I hadn't realised that in hypo your kidneys get smaller. Just reading about the effect of the thyroid on kidney function ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
(don't read it late at night.... too scary).
They shrink, though it is reversible - with treatment "the renal mass almost doubles in size". The kidney changes may explain the low sodium found on blood tests in secondary hypo - there is a reduction in sodium reabsorption. So that's why I have so much salt!
I'm interested because my father had severe kidney disease, and my tests show a reduced GFR (filtration rate) - 74. ramge 90 - 9999 (now, there's a range so wide it is clearly b********. }Reduced GFR is a associated with hypo. Well, I'm sure Clutter already knows all this, but do you think any GPs do? It ought to be up there on the signs and symptoms list.
I think I might change my logon from Aspmama to mrsveryangry.
OK. Got to hoover now. Must drag myself away (cf Chancery last post).
It is disgraceful that doctors don't know this. I guess they are only General Practitioners after all and should never be looking after thyroid issues and hormone problems as these illnesses are so immensely complicated.
The resilience of our poor bodies is truly astounding sometimes.
Amazing isn't it. I have a GFR that sits between low 40s to mid 50s. I am 48.
I have never seen any consulting doctor about this. My GP is unconcerned. I get a GFR test once a year and a flu jab. No reference has been made to hypothyroidism which if you go looking is so linked to kidney function or lack of. My ENT surgeon is dismissive but I do wonder if I should be following this up at all.
I have read this research before. I have low T3 but I have brought this to my surgeon who again brushed it away. Wondering if a nephrologist would understand better link to thyroid?
I would think a kidney specialist should know about this. I haven't talked to my GP, but the chances of her being familiar with it are v low. Reading about it makes me think that if the GFR level is not corrected then that is one more sign that the hypo is not being properly treated. GFR and sodium levels should obviously be checked each time along with cholesterol when TSH is tested.
Do you think your hypo is fully corrected, Nickinoo?
The stuff about low sodium in blood is very interesting. Again, results at the bottom of the range will not be being picked up, but could be very significant. And I see that relatively unremarkable low sodium is linked to short term memory loss, fatigue, weakmess. reduced attention, altered posture and gait and, in the elderly, falls, and osteoporosis.
Which all sounds very familiar, doesn't it? That some of our symptoms might come from this was new to me.
Also, I see that reduced acidity in wee (I must find my PH strips) links to increased urinary tract infections. And possibly kidney stones.
It is very important not to hugely increase salt intake in order to increase sodium in blood, because it can cause nerve damage.
I think the links between kidney function and hypo (and hyper of course, where the effects are the opposite) are not getting enough attention.
Thank you to both of you for coming back on this - I was a bit forlorn that no one was interested!
No my TSH/ hypothyroidism is nowhere near sorted out. I had a hemithyroidectomy in January, my TSH is 6.8 which hasn't moved much since my op and only on 50mcg a day of Levo partly because I've had terrible side effects, partly because my thyroid surgeon aims to get TSH just in range not the low end.
i maintain a low salt diet. I have high cholesterol so try to be good.
Have you ever had a T3 test? I am concerned that I don't convert to T3 and the link with kidney function Is one I would like to have checked.
Until you get a GFR below 60 the GPs do not seem interested.
I have tested T3 privately - my GFR is only at the first stage. GPs probably don't realise the GFR is caused by the hypo. Might be worth printing out that review and highlighting the hypo section for them.
Your cholesterol is probably caused by the hypo too. Mine is 7.8. In which case it doesn't mattter what we eat, seems to me.
Both should improve once your thyroid probs are corrected. That's what they should focus on.
I have cholesterol 6.4 so not too high but higher than it should be.
I am lucky my GP does get my T3 checked fairly often. I shall wait for next GP blood test and see what it comes back with. Might get him to refer me but not to endo as they don't appear to have a good reputation from all I have read in my searches.
have only just seen this post Aspmama, but thank you for posting. My son's creatinine is high and he has a whole load of hormone problems (Hypopituitarism with Septo-Optic Dysplasia, plus low thyroid, adrenal and testosterone), so this gives me a lot of information to tackle the Endo with. I also have Cortisol and DHEA problems because of rubbish thyroid meds over the last five years and mentioned to the GP a few weeks ago that my skin tasted very salty. His reply was that it was the hot weather, but this taste was excessive. I have been reading about Aldosterone and realise that so much is connected and have a lot more information at my fingertips now. Thank you.
Thank you for posting this article Aspmama. Very interesting subject and got me thinking. At the moment, I am researching the mighty Thyroid subject as it relates to me, to educate myself and understand what is going on within my body and mind. As a start – compiling a dossier of my complete medical history cataloguing all the medical episodes and symptoms that have occurred through my life, seemed to be the obvious thing to do.
