I have menopause kicking my ass as well as thyroid. I’m having a bad day. I should put a sack over my head really and stay in a corner.
The thing that is upsetting me most today apart from the endless lack of energy and the constant aches, pains and stiffness in my joints and non-functioning brain, is that my private hormone doctor, who has cost me a fortune over 3 years and not improved my menopause (her specialisation) has a very brusque and bossy manner. She was better at the start. It’s as if she gets digs in because I’m not responding to treatment. She started me on Levo. last summer. I’m on 100 now because she didn’t increase me properly, due a retest in 3 or 4 weeks. At my last test (on 75) my TSH was 7.3 but free t’s midrange.
She talks continuously about the need for exercise. I can barely get through a day. I can’t breath properly when I feel really exhausted. I can barely walk for the weak and aching legs and painful feet. I can’t exercise! Her other peeve is that I have metabolic syndrome and I will get diabetes type 2 and worse if I don’t loose weight. She wants me to go on a low carb diet. I don’t want to do that because it was a low carb diet that started all my health issues. I was fit and well beforehand, but it broke me! She refuses to listen. She wants me on Metformin even though my numbers are not prediabetic, although higher than I’d like.
I feel bullied by this. They look at me like this gross body is my fault for being a greedy, lazy slob. I was nothing of the sort. This all happened so fast and all because I was trying to loose a half stone that wouldn’t shift with calorie counting. Do they not understand how I long to run, walk, ride my bike, dig my garden, continue my cottage restoration and dance again?
If she could relieve the horrible menopause and keep going with my thyroid treatment maybe I will feel a bit more normal at some point, when the first thing I will do I say exercise and calorie count. But I just feel too unwell like this. I’m sick of being made to feel like it’s all in my control. She even said that to me. I can take control of the situation by loosing weight. My TSH is too high to loose weight!
Sorry. Just needed a rant. I felt a bit better yesterday and got some things done until 5.30 when the energy just left and I had to sit down for the rest of the evening. Today my eyes feel foggy, my head feels blocked and I just want to cry.
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FancyPants54
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Give up on this person and we need more doctors like the following, except it seems we are looking for a needle in a haystack. Most on this forum found that self-medicating was an immense improvement rather than constant adjustment of hormones which doesn't/didn't improve our health at all. Members are very knowledgeable having 'been there and done that'.
We used to be prescribed NDT (natural dessicated thyroid hormones) before the blood tests and levothyroxine were introduced. NDT means natural dessicated thyroid hormones and were the original life-savers as before that (1892) we died.
The Associations banned NDT and one of our Advisers wrote the following (before he died) and despite three yearly reminders they never did respond. I doubt they could argue with a scientists and a critical analyst. He would never prescribe levo - only NDT or T3 alone for his Thyroid Hormone Resistant patients.
Research by several different researchers have found that many improve when T3 is added to T4. Unfortunately in the UK T3 was withdrawn a few months ago. Before that they withdrew NDT, so two most important replacements in place of levothyroxine (T4 only). Levo is an inactive hormone - T4 and it has to convert into sufficient T3. We have millions of T3 receptor cells and it is the only Active Thyroid hormone enabling our metabolism especially heart and brain to function optimally.
Those who are well on levo will not be searching the internet for help/advice.
I think the first thing you should do is ascertain whether the weight is fat or water. If it's water, there's not much you can do. Have you tried the pinch test?
I have both. I am undoubtedly fat now, but I also can't pinch my skin. My arm behaves just like the woman's in the video (which I've seen before so I brought up mucin with my GP recently. She looked blank and moved on.)
My metabolism is down the toilet. I just feel so bullied over this whole low carb diet thing when I know it made me ill to start with. And how can I diet when I feel so angry, upset, miserable, depressed, anxious and horrible all the time!
Well, there's no two ways about it. If your TSH is over 7, then you are very hypo, and not likely to lose weight. And she should know that. And, if she doesn't, I would fire her and go elsewhere, if I were you.
The best thing you can do is take your own thyroid health into your own hands like the majority on this forum. We cannot do any worse that doctors/endos who keep us unwell due to 'their' guidelines. One of our doctors stated that we were put in a 'parlous' situation due to the present guidelines.
Wow! I just tried this test and I cannot pinch my skin..just like in the video!! I'm on nature throid....maybe I need a boost? Anyway, going to my doctor next week for a blood test to see where I'm at....very interesting, greygoose! Thanks for sharing!
Any so called doctor who doesn't know the link between thyroid and metabolism is doing you more harm than good 🤬 what's the saying 'metabolism is the engine and thyroid is the gas' Not enough gas in the tank means engine doesn't work. And blaming the patiant when your appalling treatment keeps her ill????? Please don't go back to see her.
Forget low carb, low calorie diets they will mess you up further. I starved fir years and just kept gaining. Finally got my free t3 near top of range then went on Harcombe diet... No calorie counting eat as much as you want just No processed food and keep fats and carbs apart by three hours. I ate more than since a teenager and lost 20 pounds... Slowly but steadily.. Slow as I am a vegetarian so fat meals are limited. But healthy food. ONLY POSSIBLE because all vits and minerals were optimum and free t3 was at top of range which is right FOR ME. You have a long way to go. You should have Levo increased by 25 every six to eight weeks until your blood tests show TSH is below one and your free t4 and free t3 are in top third of range,,, at least. Theres some fantastic people on this forum who would give you better advice and guidance for free than that so called doctor.
I know, which is why I write here when it all gets too much. People on here know what they are talking about. I wrote recently that I'm stressed because the private doctor said I could probably have one more raise to 125mcg but that would probably be it!!! and my GP said regardless of TSH my just about mid range free t's were fine.
