Thyroid Disorder Signs and Symptoms

Millions of Americans have thyroid disorders and sadly, most of them don’t even know they have a problem until the symptoms become so magnified that a doctor finally does a test for it.

A thyroid is a gland found in your neck that regulates your hormone secretion. These particular hormones (which comes in two forms – T3 and T4) contribute to the regulation of your metabolism, growth, and your overall energy.

So when these hormones are released in your body, it helps you burn calories, helps your heart beat, and they basically assist you in keeping your metabolism up, amongst many other things.

There are two forms of thyroid disorders (aside from thyroid cancer) – hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. You have to know what the signs and symptoms are so that you can begin treatment of either disorder as soon as possible.

The problem is that most symptoms don’t all hit you at once – they show up gradually as time goes on, so it’s very common that you may be misdiagnosed for a long time. Sometimes there could even be issues for years before a thyroid disorder is discovered. Needless to say, it pays to be aware of what might possibly be wrong so that you can really lean on your doctor for testing if necessary.

Signs You Might Have Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is when your body’s thyroid goes into overdrive and makes way too much of the hormones it’s supposed to produce. Usually, this is due to a condition known as Graves’ disease, which is an autoimmune disorder, but this is not always the case. It could be caused by thyroid nodules as well.

Like most thyroid issues, it isn’t something you wake up with one day and instantly know what’s hit you. It comes on slowly. Initially, it’s osteoporosis that will occur first.

You may not even know it unless you begin experiencing brittle bones that are discovered due to a fall and a fracture. If you’re postmenopausal, you might want to get tested for both conditions and see if there’s a connection.

There are, however, other signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism that you can pick up on. A good idea is to make sure you write them all down as you experience them so that you have a comprehensive look at your health status.

Here are some of the most common symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism:

• You suffer from insomnia.
• You’re eating the same (or more), but losing weight.
• You’re tired, weak and irritable much of the time.
• You’re nervous a lot and your hands get shaky.
• Your heart feels like it’s pounding out of your chest or too beating fast.
• The number of bowel movements you have in a day increases.
• You suffer from double vision at times, or irritable eyes.
• If you’re female, you’ve started having irregular periods that are lighter and few and far between.
• You can’t deal with the heat and you sweat profusely.
• Having one or two of these symptoms doesn’t mean you necessarily have a thyroid disorder – but it could. It’s always better to get checked out so that you can start treatment sooner than later.

Signs You Might Have Hypothyroidism

The opposite of hyperthyroidism is hypothyroidism. It’s when your thyroid doesn’t secrete enough of the hormones that you need to make your metabolism work right. That’s because it’s being attacked by your immune system.

Some of the symptoms for hypothyroidism are the same as they are for hyperthyroidism, such as fatigue and muscle weakness. But other symptoms are opposite of that condition.

• Instead of overheating, you’ll be cold.
• Instead of light periods, you’ll have heavy ones.
• Instead of weight loss, you’ll gain weight.
• Instead of too many bowel movements, you won’t have enough.

There are some unique symptoms, too.

• You might have pain in your joints.
• You might experience hoarse vocals periodically.
• You might feel like you have clouded thinking. You’re not mentally sharp when your thyroid is out of whack. Your memory might take a hit, too.
• You might suffer from dried out skin and brittle or thinning hair.
• You might have high cholesterol.
• You might be depressed.

Hashimoto’s Disease is one of the most common causes for this disorder that makes your immune system attack your thyroid. But it’s not the only cause. You might get it because you’ve had your thyroid taken out or because you’re having cancer treatment that includes radiation.

Getting Tested for a Thyroid Disorder

Women are more likely to have thyroid disorders than men, but that doesn’t mean that men are immune to them. And the older you get, the more likely it is that you’ll end up with a thyroid disorder.

Testing is on-going once you’ve been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder because your doctor will need to know where your levels currently stand so he or she can adjust your medication properly.

The symptoms are so vague and common to other health situations that it’s hard for your doctor to diagnose it without a firm test that proves whether you have a thyroid disorder or not. In my case, I had to stay on my doctor for further testing because my body would fluctuate so much. She finally did more thorough testing and sure enough, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s.

Again, you will always have to do ongoing testing to maintain your levels but at least once you know there is a problem you can stay on top of it.

This type of illness is often hereditary. It’s important for you to find out if your parents or grandparents suffered from thyroid disorders. This will be a good indication of what’s causing your symptoms.

