Can years-old injuries rear their heads when un... - Thyroid UK

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Can years-old injuries rear their heads when undermedicated?

J972 profile image
J972
15 Replies

Hi everyone,

I’m interested to hear from you if you experienced or experience pain from old injuries when undermedicated for hypothyroidism.

I’m wracked with pain everyday. It’s by far my worst symptom. Whilst the pain is widespread, it’s occurred to me that some of the worst affected areas are those where I’ve sustained an injury in the past, mostly from playing hockey. I could well be over-analysing things but the fact remains that I’m struggling. I’ve had appointments with a rheumatologist, physiotherapist and an X-ray on my shoulder (one of the worst affected areas) which has come back as normal. Awaiting ultrasound on same shoulder.

I started T3 a couple of months ago (in addition to 62.5mcg of Levo - I wasn’t converting well) and my body is screaming out for a dose increase. I’m currently on 9mcg of T3. I was due to test this week but I realised that I’d forgotten to stop taking biotin & now Christmas is going to delay things further.

Any insights into under medication and pain will be gratefully received 🙏

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J972
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15 Replies
DippyDame profile image
DippyDame

Me too!

I had two car accidents in my mid/ late 20s ( now aged 78) the injuries have caused me intermittent pain ever since....it's all in my bio.

For years, almost weekly, I had CranioSacral therapy from an Upledger trained therapist.....it kept me functioning but never felt 100%. She used to travel to Florida to work with Dr Upledger the founder of CST. She retired and I got worse ....I then found TUK and T3 which has made a considerable difference but I still suffer frequent severe backache and fatigue.

John Upledger used, sometimes, to do work in conjunction with a physicist and they hypothesised that when an accident or injury occurs the energy resulting enters the body which penetrates into the tissues....the greater the blow the deeper this goes. When it reaches maximum penetration it stops and forms a "ball of external energy" which doesn't belong there. This can be dissipated....but not always and it gets even more complicated! Basically the tissues store the injury rather than releasing it....Tussue Memory!

That memory remains, a bit like a recording on a tape...and I sometimes suffer badly.

The next problem came to light in a conversation with the late lamented diogenes. I was asking about the use of T3 in relieving long term symptoms and he explained that sometimes when damage has been caused by low T3 the symptoms cannot be resolved. After decades I'm sure this relates to me

Much of it is above my head but that is the gist

So in my case.....Yes! Old injuries haunt me, and still cause severe pain particularly back pain.

It will be a case of Trial and Error to establish the effect T3 has on your symptoms

62.5mcg levo +9mcg T3 maybe the wrong combo for you.

If your T4 to T3 conversion is poor ( high FT4 with low FT3 ) then you will possibly benefit from adding more T3...low and slow.

A couple of months is far too soon to judge the effect of T3....it took me about 2 years to work out my dose! It's not like taking paracetamol for a headache!

Hopefully, you will fare better!!

Do you have any lab results that you can post? They will help us see what is going on

I need high dose T3-only to function ( max 212.5mcg, currently 87.5mcg) along with prescribed painkillers, many symptoms have resolved but not this intermittent pain.

I can only speak of my own experience and research....I'm not a medic.

Good luck

J972 profile image
J972 in reply to DippyDame

Thanks DD, illuminating as ever 🙌🏼

Hectorsmum2 profile image
Hectorsmum2

A need to increase my T3 coincided with arthritic flare recently. Are you sourcing your own T3 or are you under a doctor for this? You are on a tiny dose. It might be worth asking for an increase prior to blood tests, keeping a eye on your pulse will ensure it is not too much.

J972 profile image
J972 in reply to Hectorsmum2

Thanks for responding.

I self treat so theoretically could increase my dose but I’m a little apprehensive about doing that without testing….what to do?

DippyDame profile image
DippyDame in reply to J972

Test after at least 6 weeks on a steady dose, at 9am, at least an hour away from food and drinks and 24 hrs after last T4 dose and 12 hrs after the T3.

The results will point to the way forward.

I wouldn't change the dose at this stage before testing.....I no longer test due to high dose T3-only dose....no tests!!!

Monitor my Health basic test....TSH, FT4 and FT3 at £32 with 10% discount available... code THYROIDUK10

thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

J972 profile image
J972 in reply to DippyDame

Thanks. I’ve got my test all ready, the problem is I forgot to stop biotin and now Christmas is going to delay things further. I’m going to wait until I get my results before changing dose, particularly important considering this’ll be the first test I’ve done since starting T3z

All the best 🙌🏼

DippyDame profile image
DippyDame in reply to J972

Good decision

Take care.

Brightness14 profile image
Brightness14

I have written about this before. Because I am 77 years with no thyroid I have many old injuries which have happened over the years.

The first time I noticed it was after Lunch when walking the dogs and before my 2nd dose of NDT. My right ankle started to hurt. This ankle was broken 40 years prior and I had no pains since then. Weird.

Now since I have been off and on the NDT and Hypo I have various pains, the ankle, the knee I damaged in my twenties. Strange but true, even a pain in my gallbladder area which was removed in 2006. Another good one is the back of my head on which I feel backwards onto a concrete floor also years ago. I can only thing that my poor brain is trying to make some sense of my Hypo systems.

These only occur when low on T3.

J972 profile image
J972 in reply to Brightness14

That’s SO weird - but exactly the kind of thing I hoped the oracle that is this forum would deliver! Thank you so much for sharing.

Bizarrely, I’m getting pain in areas where, at the time of injury, weren’t really problematic.

I really hope that being optimally medicated will resolve things.

🙌🏼

humanbean profile image
humanbean

I had delayed and botched major surgery when I was 13 years old. Fifty years later I still get pain from the results of that surgery. Thyroid hormones at a good level do help reduce pain for me, and so do good levels of the basic nutrients.

Although I am very disciplined with taking my thyroid hormones I have been less disciplined over the last year or two with keeping my supplementing routine going. I just get so fed up with swallowing so many pills! I think that my current pain is exacerbated by me not taking my supplements regularly.

J972 profile image
J972 in reply to humanbean

Really insightful, thanks humanbean. Sorry you had that horrible experience, and at such a young age.

I hear you re: popping supplements, it can get really tiresome can’t it?

Katherine123 profile image
Katherine123

Hi :) I was put on 10 mcg of T3 and my T4 dose reduced from 100 mcg to 50mcg. My leg, ankle and foot pains got worse. I have since upped to 20mcg of T3 and 75 mcg of T4 and they have gone! I get aches and pains in my thyroid meds are wrong. I once came off of T4 altogether it was making me so ill as well as all my hair falling out. I felt great for 3 weeks and then all the leg, ankle and foot pain started. I had to go back on T4.

J972 profile image
J972

Thanks for sharing, Katherine. I remain hopeful! J

posthinking01 profile image
posthinking01

Hi - yes I believe old injuries could and probably do rear their ugly symptoms again when thyroid problems are in the mix. This is most likely due to the way the muscles are affected with thyroid problems - it sounds to me as if you are not on enough T4 not sure what your bloods show but the amount you are taking is rather a low starter dose - I found my life completely changed when instead of splitting the dose of my T3 which just caused me to flag around midday and I looked so ill too - I decided to take all at one in the morning - my goodness what a difference - I am no longer fatigued etc. Hope this helps in some way.

posthinking01 profile image
posthinking01

Something I found having gone through every test imaginable to find out what was wrong - if bloods and X rays ultrasounds cannot find the reason and if a pain killer does not stop the pain - it isn't a pain - t has to be a hormonal deficiency (in my opinion !)

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