I've been dealing with numerous different symptoms for years now and have seen endless doctors, specialists and natural practitioners but the only official diagnoses that I've had are Anxiety, Depression and Raynaud's. My concerns have been repeatedly dismissed by GPs and I find the constant battle to be heard so draining. A year or so ago I reached a point of total burnout and my emotional and physical health have worsened and worsened since then (hormones depleting, blood count dropping, gut issues, weight loss etc etc). I really need to figure out what's going on
I'd like to share my most recent test results here (some done through my GP and some done privately through a lab in the U.S), in the hope that you may be able to shed some light for me please.
As I am new on here I am not not sure how to add more than one image to my post... I will post the second and third page separately... Hope that's okay.
Many many thanks
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Henriettasalt
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Many thanks gabkad. I have already asked my GP about Coeliac testing and was told that it wasn't necessary. They said my gut issues were just stress related. I am definitely going to pursue it again though
Your GP must have graduated in the early 1960s and not kept up.
It's so weird how each generation appears to feel the need to re invent the wheel. Back when tetracycline was first brought on the market, stomach problems were treated successfully with antibiotics. Then the psychologists got in on the action and said 'oh no, it's emotional stress'. Wrong. It took until the mid 1990s and a gutsy physician in Australia to prove that there was a bacterial infection.
Seeing as how your antibody test for Coeliac came up positive (and even though there's false positives and false negatives), you need to see a GI specialist. The longterm consequences of Coeliac disease are many and disabling.
Your thyroid results are in the normal range so I don't think a GP would diagnose you with a thyroid disorder. When I was diagnosed my TSH was 177.7 ( 0.5 - 2.4) and my t4 was 2.1 with the normal range (9.1- 14.2) I had been going to the dr for years with bowel problems but was never tested for my thyroid because I wasn't over weight. My bowel problems became so bad I was in hospital every 8 weeks for 2 years with bowel obstruction. I was finally diagnosed with slow transit constipation and had major surgery to have 1/3 of my large bowel removed. I am now gluten, dairy and soya free and have to take laxido every day to keep my powers working. I have managed to hold down a full time job and work part time at Tesco.
Kerry I think that may be one of the most shocking stories I've heard on this site. I'm glad you sound like you're doing well but I'm so sorry to hear how awful this was for you.
I am so sorry to hear everything that you've been through Kerry1971. Many thanks for your advice. GPs always just push antibiotics on me for my gut issues or tell me that it's down to stress.
I have been expressing concerns about my sex hormones to GPs for over a year now as I haven't had a period since early 2016. They told me it was down to my depression and to stress and that I should take antidepressants. I knew that it was more than that. I therefore paid for a private test through a holistic practitioner who said that I have adrenal fatigue and that this has caused the depletion of my hormones. He prescribed bio-identical hormone replacement and told me to talk to my GP about it. It was only when I presented the private test results to my surgery that they investigated further and have now acknowledged that there is an issue. However, they have advised against me starting any HRT treatment and have made an NHS endocrine referral. I am concerned about the wait for an NHS appointment though as I can't afford to let my levels drop any lower. I'm therefore trying to find a good doctor who I can see privately.... ideally someone who will also be able to look at the whole picture for me.
Thyroid hormone results are normal as are thyroid antibodies but all these can fluctuate so giving false readings.
Sex hormones are low. Are you menopausal ? ? ..
Elevated calprotectin may indicate inflammation in the gut which would impact on how nutrients are absorbed and hormones utilised. Have you had gut issues investigated ? Gut investigations carried out by the NHS are often inadequate.
In page 3 results, your ferritin is low. Iron is key for conversion of T4-T3 and low levels may decrease further activity resulting in future impaired thyroid hormone usage. Remember thyroid test results are only indicative of the amount in the blood and not what is happening on an intracellular level.
Also vit D is too low. Gut issues would impair absorption as Vit D dissolved in fat droplets within your digestive tract and are taken up by your body when your small intestine absorbs the fat droplet.
Yes, but even having a biopsy can gives false readings if the large intestine is not diseased enough or only diseased in the small.
If this were me I would be looking at food allergies, toxins (heavy metals), candida, parasites and general gut dysbiosis before succumbing to invasive procedures.
Healing the gastrointestinal tract will help in balancing gut flora and absorption issues, which in turn often helps many other seemingly unrelated conditions.
Well, a biopsy is fast and it can exclude. If that's negative then do stool testing for parasites. But delaying a biopsy by floundering about experimenting with various other things is not doing proper triage.
Maybe throw in a colonscopy at the same time (depending on her age).
Thank you so much for your reply. My apologies for not getting back to you sooner, I had to check the details of the supplements that I am taking and also check what other things my gut test covered as I had only mentioned the two points that flagged up as abnormal.
I thought that I might have candida, a parasite or giardiasis (which I had already had back in 2002 following travels in Asia). I saw a holistic practitioner who arranged a GI-MAP stool analysis through Diagnostic Solutions Lab in Atlanta. I came up as negative for all the bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens, negative for H. Pylori, parasites and fungi/yeasts. The only bacteria flora that came up as out of range was a low reading of Enterococcus spp and I have been taking Prescript Assist pro & pre biotic to correct that.
I am vegetarian and was already avoiding gluten and dairy. The practitioner advised me to avoid grains altogether and has also taken me off eggs and all sugar (except very low sugar fruits). I am trying to keep things as varied as I can and am eating a lot, but it is hard to keep my weight up when things are going through me so quickly most days.
