Hello, I had a follow-up with the geriatrician I saw last in January. At least he listened and I felt like I was talking to a person, but he did say he wasn't going to address thyroid any more and would leave it to the endocrinologist. He told me my head scan and heart tests were normal. Asking how I was I said not so good, feel queasy. Had a really bad day on Tuesday, felt queasy and then suddenly feel terrible as if something is washing through my body and I have to sit down. My head goes swimmy and eyes don't seem to be in line with my head when I turn it. When I get a day like this I have to sit most of the day till bedtime. I have had them before many times. He diagnosed vertigo and gave me a prescription for Stemetil - Prochlorperazine is a prescription drug classified as an anti-nausea and anti-vomiting medication, as well as an antipsychotic agent and it carries a black box warning. He only gave me two weeks worth as he said it sometimes works for nausea and sometimes doesn't. I am not sure I will take it as it looks horrendous. He did focus on the sickness but I said that the diarrhoea that has been accompanying the nauseous feeling has so far stopped from end of July, and that I have been self-injecting B12 since April and I am wondering if this has had a good effect. Of course, I might have more than one thing overlapping here, that is always the difficulty. What I forgot to say was I can still have the nausea (like today) without feeling dizzy or needing to sit down. I call those days when I sit all day my 'collapsing days', but I think he confused my terminology as he said people can have an impending sense of doom when they feel like they want to collapse. I call them collapsing days because I just can't do anything at all and sit watching tv till bedtime. Hubby cooks dinner.
I still think I need treating for being hypo but no-one wants to know. I have another gp appointment Monday. I am now wondering if I should try going gluten-free to see if that will improve T4 to T3 conversion - think I have got that right. The last endo said try gluten-free but he didn't say what improvements I might see. Do people go gluten-free as well as being treated for hypothyroidism? Thank you for any input once again.
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mountainice
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Gluten-free is usually or people with Hashi's, because they're often gluten intolerant. It sometimes helps them feel better, sometimes doesn't, but I don't think it has anything to do with conversion. Do you have Hashi's?
Having optimal nutrients - vit D, vit B12, folate, ferritin - and taking selenium and zinc can help with conversion. But, there are so many reasons why people don't convert well that it's a bit hit and miss. But, in any case, you do need optimal nutrients for general good health. You also need to consume enough calorie for good conversion.
I don't know if I have Hashi's as I can't get diagnosed. It was the last private consultant who suggested trying gluten-free - the one who wouldn't treat my 5.4 TSH which were Medichecks results. I am going to the gp Monday to see if she will do more tests that the consultant wanted as I didn't want to pay another £260 for blood tests as I had had the same ones with Medichecks, but he didn't want to take notice of them and said it was only just out of range.
My D has dropped over the past two years. I had got it to about 228 nmol/L in 2016 and now it has dropped to 114. I have been supplementing with 10,000 iu all that time (consultant said most people only take 1,000), plus K2 and magnesium but have had some days when I don't take it and when on holiday don't always take it, but I was surprised at the drop. I self-inject B12 about every 10 to 12 days plus gp jab. I take folate most days, usually leave a gap here or there. I take zinc a couple of times a week as I was zinc deficient and I take iron. I also take B complex too.
Maybe not much point in going gluten-free then. I am supposed to do it for 12 weeks and then go back to the consultant.
I would suggest it's always worth trying strictly gluten free diet if Hashimoto's is suspected
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first
Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet
(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)
Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse
Your TSH slightly high and FT4 and FT3 on low side
Couldn't see any test results for ferritin, vitamin D or folate
I can see you are self injecting B12
Suggest you get Medichecks thyroid plus ultra vitamin (£99 often on offer at £79) retest including vitamins 2-3 months after trying strictly gluten free diet
Thanks. I had a coeliac test quite a while back - negative. At the moment the queasiness has been lasting without a break since Tuesday, I seem to get it in bouts. Also, when I press my stomach just above my belly button, it is tender. I have told all this probably 2 years ago to the doctor. They press the stomach but that is all and no more said. Could you explain please why if the test is negative I could then go on strictly gluten free ? I will look at your links but got visitors here for the weekend so it will have to wait till Tuesday.
as within that there was a link to click on 'Specific GI Issues' and this is a bit more of my puzzle - the queasiness and diarrhoea for 14 years and my slow bowel. It mentions hiatal hernia under Hypothyroidism, Esophagus and stomach - I have an epigastric hernia so I don't know if that could be related. This article is 2009 so I don't know if there is a more up-to-date one.
I have Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy which the endo said he had never heard of! Within that video the doctor says that in the past 10-15 years receptors for thyroid hormone have been identified in the cornea. It is an interesting video.
I've got a TFT test tomorrow and only left off b complex since Tuesday. I've been reading and from what I've seen 50 mcg won't make a lot of difference, hope so anyway.
I don't have Hashis but I much prefer being gluten free. Don't know if it helps with conversion but it has stopped bloating and much improved gut function. You won't know till you try.
I am just dreading trying it as when I looked at lists of foods it is in everything, including things like tomato sauce, mayonnaise and salad cream which we eat quite a lot of. I thought it would just be cutting out things like bread, cakes and crackers, but seems harder than that. I don't really get bloating only very occasionally, once in a blue moon, mostly is the nausea in stomach and in mouth (if you have that sensation of when you want to be sick, you get a funny feeling in the mouth - my husband says he doesn't know what I mean), plus the tenderness above belly button.
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