The Thyroid Thread - Page 9

[JaneS]

Trulife,
Get thee to the above website!!

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by its_our_family

My visit went really well. She asked why I was there and why I thought it was my thyroid. I went over about 4 things and she stopped me and said she needed to more convincing. I told her I had a list and she asked to see it and added it to my file. They are running about 10 blood test. SHe is checking my blood sugar, for anemia, and testing just about every hormone.

I told her about the weight gain, facial hair, tiredness, and acne.

So, it went well.


She also agreed that with everything I have going on that something is definetely amiss and that she will find out what it is.

How were tests? Did you find anything out?

[fibre_artist]

OK, so I get that I'm trying to keep free T3 and free T4 in the upper third, and that TSH doesn't really count for much given the above. But I'm trying to figure out WHY - where is the breakdown? I'm on dessicated thyroid (Armour, but not by Armour), get my tests done in the morning without taking the morning dose, and my TSH doesn't seem to have anything to do with my free-T levels... In October, the free-Ts were in the midrange, and my TSH was 2.63, in January T3 was at the bottom, and T4 was below the baseline yet my TSH was 1.7 (I've upped my dose based on the free-Ts). Does this suggest the pituitary is having a problem? Because even with low levels of hormones, it's not pestering the thyroid to make any more (and yet it was asking more forcefully last time when the levels were higher...).

I've never had anti-thyroid antibodies, and I don't have my earliest tests, but I'm under the impression that I was sub-clinical or pretty close to it when we started this trip (ie my TSH has never been very high). Any ideas? Or does it make no difference anyway?

[NocturnalDaze]

The "Stop the Thyroid Madness" site has a very active forum http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com...nity/index.php

Anyone that has any questions can have them answered there. These people are so unbelievably helpful!

I've been diagnosed hypo for 10 years. I was on Levoxyl for years and Synthroid before that and nothing made me feel "right". I've been dealing with depression, foggy headedness and exhaustion for as long as I can remember. I was actually diagnosed as Bipolar II because I made the mistake of seeing a psychiatrist instead of a doctor first.

What I've found by getting my own saliva tests done is that my Adrenal Glands are shot as well. This happens to a lot of people who's thyroid has been treated incorrectly for years by doctors that don't know what they are doing. In my case this has been the reason for my foggyness and exhaustion. Thay say most people need 3-5 grains of Armour to feel well. If your adrenals are shot you can't raise your medication (preferably Armour) without starting to get hyperthyroid symptoms. As a result you never get enough thyroid meds in you. So, you need to treat your Adrenals as well.

Good luck to everyone!!

[guest^]

Well, count me in too! I've just been told I have hypo.

While I had my hysterectomy about 1.5yrs ago, and am *only*41, my battle with trying to balance my hormones pretty much makes this a crappy mess to now add to the picture.

While I am truly grateful for all of your posts, I want to hear more!!
:

For ex: many of you say that you've had to have your dosages adjusted,etc. but could some of you say whether or not your symptoms are better overall being on these meds?

Thanks!!

mp...definitely>>>>>:

[tug]

hi, i am also hypo. diagnosed about 12 years ago and have been on synthroid and levoxyl since then.

i have a really silly question. does anybody have any suggestions for making your hair, including your eyebrows (you know, that loss of hair on the outer edge of the eyebrow thing), NOT look like a hypothyroid person? specifically, i am asking if anyone has a suggestion for increasing the hair growth generally (and therefore in my eyebrows) and for "beautifying" my otherwise strawlike, brittle hair.

it's funny. i am ok with the constant weight gain (well, sort of okay) because i feel like i can control that when i try really hard, but i just feel like i can't control those hair issues at all and they really annoy me. blech!

[NocturnalDaze]

The reason you are still having these symptoms is because you are not being treated properly. Check out this article: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com...eds-dont-work/ You are probably feeling better than you used to but you are still not optimal. I would ask your doctor to put you on Armour if the doc won't do that I'd find someone who will.

[tug]

i see the doc this afternoon and will ask. i have some weird feelings about armour since it's real pig hormone (i'm a vegetarian). i thought i read somewhere (maybe on stopthemadness about a vegetarian t3 and t4 combo). maybe i can find that name again...

thanks. i have struggled with my docs about the issue for years because my numbers are always in the "right" range according to them, but i've continued to have issues.

[airmide_m]

Subbing so I can read through later when I have more time! I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto's last summer (after telling doctors to test my thyroid for 13 years!) I'm currently on 3 grains of Armour. Still having trouble TTC and lots of hypo symptoms but of course doctors never want to treat based on symptoms so I'm still looking for a good doc (anyone know of one in the general Portland Oregon area?)

