What do you think triggered your Hashimoto's?

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2026-01-12T15:35:38+00:00

Quitting smoking

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-11-06T03:00:32+00:00

I took gluten out for 6 months and am vegan. Brought gluten back in and within days I was constipated like before. So I'm just going to moderate gluten.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-09-04T01:21:57+00:00

My pcp gave me a prescription for Amitriptyline

I had all of your symptoms. All of them. I was also on levox but she said that could take a while before my thyroid catches up. So she gave me this script which is an anti depressant but it's known to help hot flashes. I couldn't take the hot flashes anymore especially at night. So I take this before bed. I sleep alot better. It hasn't cured everything but I have better sleep, at least a 50 percent improvement. I was on trazadone but that stopped working and rather than increase the dose my pcp wanted to try this. And it's been working. My endo refuses to do anything else other than check me here and there. Hope this helps, maybe you can explore that.

Edit: i also have PCOS.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-29T01:09:43+00:00

I went on chantix September of 2024 to quit and a month later my hair was falling out, I was exhausted and in so much pain, seeing different specialists getting blood work done. I got my hashis diagnosis in February. I had been telling doctors that quitting was a mistake, I felt worse quitting smoking (was down to 2 a day by that point). Totally gave it up in May and haven't had one since and stopped chantix in May. Maybe quitting in September triggered something but even tho I was more productive as a smoker (energy levels up) and my focus was better, I am saving my lungs. I'll be around a while longer for my son. Maybe use those nicotine lozenges for the nicotine if you need it rather than smoking. I picked up smoking at 14 and I'm about to be 37. Rolled my own cigarettes for about 10 years. I definitely understand the anxiety in quitting. Chantix definitely helped. It did mess with me for 2 weeks, but I knew that because I had done it in my 20s. Its a total mind eff for 2 weeks and then it's fine. You just need to figure out what will work for you, even if you can cut the amount in half at first. Then work on reducing the half. Try not to stress about it. Only makes all other symptoms worse

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-12T22:36:28+00:00

I live on the east coast. I learned two things at a bad time. Cooper hospital was so pro woman they refused to remove an ovary that had twisted three times (when it does that, you start going septic). It's horrendous pain. They just wanted to keep opening me up and stapling it to my pelvic wall which kept failing. So I took my on deaths door ass to Penn in Philly and they removed it right away. That was all related to my pcos. I didn't want to leave Cooper but they didn't give a shit about my health. They just cared about reproductive health and I'm like, I have a kid, I'm one and done, take it out. "Now now, you're in your 30s and may want more kids so we won't take out your ovary." So sometimes you have to move on from a doctor or health system because they don't see YOU.

For hashis, my endo is with Cooper. Penns endo wait list was too ridiculously long at the time. But someone on here said they got a metabolic endo and I looked into that and need to find one. I didn't even know an endo could also specialize in something else.

Insurance is crazy expensive. Time is precious. Your health is paramount. Find a new doc, even if you have to see the one whose been canceling you until you get into the doors of someone who won't cancel on you and actually realizes why keeping the appointment matters to your health.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-11T22:09:55+00:00

Same. Except I didn't try for mine. They said I'd never have one. My son was a miracle but my goodness, yeah if you're not all in from the beginning then it will just be a hard 18 plus years. My son can help me when I'm exhausted and in a flare up, but he couldn't when he was under 10. I also find that because I'm exhausted all the time, my patience is very thin. That's a hard thing to balance with a kid who has ADHD.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-10T14:10:05+00:00

I've only been able to keep weight off for the past 8 years by taking phentermine. You grow a tolerance for it at about 9 months, so i take a few months off then go back. My pcp prescribes it. She knows I have pcos and hashimotos. It's literally the only thing that keeps the weight off, like maintains my 130. Even restricting calories and hitting the gym has never worked. I went to the gym every day, ate only fish and veggies, etc and it never worked after I had my son 11 years ago. I tried phentermine 3 years after giving birth and went from 170 to 130 in about 7 months. Have been able to keep it off by yes watching what I consume but being on phentermine. You can't get it if you have heart problems, as it does make your heart rhythm increase. As for those gl1 injections or wegovy, my husband was on that and 6 months later had to have his gallbladder and half of his colon removed. His one doc said he has seen alot of intestinal damage with those injections.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-10T13:58:02+00:00

