Help & Guidance Please

[janeelizabethruby]

Hello everyone I am new to the site and hopefully someone can help me!

I was diagnosed May 2015 hypothyroidism with my TSH at 264.

Started Levo 50 mcg no improvement after a couple of weeks. After blood tests I was given 100 mcg Levo. After about 3 weeks started to get pain in all of my joints, stiff neck, painful muscles and physical fatigue. Went back to GP who took more blood tests and examined me and told me that I had fibromyalgia. I thought that it could have been the Levo, so I went back to my GP and asked if he would give me a private prescription for Amour. He agreed to my using it, even though he had never heard of it! I have been on 1 1/2 grains for a month now and no improvement.

Here is a list of my “non-normal” + TSH test results:

Anti-iga TTG Antibodies 0.4 u/ml 0.0-7.0 8/5/2015

TSH 0.79 mu/l 0.35-5.50 14/7/2015

Free T 4 14.2 pmol/L 7.0-17.0 14/7/2015

Ferritin 90 ug/l 15-300 8/5/2015

Folate 14.0 ug/l >3.0 8/5/2015

Vit B12 419 ng/l 150-900 8/5/2015

Full blood count non normal results:

Red blood cell count 3.64 x10^12/L 3.8-5.50 14/7/2015

Haematocrit 0.36 L/L 0.37-0.47 14/7/2015

Thyroid peroxidase lgG Ab 49.9 u/ml <9.0 8/5/2015 (I have just noticed this, is this important as my GP never mentioned it)

Total Vit D 61.5nmol/L (25- Hydroxyvitamin D3 58.7nmol/L 25 Hydroxyvitamin D2 2.8nmol/L 25/8/2015

I have increased the Armour up to 2 grains today (12/10/2015) 1 grain in the early morning and 1 grain late afternoon.

Should I have done this?

As I said above my GP hasn't got a clue, so I am hoping that you lovely people will be able to help me.

Oh, I nearly forgot I am taking a plethora of vitamins and minerals ( recommended by Dr Arem on Thyroid UK web site) and also Higher Nature thyroid support supplement.

My hair is growing back (I was nearly bald on top!) I now have hair on my arms and legs and I am not constipated any more. I am not depressed, just fed up and frustrated!!!

Have I given it long enough for the Levo to leave my body and for the Armour to kick in (I stopped taking the Levo when I started Armour a month ago).

Any help or guidance would be truly welcome. Thanks.

[Clutter]

Welcome to the forum, Janeelizabethruby.

You were profoundly hypothyroid to have TSH 246. Normal TSH is 1-2. People with very high TSH often recover better and faster than those with mildly abnormal TSH but you became hypothyroid over months/years and it will take time, possibly up to a year, to recover, so you're going to need to be patient. Your hair growing back and resolved constipation show you are responding well to replacement hormone. Hairloss is often one of the last symptoms to resolve.

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies are positive for autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's) which has caused your hypothyroidism. You might want to consider 100% gluten-free diet which can be helpful in reducing Hashi flare ups and antibodies.

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

100mcg Levothyroxine worked quickly to restore your FT4 to 14.2 and bring down your TSH to 0.79 in 3 months. Symptoms often lag behind good biochestry by a couple of months. 2 grains Armour is equivalent to 150mcg Levothyroxine so stick with the dose for 6 weeks and have a thyroid test, including FT3, before increasing further.

Ferritin 90 is adequate but not optimal. Optimal is halfway through range. You could supplement iron with 500-1,000mg vitamin C to improve ferritin.

B12 is optimal at 1,000. Supplement 1,000mcg methylcobalamin sublingual lozenges, spray or patches and take a B Complex vitamin to keep the other B vits balanced. Folate 14 is good.

VitD 61 is suboptimal, optimal is 75-200 and most are comfortable around 100. Supplement D3 5,000iu daily for 6 weeks and then reduce to 5,000iu alternate days until April.

RBC and haematocrit being low with the rest of the RBC evaluation normal is unlikely to be significant and is possibly due to your severe hypothyroidism in May. Ask for the full blood count to be repeated in 6 months. The link below outlines possible causes.

labtestsonline.org/understa...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

[Heloise]

Hi Jane, what a predicament we have with Hashimoto's. I agree with Clutter's analysis and I would try going gluten free if possible. It's difficult because it's often in things you don't suspect but gluten might be causing leaky gut and allowing the attack. This doctor describes it very well although can't advise over the internet.

youtube.com/watch?v=3_uaUXi...(Not working as expected?)