26f
HR measured at doctor recently at 130.
BMI 16.28 (49kg and 173.5cm) - I was born prematurely as a quadruplet and have always been underweight.
Night sweats.
Cold hands and feet.
Frequent diarrhoea.
White coated tongue.
I am on sertraline and birth control but all of these issues have been ongoing since before starting both of these. Any ideas would be appreciated - not getting far with my GP.
catcat333, This forum is for people with thyroid disorders to support each other. No-one here is medically qualified, and as you don't appear to have a thyroid disorder, there is little we can do to help.
This link will take you to some information about various causes of white tongue. nhs.uk/conditions/sore-or-w...
Night sweats - get B12 levels tested
Has GP tested B12, folate, vitamin D, full iron panel test for anaemia including ferritin
Are you vegetarian or vegan?
Have you had coeliac blood test
I'm not vegetarian or vegan. No coeliac blood test, could that be a possibility? My ferretin came back as 19 ug/l - which is low but my GP would not prescribe supplements as its still within the normal range so I have been trying to make improvements in my diet. Haemoglobin is 132.0 g/L. Folate and vitamin D have not been tested for. Thanks for your response
Ferritin is deficient under 30
Insist on full iron panel test for anaemia
cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anae...
Serum ferritin level is the biochemical test, which most reliably correlates with relative total body iron stores. In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency.
Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing. It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron
Medichecks private iron panel test
Test early morning and only water to drink between waking and test
medichecks.com/products/iro...
Look at increasing iron rich foods in diet
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
List of iron rich foods
Links about iron and ferritin
irondisorders.org/too-littl...
davidg170.sg-host.com/wp-co...
Great in-depth article on low ferritin
oatext.com/iron-deficiency-...
drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Posts discussing Three Arrows as very effective supplement
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Thyroid disease is as much about optimising vitamins as thyroid hormones
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
restartmed.com/hypothyroidi...
Post discussing just how long it can take to raise low ferritin
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Iron and thyroid link
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Excellent article on iron and thyroid
cambridge.org/core/journals...
Posts discussing why important to do full iron panel test
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Good iron but low ferritin
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Chicken livers if iron is good, but ferritin low
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Shellfish and Mussels are excellent source of iron
healthline.com/nutrition/he...
Heme iron v non heme
hsph.harvard.edu/nutritions...
Ferritin over 100 to alleviate symptoms
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Great research article discussing similar…..ferritin over 100 often necessary
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Low Iron implicated in hypothyroidism
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Ferritin range on Medichecks
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
We have received further information the lab about ferritin reference ranges. They confirm that they are sex dependent up to the age of 60, then beyond the age of 60 the reference range is the same for both sexes:
Males 16-60: 30-400 ug/L
Female's: 16-60: 30-150
Both >60: 30-650
The lower limit of 30 ug/L is in accordance with the updated NICE guidance and the upper limits are in accordance with guidance from the Association of Clinical Biochemists. ‘
Thank you
Recommend getting FULL Thyroid including thyroid antibodies and vitamin testing
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am
This gives highest TSH and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
List of private testing options and money off codes
thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...
Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins
medichecks.com/products/adv...
Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins
bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...
Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.
Link about thyroid blood tests
thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...
Link about Hashimoto’s
thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...
Symptoms of hypothyroidism
thyroiduk.org/wp-content/up...
Tips on how to do DIY finger prick test
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Come back with new post once you get results
Test BEFORE considering starting any vitamin supplements
I had the first 3 of your symptoms most of my life, taking a B Complex has really helped. You can privately test yours with Medichecks or Monitor my Jealth then you know what you are dealing with . Good luck 🌱
Thank you
Test B12, folate and vitamin D too
Please can you add your age and gender on your profile
I agree it's worth testing thyroid just in case as a lot of people are undiagnosed but ongoing unwell
Do not work on the folate without first getting a b12 test. If there is a deficiency there due to an absorption issue, it needs to worked on first.
All the best to you..
Hello, It's good that you are asking for help. You have had an extraordinary experience being premature and one of quadruplets. As a psychotherapist I've had an interest in the impact of premature birth on peoples' long term health and because prematurity is is rarely discussed as a very intense and significant life experience, I wonder if you would be interested to read this book: " Sent Before My time" by Margaret Cohen.
I'm not a medical professional, just a thyroid patient. However, Iike anyone else, I can consult Dr Google.
From the searches I did, it sounds like candida to me .. all of these symptoms fit .. even whatever you're being treated for with the Sertraline, could be caused by candida.
amymyersmd.com/article/gut-...
And birth control pills can apparently even lead to candida overgrowth. You said you had the issues before you started BC .. it could potentially have made it worse?
"The contraceptive pill can lead to estrogen dominance, which in turn triggers a Candida overgrowth." - thecandidadiet.com/candida-....
Seems worth looking into. But, it could be anything. Doesn't sound like a thyroid disorder, though -- and I have dealt with both overactive and underactive thyroid. Good luck.
Thank you. I just got back a test today of my tongue / throat and it came back negative for everything. I had been receiving treatment for suspected oral thrush, but it remained a bit white - so they wanted to check. Could I still have candida overgrowth elsewhere. I do have some discloured patches on my legs and chest which when I looked it up suggested an overgrowth of yeast on the skin.. how is this treated?4
Thank you. I just got back a test today of my tongue / throat and it came back negative for everything. I had been receiving treatment for suspected oral thrush, but it remained a bit white - so they wanted to check. Could I still have candida overgrowth elsewhere. I do have some discloured patches on my legs and chest which when I looked it up suggested an overgrowth of yeast on the skin.. how is this treated?
Once again, not a doctor and this is off-topic for a thyroid forum. Google says oral thrush tests can yield false negatives (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/193.... The more you say the more it sounds to me like candida/yeast/fungus (Candida is a yeast which is a type of fungus).
A key thing in treating candida overgrowth is diet .. you have to eat a low sugar diet as sugars are what feeds candida. When I had suspected candida overgrowth (when I lived in the US) my doctor put me on a very specific diet for 6 months which excluded or severely limited many things, that is how long it took for me to totally recover, but then I had a number of other health issues at the same time, including undertreatment for thyroid. She also had me on antifungal meds, but adding natural antifungal foods to your diet can help. You also need to fix your gut bacteria.
I don't know where you are, but if you are near London you could try this clinic for testing: ibs-solutions.co.uk/phdi/p1.... As diarrhoea is one of your symptoms, and they are a gut disorder clinic, it seems like a good fit. And it sounds like they will do tests that the NHS do not.
Update on ongoing symptoms 
Ongoing debate over T3 Liothyronine
Ongoing thyroid symptoms 
Under Active Thyroid....ongoing symptoms 
