Feeling clueless- unexplained hypo symptoms.

[B0896]

Hi there, hope everyone is well.

I have posted before on here with regards to infuriating hypothyroid symptoms that are really holding me back from moving forward in my life.

I have done saliva cortisol testing and full thyroid checks but apart from slightly low morning cortisol, low dheas and an elevated tsh, I can't pinpoint why I continue to experience hypo symptoms such as myxedema and depression.

Back in May, I made what appeared to be a breakthrough and felt that finally I had a grasp on eliminating these symptoms. I was taking hydrocortisone as prescribed by a private doctor and 50mg dhea.

However this progress was shortlived, and now my symptoms seem to be worse than ever. These are my most recent tests that I have done.

24hr saliva test

Morning: 11.6 (6-21)

Noon 5.2 (1.5-7.6)

4pm 3.4 (0-5.4)

Night 1.5 (0-1.99)

The ranges for these results were actually adapted after my results which confuses me since the morning range was 14-21 which is quite dramatically different. All my other values were low normal. Now it looks like my cortisol isnt the cause right?

My recent ft3 was 50 percent of range. My tsh is always 3-4. I was wondering if i could have sone kind of chronic inflammation that is suppressing the thyroid cell receptors. Otherwise i have no clue as to what to do next, as all my tests seem relatively normal.

I have no antibodies to indicate hashimotos either, but the symptoms are definitely due to low thyroid hormone at the cellular level at least.

Also I forgot to mention.. i have taken low dose t3 a while back which actually improved symptoms but i always crashed with over stimulation and had to come off

Any insights would be massively appreciated.

[Marz]

How are your levels of B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD ?

[B0896 in reply to Marz]

Hi marz,

They were close to optimal a while back, but I will be re testing them again early next week. I still had the symptoms throughout this time, so i feel something else is likely causing the hypo symptoms.

[Marz in reply to B0896]

Do you have the results with ranges from your last results ? What supplements are you taking and how much ?

[B0896 in reply to Marz]

I don't have a copy of the results unfortunately but i remeber my ferritin was in the 70s i think and that all my results for vitamins were at least mid range. I considered that maybe i had low iron that was preventing my t3 from being utilised, but it didnt look too bad from my last results. Will retest and see how things are right now.

As for supplements, im taking hydrocortisone in the morning in order to get my result towards the top of the range, and dhea to correct my dheas level. Im taking 10mg and 50mg respectively. This seemed to help a couple of months ago but has had little effect recently.

[Marz in reply to B0896]

You really need copies of the results I mentioned above so you can monitor your health and progress. Low vits and minerals can make you feel unwell ....

[B0896 in reply to Marz]

I will be retesting and will also get my old results to compare with. Im sure it has to be something like this that is causing my symptoms.

Thanks a lot for all your kind help!

[Marz in reply to B0896]

When you Post your results - then do so in a NEW post so more people see it. Will be lost if you post on this thread

[B0896 in reply to Marz]

Thanks, will bear this in mind!

[greygoose]

If your TSH is elevated, then your Frees must be low. That, surely, explains why you still have hypo symptoms. Or am I missing something?

[B0896 in reply to greygoose]

Would you agree a tsh of 3-4 is elevated enough for that to be the cause? I forgot to mention that my tsh was 4 while my ft3 level was almost over range back in february. This made me feel that it had to be an adrenal issue or something instead. Right now my ft3 is midrange however which leaves me confused.

[greygoose in reply to B0896]

In February, did you leave 12 hours between your last dose of T3 and the blood draw?

I would most certainly think that a TSH level of 3-4 would be elevated enough to be the cause given that you are hypo when your TSH hits 3.

Most people need their FT3 to be at the top of the range to feel well.

[B0896 in reply to greygoose]

I had not started on thyroud medication at this time. I think it was 1-2 months between testing that my ft3 went higher while my tsh stayed high.

[greygoose in reply to B0896]

Well, it sounds very much like Hashi's. How many times have you had your antibodies tested? Did you have both TPO and Tg antibodies tested? As antibodies fluctuate, you cannot rule out Hashi's with one negative test. And, in any case, not all Hashi's people develop high antibodies, but are diagnosed with a scan. Have you had an ultrasound scan?

[B0896 in reply to greygoose]

I am going to be retesting and doing a full thyroid scan again to see if it shows up this time. Otherwise i will try an ultrasound scan.

I may even do an inflammation check to see if something is contributing to all this. I think Chris Kesser mentions that inflammatory cytokines can suppress cell receptors. But i dont really hear this mentioned much, nor do i know if Chris Kesser is reputable enough to believe.

[greygoose in reply to B0896]

Sounds good. Let us know how it goes.

[B0896 in reply to greygoose]

Will do, thanks for all your help

[greygoose in reply to B0896]

You're welcome.

[B0896 in reply to greygoose]

Or can the tsh lag behind the ft3? That may explain it?

[greygoose in reply to B0896]

The TSH doesn't move very quickly, but impossible to answer that question without a time scale. How long are we talking about? In which direction? Up or down?

[foxrabbit]

Hi, have you ever had your oestrogen or progesterone levels looked at?

hypothyroidmom.com/progeste...

[B0896 in reply to foxrabbit]

Hi foxrabbit,

I had this tested and it was low in range which is optimal as im male.

[foxrabbit in reply to B0896]

I'm so sorry, I should have checked out your profile first, I just assumed you were female!! Doh!

[B0896 in reply to foxrabbit]

No worries, easy mistake to make haha

[foxrabbit in reply to B0896]

I have a book on getting thyroid symptoms despite normal lab results, there's a section on adrenals and the stages that you go through during adrenal fatigue. One of them describes low cortisol and low DHEA. I can take some images of relevant pages to send you if it would interest you?

[B0896 in reply to foxrabbit]

Thank you for offering to do that, but i should be okay without it. Have been obsessing over all this information too much anyway haha. Just need to get to the root of whats really going on whether thats adrenals or something completely different.

[Josiesmum]

Food sensitivities can cause hypo symptoms - gluten seems to be the most problematic. It's worth going gluten free for a few weeks to see if your symptoms improve. Make sure you get plenty of fibre from other sources.

Also, stress can cause adrenal issues. Try to get enough R&R and plenty of sleep.

[B0896 in reply to Josiesmum]

Due to inflammation i suspect? Will be doing an inflammation test quite soon. I tried cutting out gluten and dairy but didnt notice too much improvement a year ago. But a good diet that is anti inflammatory is worth sticking to i guess.