13 months post thyroidectomy fatigue

[AuthorJAR]

I can't seem to find the right dose. Hair loss, dry skin, puffy face, sirens in ears!, severe fatigue. I was on 75 for 4 days, 88 three days. TSH was 1.16. Up from .69. I felt better and then BAM after 8 weeks terrible body spasms, and more. TSH was 6.01! Doctors: back to 88 for 6 days and 75 for one day. It's been 3 weeks plus now. I am so fatigued, dry skin worse again, depression, (T4 and T3 normal) I have to work every day. I drag myself. I started on levothyroxine but it upset my stomach. Now on Tirosint.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

what was reason for thyroidectomy

Stay on any dose levothyroxine minimum 6-8 weeks before retesting

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum

Low vitamin levels are extremely common when hypothyroid

what vitamin supplements are you taking

Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

[pennyannie]

Hello Author JAR :

I see you are in the States and were first hyperthyroid - and now having had surgery - do we presume your diagnosis is one of Graves Disease and hypothyroidism ?

It is essential that you are dosed and monitored on your Free T3 and your Free T4 readings and not a TSH as especially with Graves the TSH may never recover from the low levels endured when hyperthyroid.

When hyper with Graves these antibodies in your blood will have locked themselves onto TSH receptor sites driving down your TSH which in turn would have driven up your T3 and T4 and which caused your hyperthyroidism.

There is no way of removing these antibodies from your blood and so to stop the hyperthyroidism - your thyroid is removed instead - so you can't go hyper ever again -

but we are looking at an Auto Immune disease which will wax and wane throughout your life with stress and anxiety being common triggers - but the consequences of same now not considered life threatening and in medical terms, possibly minor long term chronic.

but now - you have no automatic thyroid function - and a bit like having to manually put the fuel into your body every day and you can't rely on the car dash board reading as your fuel tank marker ( the TSH ) is stuck and you need to use a dip stick to know what is going on - and in thyroid terms - that is a Free T3 and Free T4 reading and range.

When on T4 monotherapy we generally feel best with a T4 up in the top quadrant of its range with a T3 tracking just behind at around 60/70 % through it's range.

A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on daily basis with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin + a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg + a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg - with T3 sad to be around 4 times more powerful than T4 :

T4 is a pro-hormone that needs to be converted in the body into T3 the active hormone that runs the body and no thyroid hormone replacement works well until your core strength vitamins and minerals are up and maintained at optimal levels - so we also need bloods run for ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D and we can advise where these need to be to be optimal as just being in a range somewhere isn't good enough.

The thyroid is a major gland responsible for full body synchronisation from your physicality through to your mental, emotional. psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.

Some people can get by on T4 monotherapy - Synthyroid/ Tirosint.

Some find T4 only doesn't work well and that by adding in a little T3 ( Cytomel ) probably at a imilar dose to that they lost when they lost their own thyroid production - they are able to restore T3/T4 hormonal balance and feel better.

Others can't tolerate T4 and need to take T3 only :

Whilst others find their health restored better taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones as that of the thyroid gland and derived from pig thyroids, dried and ground down into tablets referred to as grains.

The most well rounded of al I researched regarding Graves and treatment options is that of Elaine Moore's books and now her website - elaine-moore.com

Elaine is Stateside based and I would suggest you also join her forum and if nothing else ask a question or two and learn from others, hopefully in your zip code, time zone, of any recommended medical professionals knowing how to treat Graves post a thyroidectomy.

[AuthorJAR in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you!!!!