Can anyone give me any insight as to what could be the cause of my TSH skyrocketing even though my FT4 and FT3 aren't quite as bad? Every time my tests come back I increase my thyroid dosage, and yet this has continued for the whole of 2013.I'm taking a mix of thyroxine and liothyronine (T4 and T3, separately).
What can be going on? I increase my dosage each time, according to doctor's advice, but there seems to be no predictable response from my thyroid statistics.
Here's the figures for 2013:
February TSH 19.39, FT4 6.1, FT3 3.4
May TSH 33.9, FT4 3.4, FT3 4.4
June TSH 6.94, FT4 4.1, FT3 5.5
July TSH 12.45, FT4 5.2, FT3 5.2
November TSH 11.0, FT4 3.9, FT3 4.4
And for 2014 so far:
January TSH 46, FT4 5:4, FT3 3.8
I have no idea what is going on.
Over the past 4 years I have had a lot of demands on my life, major stresses, been quite ill on and off - but just worn out, nothing with a specific 'name', including rashes and brainfog. . But even that wouldn't quite explain all of this, would it?Thanks anyone for anything!
Ransom
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Ransom
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Thanks chihiro - I was feeling awful, a lot of the time, but not so bad recently, although the rash is consistent, so I just began a hydrocortisone cream, and it's almost gone.( So does this mean I'm not making enough cortisol??)
I've been struggling with mental overload for years - things keep happening that require difficult decisions and more work, that sort of stuff, but I'm actually doing better personally. And physical overload is also better since we moved from where we were living (which we did in September this year). I'm not on any other medication except NAX (adrenal supplement via Dr. Peatfield) and a few other supplements like Omega 3, Vit C, just vitamins.
I am not as tired as I used to be. My diet is good, now at least.
Antibodies? Thyroid antibodies? Let me check --- no. No test for that.
Might be an idea to suggest to your gp to get those checked. If you have Hashimoto it could explain why you're not responding to the medication. With Hashi your results can be all over the place and it is known to cause problems with finding the right dose. I really don't have any experience with meds so I am sure someone else will be along and help with that.
I was asking about diet because there are foods that aren't good for you if you are hypo like soya, cabbage etc Have a look at this list thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...
As for medication I was thinking of the pill which often causes problems but as you haven't listed it I presume you don't take it.
Thanks, chihiro. I always cook the goitrogenic veggies, but I've had them for years so I don't know why my thyroid uptake would suddenly slow down NOW. I'll ask my doc if we can test for thyroid antibodies, and see what he says. he has not been very responsive to anything I've told him so far about why I take T3, refusing to consider RT3 earlier (when I was on T4 mostly) but I keep hoping something will improve somehow!. Thing is, when I moved to more T3 and less T4 it got worse, not better. Weird.
Perhaps you have a pituitary problem? Some people can have TSH-secreting tumours on the pituitary. I think they might be diagnosed with MRI scans, but it isn't something I know anything about, so I could be totally wrong.
definitely get your antibodies checked. I drew up a graph of all my TSH result (all over the pace) it looked like a saw toothed mountain, up and down. I then asked for antibody test and it confirmed I have raised ab's. Last week I had a thyroid scan and that showed my thyroid is severely atrophied. I am now looking at info to go on a Paleo diet. Have been on a wheat free diet up to now. My levo dose has been up and down too, not a good thing but am now on 100mcg and wondering if it need to increase by 25mcg. Hope you soon get sorted
Hi Ransom, I was diagnosed food intolerant in 1999 after 10 years of not feeling right! I was intolerant to wheat, chicken and eggs. In 2005 started to go downhill, vague symptoms then heard about hypo family members and got tested. Still did not eat wheat etc. Then started to read on this site and elsewhere about ab's and then read Datis Karrazhian-" why do I still have thyroid symptoms" and also Isabella Wentz "Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the root cause" Am now waiting for "The Wahl's protocol " Terry Wahl's book -out next week. When I have "digested the info" I want to try the Paleo diet (similar to the elimination diet that helped diagnose my intolerances. As Hashi's is an autoimmune disease and gluten can "mimic" the antibodies, I want to reduce the ab's. I am hoping that if Paleo works I might eventually restore some of my thyroid function, probably wishful thinking! Just another twist, my Dad has Crohn's, another auto immune disease and it is his close family that has hypothyroid. So genes being what they are I suspect I may well have a propensity towards other auto immune disease and I aim to carry on "interfering" in the lives of my 3 kids and grandkids as long as possible! LOL Hope this helps you on your search for info!
Thanks for taking the time to write that all out - Your experience does help me understand, over all. Were you only intolerant to those 3 foods - and when you eliminated them, did your symptoms sort out? I am only wondering because this food problem is SO widespread, and the only breakthrough I have had so far in that direction (without being tested yet) was when I go on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (book by the same name, also websites on this). It has a foundation in how we digest our foods, laying the problem of non-digestion at the door of some people's inability to enzymatically breakdown any food consisting of multiple sugar molecules. So single sugar molecule foods are fine, ie no grains at permitted at all (harder than celiac but you get used to it).
I agree about the genetic component. This sort of problem definitely runs in families. Yet it takes so many forms that I tend toward the SC Diet solution - it even affects autism-type behavior, and they've made connections with other brain ch emistry troubles due to this build up of unused food in the gut.
You probably know all this already, but incase you don't know about the SCDiet I thought I'd pass it on.
Thanks Ransom, glad to help, that's what the site is for.
I will look at SC after the paleo stuff. Mustn't overload my at times very foggy brain.
I did find other things that I am intolerant to, lettuce, soya and coconut! My symptoms did ease off for about 5 years then hypo started.Each intolerance had different symptoms! and the symptoms can be different in each person! That's why medics poo poo whatever we come up with, as we are usually diagnosed as TATT (tired all the time) pre, or post menopausal women who live on a different planet. They do not seem to take account of the fact that some of us actually "listen" to our bodies. It is unfortunate that we have to resort to conventional medics on occasion but I now only go when I have diagnosed my problem and ask them what tests I would like (to confirm my diagnosis LOL) I found wheat resulted in anaemia, eggs gave me breast cysts, never really found out what chicken did! Lettuce gave me a bad backache, soya is not good for women generally and not good for thyroidies- it's goitrogenic. Coconut upset my guts! I am currently on 100mcg levo but have been on 125mcg in past and had big issues with TEVA 100mcg (MHRA then withdrew their licence in 2012) and I suspect Mercury Pharma 25mcg tabs not good for me either! Oh there is so much to learn. I think TUK should set up a Degree course, we would mostly all do better than the medics!
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