Hi

I posted a little while ago about my having low iron levels as over the last two months I have been feeling weak, with other symptoms that seemed like iron anemia, and although I have Hashimoto's the blood tests were coming ok, well that's what the doctor said.

Unfortunately I don't have a family doctor, so I have to go to the walk in clinics, which don't offer the same level of care, but it is a starting point. This is a big problem, but not one that I can do much about until such time arrives that I have a doctor again.

Anyway, today I was back at the walk in clinic to find out my blood test results from last week.

Surprise surprise. I don't know why the thyroid tests have been coming up as ok, or if the information got lost or mixed up, or doctors didn't read it properly, or what.

It turns out that iron levels are ok (according to the doctor) at 65 in the 15-180 range that they use for iron levels.

But anti thyroid peroxidase is at 2570 out of the 35 IU/mL that they go by. The report says 'this very high result strongly suggests Hashimoto's thyroditis'. Which I knew I had, basically from a scan I had done many years ago, and in more recent years from blood work. I am on synthroid 0.075 mg

Anyway, the doctor said he will send an urgent referral to an endocronologist and that hopefully I should be seen soon. He didn't change my medication as he wants the endocronologist to deal with this one.

I have been on Atkins since October 2009. I lost my first 10 pounds easily, but not a gram after that, no matter how much I diet the scale won't move. Now I think it must be related to the thyroid, or at least I hope so because then there is a chance I might get the help I want and need.

I would like to hear from others on the forum who may have been in similar circumstances, what was their treatment? do you feel better now? are you able to loose weight now? etc anything else that you might want to ad

also the blood test has a low hemoglobin at 118 out of the 120-150 range, but I didn't ask the doctor what this is about as I didn't notice it and he didn't bring it up either. Anyone knows?

Thank you all

Katz

from what I understand going or increasing your thyroid meds generally won't cause you to lose weight but rather "levels the playing field" so that you CAN lose weight (albeit slowly)

you should also have your progesterone and Rt3 checked as those can cause problems losing weight as well.

This site is really good for looking up what lab tests mean: http://www.labtestsonline.org/

Katzkatz - you are telling my story from last year. WOW! I had to do things differently this time. They added T3 to my T4, (that's Cytomel to the Synthroid) which helped a bit. I have about 60 carbs daily, I keep calories under 1700, I workout 4 times per week (rather than 6) and now I am also practicing intermittent fasting (IF). This has helped control my blood glucose and has given me control of the constant hunger I used to feel. I basically just delay my first meal of the day until 2:00 pm, have a small snack if I am going to exercise, then have my normal dinner with the carbs totaling 60. My carbs come from vegetable sources (like sweet potato). It can be bad for a person with thyroid problems to not have enough carbs. This slows things down even more metabolically. Last year - it took me till June to get to 143. I basically now have 10 pounds left to lose and am going to fully invetigate what it means to have a reverse T3 problem. My ratio of Free T3 to RT3 says I do have the RT3 problem, and I have to address my low iron before this problem can be safely addressed. Google "Wilson's Temperature Syndrome" and maybe consider getting some tests online to determine if you want to spend the time to investigate. Look at my Hair Issues thread for links to find more information and read on Val's group - the second link.

hi ladies

thank you for your responses!

I haven't posted because I don't have anything new to ad. The doctor at the walk in clinic doesn't want to treat the condition now, wants me to see the endocronologist urgently for which he sent a request a little over two days ago, but I haven't heard from the endocronologist office yet, so here I am just waiting.

I haven't had a family doctor for over four months, since I rellocated from Vancouver to Victoria, BC, hence all the delays and problems. I had some blood work done in January, another doctor at another walk in clinic said that the results were fine, furthermore this time, they got the blood results as well (they were sent to two walk in clinics by the lab), and the receptionist told me that the results went into my file and that there was 'no reason for concern' so that I didn't need to come to see the doctor. However, the other walk in clinic phoned me back and told me that I did need to come and see the doctor to discuss the results. Good that I went to the two clinics, had I stayed with the first one only, I wouldn't even have the referral to the endocronologist. I find it hard to believe that the clinic disregarded my blood work, even when one of the thyroid hormone results was totally off the charts.

