I'm 52 yrs old tomorrow March 4. I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto's about 2 weeks ago. I have suffered the last five months with hives and pin prick itch and really hot skin sometimes, mostly around the neck. The skin on arms sometimes feels like a very mild sunburn...energy has been good...always been a moody worry wart person my whole life so don't think I can blame my anxiety and depression on Hashimoto's I guess in the scope of things that you can get this isn't so bad for me as of yet the odd thing is I don't see many people complain about the symptoms I have also just want to say make sure you insist on getting the medical care you want and deserve. I spent 5 months and 4 doctors to finally find one that listened and was determined to find out my problem my GP I think, just tuned me out and chalked everything up to anxiety by the way my tch always checked fine and still does but my internal medicine specialist decided to test for antigens and I was loaded with them I guess. I hope they find a cure for these autoimmune diseases soon as my son and brother in law have another form of auto called crohn's.

I am now a 37 year old female nurse who was diagnosed with Hashimoto disease 3 years ago. At the onset of the disease I had a TSH of 0.001 which is actually hyperthyroidism and a TPO of 68. My beginning symptoms were shaky hands, increased loose bowel movements sometimes up to 20x a day. My appetite varied I was either extremely hungry or anorexic. I had heart palpitations, itchy feet that would wake me up at all hours of the night. My hair actually thickened and I needed to shave my legs 2 times a day. I was energetic and extremely active for a period of days on end and would have a day or 2 where I felt fatigued. As I was in nursing school and began to learn more about the way the body works I monitored my vital signs. Average bp was 110 over 70 with a pulse rate of 88. Sometimes I felt like a furnace and would need to turn the shower on ice cold to feel comfortable, I had an axillary temp of 100 degrees and an oral temp of 98.6. My mental status at the time was anxiety with periods of depression. My memory was ok at the time. My skin was combination and my eye would twitch. As it progressed I began to experience a skin burning sensation in my neck, sternum, upper stomach and upper arm area after checking levels I was still hyper and my endo informed me that this feeling is the thyroid draining.(Not everyone with Hashimoto experiences this feeling). I also experienced very itchy skin with hives, I was put on Tapazole. The severity of the symptoms decreased. After a little over a year on the Tapazole I was finally euthyroid and feeling pretty good so I took a break. Now after almost a years break it is the night before New Years Eve 2010 and my symptoms have changed a bit. I am now cold even in a 75 degree house, mentally in a fog, more tired then usual with 2 -3 normal bowel movements a day, a pulse range from 66bpm-88bpm, dry hair, periods of weight loss with weight gain, periods of dry skin with periods of oily skin. At the start my menses were 4 light days now it alternates with some heavy flowed nausea months. For the last 2 summers I have lost hair in the winter my skin itches. In euthyroid range I actually had what seems to be hyper and hypo symptoms. My mental status is now more depressed with some anxiety, bp still 110 over 70 some sweats behind the neck with tinnitus. (I am not working on patients like this) Hashimoto is a disease that is not classic textbook. The symptoms of this disease are as unique as the people who have it. From what I have read most people find out when they are hypo, some are hyper in the beginning and some fluctuate from hypo to hyper, and some people don't even know they have it they just a complaint of feeling tired. Please take some advice if you are depressed or anxious don't be ashamed to see a therapist it can help. Keep up with your doctor visits and write down any questions you may have.

First, there was weight gain, although I wasn't eating more than I had before, and lack of sexual desire. I attributed both symptoms to stress. Then thinning hair and dry skin that I attributed to getting older, not drinking enough water and genetics. My grandmother and mother had very thin hair as they got older. My nails were hard but thin and breaking all over the place, where before they had peeled in layers. Finally, I was just so tired all of the time, as if my "get-up-and-go got up and went.” I would look around and see all that needed to be done, would make to-do lists but just couldn't get up to do any of it. Then I started taking naps and more and more naps, which I never did before, but I still felt tired. Concentration took all of my effort. Other things were robbing me of sleep, so I finally went to the doctor thinking that sleep deprivation was the cause of my problems. That's when the tests started, and I found out I had Hashimoto's.

My hair gets extremely dry and I get a lump in my throat. I get more forgetfull and not quite with it.

I dropped my daughter off at school and fell asleep only to wake up right before it was time to pick her up! This happened three days in a row. The fourth day I was in the doctor's office. I knew this was not normal: Most people have enough energy to make it through the day. I found out that Hashimoto's thyroiditis in my family all over the place. I've been struggling with it for years and didn't know. With three pregnancies, my thyroid was wacky afterward, but I just didn't know that at the time. I thought maybe it was my hormones adjusting. I also had muscle cramping, chest pain that landed me in emergency room, a muscle ache in my arm pit area, and aching finger joints as if I had carpal tunnel syndrome. Depression was mild, but it was there. I also felt as if I were in a mental fog. I could not recall names, or titles of books, or authors. I could not concentrate and wondered why I felt so foggy. The only way to focus was with caffeine, but it would wear off right away. Now that I'm on Synthroid, my symptoms are all starting to fade, thankfully. I did gain 20 pounds, which have not come off yet but hopefully with some time and work, I can shed it.