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I wanted to let everyone know that I saw a thyroid specialist today. Based on my bloodwork, he did diagnose my with a very mild case of hypothyroidism, which he says MAY (in rare instances) affect bowel habits and cause constipation. He's putting me on a thyroid medication ASAP.

It's good news that you have been put on medication to get your thyroid levels back in order. Constipation is a common condition associated with hypothyroidism. Do a board search for all the posts on hypothyroidism. There have been many. There is also an excellent forum on about.com with helpful research and message boards.

Of course, he's also basing his diagnose on my constant complaint of fatigue and depression. Although the case is mild, he says he has seen people who are severely affected by the condition. Absolutely! I was one. And while he doesn't know if the medication will help my constipation and IBS, it's possible that it could help.

The other good news is that after a few months of this medication, I can start tapering of my anti-depressants. The main reason I was on them was the crushing fatigue and inability to deal with daily life caused by fatigue. If it's all a thyroid condition, stopping antidepressants might help the C, too. Maybe, since AD's do contribute to constipation, but it is more likely to help the fatigue, that is if your body is converting enough T-4 to T-3 which is what affects the fatigue and mood. If not, he can add a low dose of T-3, Cytomel, to see if that helps when you are off the AD's, if you still have the symptoms.

I don't know if any of this will work, but I have some better hopes today. I don't think I'll stop the parts of the diet that work for me any time soon, because they definitely have me eating healthier than I did before. I will keep you updated on the thyroid medication, in the hopes that perhaps the stuff I am experiencing might help other folks find some relief, too.

I've been hypothyroid for nearly 20 years but have had IBS for only 2 1/2. For me, one has not affected the other, since hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disease, IBS is not. Unfortunately, one autoimmune disease begets another, so it wise to be tested for all the other more common ones too. Kandee

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Wow! Thank you, Kandee! You're welcome. The doc was hesitant to "promise" any improvement in my constipation, but stressed it "may" improve. It's good to know this will more likely than not be the case. SFS will bring the most relief from the "C".

A question for you about hypothyroidism...the doc is starting me on 25 mg. of synthroid, and I FEEL WEIRD. Now, it could be the grey and rainy February days we're having in Ohio, but I sorta feel all cobwebby in the head and sleepy. I tried seeing if this was a side effect, but I've not found any information on it. I may do a web search later, but it's not bothersome enough to really worry about yet. I figured it may just be an "adjustment" period. Getting your levels back to normal, even if you were slightly hypo, meaning sub-clinical, is a slow and tedious process. Going fast can be dangerous, if the doc didn't explain this to you. The protocol is to test every 6 weeks until the desired level is reached, adjusting the amount of medication every 6 weeks if need be. Being sleepy and having brain fog, not to mention hair loss, along the way is normal and sometimes doesn't go away for many months even after your levels are normal. My advise is for you to get copies of ALL your blood work and chart the numbers noting how you feel at what level. So many hypothyroids do best at a TSH level of between 1 and 2, but others feel fine at a TSH of 3 or 4. Over the years the acceptable range keeps being lowered, and for good reason. The proof of the pudding is HOW you feel, but give it time. Take a look at the web site I mentioned, and get yourself a copy of "Living Well with Hypothyroidism" by Mary Shomon for more information.

Thank you for your post! It's good to know I may get some relief soon. Just be patient, and remember to educate yourself along the way so you and your doc can get the levels to where they are best for you. Good luck and keep us posted. Kandee

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