This is the first time ever to write about my situation being always passive on this forums and reading a lot attending webinars and packing myself with what I believe now is all conflicting information. I’d like to get some comments on my personal experience.
I got a gastric sleeve 4 years ago, lost 70 pounds and got a never ending fatigue, terrible brain fog and every single symptom of hypothyroidism. Years of low b12, low vit D. After tons of research, hundreds of clueless doctors and apparently normal labs nothing was changed. Finally decided to quit my job and take long holidays because I just can’t woke up and go to work. My husband got transfer in April to Poland were I thought I could try with doctors again and again the exact same situation (clueless doctors) with the exception that there I could order “on demand” blood test next to the ones ordered by the doctor so I finally got tested for antibodies and free forms of both t3 and t4.
Hashimotos antibodies were present but low something around 20 If I remember correctly but interesting things was “graves” antibodies (causing hyperthyroidism) were as the test indicated “10 times above the normal range”.....
I started more research! I went Paleo, then went keto, gluten free (still not convinced on the reasons to become dairy free neither on the benefits outweighing the cons) and started again with vitamins. Being a bariatric patient I was taking special multi vitamin for almost two years post op and nothing made a difference.
I finally started to feel better but not really what All what I needed it with the diet changes.
I decided even if my tsh was on the low end and my free t3 and t4 were on the high end, that I might be having not enough hormones for myself and decided yo try levo in very small dosis and increasing slowly to see what happens ....
AND IM SO HAPPY I DID!! I’m finally back to feel alive!
Started with 6.25 at 6:30am and that afternoon like around 3pm I felt like something sparkle on my brain and I felt a little happy for no apparent reason. That night we to sleep feeling super tired and woke up next day a little more energized than ever before so I thought this going to work! Repeated dose for two days, lost the sparkle, decided to increase 6.25 at midday got the sparkle back next morning, repeated for two days and lost it again.... increase one dose each day try a couple of day until losing the energy again until where I am now: I’m taking 12.5 am and 12.5 midday and I’m feeling energized and positive throughout the day!! Being four weeks on this dose and I feel great!
The only small thing is that I have this dull constant headache on the lower back area almost starting the neck and I’m wondering if I should keep increasing the dose since I’m on a very low dose or if I should wait or look for vit or mineral deficiency.... please help with this. I cannot find anything on the web that says that is because ai was hyper and ai shouldn’t be on levo when my nody says the opposite. I’ve read some post saying this is a toxic effect but they all refer to it like a mainstream knowledge no need to go deeper and I’m lost on why it happens and how to help it.
All comments on the whole journey more than welcomed!
Oh.... women, 31 years old!
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I'm afraid we're going to need a little more information to be able to answer your questions.
Firstly, what were the names of the antibody tests your did? TPOab? TgAB? TRAB? TSI?
Just telling us that this was high and that was low tells us very little. We need to have the numbers: results and ranges.
Have you had repeat labs since getting to 25 mcg levo? If so, what were the results and ranges?
The thing is, with such a low dose, all it's likely to do is reduce production of thyroid hormone by your thyroid, without being enough to replace it. But, that's just speculation without seeing the numbers.
And, impossible to say if you should continue increasing the dose without seeing the numbers. But, if you do, increases of levo should be by 25 mcg every six weeks, after retesting. I know the most important thing is how you feel, but the numbers can give us a clearer idea of what is going on.
When you say you're on a 'special' multivitamin, what exactly does that mean? What is in this multivitamin, and how much of each? Do you get your nutrients tested regularly?
Most multivitamins contain too little of use, and often contain iodine....which may not be good for hypothyroid, especially if you have Hashimoto's
You can have Hashimoto's and never have raised antibodies.
As Greygoose says, can you add results and ranges for TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also extremely important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Really interesting story! As someone who probably has thyroid hormone resistance I have come to believe the final test for having a thyroid problem is to suck it and see - try out hormone replacement and see if you get improvement.
Although as others have mentioned, Levothyroxine is not really a tablet that is known for microdosing or benefitting from low doses. Its generally thought you are either on it or not - taking 50mcg to start and then increasing. This is because its thought that your body will reduce some of its own thyroid production in response to the treatment, and low doses are enough to disrupt the balance in your own body but not enough to improve it.
The pattern you report of feeling an immediate improvement but then going back to the same or worse with the passage of time is very common on low doses.
I agree with others you need to share a lot more information. Many times you've been told that results are 'normal', or other opinions/interpretations, but doctors are often not great at interpreting blood tests. I suggest you make a new thread (maybe then reply to people in this one telling them it's there), and include all the blood tests you mention, particularly thyroid panels, antibodies, and vitamins you've had done. If you are able to, stick on your current dose for 6 weeks and get a new thyroid panel.
Then members will give better advice. Its very likely there was a lot more information and clues in that set of tests than doctors can pick up on. Members here are very experienced in looking at blood tests, and well read.
Gastric bypass surgery, part of the stomach that make Intrinsic Factor is no longer used to store & help digest food, most patient have B12 injections as far as I know.
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