Confused!! And in need of advise

[Carlym31]

Hi all I'm new here and looking for some help please.....

I was diagnosed whilst pregnant a underactive thyroid and was out on 100mg of levothrozine, I was told 6 weeks post to have a 're test done to check my levels which is the first cololm the top is the T4 and the bottom is the TSH.... I stopped taking the medication a week before this first test as I felt shocking and thought I was over medicated.

The doctor sort of agreed with me and said if I felt fine don't take the medication and come for a retest in another 6 weeks to see how you feel. Well 2 weeks before the retest I started getting muscle cramps In my legs/all my nails snapped and really bad constipation sorry tmi. Which i didnt put down to my thyroid.So after the retest I was called in and the doctor told me the last set of results (see picture) and said my underactive thyroid had really kicked in and we are starting u off on 100mg of levothrozine again!! And all he said was left untreated I would become really unwell. He didn't really explain much else to me other than get 're tested in another 6 weeks.

So my question is this is there anything I can do to help leg cramps and my broken nails like any supplements also I am currently at slimming world and having very slow weight losses like 0.5 here or there is there any foods I need to avoid.

Sorry for the long post just need some help as my gp isn't really helpful.....thanks in advance for any help

[greygoose]

For leg cramps, try magnesium.

Apart from that, you need to get your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested. If these are suboptimal, they will make you worse.

The only food you need to avoid - unless you have high antibodies - do you have high antibodies? - is unfermented soy.

Slimming World is not a good way to go, because it is based on low/no-fat. Your body needs fat, good fats, like butter, olive oil, nuts and nut oils, avocado and avocado oil, coconut oil. And low-calories diets will make you put on more weight, because they keep you hypo. You need fat and you need calories!

[Carlym31 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for your reply,

As far as I know I don't have high antibodies I was only told my t4 level and tsh level.

I've heard that before about the fats but good fats, I really need to do more research on what's the best way to go re:losing weight as I have about 8 stone to lose

Thanks

[greygoose in reply to Carlym31]

If you've put on hypo weight, the only way to lose it is to optimise your T3. It was low T3 that made you put it on, not your diet. So, dieting is not going to get rid of it.

Have you had your FT3 tested? If not, I suggest you splash out and get it done privately. You need to know where you are.

It would also be a good idea to get your antibodies tested, because there are things you can do that might help lower them. Do you have the results of your last TSH and FT4 test?

[Carlym31 in reply to greygoose]

I lost alot of weight last year but the weight gain is due to being pregant and eating what i wanted lol...basically in a nut shell i ate crap..

No not had my t3 tested I didn't know u can I thought it was all tested together, like I said I'm relatively new to this yeah my t4 level is 6.4 and my tsh is 39.49 that was as of last week..

6 weeks before this result my t4 was27.8 and my tsh 0.02.... and I haven't got a clue what that all means or why the levels have changed so dramically in 6 weeks..

[greygoose in reply to Carlym31]

Because, undoubtedly, you have high antibodies! You have Hashi's. And, that's what Hashi's does. It swings between hypo and 'hyper' levels - but not true hyper. So, the high FT4 was just temporary, and your true levels are TSH 39.49 and FT4 6.4, and with those levels, you don't need an FT3 test - or even the ranges - to know that you are severely hypo and drastically under-medicated, and you are never going to lose weight with levels like that. What is your doctor doing about it?

[Carlym31 in reply to greygoose]

Nothing at the moment just said to get my levels 're checked in 6 weeks time and to take 100mg of the levothrozine.

Like I said by my original post in confused about the whole thing as nothing has been explained to me about it. So does my medication need to be higher?? And what is hashis I've never heard of it before

Sorry for all the questions

[greygoose in reply to Carlym31]

Yes, it does need to be higher. And, your doctor hasn't explained anything, because he doesn't understand it himself.

Hashi's - Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - aka Autoimmune Thyroiditis - is where the immune system slowly destroys its own thyroid, mistaking it for the enemy. The immune system attacks the thyroid, like it would cold germs, or something, with the intention of destroying it.

As the cells die, the release all their store of thyroid hormone into the blood, raising hormone levels temporarily, to the heights you saw in your last but one test. But, it is temporary. When that hormone is used up or excreted, levels come down again, by themselves, and you become hypo again - only more so, because you now have less thyroid to make hormone.

Doctors just do not seem to be able to get their heads round this. They think that antibodies are irrelevant, so either they don't test them, or don't tell the patient they have them. But, they are very, very wrong.

There is no cure for Hashi's, but what you can do for yourself is try a 100% gluten-free diet. This may lower your antibodies, and make you feel better. And some people find it makes them lose weight.

You can also take selenium, which will lower antibodies, and also help with conversion.

If I were you, I would ask your doctor to test your vit d, vit B12, folate and ferritin. Hypos often have low nutrients, which is very bad for them.

And, stop the Slimming World diet and eat more good, clean food - with more fat.

[Carlym31 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you very much for that I'll make an appointment and get those tested straight away or pay private if they won't do it.

I see if i can get some selenium...

I'll definitely be trying the clean eating eating I only chose slimming world as I lost 3.5 stone before all this started

Thanks for your help it's most appreciated

[greygoose in reply to Carlym31]

You're welcome. The best place to get supplements is Amazon.