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Mine is the primary type. No clue as to why my thyroid started to fail, but Hashimoto's seems the best bet.

It is harder to get the dose right when there is an ongoing and gradual failure. I had to go to an endocrinologist when the synthetic t4 replacement, either synthroid or levoxyl, didn't seem to doing much for the symptoms. Family physicians tend to be cautious when prescribing thyroid medication, and even tho he kept gradually increasing my dosage as my tsh kept creeping up, it never seemed to catch up.

What most do not realize is that a failing thyroid affects just about every organ system in the body, and the symptoms mimic just about every illness known to man. Over the years of gradually failing thyroid, with not enough medication to keep up with it, I gained over 80 lbs, and couldn't figure out why. No diet seemed to work to control it, either.

Only getting the cytomel added stopped the constant weight gain, and then after trying all the regular diets, only Atkins seemed to work to get any of the pounds off.

One thing I learned from the endocrinologist is that the tsh has to be a lot lower than the average family physician wants it to be. The latter are happy to get it under the high end of the normal range, whereas the endo wants it just above the low end of the normal range.

Even when my tsh is optimal, I still have days when I feel sub-par, but have learned to live with it.

Amen...a lower normal TSH is a good benchmark.

I hope you continue to improve. Lots of folks get hypo as they age....I know a half dozen folks over 50 who come to mind immediately.

It is hard to "chase" a failing thyroid with meds.

After my second RAI treatment, I crashed hard....mild thyroid storms (Thank G-d for Inderal) and lots of palpitations and very strange vertigo "spells"....I found out later I had a compressed pituitary which was affected.

Strange stuff....I wish you the best.

My wife's mom had pheocrysytoma (sic) so I feel fortunate compared to many when it comes to endocrinological disorders.