Hi, I've recently and rather inexplicably started to feel like I'm living in a daze, tired , fatigued.. completely emotionally flat. I'm a type 1 diabetic , I know having one autoimmune increases the risk of another. For a while I struggled with carbohydrate malabsorption , cutting out gluten containing food stuffs seemed to help greatly but I've progressively felt more and more run down.
My father suffered with hyperthyroidism (before I was born) .. beyond that I don't know much about thyroid disorders. Are the above symptoms typical of an over or under active thyroid?
I also take b supplements and iron to combat low levels (not dangerously low but a recent test showed a mild deficiency). The test for coeliac didn't show anti bodies (by the time the test was performed I'd already cut gluten out a month prior).
I'm at a loss, I have no idea what's causing the symptoms. Thanks.
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I suggest you make an appointment with the GP and suggest a blood test for your thyroid hormones as you've not been feeling so good lately. I shall give you a list and tick symptoms. GP or lab may not do them all but I'll give you details of recommended labs, just in case.
Ask GP to test TSH, T3, t4, Free t4, free T3 and thyroid antibodies. Even if he does request all of them the lab may only do TSH and T4 because if both are in the 'normal' range they wont do more.
All blood tests for thyroid hormones have to be at the earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and allow 24 hours gap between last dose of hormones (if taking them) and the test and take them afterwards.
Also ask for B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate as we can be deficient which also cause symptoms.
Always get print-outs with the ranges for your own records and you can post if you have a query.
Thank you for your response, whatever it is it's just ambushed me .. I had feelings of fatigue and tiredness already but it's now overwhelming. I'll show your post to my GP. What may have exacerbated things is a recent switch to a sorghum breakfast cereal (nutri bix) as I've recently learned sorghum is toxic to the thyroid this would explain why my symptoms have perhaps escalated. There are unfortunately few wholegrain carbohydrate options for type 1 diabetics that require a slow release carb to work with their insulin intake.
If anyone else could share their experiences of how they felt before diagnosis (if their symptoms mirrored mine), that would be greatly appreciated.
Yes there is also quinoa or buckwheat - puffed or flaked etc - which have a low glycemic load and good for diabetes also. I often mix these with oats or granola and add stuff to suit - mixed chopped nuts, seeds, desiccated coconut, milled linseed etc. This way you avoid the high levels of added sugars in ready made cereals. I normally add dried fruit also but you might want to avoid and add fresh fruit instead maybe or add just a teeny bit?
Marks and Spencers GF Granola is not bad for sugar levels in comparison to others if you want something ready made or to mix with other things to bring sugar level down although their muesli is not so good.
Just to check - my sugar levels were all over the place before I cut out gluten. You mention cutting out gluten foods but have you gone 100% gluten free including cross contamination as if you used to eat quite a lot of it, you feel a little better when you reduce but you may also find you react to trace amounts more than before after a while.
Well worth getting the thyroid tests and all your vit levels to check again as mentioned above
Ps - I will only buy ready made cereals if the total sugars are around or less than 10% and have only honey added or something with few ingredients that I don't have to google what they are lol
Yes, I basically live like a diagnosed coeliac and avoid all foods that bare cross contamination warnings or the risk of gluten contamination.
Eliminating gluten certainly helped but I have lingering inexplicable symptoms.
Ive read millet along with sorghum and almonds are bad for the thyroid (they block certain things the body needs to make thyroid hormones or produce compounds that when broken down are toxic to the thyroid).
Gluten free oats aren't bad but I had inconsistent glucose control with it..
I'm really more curious if anyone experienced similar symptoms with thyroid related problems?
The problem is those kind of symptoms can have so many causes and it's hard to determine which as nothing specific so why good to start ruling things out and hence the suggestions provided. I've had similar symptoms with thyroid, when I've been deficient in something, if I eat gluten and numerous other issues.
Did you make changes to your home - such as a new toaster, do you live in a non gluten free household so means you have to wary of CC and have your own butter etc. Sorry - again just ruling out the more obvious first
As mentioned, can often be caused by thyroid and vit deficiency and only way to check is blood tests. Also electrolytes too if not already tested - calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphate and chloride.
Changing to GF diet can cause issues if you have simply made a quick switch to GF alternatives with things like iron and folate as these are added to many gluten products like flour/bread/cereals but are not added to GF alternatives -unless your diet is already sufficient in these things.
With a slightly restricted diet and so many changes, you could also try a website like cron-o-meter for a month which tracks all the nutrients in your diet including the smaller ones not normally tested for so you can see if there is anything obvious missing.
