Advice on approaching your doctor

In the U.S. today, roughly half of all adults with conventional hypothyroidism go undiagnosed. Why? To a large extent, it's because doctors miss the signs. Look at how numerous and diverse the symptoms are on the 'List of Possible Low Thyroid Symptoms'. Any one of those symptoms could have a number of causes, one of which might be hypothyroidism. Take fatigue for example. Its the most common symptoms of hypothyroidism. But does it have other even more likely causes. Of course. Lack of sleep is one. It is not unusual for patients visiting their doctor to mention only a symptom or two even if they have 4, 8, even 12 or more symptoms. By focusing on the few symptoms mentioned by their patient, the doctor can be misled into seeking a separate cause for each symptom instead of suspecting a connecting cause for a wide diversity of symptoms which can be characteristic of hypothyroidism.

When you go to your doctor, we advise you jot down 3 to 6 of the more problematic symptoms that you experience from our List of Symptoms If any of your symptoms are among the following, mention them first. They are ones that doctors more easily recognize as possible signs of hypothyroidism:

• Tiredness or weakness
• Feeling cold when others are not
• Dry, scaly, or itchy skin
• Difficulty remembering things, and/or concentrating
• Gaining weight more easily

If your doctor still doesn't suggest the possibility of hypothyroidism after discussing your list, ask 'could this be caused by a low thyroid?' Nudge your doctor a little to 'rule out the possibility' (doctor's language) by having you take a TSH lab test. It's an important first test for diagnosing traditional hypothyroidism.

If the above suggestions don't get you a TSH test, here's the next suggestion. If you have more symptoms on your list, show or tell the doctor all of them. Ask again could all of these be signs of low thyroid?

If it still don't get a TSH test, go to another doctor and try again.