Borderline Underactive Thyroid

[soos]

I am new here. A recent blood test came back as being borderline under-active. I am also B12 deficient and have coeliac disease. I went to the doctor recently due to heartburn (something I had never suffered from before), palpitations which felt like fluttering in my chest, an irritated throat and dreadful fatigue. I feel unwell most of the time and seem to feel no benefit at all from my 3 monthly B12 jags. I also have painful neuropathy in my legs (which disappeared 2 years ago when I had my loading shots) but I think I would have had to have more frequent jags to make a difference. The doctor says I have to wait a year to be tested again for my thyroid, however I I feel so tired that I wish she would treat me, just to see if it would help. I feel helpless as she has resisted my attempts to increase my B12 so I don't hold out much hope for persuading her re my thyroid. Is there anything I can do myself to help with an under-active thyroid. Thanks for reading this long post.

[Anthea55]

Welcome to the forum, soos

You may well have low stomach acid, which means you don't absorb all the nutrients your body needs. It can give you heartburn and many doctors will then give you something to suppress the acid when what you really need is to increase the acid.

See this page and try the bicarbonate burp test.

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Hypochl...

If you can't get help from your GP you could try getting private blood tests such as Blue Horizon plus eleven which many on here do.

There's lots of info on the ThyroidUK website thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/index....

so learn as much as you can.

Doctors have strange ideas about 'borderline', so get a printout from your surgery with the results and post them here with the ranges for more advice.

[soos in reply to Anthea55]

Thanks for your advice Anthea. I will do the bicarb test and see what this tells me.

[Marz]

You should be having your B12 jabs more often as you have neuropathy. Pop over to the Pernicous Anaemia Forum here on HU and read the posts there. Lots of good links to Guidelines your GP should have read.

Good advice from Anthea above.

Hope you soon feel stronger

[soos in reply to Marz]

Thanks Marz. I thought I should be having B12 more often.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Are you also taking vitamin B complex to "go with" the B12. Likely you have low folate, this would improve with a good B complex (look for one that has folate in not cheaper folic acid - e.g. Jarrows)

As others have said Thyroid plus eleven test from Blue Horizon is the full blood test lots of us use.

drgominak.com/vitamin-d-hor...

[soos in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks Slow Dragon. I think the private test might be the way to go.

[eeng]

Usually doctors give you two tests 3 months apart when you have 'borderline underactive thyroid'. I wonder whether this is another cost-saving measure. Leaving someone to suffer for a whole year without treatment is awful.

[kzz23 in reply to eeng]

My diabetic nurse told me my thyroid was borderline so I had to have another blood test three months later I am now on thyroxine everyday along with all the other medication and injections twice a day I suffer heavy sweating from my head nowhere else well done on your weight loss. Hope you get sorted soon xx

[soos in reply to eeng]

Thanks for your reply eeng. It does seem ridiculous to wait a year.

[Eddie83]

What do you mean by "borderline under-active"? If the doctor only does the TSH test and considers TSH in the high 4's "normal", you could be VERY under-active. Waiting a whole other year for further testing is punishment! First, you need to post whatever testing was done here. Second, you need to take nutritional treatment into your own hands by dosing yourself orally with a biologically-appropriate dose of B12, on the order of 0.5mg daily, and consider supplementation with other Bs, D3, trace minerals, etc. Third, you need to seriously consider private thyroid testing, and treating thyroid yourself by purchasing T4 and T3 off the net, which isn't all that expensive. There are many here who can guide you in self diagnosis and treatment.

[soos]

Thanks so much for your comment Eddie83. I will definitely consider private testing and will supplement B12 too. I may investigate self injecting.

[Marz in reply to soos]

You will find that information from the helpful people on the PAS forum here on HU ..