Hi, please can someone recommend a book to start to understand likely hypothyroidism? A UK publication please.
I joined yesterday and am just trying to get my head around it all. I have lots of symptoms and my TSH is creeping up with TS4 and especially TS3 scratching the bottom of the normal range. My folate isn’t great or my D vits. Just used a D vit calculator someone recommended on here which said I need 4000 units of D vit for 3 months to get my level from 70 which it is up to 100. The Medichecks GP suggested I eat more sprouts to help improve my folate but just read they’re goitre inducing. Think she was basing her advice on the ‘normal’ thyroid range results not symptoms. It feels like a minefield. Then there’s the menopause and HRT the oestrogen side of which may be contributing to thyroid issues to unpick. Ordered some b vits and folate that were recommended on here and know diet is important but currently feeling very disinterested in food.
Sorry this is a bit a bit of a rant post. Not feeling my best.
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Have you looked in the library, I first came across Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield "Your thyroid and how to keep it healthy" there and then bought a second hand copy bit old be still very useful. I like to tell the medics I read a book from the library 😏not Google 😆
Also like Dr Myhill's latest offering "The Underactive Thyroid" thou I don't do the Keto bit 😬Her website and video's are very informative
Have you been diagnosed with hypo and started on Levothyroxine or are you waiting for your TSH to go over range? Anyway a warm welcome to the club no one wanted to join 😄. Nice to have you here.
I can't recommend any books as tbh I've found the sheer wealth of experience, knowledge and generosity of spirit and sharing of the forum, and especially from the admins on here meant I didn't need any. But hopefully someone will be along soon with some recommendations.
Having a chronic illness can be very overwhelming, especially in the beginning, but knowledge is power and learning as much as you can about it can be a very positive step.
We often have to advocate for ourselves when we have thyroid issues as doctors can be very rigid in their approach to treatment. You've definitely come to the right place 👍
Thanks for your reply. I’m undiagnosed. Just working on my own hypothesis of typical symptoms for hypo for a long time but within normal range bloods. Then I did a medichecks test recently,
0.27 - 4.2 R
2.4
mIU/L
FREE T3
3.1 - 6.8 R
3.7
pmol/L
FREE THYROXINE
12 - 22
12.6
So these results are ‘normal’ but I feel anything but. I function but get drained so easily and then Fri and yesterday I crashed and burned.
It is overwhelming feeling so rubbish and trying to understand something quite complicated and individual but I’m grateful for all the replies and help. Thank you.
You say normal but one of the first things we learn on here is that "in range" doesnt equal optimal. And where we feel our best varies enormously from person to person. Some need both FT4 and FT3 levels 75% through the range, others might need FT3 higher than FT4.
Even though your frees as we call them are in range they are scraping along the bottom of the range and it is the thyroid hormones that make us feel well, or otherwise. The TSH doesnt actually do anything in terms of how we feel, as its a pituitary hormone and is just a signal from the pituitary to the thyroid to make more or less thyroid hormones.
Your TSH isnt high so isnt reflecting the low levels of your thyroid hormones. However its possible you might be on the way to developing secondary or central hypothyroidism. Where its an issue with the pituitary or hypothalamus rather than the thyroid.
Thanks, I definitely don’t feel normal. My energy levels are similarly scraping along the bottom so those tie in with the hormones. I’m actually jealous of people who have energy to stay up late, do energetic things. I do try keep active which helps but come bedtime I’m a zombie. From reading my TSH isn’t high but isn’t optimal. Various vits are low ends of normal range so starting to try improve those. I have family history of thyroid issues so that links in too. Onwards and upwards from here hopefully!
One of the first things you realise when hypo or even pre hypo is that as long as you are somewhere in range then according to doctors you must be fine, nothing to see here,move along.
And some members feel really poorly when they are only mildly hypo, according to their blood tests. I guess it depends on how sensitive you are to thyroid hormones.
Sadly thyroid health is treated really badly, not just in the UK but we hear of it from our international members. Its why its a good job to be as well informed as you can be.
