Underactive thyroid

[Jemima37]

Oh pants, it isn't quoting.

Ok.

If your Dad has gout, it could be something genetic predisposing you to retaining uric acid, OR it could be that restricting your water intake for fear of flushing away your sodium and potassium isn't helping

I udersrand you doing that, but it will be more beneficial to use salt liberally, to drink when you feel thirsty (that's really important, thirst is there for a reason), and to supplement potassium if necessary. Docs are scared of potassium as previously mentioned. RDAs for Na and K are 2.3g and c.4g a day, and all RDAs tend to be vety conservative, and based on a HEALTHY group of study subjects, which therefore has little application to chronically UNhealthy people, such as those of us with chronic conditions.

On the salt loading protocol, you can take up to 10g of Himalayan salt or sea salt a day - that isn't 10g of sodium, 10g of salt which includes a large proportion of sodium, along with chloride and all the other minerals too. 1 tsp of Himalayan is, from memory, c.5g of salt (I need to check my own post about this!)

Raised cortisol - were you very stressed that day? You mentioned that you were phobic about blood tests, does that stress extend to doctors and tests aside from ones with needles?

I understand your feelings about Valium, etc. It can be a really useful one-off/ occasional treatment to help manage severe anxiety due to a particular event, though.

Kalms are great. I was quite liberal with them when I hit a really horrible, black patch a year or so ago. I was on Valium too, and guess what, Valium/ diazepam can make anxiety worse if taken regularly, because it works by forcing all of your naturally calming GABA into action, which depletes it, leaving you anxious. Great plan! (Not!)

Great that you use Himalayan, great that you don't have muscle pain. Still doesn't mean you aren't low in potassium

You have to take a LOT of potassium to throw your sodium/ potassium balance out, like several grams every day.

If you DO ever take too much, you'd get rapid heartbeat as one of the first indications, and if that happens, you'd take some salt to rebalance. As long as you don't restrict your sodium intake, you won't hit any problems taking for example, 1/8th tsp of pot chloride powder (365mg) up to 3 times a day. There is a nutritional school of thought that says we're all low in potassium, because our old hunter gatherer diet provided way more than the 4g they recommend today. I know I do better on at least 1200mg/d, but that's me, not you

Haemoglobin is the protein that transports iron. Maybe your haemoglobin went up a little bit to support your higher iron levels?

Poor you. It's crap when you get isolated by illness, and then get scared of everything, and nowhere and nothing feels safe. Unhelpful GPs and others just add to it.

I understand about the agoraphobia. I used to get so bad that I couldn't even open letters, never mind answer the door or phone, and I couldn't drive literally anywhere. I was too terrified. It sucked.

But you're absolutely right, once your health is in better shape, which hopefully the iodine will facilitate, all your hormones and neurotransmitters will re-balance, your anxiety will dissipate, and you can start living again, instead of existing and waiting for it all to just stop. I do understand

I'm originally from the other side of the Severn, but have limited knowledge of North Wales. I know bits of the South, but North is a bit of a mystery to me! Are you anywhere near Snowdonia?

Well I'm going to re test the electrolytes doing the 24 hour urine so hopefully that will show my sodium and potsssium is ok. I'm going to do it next week once this crash passes a bit that I'm stuck in.

At the time I tested my cortisol it was January and I'd had a horrific December where my SADs hit hard and I had 6 weeks of hellish anxiety and depression out of nowhere. Gp had suspected SADs in previous years but wow this winter was obvious. I did the cortisol test 12 th January so probably not the best time lol!

I just get anxious with needles as I've a fainting phobia since the big panic attack doing my bloods with the nurse and I felt faint.

I'm struggling with awful fatigue this week. I just feel very drained, weak, woozy and a tad off balance. I didn't sleep well last night due to nausea which I'm sure is the medication I'm weaning off.

I do need to drink more as I have felt in myself a dry dehydrated body feeling so maybe that's adding more problems. I need to up my water and stop worrying about the electrolytes. I just did too much reading a ee months ago when my results were low and it made me afraid to drink a lot.

I worry because if my agoraphobia I'm not doing enough to get myself well. My friend says that's not true as I've had my gp out all of last year and lots of tests. I've got my thyroid treated. Recently though my fatigue feels worse and I've felt worse so I worry my agoraphobia and social anxiety is stopping me seeing my gp to get the help I may need. This may just be a crash but my anxiety makes me worry I'm neglecting myself. My anxiety right now is making me struggle socially so gp at my house scares me incase I panic infront of him and panic if he wants to do bloods. Just feeling so ill makes me too afraid to see him. Where as last year I would ask him to visit despite my social anxiety because I wanted to make sure I was ok. I'm worrying myself silly it's my electrolytes, or I'm riddled with cancer and slowly my body is shutting down I'm 37 and I've 3 children who need me and I'd have done any test and gone to any hospital appointment to make sure I was well for them but the last 6 months I've just lost that and now feel too exhausted to cope with the anxiety of appointments even at my house I know I sound silly.