I have at times been very hungry. But not so at the moment. I think that now the thyroid is so disfunctional that I have gone to this strange mode: I don't feel hungry, I don't feel sleepy and only sleep just a few hours a night maybe 5 or so, it's all kinda strange.

Now what Angie is saying about not eating the first meal of the day until 2pm, I find this very familiar, because I don't feel hungry until early afternoon, which means that the very most of the time I do not eat breakfast. I think I haven't eaten breakfast in years, with a few exceptions here and there, but not many.

However I do tend to get very hungry in the evening, and this can go on for hours, like I will eat, and then go eat something else. Strage. It's not the TV, I don't have a habit of eating in front of the TV, it's just something that comes over me in the evening and I am like those monsters in 'I am legend' like the girls said in the movie 'they are always biting', in the same way I am just wanting to chew on food all evening.

But this is not happening right now, and I think it is because one of the hormones is so exceedingly high and must be causing this.

Yesterday I was talking to an acquaintance who sells natural supplements and she was telling me that there is some natural stuff that I can take instead of the sythetic stuff I am on now. I asked her to get me some information about it which I hope she will. She is hypo, her husband is hyper, and both have been on natural thyroid remedies that they tell me has work very well for them. And she is only five pounds overweight which is amazing, I mean I would be so happy with just five pounds to go, and they are in their early sixties, so quite an accomplishment.

I don't know that I will try natural remedies just yet. I want to see the specialist first. I like alternative medicine to some degree, it has helped me with some issues. But once I tried St John's Wort for depression and it didn't help me at all, so I am skeptical that natural remedies work a 100%. I think with thyroid and depression, I do need something that I am certain is going to help. Although right now I only have to worry about the thyroid, as depression is not an issue right at this point in time, thank God, although this can change at the drop of a hut, as it did for me many times before in the past. I do wish I could take something to sleep a little more, I don't think I am getting enough hours sleep, particularly in comparison to how much I used to sleep up until recent times. But I am not planning on trying anything at the moment, I will just have to live with less sleep.

Hello Katz,

I have struggled with Hashimotos for 6 years now and I know exactly how you feel. After scouring the web for years I finally found a book that contains facts backed by hundreds of sources that paint the whole picture of how to successfully manage our problem. I read it in a day and made changes according to what the author suggests. I am now on day 3 of implementing these changes of which the most important is subscribing to a gluten-free diet. I extended the gluten-free and decided to go all out Atkins and I'm starting to feel well.

Read this book it makes SENSE!

"Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal" by Datis Kharrazian It's new, just out late 09'. Read the reviews on Amazon.com.

Knowledge is POWER. Only YOU can heal yourself.

I wish you well!

My lab tests came back in the normal range, but after 20 years of classic hypo symptoms I was able to convince my Dr. to treat me based on the symptoms not tests. I took her all the studies that backed up the theories showing that the lab results don't always tell the full picture.

I have been taking cytomel for a little over 3 weeks now and it's incredible the difference! I've just about reached theraputic dose since you have to gradually increase on this medication, but I immediately began to feel better! I'm actually a little PO'd that I had to figure this out on my own after so many years of suffering with the fatigue, mental fog, coldness, depression ... and on and on and on. Given the level of dose that I'm at (100 mcg) with zero indications of over stimulation just reinforces that I indeed have a thyroid problem even though the lab work didn't clearly point to a problem.

One of the online sites that I've found very informative is http://www.drlowe.com/index.htm# - he talks a lot about natural dissected thyroid or cytomel vs. synthroid.

Good luck!

hi

thank you for the last two posts

I will try to get the book asap

also I will ask the endocronologist about cytomel this week when I have my appointment.

I love the comment about getting the doctor to treat based on the symptoms and not the tests! If they did this for me, they would have started treating me two months ago!

now, going back to the point of this forum, how is it going with weight loss for you?

I am careful with what I eat and haven't put any weight on. But I have not dieted seriously because I know it is a loosing battle until I get the thyroid hormones fixed. I dieted really hard for a couple of months last year, but didn't loose a single pound!

I would like to know, now that you are both on the mend, how is weight loss progress going for you both?

thank you

Well Katz to answer your question,

I am on day 4 of my LC lifestyle and as you can see I've lost 4 lbs. That's 4 lbs a day and I wasn't on a "therapeutic dose" of my Levothyroxine (Synthroid)! Before I changed my lifestyle I had brain-fog and very low energy levels. Now I sleep better and can jump right out of bed. That's after 4 days. So I'm thinking it can only get better.

