Im just posting this thread for anyone suffering from Hashimoto's disease. I suffered for 9-10 years until this was diagnosed and i am only 21 years of age so this hit me in my early childhood. Anyway i have tried various thyroid medications to no avail but this medication changed my life.

It's called ERFA Thyroid and you want to dose based on the elimination of symptoms. Its a natural dessicated thyroid product and is bio-identical meaning the exact same thing your own thyroid would be producing.

http://thyroid.erfa.net/

Also for anyone with hashimoto's disease...

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

Im hoping some people with the same condition will post the issues they are experiencing since i wouldn't mind speaking to others with the same condition as me

WIsh I could take this....I tried dessicated thryoid (naturethroid) here is the US. But I felt worse on it. Turns out I have an allergy to Pork which dessicated thryoid is made from. But I know it has helped many people so good for you!

But, I wasn't 'stupid' during the whole process! Got me?
I was HYPO for well over 10+ years prior to 'getting the Hashi's' diagnosis, but, it's not like I wasn't expecting it. I'd been able to keep prior x-rays/mris of the thyroid when it was tested years before for a 'goiter', of not 'problem' at the time. I'd been well treated for the Hyppo, which is common in pre-post menopausal females for ages.... I've seen the 'films'. They are not 'pretty'? My thyroid died. Wether due to other immune issues adding or contributing to it's 'death'? Well, no docs are willing to do 'exploratory' surgery to find out. And, for that I am grateful.
What I have to ask of you is a two fold question?
1- what set off your immune response? Especially at such a young age? I gather you are into some atheletics? Did you do something there that set stuff off? Key to who you are and what you have to deal with.
2- In the US, the 'dessicated' thyroid meds are considered unstable and unreliable in terms of purity, efficacy and safety. A source of debate ad nauseum.
BTW? It was BIG here about 5 years ago? NOT NOW! It's considered DANGEROUS in most medical circles... Check out this site and learn more ...especially from folks who win/lose from the varied thyroid treatment opinions. http://thyroid.about.com/ Depends on how you got your Hashi's. ME? I got it due to ageing and a slew of other deliteful immune slamms and bangs. You? Let's focus not only on cause, but on treatments? And so far, things seem inconclusive.. for you... Hugs and hope - j

My daughter had her left lobe removed due to nodules at the age of 19. Her TPO number clued them in to her Hashimoto's. The FNA's done were inconclusive but cancer was ruled out during surgery.

She was immediately put on Synthroid - only. She only got worse. Up and down the dosages went FOR YEARS. Along with prescriptions for depression, skin problems, headaches, severe (and I mean severe) constipation, etc. She and her husband didn't fair too well during her illness and they separated/divorced. She hung on somehow to finish college classes for a two year degree and moved home.
Within months of her moving back, we discovered she is also gluten intolerant, along with other foods. Has polycystic ovarian syndrome. Is anemic and low on many important nutrients/vitamins *D, B12, etc. She was also prescribed Cytomel which helped. The gluten free diet is adding to her over all better health too.

She is being seen by an awesome nutritionist who is testing her further and going to have her put on an Armour type med instead of the synthetic stuff. She also has her on a liquid form of D3, some iodine/iodide as well.
She has also put ME on the iodine/iodide for my nodules that I have scheduled for surgery in three weeks - I am not sure if I want surgery and the lifetime of yuck with the lame meds that the drs dole out.

Good for you MetalMX on the find!! Keep on learning and questioning and demanding that you be considered by the medical professionals. Most of the time they are just guessing and they have NO idea what the patient is feeling. Don't take any negativity from them. You hired them to care for you. Good luck and good health!!

Curious why you ask this. I've never heard of anyone pinpointing an origin to Hashimoto's, but I have wondered about this.

I was a gymnast throughout childhood, to the point where I was working out five or more days a week. When you exercise that much, your body responds by inhibiting other normal processes-most obvious is the maturation process. In high school, I attended a two week summer gymnastics camp which was intense. When I came home, my knees wouldn't even hold me up. The abuse on them had been so great that they were kaput. I had to wear knee braces and accept that I was too old (and I was a normal 5'5", not a little pipsqueak like they are these days) and big to keep it up. I had to quit. So, in the space of a few weeks, I went from intense exercise to being in knee braces and nothing.

That happened right before I started 10th grade.....and when I started school, I was falling asleep in class and sleeping in the nurse's office on a daily basis. Finally, she decided something was wrong and took it to my mom....which eventually resulted in the Hashimoto's diagnosis.

I've always wondered if it was the screeching halt of my activity that somehow set off the immune response, like my body was attacking my thyroid to make it shut down to become more in line with my new activity level (of almost nothing, in comparison).

Anyway, that's my story I was awfully young to be diagnosed with Hashimoto's, so it would make sense that there was somthing that set it off.

Thanks a lot for sharing!!!!!!! I loved the stop the thyroid madness website. I think i have issues with my adrenal glands in addition to my thyroid

Hello to anyone who reads this, I am brand new to this site, just registered a few minutes ago. I wanted to try and find out if anyone with Hashimoto's has tried helminthictherapy. Any responses would be appreciated.

Thanks for sharing. I've often worried by thyroid is having problems but my TSH tests always come back "normal". At least now I can print this up and explain to my doctor the need to test my thyroid some more, since I have almost 50% of the symptoms listed. I certainly appreciate you sharing that link.

I have had hypothyroidism for 17 years, but wasn't re-tested until recently and found Hashimoto's. Seeing an endo for the first time as soon as my referral goes through. Maybe I can start feeling better. I really like the stopthethryoidmadness site you shared! It is good to find out more about the ◦anti-TPO ◦TgAb antibodies.