I have started taking Vit D, and also cutting gluten from my diet. I take 100mcg Levo a day, and I'm also taking Selenium as someone commented that it may help the excessive antibodies.
I have a NHS blood test due next week, and will take the results above to my doctor. However in order for me to be more prepared, can you advise what I should be asking for from my doctor, if anything at all?
I also would really like to know how I can control my weight fluctuations? Its excessive! Two years ago once I was initially put onto Levo at 125mcg a day, I joined slimming world and lost 3.5 stone in 6 months. I re-gained around 1.5 stone so I re-joined again at the beginning of this year, and have managed a measly 4lb all year. By the end of last year I was gaining around quarter of a pound a day! Last week I stuck to it rigidly, whilst removing the gluten and I gained two pounds. Its so demotivating to be cutting out anything that's remotely nice to eat and drink and getting zero results.
Like many of you, I live everyday with symptoms, and can't believe that this is the best my life can be! If hypothyroidism doesn't give you depression, the general feeling of being beaten by this will!
Thankyou for your help, its much appreciated! Any advice would be gratefully received.
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Someone will be along to look at your results soon I’m sure. My advice for diet would be 1 stop beating yourself up and 2 try cutting down on carbs and sugar for a little while and see how you go. Slimming world didn’t work for me simply because there are to much of both in it but we are all different and I know it works for some. Good luck
Thankyou Deed123, I know what you mean, I just find it all so hard tbh! I know that SW can be unsuitable for some, and I suppose that I could accept that if I hadn't had huge success on the diet previously. Seems that it doesn't matter what I do, I can't feel good about myself, and I can't feel healthy. I've just had enough now, I'm not normally a miserable person, I'm a "get up and get it sorted" type, but this has me truly stumped!! Thankyou for your reply...its good to talk to others that understand!
I don’t think there is anyone on here that won’t understand. Even though I have found a diet that suits me I still have times when I struggle and the weight just goes on regardless of my efforts. I just give it a week pull up my big girl knickers and get on with it. Xx
I was advised to take the following Vitamin D (this was from medichecks feedback - they didn't seem that concerned about it):
"Your vitamin D levels show that you have vitamin D insufficiency. This may progress to vitamin D deficiency if you don’t take steps to increase your vitamin D levels. We recommend supplementing with 20-50 mcg (800 -2000 iu) of vitamin D per day for twelve weeks."
I am supplementing with the maximum 2000iu a day at the moment and intend on having a retest on it in May 2018.
They also said my Vit B12 and folate were normal and fine!
However I have in the last week started taking a thyroid support formula which contains the following:
I've recently (December) been reduced from 125mcg a day to 100mcg, at 125 I was very high T4, and I then moved to alternating 125mcg/100mcg every day, and my T4 raised even further which my doctor classified as Hyper! Therefore the reduction to 100mcg was suggested. My doctor said that sometimes the symptoms of Hyper can be the same as Hypo, and she felt that was why I was living with extreme symptoms again, when previously I had been through a spell of feeling semi-ok! I suspect a small dose of T3 would help, but I doubt that I will get that - can I get hold of some myself?
Stop dieting. Hypo weight has nothing to do with what you eat and what you don't eat. It is to do with low T3. With your low T3 you can't expect to lose weight.
Slimming World is especially bad, because it isn't balanced. As DeeD123 says, too much sugar! It is a diet based on low/no-fat. Of course, fat is high in calories, which just goes to show how stupid calorie counting it. The body needs fat, and eating fat doesn't make you fat.
Forget about your weight for the time being. You need to concentrate on optimising your nutrients - certainly not cutting them out! - so that your conversion will improve. When your FT3 is up the top of the range, then you can think about your weight!
Yes, doctors are a terrible obstacle to getting well, I know. But, dieting is not the answer. Your vit D is low, and that will affect your conversion. Also, you need calories to convert! Which is why low calorie diets are not recommended.
Once you've made sure you're eating enough, and your nutrients are optimal, if your FT3 is still low, then the only alternative is to buy your own T3.
But, even if you buy your own T3, your nutrients all need to be optimal for your body to be able to use the hormone you're giving it.
Try writing a new post asking members to PM you their trusted sources of T3.
You're antibody results say that you have Hashi's. So, you really should try a 100% gluten-free diet. That should make you feel better, could lower your antibodies, and my help you lose weight. Another thing you could try is taking selenium.
I edited my last response to you, because I got it all mixed up and up-side down! lol Sorry about that.
