Choosing a private doctor from the list

[Williamsmum]

Can anyone offer any feedback about dr Lynette Yong (Admins I hope this is ok to ask)

My blood results are all normal but I was put on Levo for miscarriage treatment. I felt a lot better almost immediately (didn't realise so many symptoms were thyroid related) and i want to have a full work up to make sure I get and stay well as I am still struggling.

I think I may also have symptoms of early diabetes and even dementia, although I know brain issues can be just thyroid related.

Dr Lynette Yong looked perfect as an anti ageing doctor as i'm only 39, but I see from an Internet profile that she advertises more as a cosmetic surgeon/ Botox etc. There is only a small paragraph about hormones.

Thanks very much

[shaws]

If any member has information, please send a private message to Williamsmum.

[Williamsmum]

Thanks shaws, sorry didn't mean to break the rules!

[LouiseRoberts in reply to Williamsmum]

You didn't break the rules! It's fine to ask, as long as the responses are by message!

x

[humanbean]

If you think you are showing signs of early dementia at the tender age of 39, then you really need to get your nutritional status checked as well as your thyroid. You really need to get the following checked : Active Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, iron, ferritin, folate.

I know that low vitamin B12 can cause permanent neurological damage, so that needs to be checked urgently.

Personally, I had extremely low iron and that made it hard to think and remember.

You say your blood results were normal - but have you had the full package of thyroid tests? TSH, free T4, free T3 and the various different kinds of antibodies? The NHS usually just does TSH but it isn't sufficient to diagnose anything with any reliability. You need the full set. I would say it is even more urgent for you if you are suspecting dementia.

Another thing that might help is paying for a reverse T3 test. When I treated my own high reverse T3 with high doses of T3 (all self-prescribed and self-funded) it made a massive difference to my ability to think, to plan, and to remember.

[Williamsmum in reply to humanbean]

And thanks for the tip re reverse T3, I will look into that

[edysia2 in reply to humanbean]

Hi Humanbean. I just wanted to ask: have you ever experienced worsening of 'brain fog' while on this high dose of t3. There is general consensus that t3 helps to clear ' brain fog'/ clouded thinking/ memory problems, however when I was increasing dose of erfa in the past the higher the dose ( the more t3) the worse my brain fog was becoming.

[Williamsmum in reply to edysia2]

In his brain book, Datis Kharrassian suggests brown rice protein shakes for brain fog. I tried it and it works fantastically well. It's the only reason I don't have brain fog along with all the other symptoms!

[edysia2 in reply to Williamsmum]

Wow, it's good to know, thank you Williamsmum. I am on medications that may contribute to brain fog but I am gradually coming off them, nevertheless I don't think that the heaviness of my 'fog' is solely down to this medications, and hypothyroidism. My diet is not brilliant, struggling to fill the gaps for food that I can't eat due to allergies. I am gluten free, but still eating diary. I will try brown rice shakes in addition to other things I am doing, might help. I need to get the book too. Thank you once again. E x

[Ritaritarita in reply to Williamsmum]

How do you make that, brown rice and protein and almond milk? Gonna make some rice now. Wonder why it helps?

[Jabulani in reply to Ritaritarita]

Here is an example of brown rice protein which would help you make up a protein shake. myprotein.com/sports-nutrit...

You can buy almond milk from a health food store.

[Jabulani in reply to Jabulani]

Just be sure to check that there is no hidden gluten in the almond milk ingredients

[edysia2 in reply to Jabulani]

What to do if I can't have milk ? With water it's going to be totally unpleasant or maybe I am wrong, unless I add rice milk to brown rice?? Mhm .. Too much rice.

Have you tried this product Jabulani?

[Jabulani in reply to edysia2]

Hi Edysia2, The brown rice protein on its own is not pleasant. However, you can make up a delicious chocolate smoothie this way:

Put the following ingredients into a blender:

1 or 2 scoops brown rice protein

1 cup of almond milk 9from health store)

1 teaspoon pumpkin seed butter (from health store)

1 teaspoon groud chia seeds or ground flaxseed

1 scoop raw cacao powder

Drizzle agarve syrup to sweeten

1 tablespoon aloe vera drink

Blend on high for a minute or two.

You can make the brown rice protein smoothie up in all sorts of ways if the other ingredients are difficult to get hold of or if they are too expensive or not to your taste. You can throw in a punnet of strawberries to the almond milk and rice protein and add a drizzle of agarve syrup. It will be just like a strawberry milkshake only healthier

Just experiment a bit with different ingredients

[edysia2 in reply to Jabulani]

Thank you Jabulani I will try. I would have to eliminate half of the ingredients from the list as they would upset my stomach but I saved your recipe

Is this brown rice protein product gluten free? E x

[Jabulani in reply to edysia2]

Yes Edysia2 it is

Here is another recipe just in case you can have these ingredients.

Tropical/Chocolate Rice Protein Smoothie

½ cup pineapple

1 cup coconut milk

1 banana

1 scoop rice protein powder

Ice as needed

Blend in your blender until smooth and enjoy!

I hope you find something that works for you

[Jabulani in reply to Jabulani]

Obviously, if you want to make it chocolate you just add a scoop of raw cacao

[Ritaritarita in reply to Jabulani]

Oh I was just gonna wiz up some brown rice! Thanks

[Williamsmum in reply to Ritaritarita]

As Jabilani says it's the protein in the rice, not the whole rice - the protein stabilises your blood sugar. Just rice will probably make the brain fog worse. The protein shakes also help with waking in the night feeling anxious, that is also caused by blood sugar issues rather than doing too much/ stress etc. I get mine on amazon. Also watch for craving sweet things after eating and feeling sleepy after eating. Both are signs that you're eating too much carbohydrate and not enough protein.