Today was hard. I work on my own. I feel very down a lot of the time. Getting it off my chest here is like talking to someone. I hate what's happened to my once tall, slim and strong body but being made to feel bad about what I want to eat isn't helping. The one thing I've managed to do in the garden this year is grow a lot of lovely tomatoes and chillies and she told me not to eat the tomatoes. NO! I am not going to follow that advice. As I said in my post, low carb dieting broke me. I was fine before. I have to keep going back though if I want to keep getting my prescriptions. At the moment I have 2 doctors who are sounding afraid to raise my dose, but I can get prescriptions from both of them without telling the other and thus get enough to follow through myself.
I echo Shaws & greygoose advice to ditch your doctor.
Why on earth should you pay someone to insult you and not to give your the proper hormone treatment you need either. Stupid Doctor.
As Shaws said lots of people like myself have to resort to self medicating & thus far it's the best thing I ever did.
Only been on NDT for 6 weeks, very slowly making my way up to 1 grain & I'm feeling the benefits. Not losing much weight but I think that will take longer. I'm purposely not exercising as I'm giving my NDT chance to get me better first.
But I'm less tired, better able to cope, no afternoon exhaustion, able to converse, memory improving & other symptoms are improving. I feel like I've won the lottery but I do still have to pace myself, I've a long way to go & cant afford to push myself. As it is all the T3 is mopped up by my brain & heart & the rest of my body still feels like it needs it's fair share of T3.
For your aches & pains, a great nights sleep & constipation, I can recommend Magnesium Glycinate. I went on hols without it. First week was my joints & muscles were in absolute agony, I ordered some & my second week was bliss in comparison to the first.
I, like you want to get on with projects & it's damn frustrating because we want to get on with jobs like any normal person but we hypos pay for it.
I just wanted to let you know that you can get on top of this
& that I believe you can get get well.
The doctor is making you ill with all the 'agro' she gives you. Give her the old heave-ho 😊
Oh good luck! I tried NDT in the past. Can’t remember why I stopped now. Then tried again at Christmas under the private doctor. But I had a terrible time on it. Anxiety was unbelievable and unbearable. I stuck it for 1month but couldn’t keep on. Her advice was to stop altogether and wait 2months and retest but I couldn’t do it. I tried to wean off but felt dead and went back to 25mcg Levo. It cured the anxiety but a massive amount of my hair fell out. So I’ve had to crawl back up to 100 Levo slowly. My hair has improved and for the first time in years I have bum fluff hairs growing back on my arms and my eyebrows are a little fuller.
I think the problem with NDT was that I started on 1/2 grain. I should probably have started on 1/4. But in the midst of the anxiety I wasn’t able to rationalise that.
If you decide (or happy) to stay on Levo do you think sourcing & adding your own T3 would help?
Do you results with ranges to share?
I also really need to up my iron & am looking at Lactoferrin & or Lucky Iron fish as they've been mentioned on the forum. I still have the gentle Solgar iron & eat pate but wonder if I can do better. A good uptake of iron alone can help with fatigue & sore muscles.
I need to do bloods to check levels but can't afford it yet, so going on how my body feels for now.
The more I learn the more I realise T3 & T4/ NDT on their own can't solve all our thyroid ailments, we must address vitamin & mineral deficiencies too.
I'm midway through a dose change now so probably not worth repeating the old results but both free T's are just about mid range. I may need to add some T3 at some point. The thing that worries me about that is how the hell we are going to be able to import medicines post March 19th next year. Anyone who is buying from abroad needs to stockpile because shipping and post is going to fall apart for a while. Private prescriptions to Germany are unlikely to work after we leave the EU either. Those of us relying on buying medications from abroad are in a parlous situation. I do have a supply of T3 from when I tried it before several years ago. But it's out of date and I'm not sure how much importance should be given to that. I might ask the pharmacist, but he's probably not likely to say it's OK.
I don't have the Lucky Iron Fish, I've looked at them. But I do have 3 cast iron frying pans and they get used a lot. Solgar Gentle Iron did nothing for me at all. I used it for over a year and I took 3 a day not the 1 recommended (a nurse told me it was OK) and my ferritin level stayed the same. I'm on a different one now and using the BetterYou Iron mouth spray too.
Of course you're right about sourcing treatments & leaving the EU. I've not given that any thought at all, will have to now. Thanks for reminding me. I use Thyroid S, so I need a plan.
Out of interest how long have you been on Better You Iron spray? Looked at it myself & wondered as it's a spray and a small dose does that make it better than taking other iron supplements. I'm Hashi's so would love every supplement to bypass my stomach 🙂
I would (if you can) buy in a year's supply in advance of March. I import and export for my business. People have no idea what's coming as far as shipping goods is concerned. I might be over-cautious saying a year. But aim for a year and if you manage 8 months then you will have bought yourself breathing space to work things out.
I am still on my first BetterYou Iron spray, but close to the end. I like sprays because the fine membrane in the mouth is so good at passing fine particles through. I'm hoping that along with the other iron tablet I'm taking at night and the iron rich foods I can make a difference. I'll retest in a couple of months. My GP has agreed to do it for me this time, which is good. I've had a problem with ferritin for decades. No idea why.
In theory delivery from Thailand shouldn't be affected. But in practice our customs will be overwhelmed, we might be a while without operational aircraft services and the postal service will be slammed with all the problems it currently doesn't have when shipping to and from Europe. So the stuff coming in from other areas will be caught up in the general chaos.
It’s in the mid 30’s which isn’t good enough so I’m all over that with food and supplements at the moment. But it wasn’t low enough to account for the level of exhaustion I feel.
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