Thyroid or viral or life issues?!

[Renee3791]

I recently had blood work done because I'm exhausted all of the time. I am under a tremendous amount of stress these days, but have been experiencing this tiredness for at least 8 years. My results showed my GP a viral infection for which I was put on a viral 400mg antibiotic 3 times a day for 10 days. I'm past 10 days and don't feel much different at this point. T4 total is 5.31, TSH 3rd Gen is 3.995, Free T4 is .68, T3, total is 87, and a week before this workup the Free T3 was 3.0

I've had Epstein Barr virus many many years ago.

What am I missing here? I'm 44 and feel like double that.

Please advise as I am so tired of being tired!

[greygoose]

Hi Renee, welcome to the forum.

There's no such thing as a viral antibiotic. Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses.

You feel bad because your TSH is too high. However, not high enough to interest a doctor, apparently - although, you're not in the UK, are you, so you stand a better chance of getting diagnosed. What did your doctor say about these results?

You don't give any ranges, so impossible to tell you anything about your other results. The Totals are a waste of time, they don't give you any useful information. But we need the ranges for the Frees to be able to interpret them.

[Renee3791 in reply to greygoose]

I'm not in the U.K. But was given this site from a women who is.

Range for T4 total is 6.09-12.2 ug/dL (mine 5.31)

TSH 3rd gen is .340-4.410 uIU/ml (mine 3.995)

Free t4 is .61-1.12 ng/dL (mine .68)

T3 , total 87-178 ng/dL (mine 87)

Free T3 range 2.3-4.2 pg/mL (mine 3.0)

Thank you

[greygoose in reply to Renee3791]

So, your TSH is not over-range - but the range is too high - you are hypo when you hit 3, but doctors don't know that. What time of day was this test done? Was it fasting?

Your Frees are both very low, so it's not surprising you don't feel good. But, what did your doctor say?

[Renee3791 in reply to greygoose]

Samples were taken in morning before 9, and no fasting. (First time no fasting for me)

Doctor was. Ore concerned about the lymphocyte, monocytes, and basophils results.

He prescribed antibiotic, but I don't agree b/c it's used for bacterial, no?

Anyway I need to return to him with more info on Epstein Barr, because I did test positive many years ago for that ( Bells Palsy) but after that cleared no one suggested anything else, so I went on as usual

[greygoose in reply to Renee3791]

Had you fasted, your TSH would have been higher. So, I would advise you to get your thyroid tested again in a few months, and make sure it's an early morning test, after fasting over-night.

Your doctor was wrong to prescribe an antibiotic for a virus. The over-use of antibiotics means that they become less and less useful.

Sorry, I don't know anything about Epstein Barr. But I believe there is a connection to autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's). Have you had your antibodies tested?

[Renee3791 in reply to greygoose]

I completely agree about the antibiotics, I don't take things I don't need but he was assuring me this was for viral infections.

I don't know if antibodies were tested but I can check with doc.

Thank you kindly for your help!

[greygoose in reply to Renee3791]

You're welcome.

[MermaidBlues]

I can help when I have a bit of time ... I have seen a Homotoxicologist who has helped me get rid of the Epstein Barr ... I'll be in touch ... that's a homeopath who is a toxicologist ... take good care ... you. We'd to eat blue berries and look into Anthony Williams - a book called the medical medium is very good on Epstein Barr. Best wishes

[MermaidBlues in reply to MermaidBlues]

You need that was

[Redditch]

Your thyroid results suggest a definite issue and the antibiotics are NOT going to help.

Get some probiotics, insist on a further thyroid panel

Start supplementing C, D, selenium and ask for or pay for

Folate

Ferritin

Vitamin​ D

Tests on top of the thyroid. You want all of the above at the top of the range

[dang in reply to Redditch]

If you recommend selenium to other members please also mention the dangers of selenium toxicity and that they need to have their selenium monitored in their bloods regularly to ensure they don't go over range (which for some people is really easy since most of us already have high amounts of selenium in our western diet).

[Redditch in reply to dang]

Yep and some people have an extreme reaction to vitamin D or C , so what are we to do? Take Nothing in case we over do it?

