Poorly controlled hypothyroidism and a susceptibility to viral infections.

[ockerdoc]

My T3 was on 19% on my most recent test. In the space of a few months I’ve had almost every virus . I’ve had flu A RSV and now Covid with very high temperatures. Before I started this journey on levothyroxine I was never ill rarely had anything at all. This has completely floored me I’ve never been so ill in my life. There has to be a link. Being on levothyroxine has completely changed my body it’s not as strong as it used to be. I don’t feel myself at all it’s a miserable existence. Pre Levo I had goals and dreams and exercised regularly and felt at times amazing and focused and happy. Since Christmas i’ve been eating so healthy no gluten grass fed beef organic fruit etc but I don’t feel anything anymore. Just the same flatness. Will it ever come back?

[greygoose]

Being on levothyroxine has completely changed my body it’s not as strong as it used to be.

It's not the levo doing that to you, it's the hypothyroidism. Levo is the thyroid hormone T4, not a drug. It is just replacing the hormone your thyroid can no-longer make enough of to keep you well. And it sounds as if you're not taking enough of it.

[ockerdoc in reply to greygoose]

Thank you I have felt a difference since going on synthetic hormone. Your thyroid shuts down so all the natural processes that used to happen aren’t. It’s life changing. I just don’t feel the same post Levo 🤷‍♀️ even when my T3 was on 73% I still didn’t feel back to my normal self. I’m thinking of trying NDT but it’s so expensive.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to ockerdoc]

Think we can all relate to your feelings but giving your body enough time on the right dose it does actually start to come good, it can be a horribly slow process though and often requires a change in routine as pacing and recovery time becomes far more important, hypo seems to affect our battery life, slow and steady often needs to replace fast and furious to get anything done without crashing.... I've found I walk and walk but if I try to add in any cardio then a crash is imminent... mind you that could be menopause related also, though I am fully replaced in that department too! 🙃

I think the susceptibility comes down to the often lowered vit and min levels as we aren't good at uptake, leaving us low in selenium and zinc alongside all the other essentials

Do I vaguely remember we chatted about testosterone as yours was a little low, did you get some?

[ockerdoc in reply to TiggerMe]

Yes we did thank you 🙏. My T levels are still within normal ranges so I can’t get replaced with that. I think I’ve reduced too much after my T4 was 90% through the range. I’ve increased it now so hopefully I’ll get back to where I was. I’m thinking once you get to a dose where your thyroid is almost suppressed then dropping even a bit can make a big difference because your relying solely on what you put into your body. It’s a learning curve but hopefully we’ll get there. Yes zinc is the only supplement I don’t take so I’m gonna add that to my regimen which will hopefully help. But I am coming to terms with the fact that I’ll never be who I was before I became hypo. I’ve read a lot of books on the thyroid and they all say that we as hypothyroid patients mourn who we were before. I think that’s what I’m doing. Thanks again 😊

[HealthStarDust]

Will it ever come back?

I hope it does for you and me both as I relate to your experience.

[Hectorsmum2]

Being hypo affects your digestion and vitamin levels drop. Sometimes this means you cant utilise your replacement hormones properly and they can make you feel quite poorly. Your low immunity suggest that your vitamin D and zinc could be low, vitamin D certainly. Low ferritin might stop your body using the thyroid hormone properly and you need to be tested for B12 and folate. Ask your GP to test Vit D, folate, ferritin and B12 then come back to us with the results and the results of your latest thyroid tests. It takes time to get well but more than possible.

[ockerdoc in reply to Hectorsmum2]

Thank you yes all vitamins are good except zinc which I’m going to implement asap.

[gabkad]

The recent surge in RSV in Chinese children was associated with low vitamin A and D.

Dr. John Campbell's videos. A hundred years ago, public health in England was supplying cod liver oil for children to prevent respiratory infections. Seems it's been forgotten. Cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin A and a mediocre source of vitamin D.