I have had an under an interactive thyroid for 32 years as a result of radiotherapy treatment. I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes 9 months ago. This is part my due to the fact that my dosgecshoud have been increased by 25 MG's to 250 daily butvwas 'overlooked' by a gp for 6 months. My personal research has shown that there is a correlation between these diseases? Themfact that is all endocrine makes it difficult to balance call necessarry drugs. Does anybody else know anything this? Through diet andcdrugs the diabetes is under control, thyroid is not and I am now being told that my cholesterol level is too high! I don't eat really anything. Is there a link here? So fed up with gp's, a total lack of support\help and feeling like rubbings! Any help or suggestions!?!?!? X
Diabetes and hypothyroid: I have had an under an... - Thyroid UK
Diabetes and hypothyroid
If you've been told you have a higher cholesterol, it is a clinical symptom of hypothyroidism and I would be inclined to think you have not been on an optimum of thyroid hormones for a long time and I would guess this has contributed to having diabetes. Bearing in mind that I'm not medically qualified..
Statins will probably be offered by the doctor for cholesterol but they aren't recommended for hypothyroidism and it has nothing to do with your diet butwith your thyroid hormones if not optimal. We should have a TSH of around 1 or lower and a Free T3 and Free T4 towards the upper part of the range..
If you can ask your docor to test your Free T4 and Free T3 levels, I bet they are low whereas they should be towards the upper part of the range not below the centre.
Levothyroxine is also called T4. T4 is inactive and should convert to T3 (liothyronine) which is the Active hormone required in all our receptor cells.
We need T3 and if T4 doesn't convert to sufficient for us, we will have clinical symptoms. If your GP wont test FT4 and FT3 you can get a private test through a recommended lab.
Blood tests for thyroid hormones should be the earliest possible and fasting (you can drink water). Allow 24 hours from your last dose of levo and the test and take it afterwards.
Thank you. I have known for many years that something was not right and this makes a lot if sense. I have a long awaited GP appointment on Monday and I will be asking questions from your response. Could this be the answer to so many years of problems. So a big thank you.
I am not medically qualified and have read articles by doctors who treated patients by 'signs/symptoms' before blood tests were introduced. Most have now died of age/natural causes. This is an excerpt of a brilliant doctor's statement. He also ran the Broda Barnes Institute in the USA which still exists today:-
Excerpt:
In the legendary book Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness, Dr. Broda Barnes presented research that the cardiovascular complication of diabetes was due to low thyroid function rather than insulin. Just one look at the article Is Your Thyroid Killing You? Heart Disease will show you that there is a deadly link between hypothyroidism and heart disease. Dr. Barnes wrote that many diabetic patients are in fact hypothyroid and the heart disease that manifests in these diabetic patients is due to the thyroid deficiency. Dr. Barnes claimed that heart disease complications of diabetes could be prevented by treatment with natural desiccated thyroid.
hypothyroidmom.com/is-your-...
His Foundation still operates today
This made fascinating reading. What a great some of our I adequate GPs don't listen to their patients and read articles such as this. I have really felt like pants for years buyt no oidy listens and, we still trust them! Thank you. X
If you are in the UK, one of our great doctors fought on the frontline against the Endocrinology Departments.
Dr Skinner was trained in the 50's and another Dr Peatfield around the same time. All they knew was to 'look' at the patient and by signs and symptoms they could diagnose. Patients were given a trial of Natural Dessicated Thyroid Hormones and if they felt better they continued. They followed in the steps of the first doctor (Dr Murray) who discovered how to cure people who were hypothyroid with NDT. That was in 1892.
Now we are in 2016, Dr Murray's method has been disregarded. False Statement have been made and believed that NDT is 'inferior' to levothyroxine. Doctors in the USA get paid by the pharmaceutical companies to prescribe T4 (levothyroxine only) and it is now worldwide. If the patient complains they are given a prescription for something else but not an optimum of hormones.
Both of the following doctors were hounded by the Authorities for prescribing and diagnosing as they were taught and they were sought after by people who were remaining undiagnosed/untreated who travelled from all over the UK.
For this Dr Peafield resigned his licence so that he could help but not prescribe.
