Ive posted several times recently. My weight just keeps climbing and increased t3 isn't helping. My recent ft3 was 4.3 (2.5-4.2). So taking too much t3 and still gaining.
This all started right after iron infusions for severe anemia. After 6 infusions was ferritin was too high- i think around 350 (10-150).
So if iron tablets can interfere with thyroid meds what about high ferritin levels. Might my high ferritin be interfering with my t3 medication?
RobinAnn,
If you took FT3 before your blood test it can peak in the bloodstream and that may be why your FT3 is a little over range.
If you left 6+ hours between last dose and blood draw then FT3 being over range can cause weight gain. thyroid.about.com/od/thyroi...
Thyroid meds can bind to the iron tablets reducing absorption. Ferritin is bound to be high after an infusion. High ferritin won't interfere with T3 medication.
My blood draws was early a.m. and t3 was last taken the day before.
Weight gain started in July when my ft3 was at 3.1 (2.5-4.2). Slowly over the past 3 months i have raised my t3 dose until i was every slightly hyper.
Yet every week one more kilo. All in my gut. It's so distended😭😭😭😭😭😭😭.
RobinAnn,
Taking sufficient thyroid replacement isn't always enough to lose weight but should stop you gaining weight. You may need to follow a calorie controlled diet and exercise to loose the weight you've already gained.
Some people find a gluten-free diet helpful in reducing bloating.
I've had hasimotos for 15 years. Once i switched to t3 only 12 years ago I've never had weight issues. I've been gluten free for many years. My diet has been the same for years.
I'm absolutely certain this isn't about diet. I have pancreas insufficiency so I'm carefull what i eat. It's not standard weight gain it's bloating.
I'm doing research on ferritin and elevated ferritin will cause inflammation(and visa versa). My tpo has been hovering around 700 lately too. When first diagnosed it was 5000+ but with meds it's been at most 200 but usually closer to 100.
I wonder about this connection. If my tpo rises most likely my hypo will worsen. Did excess ferritin raise my tpo?
RobinAnn,
Elevated ferritin may be caused by inflammation or infection but high ferritin doesn't cause inflammation or raise thyroid antibodies.
TPO antibodies fluctuate. If they've risen it's because you've had an autoimmune attack which probably will make your hypo worse. Keeping TSH suppressed <0.1 helps reduce thyroid activity which helps reduce autoimmune attacks.
My tsh is surpressed. Its always a fight with docs because my tsh is too low. I double checked my records. Although my tpo is not tested as often as ft3 it has been fairly low for the past 12 years. Shortly before my iron infusion it was 60. Imediately after it was 700+.
Im not convinced this tpo increase isn't related to ferritin.(keep in mind hemochromatosis involves inflammation and can cause hypothyroidism) But lets say you're right for a moment... elevated ferritin and elevated tpo are merely a coincidence, but if my diet hasn't changed or anything else that i can think of why would my tpo suddemly spike. And why isnt excess t3 dropping it back down. In fact the higher my ft3 climbs the higher my tpo climbs. And so goes my weight.
I have been racking my brains out for three months trying to find out why the weight bloat gain. Its not my diet. But i have typical low thyroid symptoms. Yet my medication is too high, im sweating and my pulse is hitting 90. ...here comes the depression snd tears.
As we get older, and definitely with Hashimoto's, we get low stomach acid
What's your vitamin D, B12 and folate levels
Increasing stomach acid with Apple cider vinegar or Betaine HCL is popular
Lots of posts about this
Dairy can be an issue, or just casein in cows milk
As i said, it's not my diet... I'm dairy free. Don't eat out. Don't eat fast food. Don't eat convience food. I eat 95% homemade. Although I've lost my appetite since my iron infusion in june.
Vitamin D is good. B12 and folate... not sure but i cannot find anything about b12 and extreme weight bloat again... only weight loss. I've been hoping it's b12 but all of my research points to b12 and weight loss. I'm having a endoscopy is 2 weeks so im avoiding b12 until its over.
Stomach acid is needed for protein digestion. Eating low protein or no meat and I'm still getting worse. No relief from betaine hcl with pepsin either.
I would start worrying about a tumor but i just had a mri of my pancreas... all clear in that region.
What about your glutathione levels?
EBV is reckoned to be a primary cause of Hashimoto’s. Glutathione is the master anti oxidant requires selenium which has a key balancing relationship with Iodine.. Glutathione apparently can limit EBV replication. Also monitor CRP and eliminate inflammation.
I take liposomal and transdermal glutathione and magnesium in as many formats as I can think of.