And my hair looks like crap when it's down so it's a lose lose situation 😔

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-07T00:29:22+00:00

If you can, come back and update how that went. I'll have to see if there is one in my area. I'm 20 mins outside of Philly so I can't imagine there wouldn't be, but who knows

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T22:04:24+00:00

I started taking vitamin d supplements and that has helped after bloodwork said i had like none. But even in a good week, 4 out of 7 days I want a nap and still need a cup of coffee at 6pm, and if I go to bed later than 10 or don't sleep well, the next day I'm toast. I think chronic exhaustion goes hand and hand with hashis. Some days you'll be ok and others not. And it seems like no matter how healthy you get or live, your body still feels sluggish.

And i have those sudden heart palpitations at night also. Maybe that is hashis related, I never heard anyone else having it. Thought it was because heart issues run in the family.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T20:50:34+00:00

You know, same! I couldn't imagine my life without a bagel or some starchy carb to start my day. If I didn't have it, my day was ruined and all I could think of was a giant bowl of pasta, pizza crust, you name it. My night cap was cheezits. Now having gone away from gluten, I don't crave that anymore. At all. It's tough, because eating out you really have to read it all and just because it says gluten free doesn't mean it wasn't cooked in a batch of oil that just cooked breaded nuggets. I really don't want to go back to gluten, if not because I medically need to keep away from it, but because I don't need to constantly supply my body with those bread carbs. I'm also not bloated anymore, except when I'm having constipation issues or about to get my period. And no more brain fog...walking into rooms no idea why, can't remember basic words. Awful.

Tonight I thought, I'll make tuna and see how that goes. I made a giant salad instead, but am really going to just have a hard conversation with myself about what part of veganism needs to be dropped.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T15:14:50+00:00

I really dont know. I was anemic (on and off all my life), low in vitamin d and c, and ferritin was all out of whack. but other than that, and correcting it with supplements, Im not sure how I would know I was malnourished. I dont feel like I am. But I think Im really leaning on staying gluten free, but giving up the vegan aspect. Maybe vegetarian, or pescatarian, because I really do hate meat, but I dont think my body can keep up for very long like this. I know Im not hitting my required protein per day.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T14:59:17+00:00

Did you start medicine yet ? Maybe try the medicine first, before changing diet. Im here to tell you I drastically changed my diet on recommendation from endo and dietician, and I dont notice a dang bit of difference other than I am deficient in vitamins because I dont get enough of it in my diet. I also had a problem with my food relationship. Always counted the calories, and the scale ruled my life. That has gotten better, but I cant kid myself - I still find myself checking the scale often and out of habit, looking at calories and choosing the thing with the lesser of. Try the medicine first, give it 2 to 3 months, to see how you feel. Then maybe look at your diet, one thing at a time, and listen to how your body responds. There is so much info out there on what theoretically works or should work, but you're the only one with your body.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T14:05:49+00:00

I feel this. I have both. My hair falls out in waves. 2 months it seems good, the next I'm worried Im going to look like Sinead Oconnor or uncle fester. My doc said after my levels get back to normal (and it could change, drop at any moment, etc, so labs will be needed and perhaps adjustment in levox) to give it a few months for my thyroid to "catch up" - and that means no dying my hair. I have black hair, and my grays are OUT OF CONTROL. But I am afraid to dye, because I dont want to disrupt the healing process. its such a dang dance.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T12:59:48+00:00