Glad you managed to get all those tested, I just had a few observations that may help to explain some things you’re wondering (apologies if this is stuff you already know! But sometimes helps to see it step by step)
A) with autoimmune thyroiditis or Hashimoto as you appear to have, many things can affect your body, not just thyroid control and vice versa.
I hate to say it, but I think your success with swimming world a few years ago was probably the result of actually being on thyroid meds? As you stated you had just been put on high dose 125mcg before starting your diet. It probably kickstarted your body at the time, but often as thyroid function reduces and other deficiencies set in it can be harder to get your body in sync.
Generally a high(good) fat,high protein , low carb regime tends to work better for us, and reducing sugar etc
Things like digestive enzymes, apple cider vinegar and other things also purport to help.
High intensity exercise also doesn’t work so well for us as it depletes t3 further. Swimming, Pilates and other low intensity exercise works better. Also consider magnesium to stay hydrated and replete levels after exercise (I find it’s a miracle supplement and a lot of people are low without realising)
B) your t3 appears in the lower range and is the active form of thyroxine which the cells need and for you to actually feel better, and whilst your t4 and tsh appear ok, t3 could be improved in two ways;
1) t4 to t3 conversion requires good b12, vitD, folate and ferritin levels, so optimising your b12 and vit D levels would be a good start.
B12 depletion is common in hypothyroid sufferers for a few reasons-
- you’ve either developed pernicious anaemia (another autoimmune disorder),
-have autoimmune gastritis,
- aren’t eating sufficient amount of b12 source foods,
- or more commonly you have low stomach acid/enzymes which doesn’t allow the breakdown of animal proteins properly which is our main source of the above vitamins.
You could therefore add 200g chicken livers to your diet to see if improves, or you can take a b12 supplement. If you suspect you have stomach absorption issues you can take a sublingual/under the tongue supplement.
If you suspect low stomach acid and get other symptoms and excess fatigue after eating etc you could look to a pepsinHCL supplement for digestive enzymes.
((If you think you have pernicious anaemia that would need testing and b12 injections. If you have neurological symptoms of b12 already- you should get injections regardless. ))
Definitely need vit D optimised asap- pls take a supplement with vitk2 as well as D3 to direct calcium Absorption to bone rather than blood. Maintain a high dose for a good few months. Vit D3 is more of a hormone rather than a vitamin and is crucial in building other hormones/cholesterol function.
2) you can add liothyronine (T3) to your medication.
Nhs don’t prescribe this anymore (or very rarely) and I believe forum users source their own. Also a change to a NDT source of t3/t4 could work better for you.
C) selenium needs to be at 200mcg daily to be efficient at reducing antibodies.
Your thyroid supplement contains IODINE!!
General thyroid function does need iodine but as your hypothyroidism is not due to iodine deficiency but is autoimmune based, high dose iodine is generally advised to be avoided as it can worsen the autoimmunity. Some cases require high iodine but it’s controversial and I suspect maybe making you feel worse since you started it?
D) could you have other intolerances such as to dairy as that appears a common one? Or possibly digestive bowel issues/infections/IBs symptoms? Sorting the gut out is usually the best way to fight this I find.
Hope the above helps to get you on the right track in researching your causes etc
Apologies if some of it is incorrect or not worded properly- I’m sure someone on this forum would correct me ☺️
As greygoose says- forget about your weight at the minute and focus on your health- you’ll find the weight will slowly follow
I thought I would never shift any weight after trying to diet exercise etc until I sorted some of my diet/gut issues and supplements correctly - and now I’m shedding weight whilst being bedbound! Miracle 👏🏻
Vitamin D, you may need higher dose than 2000iu. Vitamin D mouth spray is good by Better You. Comes in various strengths. Perhaps try 3000iu daily. Plus a magnesium supplement and vitamin K2 are recommended when taking vitamin D
Supplementing daily sublingual B12 lozenge and perhaps also a good vitamin B complex will improve low B12 and folate.
But if you have symptoms of low B12 get GP to test for Pernicious Anaemia before starting any B vitamins
If you start or are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results
Strictly gluten free diet should very slowly lower TPO antibodies
A daily vitamin C supplement with zinc might be good idea.
But only change one thing at a time
Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,
"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.
In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.
Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.
This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."
You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor please email Dionne at
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
Also request list of recommended thyroid specialists, some are T3 friendly
Professor Toft recent article saying, T3 may be necessary for many
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