[tug]

argh!

so i talked to my doc and she sort of suggested that reading the internet or books is not a good idea.: so, i'm trying to get an appt with a holistic person here in town who is supposed to be more open to alternate (alternate to synthroid/levoxyl) treatment.

airmide, check alt.support.thyroid.org or something like that. they have a search function for docs who may be good for various parts of the country.

[treelover]

hi...i haven't had time to read all the way through this thread yet, so i apologize if this has been covered...

i believe i have been hypothyroid for some 15 odd years now (never diagnosed). i have almost all of the symptoms and was actually put on antidepressants for a period of time due to misdiagnosis. i finally did find an integrated doctor who i thought was going to help me, but that seems to be a wash too. he did get blood results for TSH, T-3 and T-4 for me and I am not below the "normal" range although my T-4 is borderline below at .9 (TSH is 3.65 and T-3 is 274). He did give me a supplement called thyrowell, but when i read the label and it says to not consume if pregnant or nursing i took it back and asked him about it and his response was, "well, how long are you going to nurse?" My baby is 12 weeks old! he said he'd look around for something safe for me, but that was a week ago and he hasn't called yet. my symptoms have flared up after giving birth, most notably with weight gain despite eating a very balance and healthy diet. i am also beyond exhausted, stressed, emotional (angry/sad), foggy headed and Cold (my temp is often around 95). My hair is dry and falling out and my skin is so thick and dry that my heels cracked. my joints hurt so badly that i can barely get out of bed in the morning (mostly my ankle and wrists joints, but also shoulder, hip and knee) and i generally have pain...like the tops and bottoms of my feet hurt. i'm getting what i call zingers....headaches that start at the base of my neck and "zing" up my neck and make me feel sick to my stomach. something has to be done about this! i'm currently taking Vitamins C, D and B12 , a daily probiotic and lots of omega 3-6-9s. i guess my biggest question to you is what else can/should i be taking that's safe while nursing (and yes, i will be nursing for at least 2-3 years! ) should i ask to be put on armour? is it safe? just want to add that this is my second baby and although my symptoms are flaring now, i do have them in varying degrees even while not post partum. thanks for any and all help.

[mum2be]

Just found out I have Wilson's Syndrome...

I have low T3 and high free T4.

Anyone have any info on this? Where can I learn more? (I will look at the website JaneS posted on page 8)

Thanks

Oh, does anyone else have high liver enzymes because of thyroid issues? What about low progesterone? I'm trying to figure out if these are all connected...

[NocturnalDaze]

Originally Posted by treelover

i finally did find an integrated doctor who i thought was going to help me, but that seems to be a wash too. he did get blood results for TSH, T-3 and T-4 for me and I am not below the "normal" range although my T-4 is borderline below at .9 (TSH is 3.65 and T-3 is 274).

You are absolutely Hypo! Many labs will still tell you that TSH is in range if it is below 5. That has been changed in the last couple of years to less than 3 but for some reason the labs are still using the old ranges. Most people don't feel good unless they are below 2.

All of your symptoms SCREAM hypo. You need to find a doctor that will treat you by your symptoms. Armour is the prefered thyroid replacement and is totally safe while BF. It is just replacing something that your body needs.

[tanyalynn]

There are other alternative-type docs that will treat this. Keep looking. A lady a few pages back (I have totally forgotten her username---mommyshine! that's it) found one who did it with minerals. I did it using minerals as well, but on my own, sort of. There was a great website, ithyroid.com, that talked about mineral interactions and what deficiencies are involved. Unfortunately (: : : ) it seems to have been sold and it's now a useless portal.

ETA: ithyroid.com was apparently just down for a month or so, and it's back! It has a ton of pages on research studies on thyroid function and minerals, both hypo and hyper. I read as much as I could and did the hypo regime of minerals/vitamins (lots and lots of pills) and feel a lot better. It's a do-it-yourself approach, which is sort of scary, but I am very happy with my results. I feel night-and-day better.

http://webhome.idirect.com/~wolfnowl/thyroid.htm

The Hyperthyroidism List Supplement List link (scroll down) is actually a hypo/hyper list. I did as much reading as I could stand, given how I felt, and bought a lot of minerals and vitamins and tried it (the minerals are temporary, to fix the deficiency, not permanent). I felt better (somewhat, I mean, but noticeable) within two weeks, and after ~2 months, my body temp came back up (it had dropped 1-1.5F at the onset of my symptoms, which was quite abrupt ~18 mos ago). But this link doesn't have all the info, just the supplement list. I am so bummed. But, there are alternative docs that apparently prescribe and monitor minerals very similar to this site.

