Thyroid problems?

[gragon88]

Hello,

I am new here and I would like to ask about your opinions. So I have the following symptoms: digestive issues, muscle twitching, low iron, hair loss, irregular period (my first one at age of 18), sleeping difficulties, fatigue, increase of appetite (but no weight gain), dizziness. I had digestive issues in my childhood (even as a baby) and I was also very underweight as a kid and even as a teen, even though I ate a lot. My sister has similar problems. Currently I am 20 years old.

My symptoms were very intense about one year ago, but even now they did not go away. I started visiting many gastroenterologists, because I thought my problem was connected with the GI system. I had diarrhea for weeks, I had pain in my in my gastrointestinal tract for months. I eliminated some types of food. The tests excluded celiac disease and crohn's disease. My digestive problems got better a bit, but all of my other symptoms did not go away.

But then I started to think that my GI problems were caused by something else. One of the gastroenterologists even recommended to do a test for thyroid - and I did but the results were somewhere on the border: TSH: 0,73, T3: 3,55, T4: 12,30. I also started to notice that when I eat fat food and sugary foods or when I am under stress that my symptoms get worse.

Thank you for answering.

[Nanaedake]

Hello and welcome to the forum gragon. You need to have your thyroid antibodies tested to rule out a thyroid condition. TPO and TgAb otherwise known as Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies and Thyroglobulin antibodies.

Could you also check your results as I think there should be decimal points not commas and please check decimal points are in correct place. If you can add the laboratory ranges it will make more sense for people to comment with sensible suggestions.

[gragon88 in reply to Nanaedake]

Thank you for your help, yes they are decimal points (sorry for the mistake). The ranges are: TSH: 0.35-4.94 mE/L, T3: 2.63 - 5.70 pmol/L, T4: 9.01-19.05 pmo/L.

[Nanaedake in reply to gragon88]

No problem, I see greygoose and shaws have responded with good advice. Let us know what happens.

[gragon88 in reply to Nanaedake]

Ok, thank you for everything.

[greygoose]

Sorry, but we need the ranges for those results. Ranges vary from lab to lab, so the results don't make sense without the range of the lab that did the analysis. Your TSH is obviously low in range, and the Frees look low, so my first thought was Central Hypo, but that's just a guess which can't be confirmed without the ranges.

[gragon88 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for your help. The ranges are: TSH: 0.35-4.94 mE/L, T3: 2.63 - 5.70 pmol/L, T4: 9.01-19.05 pmo/L.

[greygoose in reply to gragon88]

FT3 3.55 (2.63 - 5.7) OK, so that's not as low as it looks at first glance. But it is well under mid-range.

FT4 12.3 (9.01 - 19.05) That is even further under mid-range. So, it is low.

Your TSH should be a bit higher than it is, with these results. Even so, I'm not sure that they are low enough to convince a doctor to test for Central hypo.

Is this your first ever test? If so, I would wait a few months, and get it done again, see if things have changed. You also need to get your antibodies tested : TPOab and TgAB. And, if I were you, I would get my vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested.

[gragon88 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you so much for your advise. I will get my antibodies tested and also vitamin D. At the time of this test I did a test for feritin which was 13ug/L - The ranges are: 5-204. My vitamin B12 and folate were very good actually. - So that is why I was starting to think this may not be a GI problem.

I also wanted to add that - this might sound weird, but on the days I exercise my symptoms get better (I also drink more water then). But on other days, when I do not, they are worse.

[greygoose in reply to gragon88]

No, it doesn't sound weird. But, does it take you several days to recover from the exercise?

What exactly do you call 'good', when talking about your B12 and folate? Your ferritin is dire, it should be about mid-range. Are you supplementing that?

[gragon88 in reply to greygoose]

When I for example exercise 3 days in a row I feel good each day. And then if I do not exercise 3 days my sympoms are bad each day. And no, it actually does not feel like a recovery.

My B12 was 543 pmol/L - ranges 132 -857.

Oh, now that I have checked my tests my folate was actually not good: it was 8 nmol/L - ranges: 7-46.4.

[gragon88 in reply to gragon88]

When I saw my iron results I did start to supplemente it, but I tried not too much.

[greygoose in reply to gragon88]

Well, it would take quite a lot to be too much with that result. Iron levels don't usually go up very quickly.

[gragon88 in reply to greygoose]

I did a blood test later and it was quite better -somewhere in the middle I think. My results from feritin, that were low (13ug/L), were from the time that I had the worst symptoms.

[shaws]

Welcome to our forum

Sometimes people do not get diagnosed as doctors are apt to treat 'symptoms' rather than search for the cause.

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

Digestive problems, if hypo, can be eased by taking digestive enzymes. If we are hypothyroid we usually have low stomach acid but symptoms are so similar to high acid that GP prescribes medications which lower acid. I don't think they are very aware of low stomach acid problems.

I am sorry you and your sister have similar problems and from childhood as well so you've never really known good health.

You have to ask the doctor for a Full Thyroid Function Test. He or lab may not do all you request but ask anyway:

TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and Thyroid Antibodies.

B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.

Blood tests have to be at the very earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and if you were taking thyroid hormones you'd allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take afterwards.

You can tell your GP you've asked for advice from the NHS Choices for dysfunctions of the thyroid gland Thyroiduk.org.uk.

When you quote results you also have to put the ranges as labs differ and it makes it easier for members to comment.

[gragon88 in reply to shaws]

Thank you for your help.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Have you tried strictly gluten free diet for any length of time?

You can be gluten intolerant, but not necessarily coeliac.

Other option is Cyrex testing. But NHS dose not offer this. Would have to be private - usually via a functional nutritionist

[GoingitAlone]

Hello Gragon.

you poor thing. i am sorry you're having such a hard time. You already have some great advice, should your issues be thyroid related. I suggest you look also into another condition: Pyroluria. Nothing terrible, don't worry and it's testable and treatable. It's unlikely your doctor will know about it, let alone treat it so you might have to go it alone. Do test for it though, before trying to treat it as part of the treatment is B6 (in its P5P form which can be toxic at high levels and you don't want that. Here's a link to a good summary and you can take it from there. Please reply and ask for more though if you get stuck.

everywomanover29.com/blog/p...

I really hope you get the help you need, sweetheart.