[dang in reply to Redditch]

What do you mean? All I said is to make sure you recommend them to get their blood levels tested to ensure they don't go over range and end up with toxicity, which by the way is also the case with vit D. It happened to me so I'm looking out for other members on this forum... geez redditch, read the post please

[Redditch in reply to dang]

Yara UK did a survey of British soil in 2003 reported on in Farmers Weekly in 2007 showing that British dairy cattle were so short if selenium they needed supplements.

On what basis do you say that a western diet is rich enough in Selenium and has there EVER been a case of selenium toxicity in someone who has not been over supplementing for a long time?

Barry Durant Peatfield never says get tested first

[dang in reply to Redditch]

You've misread my post I said nothing about cattle, selenium comes mostly from nuts and wheat products (from my understanding). And yes my selenium was in mid range, I got tested before starting a selenium treatment with the help of both my Naturopath and my Endo, both said 200mcg per day would be a safe dose. After 2 months (once bottle) of selenium I got tested again and ended up somewhere around 190 when the range was I think 70-150, if you wish I can post the results with dates and everything this happened just a couple months ago.

So I am the case, please don't be rude in the future. I am only looking out for other members. I want everyone here to be healthy so I speak only from my experience. The symptoms of selenium toxicity are hair loss, fatigue, and a whole list of other things that are so related to the symptoms of hypothyroidism, so I always mention to people to get tested just to be safe, just so they KNOW. I never once said anything about stopping people from taking selenium, I'm not against it, and from my research it is very helpful for a lot of people. Why you would take an argumentative stance against me I have no idea.

[SilverAvocado in reply to dang]

Dang, this is useful information. But did you get any ill effects from the high selenium, or was it just a number on paper and you then went down to a maintenence dose? Doctors will often get very upset about numbers on paper, without necessarily having any knowledge to back it up.

[dang in reply to SilverAvocado]

I was doing horribly by the end of the selenium experiment, I can't guarantee it was the selenium. I've written some posts about it.

I had a 2 week period where I felt like I might die for at least a week of it. I couldn't keep in any food, I was constantly at the doctors doing stool samples and blood tests, I was losing weight at an astonishing weight (I'm still trying to gain some back now).

I ended up going through colonoscopy and endoscopy and got diagnosed with a number of digestive issues. However at the start of this 2 week episode I had a blood test at my Endo, that's when they found the high selenium. About 3 days into getting sick he called and told me to stop taking it, as did my Naturopath. I ended up getting sicker and then better, all before receiving diagnosis or help from the gastro.

So I can't guarantee that it was the selenium, but I did have a horrible experience that lines up perfectly with the selenium issue. I will note I'm gluten free, lactose free, nut free. My selenium was mid range before starting, and I eat a raw vegetable diet with fish, so not much selenium in my diet. Maybe the fact that I was already mid range without intaking much selenium meant that 200 mcg was too much for me (that's my assumption, doctors aren't interested to connect the dots).

[dang in reply to dang]

I meant I ate a raw vegetable diet at the time, as I was following AIP (which could have been another reason for the reaction).

[SilverAvocado in reply to dang]

Thanks Dang!

[dang in reply to SilverAvocado]

You're welcome! I forgot to mention that my antibodies were also tested before and after (as the purpose was to reduce them) and in fact in this 2 month period the antibodies doubled, since then they've stayed at this high number and I can't get them down. I know I don't represent the "norm" but it's likely that there are others out there who will have similar reactions.

[milupa]

Hi Renee - sorry you feel so awful!

Do you know which virus was detected? You may have the chronic type of Epstein Barr, which lies in wait and likes to reattack when we are run down...

I am glad somebody else mentioned the Medical Medium, the type of book I would usually snort at with derision. But an excerpt on goop got me to test for EB and led me a few steps further into understanding why I still feel so unwell.

Maybe you could work on your intestinal health and somehow introduce regular me-time? Chronic stress is such a big part of the picture...

Good luck finding answers!

[Renee3791 in reply to milupa]

Milupa,

I read that article and will have my doctor as well. After reading it, everything points to EB.

Thank you!

[milupa in reply to Renee3791]

I had EB when I was 14 and have not felt well in the 35 years since, severe stress in my early/mid forties pushed me over the edge... I do hope you have an understanding doc! Good luck

[shaws]

Just for information

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

[Julies050529]

Hi,. I felt that way before I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, took me awhile to convince my gp to start me on levo but she did in the end, problem I have now is my levels keep going up and down. Just about to have more bloods done