[edysia2 in reply to Williamsmum]

I crave sugars like crazy and i eat tons, I know it's very bad idea, but I struggle so much to stop with sugar. I wasn't sure about rice protein as I have read somewhere that if One is gluten intolerant then it's not a good idea to replace gluten/ wheat with other grains such as rice.

[Williamsmum in reply to edysia2]

Datis K says brown rice protein as it is low allergenic. i am also on a GF diet. You can buy whey protein more easily in shops but it is more likely to make you react. I've tried it without a problem but the brown rice seems to be better somehow. I found my sugar cravings diminished on the protein shakes. you can buy chocolate/ strawberry flavour and mix with any dairy alternative or fruit juice/ smoothie. I've tried all options and currently like chocolate flavour without sweetner mixed with half innocent smoothie and half koko coconut dairy alternative to milk (pricey though!). you can buy sweetened versions that you can mix with soy milk/ rice milk, whatever you like.

[Ritaritarita in reply to Williamsmum]

Thank you

[Hidden in reply to edysia2]

My brain fog has recently worsened on a high dose of T3. Health has taken a turn for the worse but I had been enjoying feeling a bit more 'with it'. I suspect there is something else going on!

[humanbean in reply to edysia2]

Hi edysia,

This is a total guess on my part, so feel free to ignore it!

Perhaps your brain fog was caused by the T4 component of Erfa, and not the T3? I was on T3-only, and I took enough of it to suppress my own T4 output completely. I found that I was thinking better than I had for years.

Thankfully I didn't need to keep taking high doses of T3. Since I'm paying for my own thyroid treatment I was concerned about the potential cost! I'm only taking a tiny dose of T3 now, and it seems to be working fine.

[edysia2 in reply to humanbean]

Hi Humanbean, thank you for replying. I was wondering myself if the increase in fogginess is due to t4 or t3, the more NDT I take the more foggy I become. On lower doses of NDT my fog is less pronounced, however I am completely unable to move. Hard to chose what to go for : 1) slightly

clearer head while more fatigued on

lower dose of NDT or 2) being more 'foggy' with slightly increased physical energy with higher dose of NDT.

I am going to check my reverse t3 and I am wondering how high that is.

How much of t3 are you taking Humanbean ?

I am also wondering, if I may ask you: are you male or a female? Sorry weird question but I have realised that men tend to react differently than women to t3 only therapy. I assume that it is due to constant fluctuations in sex hormones in women during menstrual cycle. Unfortunately I am a woman

[Williamsmum]

Thanks Humanbean

Hopefully I am just paranoid about the dementia but my brain does seem to have degenerated more than my friends over the last few years. I am wanting to get all possible nutrients tested for deficiencies and try and optimise them.

My Miscariage specialist said my thyroid function was/is suboptimal for fertility. He did the 3 tests and antibodies. Luckily my GP practice tested T3 and T4 as well as TSH for me recently but the results are in range - I am on 25mg of Levo still, prescribed by miscarriage specialist.

So in October 2012 my TSH was 2.49 (.27-4.2)

FT4 13.9 (12-22)

FT3 4.9 (3.1-6.8)

2 x Antibodies were zero.

I started 25mg Levo and results improved to optimal and i was tested whilst pregnant and pp but have slowly worsened again since mid pregnancy I'm still on the 25mg.

Mid jan 2014

TSH 1.21(.27-4.2)

T3 4.8 (3.9-6.7)

T4 14.8 (12-23)

So allowing for the different ranges my T3 looks worse, which seems a bit odd if my thyroid is causing symptoms, but the worst of the symptoms went v quickly and haven't come back. My brain is worse but I'm suffering the usual sleep deprivation of a mum of a 6mo.

Any thought gratefully received. I have a problem of plenty with the doctor list - no idea who might be best or, I'm hoping, they could all sort me out so I could just go for a cheaper/ closer one.Which leaves me at a loss!

Can anyone give me any pointers on what to look for given my history? They all seem to use a good range of treatments (T3/ NDT etc). Would a private GP be specialist enough? I don't want to spend any more than necessary

Thanks!

[humanbean in reply to Williamsmum]

Your results are NOT good. Many people don't feel well until TSH is 1 or under, and free T4 and free T3 should be in the upper third or upper quarter of the reference range.

25mcg levo is a starter dose, and is likely to achieve nothing more than disrupting your own production of thyroid hormones, while not actually benefiting you at all. You need to ask for an increase in your levo as soon as possible. Then you should be re-tested after 4 - 6 weeks to see if you need another increase. Keep increasing and retesting every 6 weeks until you actually have results that make you feel well without sending you hyper. No wonder you feel so awful and can't think!

[Williamsmum]

So it sounds like you both think my results are pretty standard (ie I just need more Levo and to get vitamins tested) could I go to any dr on the Thyroid UK list?

I am trying to choose a dr and don't know where to go

Thank you!

[LouiseRoberts in reply to Williamsmum]

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone can really help you to pick a doc...

You just need to look through the info and pick the one that sounds like they will suit your situation the best..

I know it's difficult - they are very expensive...

L

x

[Williamsmum in reply to LouiseRoberts]

hi louise, thank you. I have emailed you about the latest doctor list.

[nono]

Hi Louise

I have mailed you asking for the doctor list.

thank you

nono