Medication advice, please!

[LaraDing]

I have been doing a Nutritional Ketosis diet for nearly 3 years now, and although initially I noticed some improvement I have plateaued and now feel like I am getting really sick again. I have Hashimoto's, but my TSH has mostly been 'in range' at around 3. I have been told by my GP that I have ME. I am begining to realise that although this kind of diet works well for a lot of people with autoimmune condition, it doesn't work so well for people with underlying thyroid problems. My TSH has only just gone up past 5, my T4 is actually in range at 17 and last time I had my T3 checked it was also in range. I get the feeling that apart from my Hashimoto's, my problem might be down to rT3 blocking my cell receptors. The NHS is never going to test for this so I am never going to be offered Thyroid hormone. Any ideas as to what else I can do? Thanks.

[Clutter]

LaraDing,

Can you post the TSH and T4 results and ranges (the ranges are the figures in brackets after results)?

If you are not taking Levothyroxine it is unlikely you have high rT3. NHS doesn't test rT3 but that doesn't prevent Levothyroxine being prescribed.

[greygoose]

Do you have the actual numbers and ranges? If so, it would be better to pôst them, rather than just saying 'high' or 'low', and 'in range' is meaningless. No diet is going to help you if you have low thyroid hormones. You can only replace hormones with hormones, not food.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

If you have Hashimoto's and symptoms even if TSH is in range then treatment is sometimes offered.

Were these thyroid tests done as early as possible in morning and fasting?

Have you had your vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin checked, common for these to be low

Are you gluten free? Dairy free?

What supplements do you take

Why not email Louise at Thyroid Uk For list of recommended thyroid specialists

[e-mail]

[LaraDing in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for the reply! I had everything tested at the right time of day, after fasting. My folate and ferritin were low and my B12 (blood) was in the low end of 'in range' I have been working with a functional medicine doctor and have got those back to where they should be. All these tests were done when I was in Latvia and literally were slung across the office of my UK doctor, who said 'These foreigners don't know what they are doing.' So you can see the kind of attitudes I am up against! I switched doctors but the new Dr said there would be no point sending me to an endocrinologist as my T4 was in range, and at the time, so was my TSH. She did't seem to think the Hashimoto's was a problem as everything else was OK. She diagnosed me with CFS. Now my TSH has gone past 5 she has agreed to retest in October. T4 is still OK, apparently, so I suspect she won't help me.

[LaraDing in reply to LaraDing]

Oh yes, Gluten, dairy, grain free. It's kind of like the autoimmune paleo diet.