The advice to get print-outs is a great one. I made the mistake of not getting them (trusted the doctor I was seeing) then when he blew off a problem I was having, I couldn't get them for the new doctor without an argument..
The NHS guidelines for vitamin B12 deficiency are very lax, by which I mean that in some countries a deficiency is anything below 500units, whereas in the UK it's anything below 200ish units. (I don't know what the units are but they are the same). So if the NHS are saying you are deficient you can bet you really are. It's the same with iron and vitamin D. As shaws says, get some test results and be aware that your doctor may well try and give you antidepressants because (1) you are female and therefore depressed and (2) I believe GPs are paid extra for treating mild mental health issues, so there's a financial incentive there. Depression is a symptom of underactive thyroid, so get your thyroid checked before you agree to take antidepressants. Have the test done first thing in the morning, because if there is a thyroid issue, it is more likely to show up.
Iv been experiancing this lately too, in fact for some time now. Have had hypothyroidism for 10 years now-thought to be fairly well controlled on armour thyroid but last few months Iv just been unbelievably tired/ lethargic with a definite mood change. No energy for anything (have had to cut my hours at work to part time) and just feeling kinda out of it/dazed most days. Pretty tricky also as I'm a nurse and makes being on shift nearly impossible. Have felt low motivation for pretty much everything-not just work but social things too like seeing friends and have no enthusiasm for things anymore. Haven't seen Gp about it but last time I went with similar symptoms (and asked for my ferritin to be checked, which was 53) he started asking questions about depression. I'm not depressed as such just very very tired and dazed. Also live gluten free, take B vitamins and iron. Haven't made changes to my armour and can't think of any other triggers...would be grateful for any help/advice
Hi Sary. This might be an obvious point, but maybe you need to up your dose of Armour... I'm no expert, but if you have Hashimoto's, (and you don't say if you do) wouldn't you need to increase from time to time? Anyway, maybe your bod is telling you you need a sprinkling more. Perhaps it's time for some new blood tests, too.
I'm a nurse too, feels like after half shift my brain gets overrun and I'm shattered. I'm hypo tsh currently 6. I get an awful dazed feeling that improves after long rest but constantly reoccurs
If you are on medication for hypothyroidism your TSH should be around 1, not 6. Some people only feel well when their TSH is close to zero. I would feel rubbish with a TSH of 6.
If GP says 'depressed' ask for a Free T4 and Free T3 blood test because you may not be converting levo into sufficient T3 and T3 is the only Active thyroid hormone which runs our whole metabolism for head to toe but they seem to be unaware what thyroid hormones are supposed to do in the first place. I think the sincerley believe as soon as TSH is in range we're on enough and stop increasing. Look at FT4 and FT3 in the following:
Have you seen an endocrinologist? That should be the first step, possibly one of many. It took four or five different doctors before I found one who took what I was saying seriously. A TSH "within normal limits" might not be normal for you. That spacey feeling can be a symptom of thyroid problems, but it could also be something neurological, or could be related to diabetes. I had the same problem a few years ago, actually fainted on my way to class, two weeks in the hospital, I felt lke I was in a dog and pony show, then a weekafter they said there was nothing wrong with me I wound up in the ER after fainting again. The doctor on duty was an allergist. I was having the first symptoms of some pretty nasty allergies. So don't rule out anything. It's best to not take a chance. See a professional and don't be afraid to challenge them. If what they say doesn't make sense, or if, God forbid, they just dismiss your concerns, find another doctor. A good doctor listens and isn't insulted by questions. Goodluck.
It is astonishing just how many nurses post on this site. You'd have thought they would have access to medical experts that took them seriously. But time after time I see that they are suffering the same ineptitude the rest of us experience. Makes you wonder, don't it?
What 'medical experts' are there in the UK who deal with hypothyroid patients and allow them alternatives if levo doesn't work for the patient and who ignore clinical symptoms in favour of a test from the pituitary gland?
Simple. Them what has done a few years of studying beer drinking and jolly japes, with occasional lapses into the best way to treat a patient with utter disdain.
I wonder whether shift work is linked to thyroid/adrenal problems. We all know the thyroid has a 24 hour cycle of producing more or less hormone. I wonder whether disrupting that cycle, either by doing shift work or by getting up at night to sort out babies over an extended period of time (like many women do) predisposes us to thyroid problems. Just a thought. Someone should do some research.
Interesting point, eeng. You mentioning shift work stirred a memory in me. I grabbed this extract from the internet.
'Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism's environment. They are found in most living things, including animals, plants and many tiny microbes. The study of circadian rhythms is called chronobiology.'
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