Re: Latest Test Results: Synacthen & Bloods

[Guest guest]

Hello Kerry,

08:45am Cortisol - 338 (180 - 620)09:15am Cortisol - 600 (180 - 620)It looks like I don't need cortisol which is the good news but I've beendiagnosed with adrenal fatigue (via Genova testing & after seeing Dr. P I'm now taking NAX & am on week four of the program).Yes, that's good news.... your adrenals may be knackered, but the above results show that they are not damaged by an autoimmune disease. Taking NAX (possibly for some considerable time) and all the vitamins and minerals should help to heal the adrenals and to restore them to former glory J ... but you need to be patient. It takes time...

Note: Started taking 75mcg Levothyroxine daily, June 2010. Stopped for 10 days from 1st April 2011 & re-started 11th April

25/02/2011 TSH - 0.52 (0.27 - 4.2)16/05/2011 TSH - 5.40 (0.35 - 5.5)Hmmmm... interesting development. ly, although stranger things have happened, but I don't see that 10 days off Levothyroxine should cause a rise in TSH from 0.52 to 5.40. IMHO your TSH has risen (and probably long before you stopped the Levothyroxine) for some other reason – something is preventing the thyroid hormone from getting inside the cells. And this "something" could be any number of things:

a) Levothyroxine might not be right for you – you might need a combination of T4 and T3, desiccated thyroid or a T3-only

Your ferritin level is waaaayy to low – this will prevent the uptake of thyroid hormone into the cells. Getting ferritin up is tricky... I have no experience with that, but others here have and might give you some tips.....

c) Your Vit D3 level is too low – this too will prevent the uptake of thyroid hormone. You need to take 4000 iu D3 per day IMO.

d) Have you checked yourself (privately) for possible Candida Albicans? – if you had it, it would have the same effect as a lack of minerals or vitamins

e) The same goes for possible food allergies or parasites

f) Your adrenals may still be too knackered to provide sufficient cortisol – again, a lack of cortisol will prevent thyroid uptake. Keep taking the NAX, Vit C and whatever else Dr. P. has recommended

g) How about your sex hormones? An imbalance in sex hormones may have the same effect.

Looking at all the info you have provided I suspect that you may suffer from Hashimoto's disease (as opposed to non-autoimmune thyroiditis. Have thyroid autoantibodies ever been tested – TPO and TgAB ?) and that Levothyroxine alone is not the right type of thyroid treatment for you. If it were me, I would consider switching to Armour or Erfa, but it has to be your choice.

The reason I think you may have Hashimoto's is because with autoimmune thyroiditis the TSH tends to fluctuate and without making much "sense".... your TSH in 2010 jumped from 28.55 to1.15 within 1 month and right now it is up above 5 again.... all that on a small dose of Levothyroxine of 75 mcg.... this is too little medication and too fast a drop (or rise), but Hashimoto's is known for producing fluctuating TSHs.

The reason I think Levothyroxine is not the right medication for you is because after taking it for one year you are still feeling no better.... and the idea of taking thyroid hormone is actually to make you well again .... so it's not working.

As I felt so ill from taking Levothyroxine (75mcg daily since June 2010) I stopped taking it for 10 days to see if I felt better, which I did but then through advice from TPA I started re-taking it for just under one month before the 16th May blood tests. Could this explain why my Free T4 is lower than previously?

16/05/2011 Free T3 - 3.4 (3.5 - 6.5)No previous tests for free T3Yes, that could explain the lower FT4, but the more important figure is the FT3, and that was way too low. The thyroid hormone you are taking is not getting into your cells.... which is why you feel so awful.

16/05/2011 IGA ENDOMYS AB = Negative16/05/2011 IGG - 13.6 (6.0 - 13.0)16/05/2011 IGA - 1.68 (0.8 - 3.0)16/05/2011 IGM - 1.84 (0.4 - 2.5)Yes, those are antibodies for a Celiac test... I am sorry, but I don't know how to interpret this result, but by the looks of it the test result was negative for Celiac. However, if you have Hashimoto's (positive thyroid autoantibodies) then eating a gluten-free diet will help to keep the thyroid autoantibodies down. The immune system will misidentify gluten molecules for thyroid molecules and will attack.... hence you finish up with war-fare in your gut and bowel trouble. – Ask your GP or endo for a TPO & TgAB (make sure he asks for both! – needs to be specified on blood form) antibody test to establish if you have positive numbers.... (and eat some gluten for a few days before the blood draw, to bring them out in numbers into the bloodstream.)