I have no idea about any of that. I will check into it. But does it make sense that for 12 years my t3 was controlling my weight bloat and hashi and then suddenly my gut bloats up like I'm pregnant?
Everybody has been really great with advice. I certainly don't know the answers but it seems like my iron infusion is a clue. Like it was a trigger. And yeah i might be grasping as straws but I'm so desperate and upset...
I'm also looking at zinc since zinc and iron are antagonists and i do have kpu/hpu.
This is really sucking the life out of me... but i suspect everyone here understands what that's like.
Today it seems like my face is puffy😩 but my headache is gone.
You are likely to be suffering from small intestinal bacterial overgrowth which can slow down metabolism and affect your insulin and leptin resistance.
You are right about the iron trigger, as a clue, as this has also fed the candida and made them multiply. Both have put a toll on your adrenals and as you have described it 'sucks the life out of you'.
A good cleansing of your guts will help you gradually feel better and due to your pancreatic deficiencies, you may need additional systemic enzymes on top of the digestive enzymes.
Very low protein will make you feel tired. Perhaps an increase in the protein intake and in the form of half-diluted bone broth will be gentle and soothing.
The due endoscopy/culture will help with the diagnosis but may not be sufficient.
Please don't despair.
Can you easily summarize the symptom differences between sibo and intestinal candida? I get the iron candida connection. But also just learned about low zinc and candida connection.
Finally i discovered meriva curcumin is a great iron chelator and great for candida.
Common SIBO Symptoms:
Trouble digesting most carbohydrates
Many food sensitivities
Constant, excessive bloating
Brain fog
Exhaustion (from being undernourished and not digesting your food)
Long-standing, stubborn constipation
Depression and anxiety (the gut, the brain & the nervous system are a team)
Rosacea
Common Candida symptoms:
General Fatigue, Weakness, Muscle & joint aches, Headaches, Feeling of being "hung over"
Gastrointestinal disturbances - diarrhea, constipation, nausea, bloating after eating.
Psychological disturbances - depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings
Cognitive dysfunction - poor memory, lack of concentration Recurrent vaginitis
Menstrual Disturbances and Infertility
Allergies
Skin irritation/rashes/acne
Recurrent throat/ear infections
Hypoglycemia
Wow. That was quick. Thanks. I fall somewhere in the middle. Frustrating.
I guess I'll start by lowering my iron and see where that gets me since that seems to be where things started.
I always thought candida was the harder one to treat but after some research it seems i have that backwards.
I had mussels for dinner. Now I'm in even worse shape. Another kilo.
😩
You are welcome!
Do not be surprised as you may have both conditions.
Reducing carbs and totally avoiding all sugars (to include food that is high glycemic such as wheat, oats, and all grains, will starve candida.
SIBO is harder to treat but both can be well under control with ketogenic/paleo diet, avoiding gluten, and optimal thyroid hormones.
Check your T3/ reverse T3 ratio should be above 20. This shows thyroid hormone receptor resistance. Reverse T3 is a natural occurrence like a governor on an accelerator pedal. Stop the thyroid madness shows how to do it.
If the ratio is below 20 then you’re hypothyroid at cell level! Go back to getting all your ducks in a row ( check supplement list at ThyroidUk) and if your immune system is suppressed ie low zinc, Vitamin B’s, C, D3/K2 etc go for most active forms after testing. I can recommend The Great Plains Organic Acid Test. Boosting innate immune system going after every decreasing in size pathogens and supporting our detoxing and antioxidants.
The master anti oxidant being glutathione which your body will love.
Best Wishes
I only take t3 so i think that rules out rt3 issues. Isn't it t4 that either get converted to t3 or rt3.
Prudent to do T4/T3/ Reverse T3. If something else is driving inflammation as shown by conventional CRP then we naturally convert T3 to reverse T3 as well for repair, rest and digest phases.
Then keep digging to find out what is the root cause. Probably viruses or something smaller but you need to start with the largest pathogen first however crucial to support your immune and antioxidant and detox systems. Keep an eye on your heart rate as well!
Not sure its the same but i do my pulse all the time.
I recommend Dr Isabella Wenz:’s and Dr Sarah Myhill websites, books and podcasts.
You might also want to consider Lyme disease or some other stealth infection (Armin laboratories) but ultimately diagnosis by elimination is the only way to approach this functionally. I have been working with a functional nutritionist and ThyroidUK has a list of specialists upon request or pm me if you want contact details of the functional nutritionist I’m using.