Your link “Interaction Between Thyroid Disorders and Kidney Disease” is very enlightening.
I beginning to believe that I have maybe always been on the edge of Hypothroidism (there could be other things going on?), with fluctuating hypothyroid episodes varying degrees from relative normality to really dark times. Bells stated ringing when I read the article that you posted and in particular the paragraph “The Effects of Thyroid Hormones on Renal Development” it got me thinking and did some digging around on the internet.
My daughter has a congenital renal dysfunction. She was born with defective valves in at the top of the urinary tract with did not develop properly until she was about 12 years old. She was 2 years old before the problem was identified. During the interim time she had continual kidney infections but the damage was done, so she now has one very much shrunken kidney and the other is enlarged and takes on the majority of the renal function work. So I wondered if my thyroid problems were, maybe the root cause of her problems.
I found this which seems to suggest that there is a very strong case that women should be screened for thyroid dysfunction prior to pregnancy -
Thanks for that White Mist. Ties with a report showing that (from memory) women with thyroid antibodies are more likely to have babies with autism. Also, if many cases of central or secondary hypo are going undetected because of normal TSH - that will be having tragic consequences in pregnancy.
Whether our problems are linked to our children's problems or not, it seems to me that at the very least women from families with thyroid or celiac or PA problems should be screened very carefully before pregnancy, and all women should be made aware of these risks. And the iron ranges for women need to change so they are healthy going into pregnancy.
V v sorry about your daughter. My father had severe kidney disease one kidney vanished, not spotted till he was 30, he lived to his early 80s, but he paid a price in fatigue, cold intolerance and no doubt other things. I hope your daughter gets top care.
Interesting that your father had kidney disease Aspmama.
The link that I posted was entitled "Thyroid Disease Raises Risk For Birth Defects" and it suggested that there was " increased risk of a variety of other anomalies, including cleft lip or palate, or extra fingers". I strongly agree with you that women should have thyroid screening before pregnancy too as a process of elimination for any potential problems - the more information the better. I seem to remember that taking folate is now recommended for pregnant women nowadays.
My daughter had excellent care with a wonderful consultant when she was a child. She suffered intermittently from urinary tract infections in her 20s - some quite severe that she needed hospitalisation. She also suffered from Restless Legs syndrome. The infections seemed to subside in her 30s. Though two years ago (38 years old and 1st baby) she had gestational diabetes and was really unwell. Not sure if there is any link between thyroid problem and diabetes and antibodies. She is fine now but has just been diagnosed with gall stones, poor girl.
Her plan is to have another child in the next year or so. I am thinking about the wisdom to suggest that she has thyroid tests before her next pregnancy in the light of the two studies.
Definitely! The full test - I have Blue Horizon'd my son for antibodies - I have TSH and FT4d my daughter and I will antibody test her before any whisper of pregnancy.
The state should do this for all first degree fertile female relatives of anyone diagnosed with antibodies - it is money-saving for the taxpayer. But since they won't doing it privately makes sense.
RLS is linked through very solid mainstream research to low brain iron - how are your daughter's ferritin levels now, do you think? You could throw that in to the full thyroid panel. Yes, pregnant women should take folate, and indeed I think all the B vitamins, and I think ideally before pregnancy one would test for nutritional levels and get them up to optimal. Vit D. All the Bs, and serum ferritin up to 80 - 90. I wish I'd known that 20 years ago, and I might not now be an Asperger's mama.
You must have your hands full being an Asperger’s mama – Stay Strong and look after yourself too.
I will take your sound advice and discuss this testing matter with my daughter. She will be spending the first two weeks in August with us so will raise the subject then. The gall stones issue will have to be addressed before she would even contemplate another pregnancy. Only just read that gall bladder dysfunction can be linked to hypothyroidism! She is having a raft of tests before seeing the specialist but do not know what is to be included. Interesting about the RLS - she seldom has it these days but a good topic for discussion. It did not have a name when she first had it :). Having had one bubba, I am sure that she will now see the wisdom in being top health before conceiving again. I have not been tested for anti-bodies and do not know enough about the subject to be on sure ground, so could not discuss this with her.
When I first started investigating All Things Thyroid (still very much in the novice stage) it did not occur to me that thyroid problems could be inherited. My ultimate goal is to have a full panel testing along the along the guidelines of the Thyroidnation site so that I can either eliminate or confirm underlying problems as there may be an inherited issue passed down from my mother’s paternal family line.
Getting it though, is just another hurdle in life but there is always more than one way to skin a cat
White Mist
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My one kidney
Here are my latest results 
Chronic kidney disease stage 3
Kidney issues again due to absorption problems? Can I add another 5 mcg? 
Secondary Hyperparathyroidism - kidney stones