If I were in your shoes, I would keep taking all the supplements (and yes, reduce B12 to 1 nugget now), add Vit D3 (4000 i.u. per day). Remember to take any iron supplement together with some Vit C (to avoid constipation) and to take iron well away from thyroid hormones by at least 4 hours.... and I would think seriously about switching to Armour or Erfa.... – ask Dr. Peatfield if he agrees with that. Whether or not to tell your GP or endo about this is up to you. I am all for honesty, but I also try to avoid unnecessary aggravation.... if it works and you improve, you could fess up later – if it does not work he won't be any the wiser and you can switch back to Levo .... mind you- that is what *I* would do, you have to decide for yourself how to best play it J

With best wishes,

[Guest guest]

Hi Kerry,

I'm new here so I can't comment on your thyroid issues, but I just wanted to say

that I have also had long term problems with very low ferritin.

I tried lots of different iron meds from my GP over the years and also Spatone

and Floradix iron liquid from my health store.

Despite all this my ferritin just gets lower & lower, eventually reaching 2 or

3!

Even if your haemaglobin is ok, having low ferritin can make you feel really

awful, fatigued, breathless etc.

I eventually got referred to a haematologist at my local hospital and they

arranged for me to have an IV iron infusion. You spend the day in hospital

having the infusion and within a month or so you should feel a lot better.

I have had 3 IV iron infusions now over the past 4 years and am due another at

the end of this month. After thje infusion my ferritin is usually around 70, not

amamzing but much better than 2!!

If your haemaglobin is " normal " then you might have a battle as they only

usually let you have an infusion if you are anaemic, but my ferritin was so low

that they did allow me to have one.

I am currently taking iron bisglycinate that I bought from iherb.

It was recommended to me by people here as being a bit kinder on the stomach.

Good luck hun!

x

> 16/05/2011 Serum Ferritin - 25.9 (10 - 200)

> This is a bit of a mystery to me as my Ferritin was 27 on 28/09/2010 & since

24th March 2011 (for almost 3 months now) I've been taking two sachets of

Spatone daily. Would you expect to see an improvement in levels within this time

do you think? Perhaps I'm being impatient or perhaps its possible to have iron

absorption issues?......I have also been taking 4000mg Vit C since 24th March.

Any ideas??

>

[Guest guest]

Hi again Kerry,

I hope someone might have some tips as I'm out of ideas! Meanwhile I will continue taking two Spatone sachet's daily & my 4000mg Vit C.

Yes, do that and I hope somebody else will have some bright idea..... - Some member of the list – JOT, I think - recommended bisglycinate as the ultimate ferritin elevator.... I know nothing about taking iron, I never had a problem with low ferritin, but it might be worth listening to her.... I picked out this one from i-herb at random......dunno why, call it intuition

http://www.iherb.com/Search.aspx?kw=Iron+Bisglycinate & gclid=CMuxhOTLsKkCFUFC4Qodli3JJg

Yes, I did the 24 hour salivary test in March & it was negative although my IgA was quite high:IgG 1.2 - (< 10)IgA - 9.6 (< 10)

Ooops.... you better lay off the sugar then (apart from the obvious, lay off everything made from grains...bread, beer, and all the other hidden sugars.- best to go gluten free too). That IgA reading is a bit too close for comfort and won't do your IBS any good. – Also, start taking a good probiotic every day (indefinitely)... your gut needs all the help it can get. Biocare and Lamberts do very good ones – choose a variety that needs to be kept in the fridge, they are better.

Dr. P had a look at these & he reckons they may well settle down once my metabolism comes back online. I have to say I am REALLY suffering from bad PMT & if this doesn't go soon then I'll ask Dr. P if I can try the natural progesterone cream!

If you did end up on Progesterone cream, I would recommend the `original' Serenity Cream from the US. I take that myself – makes a hell of a difference to me, but took about 6 weeks for me to feel the difference.

http://www.progesterone.org.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info & cPath=65 & products_id=180 & zenid=6be9cd7d998a9eeacf441e50f4b60b39

That's interesting... & no, these antibodies have not been tested although when I asked what type of disease I had, the GP told me I had the 'autoimmune' type but not really sure what that means or how they would know. I will request the tests via my GP but I suspect I might stand a greater chance of getting the test done if I could qualify why its important to distinguish if I have Hashimoto's or not? Any ideas? (You know what they can be like with their budgets!). To my mind it is important for YOU to know which kind of thyroiditis you've got. It makes no difference to the kind of treatment nor the outcome of the disease and most people do suffer from the autoimmune kind anyway (Hashimoto's means autoimmune thyroiditis and positive numbers of TPO and/or TgAB are diagnostic for the condition); but if you know you have an AI condition you will be aware that there is a higher risk of developing other AI conditions and watch out for them; you will also be aware that your children are more likely to develop endocrine problems themselves later in life, you will know for sure that you should avoid any kind of vaccination and you will understand that those ups and downs are part and parcel of the antibody attacks (they will happen) .... and last, but not least, you will know that a gluten-free diet is definitely the right thing to do to keep those AA's down <g> Just ask your GP to check your thyroid antibodies next time when it's convenient and watch what he ticks on the form... they are usually not specified, so he will have to write it down by hand... TPO and TgAB... make sure he puts down both ;o)

I've just started re-taking Levothyroxine but am also taking NT (3 daily). Do you think in the light of these latest results & the fact I still feel truly awful that I ought to phone Dr. P to see if he thinks I should try switching to Armour sooner rather than later? When I met him, he said if i didn't feel better on Levothyroxine & NT (with NAX) after six weeks then we should try Armour. I've just started week four.....I'm just fed up of feeling terrible but suspect the sensible thing might be to hang on in there for a few more weeks.....?