The doctor will of course feel your neck for thyroid nodules but that alone won’t deliver a full picture, so more tests need to be run at this point. The most common test is a simple blood test.

The blood test will measure the hormone levels (TSH) and looking at those numbers, the doctor can tell if your thyroid is performing up to standards, too low, or too much.

Another thing your physician might do is have you consume a capsule with radioactive iodine (known as radioiodine). If your thyroid accepts too much of the radioiodine, then you could be suffering from hyperthyroidism.

If it takes too small of an amount, then you may have hypothyroidism. An ultrasound or a scan can be used to rule out nodules and cancer.

Some doctors will perform a biopsy of your thyroid. Using a very small needle, the doctor inserts it into the thyroid after you’ve been given local anesthesia, to collect fluid and cells that a pathologist can examine so they can rule out thyroid cancer.

Ways to Treat Your Thyroid Disorder

Treatment depends on which thyroid disorder you have as well as the severity of it. There is no one size fits all approach. It also matters what the cause of your disorder is.

Hyperthyroidism is often treated with medications. This prevents your thyroid from making the hormones. You might also be given Beta blockers that prevent the effects of your hyperthyroidism in your body.

The hormones are still released, but your body responds differently, such as with a slower heartbeat.

Surgical removal is an option for your thyroid. But be careful because there is always a chance you might end up suffering from hypothyroidism, too. The surgery removes most of the thyroid, not all.

Radioiodine that you originally swallowed during testing can also work as a treatment option. You can take a bigger dose of the ingredients and it will annihilate the thyroid cells that make too much of the hormone.

Either way, with surgery or radioiodine, you’re destroying the thyroid’s capabilities, so you’ll have to take thyroid pills indefinitely. But that’s a small price to pay – and it will deliver a normal, regulated amount of the hormone that’s not out of control.

One thing that can disappoint many sufferers is that thyroid medicine doesn’t work overnight – or in a few days, or even weeks sometimes. It may take months for you to feel the effects but just know that if you are patient a good amount of the symptoms you’re experiencing will get better – it just might take some time.

With hypothyroidism, your body isn’t making enough of the hormone, so your doctor will probably prescribe pills for you to take to help the body get up to speed.

The pills, which are man-made hormones, are known as Levothyroxine (T4) and Liothyronine (T3). You might get one or both prescribed to you by your doctor, depending on his or her treatment plan.

This isn’t something you can fix and then be medication-free. You’ll probably be on thyroid medicine forever. But once you’ve been on it for 6-12 months, you should see a marked improvement in how you feel. Again, you just need to be patient and adjust accordingly until your symptoms subside.

There are a few other thyroid issues you might want to get checked for – including thyroiditis, Goiters, and thyroid nodules. These are separate from the hypo and hyper thyroid disorders.

Are There Natural Ways to Improve Your Thyroid Function?

Because your thyroid regulates your metabolism, you’ll want to look for natural ways to help improve your metabolism.

As you know, I’m a huge proponent of natural remedies as best as you can and as a first choice. Some people swear by boosting your thyroid with nutritional choices – this means eating lots of iodine-rich foods (yogurt, milk, shellfish) and fewer foods that lower your thyroid function (broccoli, corn, peanuts, spinach).

Many experts agree that processed soy should be limited or eliminated from your diet if you have hypothyroidism. And now there’s evidence that gluten might pose a problem, too.

Try to ease your stress. Stress produces cortisol, and cortisol inhibits getting T3 into your cells. Since all these tests are blood level tests, even if your T3 blood count test is okay, your cells could be lacking. This is a tricky area that few MDs know about.

Natural hormone balancing may be needed to recover completely from hypothyroidism. Avoid the synthetic remedies most MDs prescribe and request something natural, such as a desiccated liver product. The most well known is Armour, but there are others. These are natural products that supply the complete thyroid hormone.

And of course, I’m sure you probably already know that it helps your metabolism once you start moving your body. So working out – both cardio and strength training – can help improve the symptoms of an under-active thyroid. Just going for a light walk can help your overall body function and this is something you can even do a quick lunch break so there’s really no excuses.

I’ve been there so I understand getting a diagnosis that your thyroid isn’t functioning and that you’ll probably be put on medicine for the rest of your life can be discouraging. But once doctors get the issue under control, you’ll feel much better physically and mentally and be glad you were proactive about your health!

Let’s hear it – have you had thyroid battles you’d like to share? Comment below and let’s discuss!