In addition to Prescript Assist I am taking the following supplements daily:
5000iu Vitamin D (Spray)
20mg Iron as Ferrous Glycinate
Omega 3
Magnesium
Sublingual Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Zinc Picolinate
Vitamin B6
L-glutamine
5htp
With regards to my sex hormones; I am 38 years old and thought that I might be in early menopause, but have been told that I am not. I have been expressing concerns about my sex hormones to GPs for over a year now as I haven't had a period since early 2016. They told me it was down to my depression and to stress and that I should take antidepressants. I knew that it was more than that. I therefore paid for a private test through a holistic practitioner who said that I have adrenal fatigue and that this has caused the depletion of my hormones. He prescribed bio-identical hormone replacement and told me to talk to my GP about it. It was only when I presented the private test results to my surgery that they investigated further and have now acknowledged that there is an issue. However, they have advised against me starting any HRT treatment and have made an NHS endocrine referral. I am concerned about the wait for an NHS appointment though as I can't afford to let my levels drop any lower. I'm therefore trying to find a really good doctor who I can see privately.... ideally someone who will also be able to look at the whole picture for me.
It definitely sounds like you have auto immune issues. Raynauds is an autoimmune condition - what does originate in the gut. Likewise as other comments here suggest just because the thyroid hormones test pretty close to normal doesn't mean things are normal at the cellular level . Hashimoto's is an autoimmune condition of the thyroid . Here in the states we have to get an endocrinologist to properly test for autoimmunity of the thyroid. I understand it's different there. But they don't test blood here they test the urine for antibodies - when they're testing for Hashimoto's . The thyroid secret is a wonderful wonderful wealth of information . It talks about when we get one auto immune disorder chances increase that will get another because of the gut issues. Someone else posted hear that they are free of gluten and dairy and soy and these are the things that cause autoimmune disorders to go into orbit and make us feel so bad . The good news is if we can ever get the gut healed - The leaky gut syndrome healed . Then all other things begin to heal as well. And what caused the leaky gut in the first place? Well we may never know and it's probably different for each person but we do know it's on the increase.
One more thing - look into digestive enzymes . They are a part of healing leaky gut as well as probiotics . Read all you can about leaky gut syndrome. Stay tuned here because there are a lot of really knowledgeable people herepeople that are suffering just like you and I found many many wonderful pieces of the puzzle along the way to the cure / remission. Unfortunately mainstream medicine of today does not have the answer I'm so sorry to say - but it's true. Somehow they don't know how miserable it is and They think we're all just a bunch of whiners .
Has folate been tested? Its needed to allow B12 to absorb. I would also take a B complex instead of just the B6 as there is another B (cant think at the moment) that is needed.
Do you take Vit K2 with your vitamin D to make sure it goes to the right place?
The lengthy info included below just came in an email from Dr. Isabella Wentz, (Author of Thyroid Secret) She is giving much of the wellness information away, and she is also selling books, etc. I have not personally purchased any of her work, but have watched a few of free episodes of the Thyroid Secret, and recognize many of the experts on gut health and credible. Some of this is old news, but some of it is new. She claims to be in remission (not using the cure word!) and yes, is making money sharing the "secret". Again, she is also giving things such as this (Thyroiditis / Leaky Gut / Hypothyroid) Hashimoto's Healing Protocol away for free:
Below you will find a summary of my approach, it's actually the approach that I developed for myself in 2011 to get my own condition into remission.
You will start with the simplest modifications, by removing triggers, followed by repairing the other broken systems to restore equilibrium, allowing the body to rebuild itself.
You will dig down to why the immune system is imbalanced in the first place and this will tell you how you begin to finally feel better, reduce your thyroid antibodies and even take your condition into remission.
The "Five R" Approach of Functional Medicine
The complete approach to healing Hashimoto’s can be summarized through the Five R’s of Healing, an approach used by Functional Medicine Practitioners that I have tailored for Hashimoto’s patients.
REMOVE the things that may be irritating your thyroid and causing it to send out a stress signal.
Iodine excess (especially when other nutrients are deficient), fluoride, and toxins can cause thyroid inflammation as a result of oxidative damage, causing the thyroid to send out a stress response, which becomes picked up by the immune system.
Gluten and food intolerances promote intestinal permeability, making our immune system unable to recognize our own cells.
Gut infections including bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections can weaken the intestinal lining, affecting the ability of our immune system to recognize self from non-self (the gut is home to most of our immune system)
Food that is poorly digested feeds the bad bacteria, making them stronger.
Stress weakens the thyroid through its actions on the adrenals, and can help the negative bacteria proliferate.
REPAIR the intestinal permeability through an anti-inflammatory leaky gut diet, broths, and glutamine.
REPLACE the depletions that are present to help the body strengthen and jump back on a cycle of wellness. This includes thyroid hormone!
You can download my free nutrient depletion chapter here.
REINOCULATE, giving the body enough beneficial bacteria to displace the pathogenic bacteria. Probiotics and raw lacto-fermented foods are used.
REBALANCE the adrenals, immune system and our detoxification capabilities. The adrenals respond well to adaptogens. Some may require the use of further interventions such as the use of low dose hormones or glandulars.
We're getting there and there's no soya flour added to bulk up the wheat flour!
My partner is gluten free, but if he ate pasta in the UK he didn't get any ill effects from it. Over here he's only suffered from some shop bought, processed type, products, not 'plain' bread.
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