Thyroid Roller-coaster

[bobtomistic]

Hi, my names Bob from the U.S.A. and I am new here! I am a sixty year old male. My Thyroid first tanked back in 2010, from ongoing stress from a failing marriage. My normal weight is about 180 lbs, and I ballooned up to 222 lbs, with dry hair, thick tongue, low morning basal temps and etc. I happened to see some things that Dr. Brownstein wrote about taking large doses of Iodine to help Hypothyroidism. I then began taking like 25 mg's a day Ioderol iodine once a day. My basal temps, weight and other symptoms got immediately better. So I upped my dose to 50 mg's Ioderol capsules a day and in about a month and a half all was back to normal.

Until like Sept of 2014, I began wearing a cobalt ring, just before going on a nine month trip to the Philippines. Little did I know then, but cobalt is pretty much death to a thyroid, and it turns out I was "very sensitive" to it even through that dermal contact. I took the ring off two months later only after feeling something hurting under the ring. It turned my skin a deep purple, and it was all cracked. By then it was too late. I was, and still am deeply hypothyroid since then. It's a long story, but I have been working on it myself for some time now. By balancing my adrenals, stress, and taking Tiromel T3 that I buy from Turkey. Going to an Endocrinologist soon to see where my numbers are. Before the T3 my morning basal temps were running as low as 92.5 F and I was freezing to death. My temps leveled out some time ago. Now just left with the weight gain, and loss of energy. Also clicking joints, and a lot of mucin in my body. Which I never had the first time my Thyroid tanked. The cobalt may well have damaged my liver and or kidneys. I'm going to get those checked out soon as well. Glad to have found this site.... Bob

[greygoose]

Hi bobtomistic, welcome to the forum.

As far as I know, cobalt has a goitrogenic effect on thyroid, which just means that it obstructs the absorption of iodine by the thyroid. However, this effect should disappear as soon as you remove the source of the cobalt. It doesn't do any permanent damage.

What is more likely to have damaged your gland, is the excessive ingestion of iodine. Iodine is one of the ingredients of thyroid hormone, true, but you don't need it in excess any more than you need excess butter in a cake. Too much can have serious negative effects. And, it can trigger Hashi's. Have you had your antibodies tested?

You should never supplement iodine without first having a test to see if you are deficient. If you are not, then you shouldn't take it. The fact that it made you feel so much better at first, is not proof that you needed it. Iodine stimulates a flagging thyroid, making it produce more hormone. But, stimulating a sick gland is not a good idea. The beneficial effect cannot last, and you will eventually crash, because the stimulation has just hastened the demise of the gland. After all, if half your factory has burned down, shovelling in more raw goods will not increase production, it will just add more fuel to the fire...

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and next time your blood test is due, it has to be the very earliest and fasting. Also allow 24 hours between your last dose of Tiromel etc and the test and take afterwards. This keeps your TSH at it's highest as doctors are apt to try to keep the TSH somewhere in the range, whereas we need a TSH of 1 or lower.

Request a Full Thyroid Function Test if you've not had one recently, i.e. TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and antibodies. If you've not had B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate tested request these too. B12 and Vit D are pro-hormones and very important.

Get a print-out of your results with the ranges and post for comments.

[Learner1]

Bob,

Find a doctor that practices "functional medicine" to get you sorted out. You likely have many issues going on.

Have a full thyroid panel and a 24 hour saliva cortisol test done. Also, a Doctors Data provoked urine heavy metals test. And a Genova Diagnostics NutrEval.

You may need to try chelation but you need to know first how your detoxification pathways are working, and how toxic you are with what. And cheerios should be done carefully and thoughtfully with appropriate chelators and nutritional support, or you risk serious damage, even death.

Getting just your thyroid fixed and losing weight could mobilize toxins sequestered in your fat which could cause cancer, and a whole host of toxicity problems.

Shop around carefully for someone to help you, get on a nutrient dense organic diet - lots of veggies, protein foods and healthy fats and a high quality multivitamin like Thorne Al's Formula, and a Stress B Complex.

Too much iodine can suppress your thyroid, too, do have your iodine level tested too.

Good luck to you...