What is Hoshimotos?

Thank you,

Chronic progressive thyroiditis, or Hashimoto's disease, is a disorder of the thyroid gland where antibodies are produced by the body to work against the thyroid gland.

It's a fairly common autoimmune condition mostly (but not always) affecting women, and it causes the thyroid to become enlarged (goitre).

There have been a number of posts about the condition here on the site, and a search has brought up the following : http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/se...to%27s+disease

I also did a Google search for you and found heaps of information.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...imotos+disease

I hope you find something helpful amongst it all.

Came the 'hashimoto's', diagnosed two years after my neuropathy onset.
Hypo-active thyroid usually occurs in women entering menopause and is easily treated with thyroid substitutes. It often takes a long while to get treatment doses to the 'just rite' level. As we are changing during the whole meno process. However Hashi's is when your bodie's antibodies attack and kill the thyroid. Still treatment are the thyroid substitutes.
This is a good site to check out [click on the blue] http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyroid.html This site will give you more than you ever wanted to know about the endocrine system and you'll find that some other parts of that system can 'kick in' to a limited degree and help things along. But meds are a super boost to the overall problem.
Do a web search of 'Hashimoto's' and stick to what appear to be reliable medical sites such as the NIH and many research hospitals. Don't get swayed by any site that 'promises' cures! Don't even GO there!
The endo system is a complicated one, and one that does a heap of work for our bodies that we never appreciate until? Learn, ask questions and become amazed at how your body deals with it all.
Since Hashi's is an Autoimmue issue? Take a look at the Autoimmune forum further down the NT menu. It's just super that you got diagnosed so fast! Super job by your docs! Some folks go for years in misery and aren't diagnosed. 's - j

I've had Hashimoto's - basically an underactive thyroid with autoimmune issues (Koala77's post is excellent) - for about 15 years (my husband had Grave's until medivac'd from Iceland by the Navy for radio-a treatment to deactivate his thyroid - we've had interesting discussions re: Synthroid for years ).

In March, '09, 4 months after surgery for a simple broken hip and pelvis, I started losing weight dramatically. Drs 1st wrote it off to inactivity, but I suddenly developed projectile vomiting to the point of not keeping food or water down. Drs started new treatments and also responded to what they thought was Raynaud's (my symptoms were severely painful, pure white hands - an innocent but drastic misdiagnosis).

I then lost 70 lbs in 4 short months, leaving me under 110 lbs at 5'10". My Rheumo arthritis Dr had me rushed to the hospital after 2 blood tests 10 days apart. He was positive that the 1st results were completely misread - they read like something from an autopsy. ER informed my husband that I was 2 hours from death due to organ shutdown caused by severe malnutrition, and to call family rapidly.

Many tests, dollars, and months later, my neurologist pinned it on a "Thyroid Storm". With Hashimoto's and too infrequent blood tests for Synthroid management, other organs "scream" at your thyroid for increased output. Your thyroid "wakes up" and goes into super overdrive like a space shuttle launch. The other organs go into shock from thyroid-output starvation to output overload; a GP will not catch this with longterm Hashimoto patients and blood-testing only during your yearly physical checkup.

Everything happens in what seems like the blink of an eye. The permanent damage of severe malnutrition is irreversible, devastating, and painful beyond belief.

If you do not have them, consider getting a regular endocrinologist and neurologist to help with your Hashimoto management. The best of luck to you, sincerely, in learning to deal with Hashimoto's - just watch out with Hashimoto's, it's sneaky. It can cause a life-and-death situation in an instant and the longer a person has it, like me, the less attention is paid to it, as if it were poison oak from a nice weekend camping trip.

I really hope this helps you and anyone else new to Hashimoto's. I learned, almost too late.

Took about 3 years to actually get Hashi's as a diagnosis...,but only following other immune issues 'popping' up!
That 'storm' was both fast, dramatic, scary and well- more? Every doc sort of went "DUH"? Afterwards... To which several years later I go HUH? WHY DIDN'T you catch something soo common and so easily fixed?
I grant you, that mine hadn't gotten to your point of issues, but bad enuf! May we all learn from each other and not repeat these problems! And...may others learn not to just 'ignore' some things!
Sometimes it creeps up on you? Other times it can crash down on you! But it can and does happen! Do Not Ignore some of those signs! Either way, ignoring it all can do more damage to you that you really do not need.
Hope and good docs and treatments for all! - j 's

is the OP referring to thyroid or encephalitis??

Dahlek, you are truly a rare and precious resource for us! You need to go kick some Dr's backsides, and I'll join you! Thyroid Storms are yes, so very, very common and so treatable...when caught early. But, they are most common in the Graves crowd, and fairly rare in us Hashi's. Hashimoto is truly more of an autoimmune disease and toys with the thyroid, as almost an afterthought. However, a storm is a Storm is a STORM in either case!!! Drs see Hashimoto history and toss a possible storm right out the window - to them, they're taught it is rarely a consideration.

Dahlek is dead on, As the one with the diagnosis, NEVER ignore a symptom that is different to YOU . Pound the change into your Dr's head, if you have to (if he's clinging to schooling that says "Nah, this shouldn't be happening"). Learn all you can from others. That might very well save your life,

When your feet swell up three sizes larger than normal? Obviously this was something that docs could actually SEE.
It was [inevitably] right before a holiday weekend and I was able to get into an emergency medical outlet to get bloodwork done. It wasn't till the following week tho, that the tests came back and f/u w/my GP led to a BIG increase in Synthroid doses.
It was one miserable wait for diagnosis and for treatments to kick in tho... .
Wish it hadn't gotten to that point, but, at least it's easy to SEE when it happens? Unlike the more subtle things that happened before it becomes a disaster. BTW? It took well over two years for docs to really see it as Hashi's and not just 'hypo-thyroid'. And only after a few other immune issues popped up. Don't forget? You can use your cane as a weapon if necessary [I don't, but it IS a nice thought at times].
's to all and hang in there! - j

Dead on, again, Dahlek. Edema is pretty hard to ignore when you first see it, and you have none of the common conditions that cause it (congestive heart failure, COPD, diabetes, etc). Your storm screamed. My storm took the sneaky route. No matter the method the storm chooses, the recipient suffers, big time. My old mantra that a storm is always a storm I had a new GP who did the most basic of thyroid tests, and modestly increased my Synthroid, which was like tossing gasoline on a raging fire. But, the sudden and extreme neuropathy I presented, and the massive weight loss? Come on, some Dr people!

More importantly, thanks for pointing out, again, that Hashimoto's and hypo-thyroid really are two different animals. I really did a mis-service in my initial post.

My Hashimoto's was diagnosed because of autoimmune issues, long before it hit on my thyroid. Unfortunately, it is easier for GPs to lump Hashi and hypo together when the patient does Not have Hashi and the thyroid first is noted with low output I'm starting to think we're a pretty good team, here

Hi,

I'm sorry, but the more I read about the thyroid and the more values I see as to what is in/not in the normal range, the more confused I get.

Was told by the endo that I "probably" have Hasimoto's. What does "probably" mean. Did he say that because I was diagnosed just prior with Sjogren's/neuropathy.

Somebody suggested I ask the doc if I should be taking BETWEEN the 0.25 and 0.50mcg dose based upon my most recent numbers, or something like 0.37 mcg. Guess that would mean cutting the 50 mg caplet to 2/3 its size instead of in half?

Sheltiemom