Thyroid ups & downs

[Libibard]

I had a total thyroidectomy in France in 2012 & I still don't understand what changes occur in the body which require my dose of levoythyroxine to be increased or decreased when I haven't got a thyroid in the first place !

I had at least one, sometimes two changes of dose per year in France, signalled by weight gain & bloating. This is embarrassing as it seems to occur when I'm anxious about something, making the situation worse. (Since returning to England, getting a thyroid test more than once a year is challenging. )

As I'm not that keen on milk , I tried a couple of alternatives , soya (gave that up when I heard its production was destroying the rain forests !) & then changed to oat milk a year ago. Staying away for a long weekend recently, I decided to do without it & found when I returned that my weight had settled again and the bloating had disappeared. Could this be the trigger ?

I know it sounds weird, but has anyone experienced anything similar ? I'd love to know.

[GlowCoach Administrator]

The UK system certainly has its limitations and knowing how to get the best out of the system and what you need to take responsibility for yourself is a good start.

Firstly its good to get access to your blood test results. You can ask at GP reception for a copy, you are legally entitled to a printed copy of your results. In England you can get the NHS app and ask for permission to see your blood results on that by asking at GP’s reception.

Once you have a copy of your results start a new post with your results to include the reference range for each test - numbers in brackets after your result number.

Members have found that they need OPTIMAL levels of vitamins for their thyroid hormone to work well.

When hypo we get low stomach acid which means we cannot absorb vitamins well from our food, regardless of a great diet.

Have you recently or could you ask your GP to test levels of ferritin, folate, B12 & D3?

Private tests are available, see link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

There is also a new company offering walk in& mail order blood tests in London, Kent, Sussex & Surrey areas. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...

Only do private tests on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid postal delays.

[Libibard in reply to GlowCoach]

Thank you so much for your advice. I've now managed to get a thyroid test which basically reports that everything is 'normal'. I notice that some of the readings are just above the minimum level in the respective ranges but I don't pretend to understand all the terminology. Possible insufficiency of vitamin D level highlighted but apparently this could not be tested properly because of a national supply problem with vitamin D reagent. (?) In France I was prescribed vitamin D3 in the winter but taking vitamin D3 here is said to lessen the effect of Levothyroxine - unless taken several hours later.

Despite the recommendation of 'no change', I am still suffering from bloating, especially around the waist, and seem unable to shift weight despite watching what I eat and exercising more. Would really appreciate your comments.

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Libibard]

Can you type out the results or take a good photo and upload it? We need the reference range for each test also - numbers in brackets after your result.

Levo should only be taken with water and wait an hour before consuming anything else. Many people find bedtime dosing work well for them.

You can still take and probably need a vit D supplement but just take it at a different time of day.

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £31 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

What were your other vitamin results?

[Libibard in reply to GlowCoach]

Apologies, I've scanned the results but am having trouble locating them !

[Libibard in reply to GlowCoach]

I did send an e mail with a scan of my complete test. Am now confused as to what further information I can provide.

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Libibard]

Your results don't seem to have uploaded. Can you try again as a reply to this message? You need towrite a word or 2 to make it work.

[Libibard in reply to GlowCoach]

Don't understand why but I have tried several times to attach my results which seem to work in an email but not when I click on your picture link below.

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Libibard]

You need to write a word or 2 ech time you upload a photo.

[pennyannie in reply to Libibard]

Best to share all the results and ranges on here for forum members to offer considered opinion -

Anywhere in the range is considered ' normal ' and if you look at the ranges - some are too wide to even be sensible - and if out of range you qualify for a NHS prescription -

but we need optimal levels for optimal health and likely need to supplement some core strength vitamins and minerals for ourselves -

Exercising more and restricting good calories - will slow down conversion of T4 into T3 - and the body runs on T3 - the active hormone - and not T4 which is a pro-hormone and needs to be converted in the body into T3 -

If the body senses food restrictions, dieting, it will start building up reserves and slow down its ability to metabolise - so this action impacts everything further and it becomes a vicious circle.

[radd]

Libibard,

Yes, loads of forum members have felt better going dairy free.

I haven't noticed that dairy-milk effects my thyroid meds so much as makes me snotty, so I've switched to almond milk and try to save my dairy-milk to only the chocolate variety when desperate 😁.

I know going gluten free had a profound effect on my body and made my thyroid meds work so much better. There is a science to all this and if you wish to find out more I would recommend reading The Root Cause by Isabella Wentz.

[Forestgarden]

Just to add to the other posts, being hypo slows everything down, and affects everything from gut motility, to acid production in the stomach (links to reflux), to processing of cholesterol, to storage of sugars. Personally I've been dairy free for years, on oat milk or almond milk. It definitely reduces gut problems. Definitely worth trying a test with/without oat milk to see how it affects you. Also, take probiotics, consider betaine hydrochloride tablets to increase stomach acid to aid digestion particularly with heavy meals, and consider taking digestive enzymes... I got these for my son who gets a lot of bloating, and he thinks they're helping

[Batty1]

Im also thyroid-less and experiencing just recently a big increase in my weight which is weird considering I have cut out a lot of bad foods and added gluten free oatmeal to my morning routine …. Im thinking oatmeal is my weight gainer which is weird because when I eat it Im not hungry until dinner …. My meds are never increased (lowered) yes but I always reject the endo’s offer … annoying and embarrassing I look like I eat all day when I don’t!