I m a new in Hashimoto. I have been recently diagnosed (ultrasound& blood test). I live in Creta, Greece.
I wasnt offered levo, just monitoring in the future.
December 2020
TSH 4,8193 μUI/mL with normal range 0,25 - 3,43
January 2021
TSH 4,2663 μUI/mL with normal range 0,25 - 3,43
Free T4 ) 1,06 ng/dL with normal range 0,7-1,94
Anti TG 4,19 IU/mL
with normal range <4,11
Anti TPO 0,18 IU/mL with normal range <5,61
February 2021
TSH 3,1965 μUI/mL with normal range 0,25 - 3,43
Anti TG 4,65 IU/mL
with normal range <4,11
Anti TPO 0,44 IU/mL with normal range <5,61
Based on that, I wasnt offered levo.
Following is my vitamin/minerals profile:
December 2020
HGB 14,5 g/dl with normal range 14-18
Ferritin 137,78 ng/ml with normal range 21,81-274,66
Vitamin B12 958 pg/ml with normal range 189-883
Folic acid 3,1 ng/ml with normal range 2,7-34
25-ΟΗ-vitamin D 29,14 ng/ml with range panel Deficiency <10
insufficiency 10-30
Sufficient 30-100
January 2021
Ferritin 106,51 ng/ml with normal range 21,81-274,66
Iron (Fe) 48 μg/dl with normal range 70-180
HGB 14,3 g/dl with normal range 14-18
Vitamin B12 551 pg/ml with normal range 189-883
Folic Acid 4,5 ng/ml 2,7-34 with normal range 2,7-34
For 2 months now, I supplement with Whey Isolate, Creatine mono, Zinc, D3, omega 3.
At this point I have to mention that I have experienced most of the symptoms of Hasimoto in my daily life for the past year.
I was feeling pretty crap for the last 1 year so that was the reason for me to check my hormones,
My mother has hypo, and I first checked my thyroid a few years ago when my hair thinned (8 years ago). My thyroid blood testing was always fine. untill 2020!
Some detailed info about me that may help you.
I train hard ( although its been very hard to follow my program lately, due to sudden tiredness) for the last 15 years, I am 38 y.o , 1.80, 78 kg, around 15-18 % bf.
I follow a complete diet (not your typical gym bro diet), from typical lean meat, rice, potatoes, eggs ,fruits and salads to dairy, bread, rye flour etc. I dont have any food allergies or problems ( as far as I know).
Interesting fact. I didnt use salt in my diet ( except for the products that already contain some iodine for instance bread , cheese etc) for a long time....
I started using sea salt 1 -1.5 years ago and noticed a change (for the better) in my energy levels.
I find it impossible to believe that adding some sea salt in my diet- after so many years of being afraid of salt ( foolishly) - negatively effected my thyroid!
I even added whole wheat , bread ,rye flour etc during 2020 and my diet has become more balanced and enjoyable. Bread was another product I deprived myself of, due to stupid gym bro diets....
To be honest I was thinking of supplementing myself with Selenium ( although its debatable whether it helps with anti tg ) , k2 (mk7) and folic acid.
I bought Magnesium Citrate a few months ago, but havent used it. Maybe its time.
I was thinking of supplementing with Iron too , however I can not make a conclusion whether its ok for people with Hasimoto or not.
in conclusion, I m concerned about some vitamin and minerals levels/deficiencies and about the possibility of supplementing without making thyroid situation worse. I would greatly appreciate any advice on my vitamin and minerals results , supplements I should take or avoid and things to avoid in general.
thanx in advance!!!
Written by
TomPlatz
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Thank you both for the advice! I ve read about gluten free diets , however from my experience with myself and other gym guys, following strict diets or excluding certain foods , for instance bread , is not sustainable long term. However, I can understand the possible health benefits of such a diet. Many times, eating whole wheat bread or even homemade pizza with rye flour can make me somewhat unconfortable ( white bread certainly causes me issues, thats the reason I dont eat out) . Digestion is always better with whole unprocessed foods.