Thank you for your support today it's meant a lot.
Julie

 

[Jemima37]

Hi there,
Just thought I'd bring up a possible reason for the low neutrophils, or neutropenia.
Copper deficiency is one cause for it.

A serum copper blood test along with ceruloplasmin may indicate it. It's not perfect, but seems to be the best thing going.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/copper



Anemia is usually found with copper deficiency, but not always. I don't have anemia, but have had copper def.

Since copper enzymes regulate iron, it's possible that your iron panel is off due to that.

High serum iron can be due to a lot of things. I wonder if you had a high iron meal or supplemented or weren't fasting for the iron panel.

http://www.doctorslounge.com/hematology/labs/iron.htm

I've also had high hematocrit and hemoglobin , but I have iron overload, my iron panel was diagnostic for it. I've only seen anecdotes of other people with high hct. and hgb. , along with iron overload.

The doctors would not consider your iron panel to be diagnostic of iron overload, but
I would keep an eye on it, since you have so much fatigue, etc.

There are so many causes for elevated cortisol, but I thought I'd bring up a simple one, just in case. Zinc deficiency can elevate cortisol. Even though blood tests aren't perfect, it may be worth a test.
Zinc is a very calming metal.

Thank you for your help.

That's my fear it iron overload with how ill I feel My gp said as ferritin was 57 and my transferrin rate was normal he wasn't worried.

My fatigue is worse this week and my anxiety about my health has been all over the place.

Thank you
Julie

 

[Jigsaw]

Hi there,
Just thought I'd bring up a possible reason for the low neutrophils, or neutropenia.
Copper deficiency is one cause for it.

A serum copper blood test along with ceruloplasmin may indicate it. It's not perfect, but seems to be the best thing going.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/copper



Anemia is usually found with copper deficiency, but not always. I don't have anemia, but have had copper def.

Since copper enzymes regulate iron, it's possible that your iron panel is off due to that.

High serum iron can be due to a lot of things. I wonder if you had a high iron meal or supplemented or weren't fasting for the iron panel.

http://www.doctorslounge.com/hematology/labs/iron.htm

I've also had high hematocrit and hemoglobin , but I have iron overload, my iron panel was diagnostic for it. I've only seen anecdotes of other people with high hct. and hgb. , along with iron overload.

The doctors would not consider your iron panel to be diagnostic of iron overload, but
I would keep an eye on it, since you have so much fatigue, etc.

There are so many causes for elevated cortisol, but I thought I'd bring up a simple one, just in case. Zinc deficiency can elevate cortisol. Even though blood tests aren't perfect, it may be worth a test.
Zinc is a very calming metal.

@Crux

Thanks for that That makes sense.

@Jemima37 - I don't suppose you were using zinc for your cystic acne, were you? Only zinc works against copper, and vice versa, so whenever you take one, you need the other to counteract. 1:10 copper to zinc ratio is the generally accepted norm. If you were taking zinc without copper, your copper reserves would have become depleted, and what Crux is saying about low copper = low neuts would then make sense.

However, elevated zinc and low copper don't fit with the low zinc-elevated cortisol scenario.

 

[Jigsaw]

Well I'm going to re test the electrolytes doing the 24 hour urine so hopefully that will show my sodium and potsssium is ok. I'm going to do it next week once this crash passes a bit that I'm stuck in.

At the time I tested my cortisol it was January and I'd had a horrific December where my SADs hit hard and I had 6 weeks of hellish anxiety and depression out of nowhere. Gp had suspected SADs in previous years but wow this winter was obvious. I did the cortisol test 12 th January so probably not the best time lol!

I just get anxious with needles as I've a fainting phobia since the big panic attack doing my bloods with the nurse and I felt faint.

I'm struggling with awful fatigue this week. I just feel very drained, weak, woozy and a tad off balance. I didn't sleep well last night due to nausea which I'm sure is the medication I'm weaning off.

I do need to drink more as I have felt in myself a dry dehydrated body feeling so maybe that's adding more problems. I need to up my water and stop worrying about the electrolytes. I just did too much reading a ee months ago when my results were low and it made me afraid to drink a lot.

