Newbie - could use some help.

[Haras]

Hi there. I've been having symptoms for the past year or so. I'm 17, 125 lbs (that never changes, despite amount of exercise/awfulness of my diet), about 5'8" tall.

I've made a list of my symptoms based on one that I found online. I'm going to copy/paste it below (sorry, it's kind of a wall of text). My question is - after reading through my symptoms, what specifically should I be tested for next time I go to the doctor, and should it be more urgent than it is (right now, my mom's treating it as if it's nothing)?

My risk factors for hypothyroidism include:

__x__ I have a family history of thyroid disease (Father)

I have the following symptoms of hypothyroidism, as detailed by the Merck Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the Thyroid Foundation of America

__x__ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I am very sensitive to temperature in general, mostly feeling cold when others are comfortable)
__x__ I feel fatigued, exhausted
__x__ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
__x__ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick (my skin is oily/breaks out, but has a layer of dry skin on top that never completely goes away, regardless of moisturizers/cleansers used. The skin frequently looks flaky and layers of skin peel off if I don't scrub the skin off with a damp towel and immediately moisturize.)
__x__ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet (mostly neck/shoulders are always sore. Hip/groin joint will also sometimes feel as if it's not in the right place. I also have TMD, where the cartilage in the right TM joint is partially dislocated)
__x__ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (26 day cycle instead of 28, and my period lasts for 6 days)
__x__ I feel depressed (fluctuates)
__x__ I feel restless (usually in legs)
__x__ My moods change easily (mostly I get angry/upset easily)
__x__ I have difficulty concentrating
__x__ I have more feelings of sadness (fluctuates)
__x__ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities (only occasionally)
__x__ I'm more forgetful lately

I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more frequently in people with hypothyroidism:

__x__ I can't seem to remember thing
__x__ I have/may have sleep apnea (I wake up a lot during the night)
__x__ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest (this only happened once or twice)
__x__ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen (usually occurs during an anxiety attack)
__x__ My eyes feel sensitive to light
__x__ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
__x__ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
__x__ I feel some lightheadedness (when standing, vision will be tunnel-like and I will feel dizzy for a moment)
__x__ I have severe menstrual cramps (usually only on the first day of the period, but they worsen with the amount of activity/stress in the day)
__x__ I have a high anxiety level (ranging from not being able to stop thinking (usually before sleeping) to irritability to restlessness to anxiety attacks)
__x__ I have tremors in my hands (usually the left hand, but sometimes the right as well)
__x__ My nails are brittle (they break/chip easily, and sometimes layers of the nail peel off)

If you've read this far, thank you. And even more thanks if you give some advice. =D

[Lovlkn]

Haras,

I have a 17 year old son and just had a thyroid panel run on him to include:

TSH
FreeT4
FreeT3

To address your RLS I would also ask for a ferritin test - symptoms of low ferritin include RLS, fatigue, memory issues, sleep issues.

B-12 is another as well as Vit D.

All came back normal on my son's labs - 17 years old is a time of growth and the body is extremely hormonal. Alot of thyroid disease symptoms can mimic normal hormone fluctuation as can alot of other deficiencies such as iron, Vit D or low B-12.

[Andros]

Hi there. I've been having symptoms for the past year or so. I'm 17, 125 lbs (that never changes, despite amount of exercise/awfulness of my diet), about 5'8" tall.

I've made a list of my symptoms based on one that I found online. I'm going to copy/paste it below (sorry, it's kind of a wall of text). My question is - after reading through my symptoms, what specifically should I be tested for next time I go to the doctor, and should it be more urgent than it is (right now, my mom's treating it as if it's nothing)?

My risk factors for hypothyroidism include:

__x__ I have a family history of thyroid disease (Father)

I have the following symptoms of hypothyroidism, as detailed by the Merck Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the Thyroid Foundation of America

__x__ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I am very sensitive to temperature in general, mostly feeling cold when others are comfortable)
__x__ I feel fatigued, exhausted
__x__ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
__x__ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick (my skin is oily/breaks out, but has a layer of dry skin on top that never completely goes away, regardless of moisturizers/cleansers used. The skin frequently looks flaky and layers of skin peel off if I don't scrub the skin off with a damp towel and immediately moisturize.)
__x__ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet (mostly neck/shoulders are always sore. Hip/groin joint will also sometimes feel as if it's not in the right place. I also have TMD, where the cartilage in the right TM joint is partially dislocated)
__x__ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (26 day cycle instead of 28, and my period lasts for 6 days)
__x__ I feel depressed (fluctuates)
__x__ I feel restless (usually in legs)
__x__ My moods change easily (mostly I get angry/upset easily)
__x__ I have difficulty concentrating
__x__ I have more feelings of sadness (fluctuates)
__x__ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities (only occasionally)
__x__ I'm more forgetful lately

I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more frequently in people with hypothyroidism:

__x__ I can't seem to remember thing
__x__ I have/may have sleep apnea (I wake up a lot during the night)
__x__ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest (this only happened once or twice)
__x__ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen (usually occurs during an anxiety attack)
__x__ My eyes feel sensitive to light
__x__ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
__x__ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
__x__ I feel some lightheadedness (when standing, vision will be tunnel-like and I will feel dizzy for a moment)
__x__ I have severe menstrual cramps (usually only on the first day of the period, but they worsen with the amount of activity/stress in the day)
__x__ I have a high anxiety level (ranging from not being able to stop thinking (usually before sleeping) to irritability to restlessness to anxiety attacks)
__x__ I have tremors in my hands (usually the left hand, but sometimes the right as well)
__x__ My nails are brittle (they break/chip easily, and sometimes layers of the nail peel off)

If you've read this far, thank you. And even more thanks if you give some advice. =D

Hi Haras and welcome to the board. Well.............it certainly seems that you may have thyroid issues?

Have you seen a doctor about all this? If so, did your doctor run tests such as those listed below?

TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin),TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/

[GD Women]

Hello and welcome to the board.

What is wrong with weighing 125 lbs. at 5'8"? Some professional weight charts would show you to be 15 lbs under weight and others you'd be right on. So you shouldn't stress on the weight issue.

Don't be surprised if you levels come back normal. Science proves that symptoms don't occur until overt hypothyroid, TSH over 10. Also a lot of other health issues share the same symptoms as thyroid, so symptoms can be foolers. Plus I can just about guess and be right, where you got your list and it would not be a medical or professional thyroid site such as thyroid organizations, etc.

Lets hope you are not thyroid. it is not as easy illness as most think and that all their health problems/symptoms will be solved.

Any way good luck and good health!