Hi Tom, you would find David Brownstein's book "Overcoming Thyroid Disorders" on helping the thyroid very helpful as a reference for vitamins and minerals to take for the thyroid, easy to pick up second hand on Amazon. Magnesium, selenium, unrefined salt and vitamin C are all critical for thyroid and adrenal function as are all the B vitamins. Gluten is best avoided.
My mum had similar levels when she was diagnosed and she felt better when she had her vitamin D raised alongside iron/ferritin. For vit D, she had the endo prescribe a regimen to bring it up to optimal level and ferritin relying on liver and iron supplements (liquid iron is best for her, some can tolerate iron pills). She eventually decided to take levothyroxine to suppress her TSH as her symptoms became unbearable after a point (constipation etc.). She follows the Greek diet, high in veg and lean proteins and moderate on the carbs. She has been able to reintroduce gluten, a past trigger, without triggering any flares - but we'll monitor that.
It might be easier to get hold of levo in Greece than in Western Europe since thyroid disease is fairly common among local women (I'm Greek and we have both hypo and Hashi present among all women on both sides). Until the 60s and 70s, it was pretty common to see people with goitres in Greece, esp in the mountainous regions.
This forum is a treasure trove for finding very helpful info.
thank you alot!! This forum is amazing and the members very helpful.
I live in Creta and its extremely difficult to find a really good endo. Beieve it or not ,for the past 3 months i have talked to many docs , including 2 endos considered among the best. All of them, told me that 1) I dont need any medication for thyroid ( when my TSH goes to 10 then we ll talk again wtf...) 2) Vitamin D level of 29 is borderline normal, so they told me its ok.... ( 30-100 range is considered normal) . We dont need D supplements because we live in ..Greece ( yes that is what one of the best endocrinologists here in creta told me) 3) they dont even seem to care about all the symptoms in my daily life... 4) none of these doctors and endos have mentioned anything about my super low folic acid
5) none of them told me anything about a gluten free diet or a celiac test
6) even my low testosterone has sth to do with Hasimoto.
( ferritin and HGB are ok, so super low iron levels look ok to them)
I do trust the science and i do want to follow their diagnosis, i,.e to wait and re-exam in the future...
However, I am very confused! ( diet-supplements-thyroid medication) , how am i supposed to make my daily life better if I have Hasi and high anti tg and just wait? Its not gonna dissapear...It will probably gonna get worse...
I am afraid you guys provide more serious info and help than them....
Another case for the bullshit radar! I'm very sorry you're going through this, I had symptoms for nearly 20 years and only recently got treated even if the condition runs in the family (I'm only 30!). My issue is similar to yours - you seem like you're within range or borderline but you have all the symptoms, which puts off doctors from doing their jobs.
Seems you might want to do the following:
1. Get your iron and ferritin checked. Come back with the results and people here will be able to help you raise your levels as they are low or within range. Sometimes if you're in range, it's not optimal for your body. I was losing a lot of hair and am in early stage hair loss and low iron/ferritin play a role in this. I recently started taking liquid iron to boost the intake, the result might eventually be seen in the hair (tablets make me ill). You're an athlete so you'll need more iron and ferritin than most people... If you're unable to take tablets, you can find liquid solutions OTC in most pharmacies and drug stores, there's a few threads on this. A user called HumanBean knows quite a lot about iron, just search in the forum.
2. Do the same with Vitamin D. If you're at that level, you might experience bone- and joint-pain. At my worst, my Vitamin D was at 22mnol, which was literally hell because of the pain, but I'm gradually raising it by taking good quality supplements. My sister, who also has Hashi, began to find relief when she reached 100mnol and is experimenting in finding her optimal level+maintenance dose. Low vitamin D happens in Greece, even among Greeks themselves. You can also find good supplements OTC or online, the forum here can guide you on that, too.
