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Mainstream Medicine

How to Get The Most Out of Your Doctors Appointment

Originally published on 21st August 2018 Last updated on 25th March 2024 So many thyroid patients…

Find me on Instagram

theinvisiblehypothyroidism

Muscle and joint pain with thyroid conditions. Ouc

Muscle and joint pain with thyroid conditions. Ouch 😣

•••

❓Aches, pains, cramps, weakness and stiffness are all well-reported, especially in the legs.

❓Muscle and joint pain caused by hypothyroidism is known as hypothyroid myopathy and can occur all over the body, though most commonly in the legs, feet, arms, hands and back and can range from mild to severe.

❗️Things to check if this is you:

🤕 That thyroid levels are optimised

🤕 If a magnesium supplement or spray helps

🤕 If it’s a gluten issue - removing gluten from your diet for a few months will tell you (the same with other food sensitivities)

🤕 Whether you have low Vitamin D, iron, B12, folate etc.

🤕 If soaking in Epsom salts or massaging the area helps

🤕 For fluid retention

🤕 Whether acupuncture or other alternative therapies may help

•••

❗️I’ll add the link to all my info on this to my stories so be sure to check it out if this is you!

⬇️ What is your experience?

- Rachel 🦋💙

⁉️Need some info to explain what hypothyroidis

⁉️Need some info to explain what hypothyroidism is to family & friends?! Here it is!

•••

🦋 Hypothyroidism means thyroid hormone levels are low.

🦋 Because these hormones are needed for everything, symptoms of hypothyroidism can be very far-reaching!

🦋 Even those on thyroid meds can still feel unwell. Due to not being on the right dose yet, the right type of thyroid med or perhaps even coexisting thyroid puzzle pieces of low vitamin levels, adrenal dysfunction, poor gut health, overexercising, diet sensitivities and more.

🦋 Living well with a thyroid issue can be like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle! Would you like another reel on that topic specifically? Let me know in the comments!

•••

⭐️ Follow me for more thyroid info and please check out the resources linked in my bio for more support!

- Rachel 🦋💙

📞 I’m currently waiting for the GP to call me

📞 I’m currently waiting for the GP to call me about my ferritin levels being low, but still “in range”.

•••

🥱 I experience ongoing tiredness, poor stamina, achiness and very heavy periods.

😳 So the fact my low-but-in-range ferritin has been deemed normal and “no further action” has me feeling anxious for this call.

🦋 I want to make sure they understand how these symptoms affect my daily life.

🦋 I want to make sure they understand that my ferritin needs to be higher for me to feel well (I know my ‘optimal’.)

🦋 I want them to know the iron supps don’t seem to be working. And I want to know why?

🦋 I have the phrase underlined in my notebook “it’s important to me that you understand just how heavy and inconveniencing my periods are and how exhausted I’m feeling with ferritin this low.”

🦋 I am a health advocate and yet I’ll be honest about this: I still get very anxious about medical appointments and I worry that they will be a waste of time or I will come away feeling like a hypochondriac.

🦋 I prefer over the phone appointments because at least I know they won’t be wasting time out of my day with travelling to and from and sitting in a waiting room for possibly quite awhile. And over the phone appointments also make me feel more prepared as I will write out my notes like this so that I can feel as if I have said everything completely and succinctly.

•••

👇 Am I the only one?

- Rachel 🦋💙

☀️ Why may some thyroid patients need less thy

☀️ Why may some thyroid patients need less thyroid medication in the warmer months?

•••

🧡The main purpose of thyroid hormones is to ensure that the metabolism is running properly.

💛People with hypothyroidism (and possibly not optimally medicated for it) may have symptoms associated with a slow metabolism, such as feeling cold a lot of the time.

🧡We need the correct amount of thyroid hormones in our bodies to burn calories in order to create heat and fuel, which is important, in particular for our body temperature and energy levels.

💛 In the warmer months, due to the thyroid not needing to work as hard to generate body heat, we may not need as much thyroid hormone, and it is for this reason, that some thyroid patients find they actually need to lower their thyroid medication slightly in the summer or when they go on holiday to a warmer country, with the guidance of a doctor of course.

‼️I definitely do not suggest you do this on your own!

🧡It’s definitely worth talking to your doctor about this if you notice that you feel particularly worse at a certain time of year, and think you could do with a slight medication dosage adjustment.

💛You may also feel hyperthyroidism symptoms if you require a slight decrease of thyroid medication in warmer months.

🧡You should aim to have your thyroid levels (the full panel) tested twice a year if possible; once in the warmer months and once in the cooler months, so your doctor can adjust your dose as soon as possible.

•••

👇 Let me know below - did you know this?!

- Rachel 🦋💙

© Rachel Gask and The Invisible Hypothyroidism, 2015-2024. All Rights Reserved.

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