Hope you feel better!

oh dear, what you describe is just how I feel.

4 pounds in 4 days in unbelivable. I would die of happiness if I lost that much so quickly!

I am still on LC, thank God I don't gain wait anymore, but I don't loose any. I could starve for a week and I doubt the scale would move more than half a pound.

I hope things work out for me as well as they did for you. I can only hope.

I also got the book on the way, bought it from ebay, it's coming from Texas I think it will take 10 days to arrive. I have dealt with this chronic illness for some ten years now, so ten days is nothing.

Thank you all, you have been amazing with the help you suggested!

I am so glad I came to this forum and posted, people here are easy going and helpful, as well as understanding.

Kat

I thought i would as someone who has suffered with Hashimoto's for the past 4 years after being diagnosed throw in my 2 cents on the subject and hopefully it helps someone. At first they put me on Synthroid.. my hair started falling out and with it i knew i had to take control over my own care. I hit the internet doing research reading forum after forum and called back my dr and asked for Armour thyroid wich is a natural thyroid. after a bit of arguing on my part i was switched to what i wanted and launched myself into atkins. weight started coming off and the hair slowly but surely started coming back but not as thick as it used to be. I went to suppliments to help that. kept getting my blood tested. i fell off the atkins wagon repeatedly during this time my weakness was capucino's and choclate.I finaly got on the right dose of my medication and the weight along with atkins regimen started to come off. i lost 40lbs in 2 and a half months. i did 3 times a week swimming in one of those doughboy pools you can set up in your own yard. I felt better than i ever did. I fell off atkins and got adema, that whole "one bite wont hurt" scenario is really true in dr atkins books, it was the kiss of death to my diet..Recently I went to the healthfood store and talked to a nutritionist there about how i was still feeling sluggish, tired even though my tests came back fine. she gave me a thyroid suppliment called metabolic advantage thyroid formula. it seemed to help with the energy part and with all natural vitamins i felt safe to use it. i lost 15lbs in 3 weeks, the adema went down, it contains small traces of iodine and L-tyrosine something we need. anyways I am back on the atkins wagon. For me i seem to feel better on it,have more energy and lose weight. I feel tremendously better on a compounded version of armour wich is all fully natural no binding agents to form a pill or fillers just one capsule to swallow.the hair is alot better , I am feeling better and i urge anyone with hashimotos to do your research find out what exactly your being prescribed.My friend who is taking synthroid who was once smaller then me has ballooned to 2 times my size and i urged her to check into the more natural thyroid medications.It is your body and its worth finding out your options.

My daughter takes Cytomel for her Hashies and she is as thin as a rail. She did research right away when she was first diagnosed and actually fired her first endocrinologist because he was so uncaring and out of the loop treatment wise. She has a great doc now who listens to symptoms first, then looks at the numbers. She never did gain the weight because the doc put her on Cytomel right away and has been carefully monitoring her health.

We really have to be our own advocates don't we?! Good luck everybody!

Hi Katz!

I live in Nanaimo and I see an endo who comes up from Victoria. His name is Dr. Clayton Reynolds and while he's a little strange he's the only one who ever prescribed thyroid meds for me when my TSH was normal. I too had the antibodies and many symptoms for years.

My hair is falling out in insane amounts currently and after reading this site I am wondering if I need to switch to natural thyroid or add cytomel.

My story is identical to yours. I did Paleo and lost 10 lbs of water weight and then not an ounce after that. I have fallen off the LC wagon badly and am having a heck of time going back even despite how terrible I feel.

Anyways...just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain! I am going to see Dr. Reynolds in Sept. Hopefully can get my rT3 tested then...and Vitamin D levels.

If you find a lab that will test RT3 will you let me know? I'm in Vancouver and have been trying for months to find a lab that will (or one that doesn't require a trip to the US) Lifelabs stopped testing 1 year ago and I can't find any reference on BC biomedical's site about RT3

I didn't realize I couldn't get it done here! argh! I wonder if you can get the blood taken and then send it away? I work at the hospital...I could draw the blood myself!