3. Hormones like folic acid and testosterone are a bit out of my reach, but maybe someone else here would know more about it. Would you post another thread or check among past threads? Some women need to supplement with folic acid, especially before trying to conceive or to manage painful periods, but I'm not sure that's your main issue?
4. Get yourself tested for coeliac and lactose-intolerance. Sometimes on Hashi you develop food intolerances, and in turn the damage done to the gut leads to malabsorption (which you then see in poor vitamin and mineral levels), so you might need to eliminate foods that cause any triggers. Over time you might be able to reintroduce them. Do you see a dietitian or nutritionist? Some are specialised in working with patients suffering from IBS and/or malabsorption, for instance, and others are open in cooperating with another nutritionist/dietitian or doctor.
5. You need to persuade your doctor that you need your treatment. If one doesn't want to help, change them until you find someone who is willing and able to help. I was hoping to go back to Cyprus for help but am stuck in the UK because of lockdown, so what I did was that I changed GP and explained my situation (symptoms) since I normally see GPs overseas and put me on levo. I'm at the point where I am no longer able to work, even if my values look perfectly fine. A few weeks into levo, I feel better...
GreyGoose knows a lot about Hashimoto's disease, so you can look up her posts and threads too. I have not engaged with her but I find her input very useful. SlowDragon is great with nutrients and hypo more generally (she's very lovely too!).
I find taking magnesium tablets with e.g. ibuprofen or paracetamol helpful in quickly addressing the pain. Magnesium gels are very nice too. Taking hot baths using Epsom salt does wonder to achy joints, muscles and that horrid Hashi bloat.
Have you thought about maybe going to the mainland, like Athens, for treatment in the event where you can't get some of these issues sorted in Crete?
You'll need to stick to your guns and see this an exercise of challenging doctors. You're not challenging the science, but the caregivers who dismiss your symptoms and your (human) right to receive medical care.
Above all, take the time to rest and catch up on sleep 🙂
you are so right! Its nice hearing that you ve managed to find a sollution for yourself. I hope your mother is ok too!
1)Ferritin 106,51 ng/ml with normal range 21,81-274,66
Iron (Fe) 48 μg/dl with normal range 70-180
HGB 14,3 g/dl with normal range 14-18
2) 29nmol Vitamin D levels seem ok for most doctors , because they compared them to some <10 levels of most greek patients. I have started supplementing with 2000iu D3 .
3) I have decided that no doctor is going to help with some vitamin deficiencies, so in addition to D3 , I ll supplement with folic acid ( Folic Acid 4,5 ng/ml 2,7-34 with normal range 2,7-34), zinc, C, omega3 , magnesium citrate ( from a very popular sport supplements company - i dont know if its ok to mention the brand name) and selenium to help the anti tg.
I hope I do more good than bad to myself.
4)I ll have a coeliac testing on Monday.
5) Changing doctors is high risk -many 50 euros- low award.
I had a talk via internet with one of rhe best clinical andrologists- endocrinologists in Athens. I ve sent him the results and the ultrasound and Im waiting to get his diagnosis in a few weeks ( unfortunately it takes some time to hear back from them). I dont think he will prescribe me any therapy . The only thing he mentioned was that he doesnt believe in selenium helping the whole situation.
6) I had an appointment with a very educated ( maybe the best in Greece) andrologist for another issue I have ( varicocele ) and told me that she knows the endocrinologist I talked about my thyroid and that he is one of the best out there!
She even told me that Hasimoto ( and of course varicocele too ) effects the levels of adrogens , testosterone etc, so treating Hasimoto may very well reverse this issue.
To my question ''what can i do to make the situation better, in the most likely senario of no medication for Hasimoto prescribed'',.. she answered that she has no idea... Just to trust this endocrinologist in Athens....
I m starting to get the notion that since everything is bordeline over the range, no doctor will prescribe any medication for now, despite the symptoms of daily life or even my family genes.
I hope being offered no medication is the best option ( i doubt it). However I can do nothing about it.
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