hypothyroidism

Dear Doctor I am writing this letter because I find it difficult to talk about my symptoms. If you ask how I feel, I usually respond with alright, but the truth is I feel far from it. The days when I wake up and feel anything like normal are few and far between. My symptoms consist of: • Tiredness and lethargy. • Intolerance to cold (I have always been this way. As a teenager, I was the only one of my peers to take their coat on a night out. I always take a jacket out with me for summer evenings for fear of getting cold. When I get cold I am completely miserably and very short tempered. My siblings, partner and children have often been at the receiving end of this and just dismiss it as they know I am cold. My feet and sometimes legs go blue and the pain in my hands and feet is extreme whilst the rest of me just hurt. I avoid going out in the winter and only venture out in the cold when absolutely necessary. As I am not employed I very rarely venture out of the house). • Dry skin and hair loss (my body hair is plentiful but the hair on my head falls out in hands full). • Poor memory and difficulty concentrating (some days I am fine, I use these days to cram in as much as I can, other days I struggle) • Constipation (I have an intolerance to puff wheat so I use them and bran flakes to try and combat this) • Decreased appetite and weight gain. I very rarely feel hungry and often just have a meal in the evening with my partner. I don’t snack and chocolate and biscuits are a treat that I go months without). I have not had a weight issue in the past; however, just recently, my weight has rapidly increased, despite exercise. • I think my general hearing is ok, but I have a problem when people whisper. Loud noise makes my head feel like it is about to explode. My ears often feel like they need to pop and I sometimes get whooshing noises. • Reduced libido. I don’t think I have any, thankfully I have an understanding Partner, although I do believe it is a problem for him. • Cold peripheries. I have always had cold hands and feet. My feet are nearly always blue. My big toe turns black just above the toe nail. Putting on a pair of socks usually returns them to a normal colour, but I am then limited to wearing trainers during summer months as people often comment on my blue feet if I wear open toe shoes or sandals. When my hands get cold my fingers will sometimes go white and go numb, but retain their movement, although it is with some difficulty. • I often wake up with a puffy face; it does not look like me in the mirror. This soon reduces and goes back to normal usually within an hour. I have a son who has been diagnosed with goitre and consequently had a TSH test. I had a raised TSH result, but the follow on T3/T4 result was normal. The doctor I consulted told me that the results were fine and I must have been ill when the first test was taken. However, further reading suggests that I may have hypothyroidism. I realise that this letter sound like a big moan, but I generally feel like crap. Today I cannot stop crying. I have no major problems in my life and I am excitedly looking forward to my wedding next month, in Cuba. But still today is a cry day, I feel like crap and cannot stop crying. When I wake up tomorrow I will probably be ok. I will still feel like crap, but without the crying. I have low self-esteem and if I was to self-diagnose myself, I would say I have acute hypochondria. If this is the case I would like treatment for it. Am I just depessed?