Dr Skinner, Virologist, also got desperate patients diagnosed and prescribed but he, too, was hounded and appeared before the GMC about 7 times, I think.
Each time he was told he could carry on but complaints kept coming and it wasn't from the patients. He was so worried about the 'parlous' situation in patients being undiagnosed, unmedicated he wrote to the whole of the Endocrinology to a Conference to discuss the situation. Not one accepted, the last withdrew on the day before.
At one of his appearances at the GMC there were 2,500 testimonials from patients who said he 'saved' their lives. Dr Skinner died of a stroke which we believe was due to the stress etc.
So you can see how other doctors now fear to go against the guidelines. They will lose their liveloods as well as not understanding the complexity of low thyrod hormones.
Wow! This doesn't help though. If only we could talk to each other in an open and frank way. I think one of our biggest problem is the drug companies who have a monopo!y on all drugs. People respect and trust open and honest Doctors those who will go the extra mile. I have !ost total respect and trust in the medical fraternity and I believe it is now affecting my well being. I am seeing my GP on Monday better armed thanks to you, and if I have to have a battle then I am going to have it. I am worn out and if if it all comes down to a simple blood test (T3) that I should have had during these 32 years I will not be happy and I now have bloody diabetes that has changed my life again. Never seen a specialist, never had any he!p wish I had known about this site a long time ago. Tbasnk you.
T4 (levothyroxine) converts to T3 but if you look down the page in the link below to read about why we need to know our Free T3 level. It is a big learning curve and I doubt few doctors test the Frees.
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
Also one of our Advisers and his team have had scientific Papers accepted about the need for T3 with T4.
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
It doesn't mean doctors will go outside the guidelines of the British Thyroid Association.
I trust your appointment will go well with your doctor.
Been to see GP! Diabetes totally under control, thyroid a mess! I have been on a varying dose of between 250 to 175 over a period of 12 months! Today he has reduced it to 150. Why I ask, he is not sure what is happening or why! He suggested that a weight loss of 3.5 stones over 9 months could be the cause and the stabi!istion of the diabetes. Could this be correct? Can it flucuate so much in 10 weeks? I have been been taking this for 32 years. I asked about a T3 blood test......total waste of time he said, not necessary! Is that right? I am going to ask for a hard copy of these results. He said something about TSH is suppressed. He wanted to relook my diabetes drugs, I flatly refused until this is sorted. I am happy to pay for a private blood test but I am unsure exactly what I need. I have seen one that checks T3 T4 and TSH???? I am so confused and the cholesterol is fine. I feel like pants, you will do he said to me being overcooked! Can somebodybtell me the ranges. I should be looing at? I will get a copy and then have a look. Any recommendations or suggestions very welcome, this is just crazy. Is this all risky?
Hi copy and paste your above new questions into a fresh post as this one will be quite down the list now. being three days old. Those with diabetes will also respond, I'm sure. and I'll give you the link for private blood test.
Let me know if you cannot copy/paste
I think doctors are lost when treating people with hypothyroidism.
Sorry, new to this site. How do I copy this? Can't fi nd any way to do it!
O.K. Try and see if you can manage, otherwise it will show up as my Post.
Cursor to the beginning of your question and a straight line will appear before your word. then press and hold down left-hand side of cursor bar in the middle bottom of laptop. and pull cursor down to the end of the message without lifting finger from bar(everything will turn blue) - release and press down Ctrl and hold while you press c. This will now be copied. Open a new post go down to start and press Ctrl plus c and it should appear.
If you found copying your query too difficult. I have thought of another way which might work.
Let me know that you are going to open a new question and give me time to send you the o.k. that I've read it.
Then you can open the question and put in one line.
I shall then edit your post and add in what you've typed above.
You are must too good! Will have a go tomorrow! Thank you again. X
That's fine. I am not on the forum consistently - I just pop in and out.
Have started a new post. Discovered how to copy and paste. Called Diabetes, T3 and thyroid. Thank you. X
Its not unusual to have more than one auto-immune diseases. Lets get that out of the way. You can't get rid of either by diet or exercise its a con. I can't advise you about your doctor except to change them if they argue with you.
Glynisrose,
My understanding is that T2 diabetes is not an autoimmune disease, and does usually respond to appropriate dietry changes.
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