you do have a thyroid problem -- always read the box or the bottle before you take it.

Let me know what happens with you, okay.

I had my thyroid removed a few years ago and it's been a great thing for me. Being on medication every day is something that kept me from taking care of the removal early on but now I can see that it was the best thing to do for me. It isn't so simple and so easy for everyone so make sure you consult with your doctor very carefully before making any decisions about the treatment available to you.

The first step is to get tested. No reason to wonder about whether you have a thyroid problem or not when a simple test can tell your doctor very easily if your thyroid is working properly. Speculating about it isn't necessary... just keep living your life and have your doctor let you know the test results. A lot of people have symptoms of thyroid problems without actually having problems with their thyroid and likewise a lot of people never get their thyroid problems diagnosed.

Hope whatever the outcome that you start to feel better soon.

Thanks Kelley, I'm experiencing some depression and I feel REALLY worn out all the time as well, along with many other symptoms consistant with thyroid problems. I don't have any family members that I know of with thyroid disordes. Some of them don't go to the doctor for checkups and blood tests though, so it's possible that they have a problem and just don't know it. My symptoms have been going on for a couple of years on and off... many of them not at the same time. Since they weren't all present at the same time, I dismissed them as coming from stress or tiredness, etc. I definitely don't want any serious problems to develop, so I finally did some research on thyroid problems and when I saw that ALL of my annoying symptoms match these problems, I then decided to get checked out.

Thanks for the link... that site has some very useful info.

Also thanks for the warning about OTC meds. I didn't know about that and my doctor may neglect to tell me as well.

aminator - thanks for sharing your experience. I'm trying my best to keep it cool about the test/results and everything. I'm still kind of hoping that my thyroid is the problem so I can finally have a solution to my strange but annoying symptoms.

I'll keep you all posted on what happens. I go to the doctor on Monday afternoon.

I started out as having a hyperactive thyroid. My heart was racing and my arm muscles got so weak until I could hardly pick up things. I was given radioactive iodine in a pill form to bring it down, and in about 6 weeks it had reached a normal level, but kept coming down too low. My whole body felt tight and swelled and I felt so sick. Once it gets down too low, it makes your thyroid hypoactive and you're stuck for life. I'm now taking synthroid for life.

Well guys I don't have a thyroid problem. All the tests came back normal. My doctor suspects that I may have an anxiety disorder because a lot of the symptoms are the same and I have some additional symptoms of anxiety. So off to therapy I go.

Honi i had that too and its called Graves disease and took the radioactive thing you drink. Now im on meds the rest of my life too for it being too low. I was told when you take this they cant tell how much of the thyroid they kill off. So the meds later..

Hi! I had my thyroid removed about 4 years ago. It was a great thing for me. (I died three times from one of the medications) If you want to email me and talk about your sysmptoms, I would love to help...If you know anyone who is blood type A- and healthy, please ask them to become an organ donor...I need a pancreas now. I wish you luck and like I said, I might be able to help.

I just HAPPEN to be A- and relatively healthy, and yes, I'm an organ donor I do, however, intend on using all my organs myself for a few more decades Good luck tinytami and welcome to AnswerPool!