But I also agree with the PP, lots of docs don't seem to know about and/or like the new limits (go to the American Assoc of Clinical Endocrinologists home page and search for Thyroid Awareness Month to find the press releases that discuss the new range). But if you search, you should be able to find someone who actually uses them. Or who treats based on symptoms instead of test results (but this seems harder). Whatever you do, good luck!

[cohsmama]

subbing

[airmide_m]

I'm still in the market for a good doctor, it's so infuriating!! I'm to the point I'm pretty well decided to get a backup supply of Armour or Thyroid S online so that I don't have to be quite as dependant on the doctors and quite so hysterical about their clulessness, but I'm still going to hold out hope and keep on looking for a good one.

I also found the results from the tests we asked my husband's doctor to run on him...the doc said it came back fine (I don't really blame him, he's a neurologist so it's not his area)...but now I see that my husbands TSH is 3.5. We didn't get antibodies tested but it would not at all surprise me if he had Hashi's as well.

Now I'm curious exactly how long I've been hypo. I'm sure my old doctors didn't test antibodies when they told me "everything is fine"....but I contacted the hospitals where I was tested and they're going to release my old test results to me....so pretty soon I'll be able to see what my TSH was when I was 22, and hopefully even when I was 16!

[cohsmama]

top doctors list

http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdrs/index.htm

This website lists doctors who have received patient recommendations. It has probably been posted before, but thought it was worth posting.

Be well,
Ann

[airmide_m]

Thanks for the link Cohsmama! I was just about to go looking for it again. Just so everyone knows though, a doctor being on the list is just a place to start...it doesn't necessarily mean they're a good doc. My last doc was on the list and I had a horrible time with him in SO many ways! But at least a place to start is better than nothing!

[Lady Lilya]

Wow, this thread is so long. I don't have time to read the whole thing. Sorry.

Here are my questions:

My SIL's best friend joined the Marines recently. They gave her a medical exam and she was fine. After a few weeks of boot camp, another medical exam found that she has hyperthyroidism, and they said she has to have her thyroid removed completely and she will need to take a drug for the rest of her life.

What alternatives might she have? (sorry I don't have any more details at this time, but I can ask)

Is it possible that something that happened to her in boot camp could have triggered it?

She is really freaked out by it and somewhat in denial. She has, at this point, simply done nothing about it for a while. Her friends are pushing her that she has to have it taken care of, and not to be a chicken. But, I am glad I found out about it before she had her thyroid removed so I could ask all of you if there is another option.

The Marines initially accused her of knowing about it in advance, and hiding it from them. But since their own initial test came out fine, they have discharged her honorably and are still paying her a periodic sum of money.

[beachbuminthecity]

Originally Posted by eleanorm

Then when he was about 6 months old a test showed that my levels had dropped again and the doctor wanted to increase me to 150 mcg a day. This time I said STOP. I immediately went to see a homeopath (first time in my life) who gave me a remedy (which I don't now remember). A couple of months later my levels had so improved that I could drop back down to 100 mcg a day!! It has been stable there for the past year. Hemeopathy rocks and I fully intend going back for further 'work' to try and get off the meds completely. However, as we are TTC I may put it off for a while.....

Can you post what the remedy was that the homeopath doc. gave you.

Originally Posted by its_our_family

My visit went really well. She asked why I was there and why I thought it was my thyroid. I went over about 4 things and she stopped me and said she needed to more convincing. I told her I had a list and she asked to see it and added it to my file. They are running about 10 blood test. SHe is checking my blood sugar, for anemia, and testing just about every hormone.

I told her about the weight gain, facial hair, tiredness, and acne.

So, it went well.


She also agreed that with everything I have going on that something is definetely amiss and that she will find out what it is.

Could you please let us know what the out come was for the other symptoms, cause I have the same exact ones too and I am on Armour meds. (I have only been on Armour for 2 months now was on synthyroid for a while and before that some few other different ones). I have had bad acne since I got married at 21yrs old--that is when I stopped birth control pills after 8 months on it and when I was diagnosed with hypothyroid, I am 43 yrs old now. As for the chin hairs that just started about a year ago and my weight gain changes alot--not sure if it is not being active in the winter, still figuring that one out. As for tireness I still have too and that I have good and bad days. And I have been waking up feeling exhausted. Mind you I have no kids and get at least a good 6 hrs sleep and then toss and turn.

Originally Posted by JaneS

Doing tests for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome and they are coming up low:
www.wilsonstemperaturesyndrome.com

It's low thyroid symptoms but normal blood tests. The problem is at the cellular level, not the gland.

I think I will start on WTS Med supplements per our holistic dietician before trying pure T3.

Interesting that I feel better if I drink lots of raw milk. I was told that contains thyroid hormone... will check on that.

I have read that it may have iodine because they use iodine to clean the cans that they put the milk in, but not sure if they were talking about how the process raw milk or regular milk.