I worry because if my agoraphobia I'm not doing enough to get myself well. My friend says that's not true as I've had my gp out all of last year and lots of tests. I've got my thyroid treated. Recently though my fatigue feels worse and I've felt worse so I worry my agoraphobia and social anxiety is stopping me seeing my gp to get the help I may need. This may just be a crash but my anxiety makes me worry I'm neglecting myself. My anxiety right now is making me struggle socially so gp at my house scares me incase I panic infront of him and panic if he wants to do bloods. Just feeling so ill makes me too afraid to see him. Where as last year I would ask him to visit despite my social anxiety because I wanted to make sure I was ok. I'm worrying myself silly it's my electrolytes, or I'm riddled with cancer and slowly my body is shutting down I'm 37 and I've 3 children who need me and I'd have done any test and gone to any hospital appointment to make sure I was well for them but the last 6 months I've just lost that and now feel too exhausted to cope with the anxiety of appointments even at my house I know I sound silly.

Thank you for your support today it's meant a lot.
Julie

Hi Julie,

There's no point in me saying "No need to worry!" because no-one with anxiety CHOOSES to feel it, and we don't worry because we think we "need" to

All I will say is that you're not alone, and there are always loads of us on here you can talk to. I think you're doimg LOADS to help yourself, and when you've had a look at some of the iodine info, you might start feeling a bit more optimistic about feeling better again.

And truly, who better to show your difficulties to than your GP? Honestly, please remember it's their JOB to take care of people with less than perfect health, they've pretty much seen everything, and a panic attack or syncope isn't going to phase them one bit.

Your agoraphobia and anxiety WILL pass, at some point. It isn't permanent - few things are. Just tell yourself you're doing your best, which is true, you ARE, and that this will pass, because it always does.

You've had a terrible time, and lesser people than you would have given up completely. You haven't, or you wouldn't have come here today


Yes, more water is DEFINITELY a good idea! - it will help with detoxing from the Mirt as well. It might even ease your nausea a bit. Ginger biscuits are supposed to be good for nausea, or ask your GP for something that melts in your mouth instead of having to swallow it, like Buccastem or Ondansetron. They might not want to give you Ondanseteon (Zofran Melts, 4 or 8mg), but most will prescribe Buccastem with no problem.

And it doesn't sound at all "silly"! You're doing your best, and that's all anyone can do. It's very hard for people to understand what no energy feels like, but ask them if they'd be able to sail through their day if they had 100 tons of concrete strapped round their arms and legs and middle. If you can't DO things, it's because you CAN'T, not because you "won't".

Please be kinder and more understanding to yourself. It's the least you deserve.

J x

 

[Kenjie]

Hi. I am from NZ. I am hypothyroid. Underactive since giving birth dec 2011. Although was not diagnosed til march 2012. Did not start medication til august 2012. During that time had aweful fatigue and brain fog. I was on Euroxsyth something like that then changed to levothyroxine 50mcg in 2014 so i could lose weight. Been on levo ever since til the present day.

All my t4 t3 levels are normal but my antibodies are above 300 iu/ml high range. (Anti-thyroglobulin).

The past 6 months ive been very unwell with hot flushes, dizzy spells, near fainting spells, inbalance, low blood pressure, nausea, sometimes loss of appetite, fatigue, body totally out of wack, have also had bacterial infections although those have calmed down at the moment, pressure in forehead been there 6 months, pressure behind my eyes. Low heart rate. General feeling of unwell. Ohhh and not to mention the adrenal type feeling that rushes through my chest even when im not anxious!

Can someone please shed some light on what might be happening in my body?

Ent told me 3 days ago my sinuses are clear even though i have the 'symptoms'.

Ive seen so many people and noone has been able to tell me what is wrong with me. I feel very lost now and dont know where to turn next.

Can anti thyroid attack your body even the other levels are normal?

 

[HelloHere]

@wastwater

Pls see above.

Iodine deficiency is the cause of every hormone and glandular issue going. Iodine is not only needed to make all hormones, it's also responsible for all hormone receptor sensitivity.

Dr Flechas, one of the three main "iodine doctors", first realised iodine was responsible for insulin sensitivity when a 300 lb woman, who he treated in the ER for a hypo attack with insulin, was later started on iodine. She then had to reduce her insulin because she kept getting hypers.

When he saw her a month later, she had a month's daily sugar readings all in normal range (previously they'd been off the chart) and had totally stopped her insulin AND WAS WELL! Took Flechas by surprise, because he'd only told her to reduce her insulin until she stopped getting hypers, and never anticipated her stopping it altogether.

She is still taking 50mg/d, no relapses, still well.

wow

 

[Jigsaw]

wow

Indeed

My own HbA1c has gone down since taking iodine too, and my dry eyes from chemo (10 years ongoing issue) have improved.