Keeping an eye on your heart rate (pulse, pauses or palpitations) this is important as I’ve discovered that as my metabolism speeded up with the introduction of T3 then I needed to ensure I was taking enough magnesium (excruciating cramps if not) and ensure correct detox and elimination. That’s still a work in progress with me. If your zinc is diminished it’s likely that your immune system is suppressed and that manganese and molybdenum are also depleted amongst others hence essential for you to replace essential minerals and vitamins. Test don’t guess.
I’ve just discovered my T3/reverse T3 Ratio recently and my TPO antibodies increased dramatically with yet another tick bite. Interestingly my challenging bradycardia normalised when I was on 3 weeks of antibiotics!
Now trying to reverse the TPO antibodies.
Best Wishes
Thanks for the info. I'll do some research on everything and decide how to continue. Functionsl medicine would be great but i live in Germany. The closest I've ever come to that is Dr. Google.
It could be that your cortisol levels are out of whack. If levels are too high people may gain weight around the stomach. If you think this is a possibility then you could test levels with a saliva test. Blood tests are rarely informative.
Yeah i was wondering about something like cushings but i feel my weight gain is bloat and water and not just weight. Plus my breathing is an issue too. I started jogging but this isn't a breathing issue- just climbing stairs and when my cat sits on my chest. Plus burning tongue, mild hair loss, hungry but turned off of food which is maybe a taste bud issue. Sweating so much but not constant. And a bunch more. I just want to scream. Am waiting for my endoscopy because of stomach issues- which might be connected.
Really important to test and not guess for vitamin B12 if you have a burning,tingling or swollen tongue with teeth indentations on the sides. This is also a good indicator for being hypothyroid despite conventional tests saying otherwise.
Stomach issues will be related if you aren’t producing enough acid to break down proteins and this is also were B12 is made!
This then cascades into digestive issues such as fermenting gut.
Breathing issues could be an underlying stealth infection as your immune system s suppressed and connected with that is your heart.
Working with an informed specialist will be the best investment in your future you’ll ever make.
Best Wishes
My doc will look at my stomach Oct 11. So I'm staying off of b12 until then. My b12 always tests too high. But i also have mthfr mutation as well as similar mutation for b12 mtr/mtrr. Which is why i think my b12 always tests high. But it will be another 20 years before Germany catches up and i can have an intelligent convetsation about mutations with a doctor.
On top of everything else i had an episode of uveitis in May. Looks like pink eye but much more serious. The inflammation then went to back of eye and caused blisters. Fortunstely i made it through with vision intact.
So eye doctor suspects i have a second autoimmune disease hiding somewhere. Although i wonder about PA... this isn't associated with uveitis. So Oct 20 I'll get a complete work up looking for another disease. MS is a concern but personally i don't it. Im more concerned it's sjogren. But then again my uveitis might be idiopathic.
In any case I'm certain something else is going on. Since doctors nearly killed me with t4 meds in 2003- I've never recovered fully. I think they've been missing something. I also have pancreas issues. That dx took 11 years. So i struggle mentally knowing they will most likely not have a clue and miss things yet again.
At least my Oct doctors will be in Germany's best klinik... Heidelberg. So maybe my chances ate slightly better.
Sorry that was too long🤔
Don’t apologise for being too long to explain RobinAnn it taken us a lifetime to develop all of these symptoms, which if treated correctly initially wouldn’t be life altering now!
I also have similar genetic polymorphisms and realised I wasn’t methylating correctly amongst other things! As you say Vitamin B12 will swamp the system if it’s not being absorbed. You’ll have probably checked which Vit B12 suits your genetics? Fortunately I’m able to take sublingual methyl B12 but occasionally would add hydroxy or adeno-cobalamin.
Dr Ursula Stix is a member of the German Lyme association and might be worth having a chat? Let me know how you get on in the Heidelberg clinic.
Best Wishes
I need to check out this Ursula Stix. I have wondered if I've been low in b12 all along but my mutations screwed up blood tests.
Thanks for the info.
Actually I'm really glad you brought all this up...or was that me. I sent an email to Dr Stix already. But that reminded me that my kpu/hpu specialist mentioned she has mthfr issues too. I don't thinks she knows a lot about polymorphisms except mthfr. But i asked her if she knows a specialist.
Armin labs are in Augsburg and do the thyroid tests. I work with the functional nutritionist on Skype even though she is based in Surrey.
Best Wishes
Wow. That's really good to know.
CRP and Ferritin
Hypothyroid - low serum iron and saturation, but normal Ferritin
I have normal Iron but low Ferritin, can this still cause conversion problem T4 to T3?
