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Originally Posted by Sunshne24
Hi, this is my first post hopefully someone can help me out. I am 33 and 2 years ago I had RAI for Graves. Since going Hypo I have not felt right and have suffered many symptoms despite "normal" lab results. Within 3 months of starting T4 I had achieved normal levels and my Endo dismissed my problems as not being Thyroid related.
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Rachel, this is a common reaction from doctors. It's frustrating and it's sad, but it happens more than you'd think. Sadly, most just do not understand how all encompassing the thyroid is. It effects
every aspect of metabolism. How is your cholesterol? Often LDL is elevated and HDL is low because thyroid is responsible for lipid metabolism. Most doctors don't even know this.
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In the last 2 years I've had all kinds of tests for different diseases and everything comes back normal. I have all the classic Hypo symptoms, puffy eyes and face, fluid retention, brittle hair thats falling out, muscle & joint pain to name a few. However unlike most Hypo's I am losing weight rather than gaining. When healthy I weighed 120 now I'm about 105 and that includes bloating and fluid retention. Has anyone ever heard of being Hypo and underweight??
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Yes, it happens. Sometimes hyperthyroid pateints are overweight; there is no set group of symptoms we must all have. It possible that you're simply not absorbing all the nutrients from your food. Are you also constipated? It's a pretty common hypo symptom.
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Ive experienced food allergies and am taking antifulngal meds for Candida. I was on Levothroid .075 and my TSH was all over the place ranging from .9 to 4.2 within 3 weeks time. My doc said this was fine since I was within the normal range.
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Ack, how do you feel about finding another doctor? A TSH for 4.2 is NOT fine! A doctor who doesn't know this is not someone I'd want 'helping' me. There are some really good Drs out there - finding the right one can make all the difference in the world for you.
Have you had your antibodies tested lately? I'm not 100% of this, but what you're describing sounds almost like Hashi's. I've read research where some scientists believe Hashis and Graves are the same disease, just opposite ends of the spectrum. Did you have all your antibodies tested at one time (I'm thinking you must have, how else could they have decided you had Graves) ? Did you ever test positive for Tg antibodies? These often show up in both Graves
and Hashi's patients. If you still have the antibodies it would explain just what's going on with your TSH jumping all over the place.
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I'm confused because whenever I increase my dose I experience a worsening of HYPO symptoms (especially the first 2 weeks). Does this happen to anybody else?
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Feeling worse after you start a dose is common, Sunshne. Your body has to adjust to the new level, your metabolism has to fight to keep up. As you get healthier it will lessen.
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TSH 1.1 (.5-5.5)
FT4 1.6 (.9-1.8)
Total t3 101 (70-200)
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Your FT4 looks good; your Total T3 is very low. I suspect your FT3 is also low as a result, and it's why you feel so awful when you up your dose. I think going on the cytomel will make a difference for you in the end. You look like you're not converting T4 --> T3 well.
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While on .075 my T3 was closer to 150 but now it has dropped. My doctor never tests Free T3, I'm not sure why.
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Again, bad doctor! He's likely not testing FT3 because he's been told over and over again that if you have enough FT4 then you've got enough FT3, the latter is made from the former. If you don't convert it well though this isn't the case. In your situation I'd say you're not converting.
Will the Dr be testing FT3 in a few weeks now that you're on the Cytomel? If he isn't going to you need to find a new doctor pronto. You need that monitored.
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I confessed to my doc that I had increased my meds and since I have no signs of going Hyper I talked him into adding T3. I have been taking Cytomel for 2 1/2 weeks now and as usual the first two weeks were hell and I felt more Hypo than ever very lethargic and staying in bed all day. Now I'm doing better but havent noticed any great improvement. Has anyone else tried t4/t3. Should I have noticed some improvement by now? I have 4 more weeks till I can take test.
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How much T3 are you taking and when do you take it? T3 is very fast to metabolise and it doesn't last in the body long. Many of us find we do better when we take it twice during the day. Once in the morning and another dose 6 hours later. If you're only taking it once a day try dividing that dose and taking it in two separate doses; it might help. It's also posssible you're not getting enough of it. Are you increasing it every week or so, is that why you have to wait 6 weeks? Typically 10 days is long enough to gauge T3 supplementation.
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My Endo. says I'm the "odd bird" because in his 22 years experience he hasnt encountered someone with so many problems. I find this hard to believe since all of my symptoms are HYPO symptoms except for the weight loss.
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I think you need to find a better doctor, Rachel. This is a good place to start looking:
TopDocs - these are doctors who've come recommended by thyroid pateints like us.
Thanks,
I have a few questions, that might help:
When do you take your T4? Do you take supplements and if so when do you take them? You need at least 2 hours between Thyroid meds and supplements, and 4 hours if you're taking calcium, iron or fiber. Alternatively, you can disolve the thyroid meds under your tongue - this way you bypass the stomach and the meds aren't going to compete with other substances for absorption. It also means you can eat right away.
Are you taking selenium, b12, vit D and E and magnesium? These are vital to thyroid health and they might make a big difference in how you feel. If you still have antibodies the selenium alone might make a huge difference in how you're feeling. Here's some info on the
supplements and dosages
What are you eating food wise? Do you eat lots of Soy? If so, cutting it out would probably make you feel a lot better.
I think the T3 will eventually help you out; it might be that you'd do better on a natural thyroid hormone, though. Many do; especially when they have no functioning thyroid left. If you punch your zip code into the
Armour Website you can find a doctor in your area who prescribed it - these doctors are usually much better at treating thyroid.
All the best,
Nat