It may be that with your TSH starting to rise, low thyroid levels and a family history, that you will eventually tip into the treatment range, but in the meantime try and improve your vitamins/ minerals as much as you can.
Low nutrient levels can make you feel really pants, and they could help improve your thyroid function as well.
Thanks. I’m definitely struggling on the low vitamins side too. I know my folate’s low due to blood tests and the inside of my eye is pale not red. I just hadn’t made any connections with the crashing fatigue and any of these things. The b vits are already helping me feel lots better than I did and I’ve increased my vit d.
Pale inside eye colour can be a sign of anaemia. I remember my ferritin once dropped to 6 and I felt absolutely dreadful.
Unfortunately flagging thyroid levels and nutrient deficiencies go hand in hand. You might find you need to constantly supplement to maintain good levels. Its what many of us on here do 😄
On subject of books interested to hear if anyone has read the short ones by Benedicte Mai Lerche , I think agreeing with most on here but influenced more by Ray Peat than the keto Sarah myhill relies on?
hi sorry to hear it’s tough right now. I also endorse what TiggerMe says about “your thyroid and how to keep it healthy.” You’ll get wonderful help and support here too! 💜
In addition to the above recommendations, I would also like to recommend "The Thyroid Patient's Manual". Take a look at the author's website, he also has a very informative blog.
Thanks everyone. I feel a bit better today after shuttling between things on the ‘to do’ list and resting on the sofa. It’s not a great time to feel so exhausted but even from the tiny bit I’ve learned so far it kind of makes sense what’s likely to be happening. I was feeling very overwhelmed with it all yesterday and having a bit of a meltdown so thanks everyone for your kindness in replying. It does help to feel understood and supported. Amazon delivered my innegus b vit complex yesterday so the two tablets I took might have helped. I upped my vit d as well. I’m just going to slowly work my way through the info and take small steps hopefully back to being better. I didn’t really understand it wasn’t normal to feel like this as it’s my normal and when the blood tests keep coming back as normal you kind of lose sight of yourself. I could never understand how anyone had the energy to run a marathon or do a tough mudder. I always had to bed by 10pm sharp just to be able to function the next day.
I like Eeyores suggestions, and also anything by Isabella Wentz who offers more understanding of autoimmune issues and how to manage them. Her first book was The Root Cause.
I recommend the 'The Thyroid Patient's Manual' by Paul Robinson. He's not a doctor (probably an advantage). Excellent overview of the condition and its treatment.
The ONLY one worth reading is by Dr Sarah Myhill. For decades I was mis-diagnosed by various GPs & endocrinologists - one who famously was on the verge of being struck off when he conveniently died.
We're living / existing in a very toxic environment with an ever excited pharmaceutical industry making billions on the back of a sick society. There are lots of words to describe what's going on but quite simply, LYING is simple and says it all.
Don't accept weasel words from an intellectually-straight-jacketed medical profession; don't be afraid to ask questions and don't be fobbed off with 'let's try this drug and see if it works'.
Thanks. I’ve read enough on here already to not be fobbed off anymore. Something’s been going on with me for a long time. The feeling freezing isn’t normal or my low moods. The coldness has since progressed into episode of Raynuards occasionally. I keep being offered anti depressants and that’s about it. I think another part of the problems you write about is we seem to have moved away from holistic treatment of patients too and in the 10 minute appointment you get it’s a case of pick the worst symptom and we’ll focus on that!
Yes, the doctor I referred to above fobbed me off with anti-depressants. Also, when he got up to go into an adjoining room, I leaned over and read his notes about me: 'she's opinionated and clearly mis-understands her condition'. This was shocking. But also, the decades old mis-diagnosis led to now having peripheral neuropathy. Everything is connected yet medics separate the bits in favour of the whole. I adjusted my diet, upped the yoga/meditation routine and know that after a plethora of lab tests, that supplements are key to dealing with toxicity surrounding us. Dr Myhill's website keeps me on track. Good luck.
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