Section one
Goiter and Hyperthyroid - my personal experience story
Ultrasound
Comparison - results
before and after thyroid treatment
Misc. bits of thyroid information
Frequently Asked Thyroid Questions
Section two
Miscellaneous information about this website
Section three
Email
Copyright ©1998 -
2006
molly b. All Rights Reserved
Molly b.'s Thyroid FAQ Page 1
This Thyroid FAQ has been compiled from questions commonly asked by those looking for thyroid information. I recommend that visitors use this FAQ as an aid to discussing their personal health concerns with their doctors. While I believe the following information to be true and correct, this Thyroid FAQ is designed to be used only as a complement to any professional medical advice that you receive.
In the spring of 1997 when I was first diagnosed with a thyroid problem I spent hours online looking for reliable info. I wasn't feeling very well and would have liked to find some information easily.
The information on this page has been arrived at from personal experience and from reading about thyroid subjects on the web and in print. I'm a person who has had a thyroid condition, but I have no medical training. Any suggestions I make are my personal ideas and opinions.
Please check with your doctor if you think that you may have a thyroid disease or if you have concerns about your thyroid treatment. If this page helps you to understand a little more about the thyroid gland, and helps you to discuss your medical care with your doctor in a knowledgeable way, then it has served its purpose.
Please note that the info in this FAQ was accurate and up to date at the time it was written, during the time that I was treated, but I would ask you to check with your own doctor, as some things may change over time! While I occasionally make updates, I am not a doctor!
Molly b.
February 2007Frequently Asked Thyroid Questions
1. Q. I'm always tired, always sleepy. Could this be a thyroid problem?
A. It's possible. This is one symptom of hypothyroidism. At the same time, there are many other causes of tiredness, including sleep disorders. A person may ignore feelings of tiredness because it doesn't seem very serious, but being rested is important to everyday functioning.
2. Q. Is thyroid disease catching?
A. No, not catching, although some thyroid diseases are hereditary - if a parent has a thyroid condition, such as Graves' Disease or Hashimoto's thyroiditis, there is a strong chance that a child will also develop it in adult life. Some thyroid conditions are caused by exposure to high levels of radiation ( most likely to have occured in the 1940's and 1950's during xray treatment of children for various illness. This practice, fortunately, is no longer used. ) Some types of thyroiditis are caused by a virus. But there is no 'thyroid virus' contracted by anyone exposed to it, like there are flu and cold viruses.
3. Q. Can depression be a symptom of a thyroid condition?
A. Yes, depression and even psychosis can be present in a few cases. Depression is quite a common symptom in hypothyroid conditions in particular. If you're undergoing treatment for a thyroid condition, it's important that you report any feelings of depression to your doctor. If you're undergoing treatment for depression, you may want to find out if you've been tested for thyroid disorders. Thyroid conditions can affect a person physically, and mentally as well.
4. Q. Do only women have thyroid problems?
A. The percentage of women with thyroid problems is much higher, but men, as well as children, can develop thyroid disorders.
5. Q. What do 'hyperthyroid' and 'hypothyroid' mean? Does a low TSH mean a person is hyperthyroid and a high TSH mean they're hypothyroid?
A. 'Hyperthyroid' is a term that describes a thyroid disorder in which the thyroid gland is producing too much thyroid hormone. 'Hypothyroid' is a term that describes a thyroid disorder in which the thyroid gland is producing too little thyroid hormone.
The TSH ( Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ) blood test is the main test used to diagnose thyroid conditions. As a general rule, if your TSH test result is below the normal range, you're on the hyperthyroid side, and if your TSH test result is above the normal range, you're on the hypothyroid side.
In the United States, where TSH and other lab tests are measured in a different unit of measurement than is used anywhere else in the world, a normal TSH used to be from 0.5 to 5.0 mU/L
AnyTSH result below 0.5 was considered hyperthyroid. A TSH result above 5.0 was considered hypothyroid.
Note: TSH normal levels have now been changed somewhat - the new lab norms in the US are .3-3.0.In Canada a normal TSH level is .2 to 6.0.
Because there's more than one type of measurement used worldwide, the numbers may be different in your location.
The TSH level could be high in hyperthyroid disorders, although it is usually low in most hyperthyroid people, most of the time. A poorly functioning thyroid gland, when it produces thyroid hormone, will sometimes cause high TSH levels in a hyperthyroid person, as it malfunctions. If it's overworking and then underworking, it's easy to see how this disorder could result in up and down test results, over a period of several weeks. (The TSH does not change rapidly from one day to the next, but is a slow gradual process.)
Primary hypothyroidism - the most common type - will always have a higher than normal TSH in the earliest stages, while the Total T4 and FreeT4 results may be normal.
Secondary hypothyroidism - is due to an abnormality in the pituitary gland not the thyroid gland and usually includes a low TSH not a high TSH. Therefore, a person could be hypothyroid but have a TSH result that would seem to show the person is hyperthyroid. This is not a very common illness. The FT4I test is used to determine treatment with thyroid hormone replacement in these hypothyroid patients and not the standard TSH test.
