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About Rachel
Start Here!
- How I Can Help You
- Take Back Control: Order Your Own Thyroid Tests
All Articles
Newsletter
My Books
Store

Browsing Tag

PCOS

Hypothyroid Patient Checklist

Hypothyroid Patient Checklist

Originally published on 15th November 2016 Last updated on 25th November 2019 On thyroid medication and…

Is it PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) or Hypothyroidism?

Is it PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) or Hypothyroidism?

Around 1 in 10 females of childbearing age have the condition known as PCOS (Polycystic Ovary…

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theinvisiblehypothyroidism

😔 Not everyone responds well to standard thyroi

😔 Not everyone responds well to standard thyroid medication.

…

🦋 Levothyroxine didn’t make me better. I just felt worse and worse. Symptoms piled up.

•Heavy fatigue
•Deep muscle aches and pains
•Dry skin
•Heavy periods
•Heart palpitations
•Cold intolerance
•Depression
•Migraines
•Joint pain
•Brain fog
•Constipation
•Brittle nails
•Hair loss
•Hoarse voice
•Inability to exercise
•Sleeping 14 hours and still waking up fatigued
•Acid reflux

And so much more.

🦋 I wasn’t converting the T4-only medication in to any T3. Even when my Free T4 levels came up, my Free T3 stayed low.

🦋 When I changed to an NDT medication which contained direct T3, all of the symptoms disappeared and I finally felt human again.

🦋 I’m one of the thyroid patients who needs direct T3 in my thyroid medication in order to function and feel well. Without it, I was living a half life. A zombie.

…

❓ How do your meds work for you? Let me know.👇

📖 And remember: the book “Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate” covers my experience and journey with these different thyroid medications and how I went from extremely poor health to thriving again.

- Rachel 🦋💙

(PS- I’m currently on a combo of meds - 150mg Armour + 25mcg Levo)

❄️ Why may some thyroid patients need more thy

❄️ Why may some thyroid patients need more thyroid medication in the colder 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 winter, we may have a greater need for thyroid hormones (and medication), in order to create extra heat and fuel, to keep us warm and energised in these months.

💙When it is the colder time of year, we have a greater need for thyroid hormones to produce the extra heat and energy that we need to feel well and it is for this reason, that some thyroid patients find they actually need to slightly more thyroid medication in the cold months or when they go on holiday to a colder country, with the guidance of a doctor adjusting their dosage of course.

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

💚It’s 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 hypo symptoms return if you require a slight increase of thyroid medication in these cooler 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 🦋💙

Do you agree?? 👇 ••• 💙 4 years ago y

Do you agree?? 👇

•••

💙 4 years ago yesterday (I’m late posting this 😂), “You, Me and Hypothyroidism” a book telling our friends, family & other loved ones how to understand and support us with hypothyroidism, was released to the world!

💙 Co-written with my husband Adam, we were so excited to deliver a book my audience had been asking for for SO long.

💙 But we weren’t prepared for the incredibly moving responses we were going to receive.

💙 That the book has saved relationships, marriages, helped people to reconnect with their children, helped parents of children with congenital hypothyroidism, helped couples conceive and more.

💙 When I see any of my 3 books (and the others I’ve co-authored) sat among so much other thyroid literature I admire, I feel so proud of all the time and work that went in to creating it.

💙 So thank you for supporting my work as a thyroid patient health advocate. I cannot wait to write even more books.

•••

📖 As always, all my books can be found on Amazon. I hope you like this quote from “You, Me and Hypothyroidism”.

💙 Adam really shared a lot of gems our loved ones can benefit from in this book!

- Rachel 🦋💙

❗️Are you one of the many thyroid patients wit

❗️Are you one of the many thyroid patients with ongoing symptoms despite being on meds?!

❗️Did you know it could be low iron?!

•••

😳Notice how all of these symptoms could be from a thyroid issue?!

😳 It could be easy to assume our levels aren’t right, when actually, low iron is to blame.

😳 Therefore, it is crucial that any of us with these symptoms, and especially already on thyroid medication, are assessed for low iron levels.

😳 Correcting low vitamin levels, such as iron, can be a big piece in many thyroid patient’s health. Iron levels are easily checked via blood test.

❓Why Are Low Iron Levels Seen in Thyroid Patients?

❗️Hypo affects mainly women, with many experiencing period issues such as heavy or long periods, contributing to low levels of iron. Period complaints with hypothyroidism are very common.

❗️However research published in 2017 suggests that iron deficiency can contribute to the development of hypothyroidism.

❗️The reduced supply of thyroid hormones seen in hypothyroidism can also suppress bone marrow activity, lowering the production of red blood cells and triggering the onset of anaemia.

❗️According to a 2012 study, as many as 43% of people with overt hypothyroidism have anaemia compared to 29% of the general population!

❗️Poor gut health, also common in hypo people, can also lead to poor absorption of iron!

‼️ You should always have your iron levels tested before taking an iron supplement, as taking extra iron when you don’t need it can be dangerous.

‼️ Test results for Iron, Ferritin, T.I.B.C., Transferrin Saturation etc. should all be well within range to help avoid symptoms.

•••

👇 Have you had your iron tested?

- Rachel 🦋💙

© Rachel Gask and The Invisible Hypothyroidism, 2015-2023. All Rights Reserved.

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