Why? -You have been feeling terrible on Levo now for over a year... do you think you will miraculously start feeling well in the next 2 weeks <g>. Also – it takes about 2 weeks for the Armour or Erfa to arrive..... no better time than the present, if you ask me J Dr. P. would be the last person to tell you to carry on suffering with Levo <g>

Good luck, Kerry,

Love ,

[Guest guest]

Hi K:

Yes, the iron bisglycinate chelate is the one I would suggest. The chelated form

seems to enter the system easier:

http://www.iherb.com/Bluebonnet-Nutrition-Chelated-Iron-18-mg-90-Vcaps/13960?at=\

0

There are many reasons why ferritin won't come up, leaking gut is one of

them.... MacGilchrist wrote a great post on how she raised her ferritin, it

was really interesting....

Give this a read:

thyroid treatment/message/83172

Cheers,

JOT

> Some member of the list – JOT, I think - recommended bisglycinate as

> the ultimate ferritin elevator.... I know nothing about taking iron, I

> never had a problem with low ferritin, but it might be worth listening

[Guest guest]

Hi K:

If your Ferritin level is at 25....you want to shoot for about 110-120. But

certainly over 100. The Blue Bonnet iron is 27 mgs so I would take 2 or 3 a day.

Space it out and take one pill before bed with vitamin C. See how you feel

taking that and if you get more energy. With the VAT duty charges I think people

are mentioning that you should order under $18 so those charges won't

apply....but that is something you would know more about than me. I'd get at

least two bottles to start......you can always reorder.

Your B-12 is a bit over the 900 level but I don't get too excited about that. I

like B-12 levels at the top or a little over. You can bring it down by cycling

the nuggets. Take 2 one day and 3 the next and bring it down a little like

that.....switch it up during the week. As long as you aren't having any overdose

symptoms, you're OK.

Cheers,

JOT

> Thanks so much for this info....again, sorry, any idea on dosage so I can

> decide how many to order?

> > Yes, the iron bisglycinate chelate is the one I would suggest. The chelated

> > form seems to enter the system easier:

[Guest guest]

Hi K:

Yes, and I want you to take 4000 iu of Vitamin D3.

You can get D3 in large increments. My own is 2000 iu per capsule. I take two or

three capsules a day.

Cheers,

JOT

> A) 1000iu Vit D tablets, 25ug as vit D3

> 400iu vits D3 tablets

>

> I presume you meant the 1000iu vit D tablets otherwise I would have to take

> oodles of the 400iu D3 ones to get up to your 4000iu recommendation below??

>

> > c) Your Vit D3 level is too low – this too will prevent the uptake of

> > thyroid hormone. You need to take 4000 iu D3 per day IMO. ****

[Guest guest]

Don't apologize, Kerry, that's what the forum is all about - sharing information and getting tips J

You need the Vit D3. Lambert's is a very good company. I would for the moment go for the 1000 iu D3 tablets (unless they sell something higher) and take 2 x 2 tablets per day....

However, in the long run this might get expensive.... I buy my D3 from an American company called Vitacost. Delivery takes longer – about 4 weeks for the goodies to arrive, but things are soooo much cheaper. Those below are 2000 iu each – I take 2 x 1 caps per day, am and pm .....

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Vitamin-D3-as-Cholecalciferol-2-000-IU-365-Softgels-Mini-Gels

Just make sure when you order anything from an American company that you do not exceed ~ £ 18 per order, or you are liable for VAT and Royal Mail charges.... you could order 2 bottles of this D3 at once for instance without incurring extra charges.... that would keep you in D3 for a year.....

Love,

[Guest guest]

Hi -for the UK the Nutri centre sell Life Extension D3 in 1,000iu .Also 5,000iu

capsules which is what I use as it works out cheaper .

[Guest guest]

you can get 360 5,000 capsules from iherb for 14.95 dollars, plus 2 dollars

airmail postage

http://www.iherb.com/Healthy-Origins-Vitamin-D3-5-000-IU-360-Softgels/18335?at=0

if you sign up to iherb, you can get 5 dollars off the first order (you may need

a referral code but they are easy to come by)

chris

>

> I See! Could you possibly let me know where you get yours from (I presume

> your nutrition shop?) & which one you take as that sounds ideal for me.

>

[Guest guest]

glad it was of help Kerry!

i bought some and they seem to be good quality, no issues with them (i am

intolerant to some)

they had good reviews on iherb, too

chris

>

> Thanks that's a really good deal & I'm already signed up with iherb

> so I've ordered it, thank you!

>