OKAY. A little background... I am 23 with Hashimotos. Have been on synthroid for almost a year. Here are all of my questions-

1. does anyone else have their thyroid swell up periodically?

2. my lab test come back fine, but i feel horrible! I am in school and am having trouble concentrating, thinking, staying awake... my doc refuses to do anything else because of the lab tests. (have had the adrenal gland tests, theyre fine) anyone know whats wrong?

3. atkins isnt working, although i have had results before. Anyone tried stillmans?

4. my doc has me on one pill everyday, except sunday- take two. Anyone heard of that kind of schedule?

5. I have horrible mood swings! I am usually pretty even tempered but now my husband and kids are hiding from me. Anyone else?

ok, well i guess thats only 5. Hopefully some of you out there will have the answers. I am just tired of feeling large and puffy and stupid.
thanks

Hi Admo:

If I were a bettin' girl, I'd bet your numbers aren't right. The best way for us to help you is to get your most recent labs and post them along with their reference ranges. That way we can see what your doctor deems to be fine. If you don't have them, your doctor's office can fax them to you or you can pick up a copy.

Many people have difficulty converting T4 to T3 so it could also be that you are having this problem, in which case you need to add some T3 into the mix, either through Armour (natural dessicated thyroid) or Cytomel, a synthetic T3. You should ask your doctor to test your Free T3 and Free T4 levels. If he won't do it, find another doctor who will. You shouldn't have to live life feeling like crap just b/c you doctor thinks you are fine.

You say you had your adrenals tested. How were they tested? People with AutoImmune Disease can also have burned out adrenals to some extent since it's cortisol that is our natural anti-inflammatory. You don't have to have the most extreme form, Addison's Disease, for this to happen. If your doctor is conventional, I'm guessing he only tested for the rare form of Addison's Disease.

But to me, it sounds as if you need to get your thyroid meds straightened out. You aren't exhibiting symptoms of being hyperthyroid due to low adrenal reserves, you sound more hypothyroid.

Wanda

I second what Wanda said. The likely culprit is low T4 and/or low T3. It also depends a lot on what your doc is calling 'normal'. Do you know your TSH? 3 or 4 is NOT normal, not by the newest guidelines, and even 2 is higher than 'optimal'.

Cheers,

Friday

Your thyroid swelling up is a sign you're not getting enough hormones, admo. The thryoid tissue is enlarging in an effor to make more because it's being attacked by antibodies. This is one of the horrible side effects of Hashis

Which tests come back fine? If your doctor is not monitoring your FTs then it's likely that you're undermedicated. The problem with Hashi's is when you're under attack by the antibodies you can experience massive swings in circulating hormone levels. It's not uncommon to go from hypot to feeling fine to hypert. Is your doctor only testing your TSH? If so you need to have your FT4 and FT3 monitored, as Friday pointed out. It's also possible, as Wanda mentioned, you're not converting the T4 to T3 adequately. Synthroid might not be the best choice for you.

It's unlikley that any very low carb plan is going to work for you right now - your symptoms sounds suspicously like you need more T4 or a combination of T4 and T3. If it's the latter it means you're not converting T4 to T3 well and anything that puts more stress on your liver will make that worse - ketosis takes place in the liver, taking valuable energy away from converting T4 to T3. You'd probably do better on higher carbs, just enough to keep you out of ketosis.

It's not common, but it's not uncommon, either. Your doctor probably thinks you'd be on too much if you took more, but understands you're not feeling well on your current dose. He/She seems understanding, but it's possible he/she doesn't know as much about hashi's as you need her/him to know.

Definitely - before I got the right dose I felt like crap one day, great the next, somewhere in between the day after that. Again, it's one of those hashi's things that you often have to 'wait out' - until the antibodies have finished their job on your thyroid

You could try addressing these issues with your doctor, but you might need to find a new doctor. This is a good place to start.

I hope you find some help.
Nat

ok, thanks for your help. i finally got my labs for myself but i am not sure what they mean.
it says

thyroxine 8.9
tsh 2.95

any suggestions?
thanks guys

Admo, your TSH is high, it's almost 3.0. I suspected it would be. Most people who are 'normal', with no thyroid disease, have a TSH below 1.0. This is where your doctor should be trying to get yours. That being said, TSH is not as important as your FT levels. It looks to me like that is a total thyroxine, or T4 level, which is not the most accurate. I suspect your doctor is NOT ordering the right tests to monitor your progress.

Do you have the lab range for the T4 number? It should be on the right of the report, 8.9 looks low to me, but w/o the upper and lower lab range I cannot be sure. In any event, a TSH of 2.95 is a sign your body is trying to make more thyroid hormones. A T4 that is low is a sign it cannot - this is because the antibodies in Hashi's attack the very mechanism by which your body makes the hormones.

I think you need an increase; based on the high TSH and your low looking T4. You definitely need better tests. You require a FT4 and FT3, which will tell you how much Freed circulating hormones you have.

Nat