Would like to be more positive but????

[unwell1]

I have had an underactive thyroid for about ten years, but have a whole host of different isues that go along with that. About ten years ago I was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia, this was due to having a major problem with mouth ulcers on the soft tissue of my mouth, throat and undercarriage - when I have an outbreak I cannot eat anything at all due to the pain!!! (referred to the hospital by my dentist). Tests revealed my anaemia and my thyroid being underactive. I take 125mg per day thyroxine, inject myself with B12 every 2 months & take folic acid. My overall health is poor. I have major sleep problems, can get to sleep but can't stay asleep, if I get 3 hours in one go I am very lucky. I always feel tired and "under the weather". I constantly try to manage my health by not doing anything at all to excess. I eat well, vegetables etc, don't drink milk or soft cheeses. But, unfortunately, this does not help with the fact that I have problems with my stomach. I cannot eat food that has sauces on, gravy etc or anything with high fat content, sometimes it is something totally unrelated that makes me go to the bathroom about 3/4 times per day. I have dry skin, brittle nails, poor focus with my eyesight.......my doctor is sympathetic but unfortunately I think GP's know a little about a lot of things but not in depth about this. I don't go to see him much as I feel I am moaning about nothing. My consultant at the hospital things I will develop Chrones - hey ho can it get any better!!

Sorry to be all doom and gloom but I cannot think of anything positive to say....I am currently getting over having a sore throat and a heavy cold which has floored me for nearly two weeks!!!!

[PinkNinja]

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time at the moment. You really have been through the mill!

Given all the health problems you have, your adrenals may be fatigued and not producing enough cortisol and other adrenal hormones. You may want to do a search on here for adrenal fatigue or on the internet. This is usually reversible but can take time. Your GP will probably not understand about adrenal fatigue and most of the treatments are self-help measures anyway. There is a Dr Wilson who has written a book about this subject that is supposed to be very good. I haven't read it yet but I plan to soon.

As well as treating your adrenals you may want to look at your ferritin and vitamin D as well.

Dr Rind has a good website about adrenal fatigue and it has a list of symptoms that tells you whether they are likely to be down to your adrenals, your thyroid or both.

drrind.com/therapies/metabo...

I hope that at least gives you some ideas to get started. If you think adrenals might be part of the problem, let us know as there are several people on here who will be able to advise.

Take care

Carolyn x

[Clarebear]

Hi unwell - sorry to hear how ill you are feeling. Do you have your latest thryoid blood test results available? If so then please could you post them on here together with ranges (the figures in brackets)? It maybe that an increase in thyrroxine or the addition of some T3 might help, your blood test results could give us a clue. Thanks xx

[unwell1 in reply to Clarebear]

Thank you for your reply. I am due to see my doctor in approximately 1 weeks time and I will ask for this information as I would really appreciate any pointers you can give me. Thanks once again.

[puncturedbicycle]

Hi unwell. Has anyone suggested testing you for other autoimmune/inflammatory problems? Your symptoms could indicate Behcet's, coeliac, etc. Behcet's in particular could cause those terrible mouth ulcers as well as inflammation in your gut. What does your consultant do and why do they think you'll get Crohn's? (And more importantly, why do they think you don't have it now? You have a lot of symptoms.)

I hope that doesn't sound alarming. If you found out what's really wrong you might be able to make it better. It sounds like you're trying a lot of stuff that isn't really helping, maybe because no one has found out what is really wrong with you.

I really feel for you. It's frustrating, but goodness knows you're sick enough that someone should be taking notice and really looking into it.

[unwell1 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Hi thank you for concern and your reply. When I first went under the hospital they initially thought that this may be an autoimmune disorder and Behcet's was mentioned on several occasions. However, having seen the same consultant for a good number of years and following 2 x endoscopy he feels confident that I will develop Crohns. I was also originally tested for Coeliac's which showed negative. I am due to see my GP in just over a week and think that I should push to be referred back to the consultant and ask for more help. I am not alarmed by your thoughts as I agree that once a diagnosis is found I will be able to deal with this much better. I thank you for your positive feedback!!!!

[puncturedbicycle in reply to unwell1]

No probs. I'm glad they're at least looking into this stuff. Maybe an idea to be referred back or ask for a second opinion - ?

I read an article about Crohn's and vitamin D - apparently it plays a role in immunity and there's a theory that low vitamin D can trigger an autoimmune response or something like that. Has your vitamin D been tested?

[Hashi_since_age9-1988]

have you ever tried drinking raw milk ie not processed by pasteurisation, homogeinisation, skimming. ITs meant to be much better for you as it is full of natural probiotics, enzymes that help your digestion/absorption and nutrients.

raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk...

[Hashi_since_age9-1988 in reply to Hashi_since_age9-1988]

..... And probiotics play a part in modulating the immune system.

[unwell1 in reply to Hashi_since_age9-1988]

Hi - thanks for your reply. I don't drink milk at all - part of my idea that reducing dairy might help!! I am open to any ideas and will take a look at the raw milk idea to see if that could help in any way. Thank you for your support!

[Heloise in reply to unwell1]

unwell, I've also heard of raw "cream" as being very healing. Not sure why you avoid dairy and not gluten if they feel you are heading toward Crohn's disease, but fats will slow down your digestion. Have you tried coconut oil? You could dissolve it in a hot drink. Also agree that you might be in need of a vitamin D3 supplement as many are deficient in this very important prohormone.