Many doctors are beginning to believe that a low body temperature is the best test to determine hypothyroidism. Blood tests do work, but the problem is whether the doctors will test enough of your hormones, and then read them all in conjunction with one another. In any event, many doctors are beginning to believe that is just secondary to the low body temperature. Anything under 98.0 on a regular basis is what they deem a sign of hypothyroidism. For reference, my mother was undiagnosed hypothyroid for 12 years, and underdiagnosed for 20 more, and before starting new meds her temp barely broke 97.0.
When you do have a low body temperature, a result of hypothyroidism, you are plagued with cold. I could never get myself warm - my husband thought I was nuts when I would put on sweaters because it dipped below 80 [we live in Arizona]. Our house was never allowed to fall below 84 degrees inside. Sensitivity to cold is just one of the many signs of hypothyroidism.
There are more - I'll post some of them here to give you a clue. They are, unfortunately, generally used as adjectives to describe women as they age. It is unfortunate, because women do not realize that these are abnormal - and continue to suffer needlessly. They are:
Fatigue
Lethargy
Sensitivity to Cold
Depression
Mood Swings
Hair Loss
Trouble losing weight
Swelling of joints
Constipation
Decreased sex drive
Dry Skin
Dry Hair
Dry & Brittle Nails
Brain Fog
The more you have, the more likely it is that you are hypothyroid - especially if you have low body temp. Further, the following makes you more susceptible to developing a thyroid problem:
giving birth
family history
past thyroid problems [once hypothyroid, always hypothyroid]
goiter problems
history of smoking
For me, I had only a family history. Keep in mind though that my doctor believes that 60% of women are hypothyroid today, and most do not know it. What this means is that when you get tested against the "normal" population, this includes a significant amount of undiagnosed thyroid sufferers - hence, you are not actually being tested against the right population. If there is anyone in your family that is or was a hypothyroid sufferer, you need to be keenly aware of your risk.
Now, what can you do about it?
Going to a doctor is obviously step one - but which doctor is a really hard question to answer. You need to find a doctor educated on thyroid issues, and there aren't that many who are. Worse, many think they are. I would give your family doctor a shot first - see what tests they want to run on you. Ultimately, you are going to need to have your low body temperatures documented for them, and you will need to get the following tests run:
T3
Free T3
T4
Free T4
TSH
Reverse T3
You do need all of these taken. If your doctor doesn't accept these tests or interpret them, then they are not your doctor right. There is one out there, though, and if you are interested in figuring out how to find him please feel free to drop me an e-mail and I will help you get there. It's so much easier when you have support - thanks to my mom, I was able to fight for four years before finally being diagnosed. Starting medication has changed my life 100%, in every possible way. I want to share that with anyone willing to listen!!
You can catch me at thyroid~justice.com [that little squiggly is an "at" sign]. Anyone can drop me an e-mail, and I will gladly e-mail with you for as long as it takes to get to you on track!!
Margaret
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