Great to know I am not alone

[Suzc16355]

Hello

This my first time on this chat = Its been great to see so many other people sharing their thyroid stories. Its also good to see others know how I feel most days.

As a lady who has been taking levothyroxine for more than 25 years ( I was 27 yrs old when the problem was picked up in UK ) I am looking for a way to shake off this sluggish feeling. I started taking .50 per day and over time I have increased to a dose of .225 per day. Most days I am tired, cold, have dry itchy skin, hair loss and despite my best efforts slightly overweight.

I moved to The Netherlands 23 years ago and they have a very relaxed attitude towards medication here ( this is a reluctance to rush into tests). The favorite comment from Dutch doctors is that I do too much. During the last 5 years I have asked various doctors for a range of tests as I have constant muscle pains and aching bones. I have been taking large doses of Vitamin D and Calcium. I found this odd as I am outside and in the sunshine whenever possible and I eat well. Every day I try to notch up 10,000 steps - I walk /cycle go to the gym and do yoga. But I feel that my body does not remember the exercise. Another annoying trait is loosing track of time if I sit down to read a book or watching TV - I fall asleep and feel very stiff when I need to get up.

For an easy fix doctors here try to say I am depressed - which I am not, so I have refused their offer of going to take anti depressives or painkillers.

My question is should I request a T3 tests as they currently they test my TSH & T4 ?.

Over the years I have become intolerant to garlic - one doctor told me this was because the thyroid problems effect your intestines - is this true ?

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Suz

[hachiko]

Yes you should request. As it is relevant information

[Rapunzel]

Hello back and welcome

Calcium may not be such a good guy

chriskresser.com/calcium-su...

Do you take K2 with your D3 ?

rticles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/12/vitamin-k2-benefits.aspx

Testing here

hypothyroidmom.com/hypothyr...

All these are per se good sites if you haven't come across them in your quest for wellness

Hope you've had a good poke around here, too ( The mother ship )

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/index....

[Suzc16355 in reply to Rapunzel]

Hello Rapunzel,

Thanks for the links - I take Calcium and D3 in horse size pills .

[veryangirl44]

Do you take your meds on empty bellyfirst thing in morning with just water and nothing else for at least half hour after? I was not for years as soon as I learned this despite being on the instructions I could reduce to 200 mcg from 225 mcg levo. I'm like you many years under and need a high dose to survive but even with high t4 I struggle to get a fantastic t3 result. I hear on this site blue horizon test for t3. People on hear can explain more. do you have your blood test results x

[Suzc16355 in reply to veryangirl44]

Thanks, Veryangirl44,

I try to take my pills before breakfast but on workdays this can be difficult as getting out of the house in a rush to jump on train.

My normal brand of pills has been changed this month so it will be interesting to see what that joy brings. But after 6 weeks i get the offer of a blood test to see if the pills are providing the correct dose.

[greygoose]

It could well be all that exercise scuppering you attempts to lose weight. You will be using up your T3 very rapidly, and won't be able to replace it easily. So, you are making yourself more hypo. Exercise won't make you lose weight, anyway.

[Suzc16355 in reply to greygoose]

Hello greygoose,

Thanks for your comment - so all the smug people who tell me that I will feel better after exercising could be wrong! I think its another good reason to demand a T3 test.

[veryangirl44 in reply to Suzc16355]

Have you thought of taking your meds night if it's not absorbed you won't be correctly medicated x

[greygoose in reply to Suzc16355]

They don't know what they're talking about. We've all been brain washed to believe that calories in vs calories out is the only way to lose weight. I don't think that's ever right. The human body isn't that symplistic. And hypos very often have to increase their calorie intake to lose weight!

[silverfox7 in reply to Suzc16355]

There is a huge difference between a general walk and flogging yourself in the gym. Just try to. E kind to yourself with gentle exercise and see what happens.

[humanbean]

For an easy fix doctors here try to say I am depressed - which I am not, so I have refused their offer of going to take anti depressives or painkillers.

Doctors in the UK say this to people as well. The only person it is an easy fix for is the doctor.

From the patient's point of view they've just been prescribed a medication that is usually addictive and horrendous to come off of, and if the depression is caused by something fixable like a nutrient deficiency or low thyroid hormones it will never, ever be fixed by the anti-depressant.