New poster, labs, long post, feedback greatly appreciated

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

I've been a lurking member here for a few months trying to absorb all the

incredible information that you wonderful folks provide. I'm hoping I can get

some feedback and help regarding what I suspect is an RT3 issue. I live in

Vancouver, BC Canada and finding someone to test for RT3 is a nightmare (we only

have 2 labs to do testing and BC Biomedical has never tested RT3, Lifelabs

stopped testing in March 2009)

Quick facts:

Female

44

Premenopausal

5'7 "

Have gained 50 lbs in 2 years despite LC WOE, current weight is 185

Confirmed gluten intolerant (Enterolab)

High stress environment began 2 years ago, has continued on and off since then

(beginning to calm down now)

Symptoms:

cold hands and feet, cold at night (would get up at 2 am to take a hot bath);

weight gain,

edema in extremities

hair loss, significant enough for hairdresser to comment, also premature grey

toenails peeling off,

very dry skin, excema or psoriasis on both ankles (right side relieved when went

gluten free, left stopped blistering....maybe DH but never tested)

years of constipation

FATIGUED, falling asleep by 7

Lack of motivation

Loss of libido

Anxiety

Insomnia, can fall asleep but wake up between 2-4 am every night, often with

pounding heart

Peripheral numbness and tingling in left hand (comes and goes)

Temps traditionally in 96.5-97.2 range, not stable

Found a doctor that did thyroid last fall:

Labs October 2009

Tsh 0.50 range 0.38-5.5

(this has been time and again with the following results 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.75

reference range is the same)

Ft3 4.7 range 3.5-6.5

Ft4 16 range 10-20

Serum Cortisol:

Am cortisol (test 1) 455 range 140-690

Am cortisol (test 2) 337 range 140-690

Pm cortisol 135 range 50-300

Was put on ½ grain ERFA and slowly worked up to 2 grains by new year. Still

feeling quite hypo, Edema was getting worse and beginning to feel more tired and

cold, wondered about going up further, did new labs first

Feb 2010 labs:

TSH 0.01 range 0.38-5.5

Ft3 7 range 3.5-6.5

Ft4 18 range 10-20

TPO Antibodies < 10 range > 30

Ferritin 80

Salivary Corstisol

AM 4.8 range 3.7-9.5

Noon 2.0 range 1.2-3.0

Evening 0.2 range 0.6-1.9

Night 0.3 range 0.4-1.0

Was put on herbal adrenal supps (no effect)

Dropped down to 1.5 grains to try and reduce water retention, pounding heart

Forward to June, decided that based on what I had read here I might have an RT3

problem and moved from ERFA to 25 mg cynomel split 4x day moving up 6.25 g every

week.

Current split is:

12.5 12.5 12.5 6.25

Temps are not stable but range is higher 97.5-97.9

Latest labs drawn 15 h after last dose:

TSH 0.06 (0.38-5.5)

FT3 3.9 (3.5-6.5)

FT4 5.0 ( 10.5-20)

Ferritin 128

Folate >50

Sodium 137 (135-145)

Potassium 4.5 (3.5-5)

B12 501 (150-650)

D3 110 (21-135) note, I had been supp 4000iu/day

Serum Cortisol

Am 339 ( 140-690)

Pm 87 ( 50-300)

Sorry for such a long post but wanted to get everything out there. Any feedback

or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Warm regards

maile