Fed up of not feeling myself

[CyprusSarah]

Diagnosed with hashimotos in '07. Prescribed 50mcg which was increased to 75mcg only last year. I want to try NDT but not a clue where to purchase.. especially living in Cyprus. Any advice?

[Marz]

Hi and Welcome ! Do you have any results you could share with us ? Your dose is quite low and it could be you need an increase.

Also have you had FERRITIN - FOLATE - B12 - VIT D tested ? They all need to be optimal in their ranges for the Levo to work and for you to feel well. Yes even living in the sun - you can still have Low D

To the right of your Post there is a heading TOPICS - scroll down and you will find Hashimotos - click and there are over 2000 previous posts about Hashimotos. If you are on a phone - then keep scrolling down to find the Topic. So much to read and learn - but there may be something that resonates with you and could be helpful. Different things work for different people.

I was diagnosed with Hashimotos in 2005 and live in Crete - so not too far away !

Have you considered being gluten free ? - it can help to reduce thyroid anti-bodies.

[CyprusSarah in reply to Marz]

Hi, thanks for your reply. Haven't had any tests done on folate etc. Have researched a bit on reducing or eliminating inflammatory foods.... just a case of actually doing it. Like I said, I want to try Natural Dessicated Thyroid but don't know where to start.

[Marz in reply to CyprusSarah]

I have often read here on the forum over the years - that NDT does not always provide the answers you are looking for. Hence asking you about your thyroid and vitamin and mineral status at the moment. NDT needs your body to be well prepared with optimal levels of nutrients for the hormones to work ....

Type NDT into the Search Thyroid UK box and see what comes up in previous posts/discussions !

[CyprusSarah]

Really interesting reading your post ont trochanter bursitis. I must be suffering from this as have awful aching and pains around that area and down my legs to knees.

[Marz in reply to CyprusSarah]

Oh dear sorry to read about your pains. I sent for some patches - Osmopatch. They have a website and they came from Oz. You pop them on at night and it draws out the inflammation.

Also ice packs as often as possible helps too. I have made up two smallish bags of peas wrapped in cotton napkins - twisted tops. Keep them in freezer and apply from time to time. Good excuse to have a lie down and read 😊😊

Try to avoid NSAID's as they upset the gut flora.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and am sorry you have hypothyroidism.

However, your dose is very low and that is probably why you feel awful.

It is a learning curve if we want to get better, as it is possible to do. Before blood tests were introduced we were given replacement thyroid hormones between 200 and 400mcg. Nowadays they dose us according to the TSH and that doesn't always work in our favour.

First, get a new blood test, it should be the very earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and allow 24 hours gap between your last dose of levo and the test.

Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges (we are entitled by Law) and post for comments. If you've not had B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate tested ask for these too.

A huge mistake made by many, many doctors, is to only take account of our TSH level and if it is 'somewhere' in the normal range, they say we are normal and don't need an increase. In fact we need our TSH to be 1 or lower. Our Free T4 and Free T3 need to be towards the top of the range but are rarely tested. You can have a private test from one of our recommended labs and I'll give you a link:-

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

Levothyroxine is T4. T4 is inactive and has to convert to T3. T3 is the only active thyroid hormone and it has to be towards the top of the range to enable us to feel better.

I am sure if your dose is increased till 'relief of all symptoms' you might feel much better. Doctors are unaware that too low a dose can also lead to other problems.

[Clutter]

CyprusSarah,

What were your last thyroid results and ranges?

[CyprusSarah]

How can I post a photo, I took a screen shot of my results?

[Marz in reply to CyprusSarah]

You need to start a new thread with pic !

[CyprusSarah]

I've just started a new thread entitled Thyroid results.... let me know what you think if the results.