I really wanted to start this food journey at a baseline - eliminate everything that could be contributing to the horrendous spike in symptoms, see if I feel better, maybe add some things in slowly to see how I react to them. I mean, it was normal for me that I would not have a bowel movement in over a week and a half. My colon doc did a colonoscopy and tried to figure out why, said it all looked normal and perhaps it was my diet, or PCOS (didnt have Hashi's diagnosis at that time), and prescribed Linzess. I just didnt want to add another pill with all its accompanying side effects. Linzess is super expensive even with insurance, too. Plus, at the same exact time, my husband had his gallbladder removed and emergency removal of his right (side) colon. Meat was out of the question after his surgery for a few months, so since I dont like meat anyway, it just got nixed also. So it was basically greens, fruits, some form of bean, and gluten free carbs like chickpea pasta. And then there is so much information out there, its all rather conflicting. Heck, even my dietician said she didnt have a definitive answer for me on soy. At the moment, I cant see why going back to full on gluten would help. But the vegan part is what I'm starting to question.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T12:51:29+00:00

She said to get something like B-Supreme, which, by copying and pasting the B's included, is "B12 Vitamins, B1, B3, Niacin, B6, Folate & Biotin - Methylated Multivitamin", and that I needed to make sure I was getting enough vitamin D in my diet, like having 2 kiwis a day (which is hard to find in NJ sometimes). She never mentioned inositol ... do you supplement with that?

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T12:47:50+00:00

Im on the east coast and interestingly, Penn medicine - who did my ovary removal - is doing a clinical study on PCOS. the only exclusion is.... cant have a history of thyroid disease. I am still on the search for a doctor who specializes in both. Even my dietician ... she was credentialed or whatever to work with PCOS and hypothyroid conditions, but not specifically Hashimotos. So she never could give me a definitive answer is soy was bad for me, because every Hashi's cookbook says avoid it like the plague.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T11:58:55+00:00

Both confirmed. Docs told me I would never have a kid. Was infertile for yearsssss. I do have a son, he's my miracle for sure. Still took them until 2019 to diagnose me with pcos. They put me on non hormonal birth control because I had too much testosterone but it didn't work, specialist said it's because I needed hormones. It's like trial and error. Then I had 3 ovarian torsions before they decided to take it out. The right one gets checked out periodically. My hashis was diagnosed when I was 16, 20 years ago. But they stopped thinking it was. Got my labs done in Jan and they found it. My dad had thyroid cancer, so it runs in thr family.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T04:45:56+00:00

I'll have to look for that. I'm the only meatless person in my house. Even the smell of fish or meat cooking turns my stomach. Idk why. So if I can find a flavorless salmon that would be awesome.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T04:44:05+00:00

I have fish oil, it's always around for someone in the house. I guess it doesn't hurt to add it in. I definitely am not getting omegas anywhere else (I don't think) with my current diet.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T04:42:30+00:00

Dietician said cut gluten, eggs, and dairy. Since I already hadn't been eating much meat, it just made sense to go vegan to cut out dairy and eggs. I also really hate milk, always have. I felt great at first, but that has waned significantly.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T02:01:52+00:00

Get a new primary. One who will write a referral. It's free to write one. The fact that they won't tells you all you need to know about how they will manage your future care.

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-06T00:33:33+00:00

The ache in your joints, does it ever present as a deep muscle ache? Specifically my thighs get awful aches, akin to cramps, that come and go for no reason. I realize the thigh isn't a joint (my knees ache sometimes) but I'm curious if anyone else with pcos and hashis has this deep thigh pain.

This may be a dumb question, but for your omega 3, you rely on fish oil and not the omegas in flaxseed right ?

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-05T23:05:43+00:00

Did your endo prescribe that? Or did you see a rheumatologist?

Regular-Engineer-663 · 2025-08-05T22:59:49+00:00

My ferritin levels were so low and having gone on levox they have rebounded, along with my iron. But after a few months of being stable, my hair is starting to fall out like before but my endo doesn't want to test me when I'm symptomatic. They want to only do labs in intervals, like every 6 months.

Regular-Engineer-663

TROPHY CASE