Thyroid tests are normal?? Are you sure?

[loveshinesthru]

also you said it looks like i might have an autoimmune problem. but which one?

[nonstickpam107]

No, reading books don't treat thyroid disease. If you had thyroiditis it's an indication that you have Hashimoto's disease. See a doctor. Good luck.

Pam

[loveshinesthru]

pam one thing i forgot to mention is that i have breast discharge(yellow greenish) also in the back of my throat up by my sinuses it feels full and have a hard time swallowing. does that change anything at all?

i know reading doesnt treat thyroid, but i was wondering if there was any good books to get info?

[nonstickpam107]

Again, in this thread (can't remember what page) we discuss several books.

Pam

[loveshinesthru]

i went back and tried to find them but i couldnt. i was hoping youd remember what books or any that you thought were good.

[TinaBina]

loveshinesthru, I have May Shomom's Living Well With Hypothyroid, it is very informative.

Pam, I just wanted to jump in and say hello! How are you doing??

[loveshinesthru]

thanks tina i was looking at that book. but i remember pam saying she didnt like her. i was also looking at the thryoid diet, living well with autoimmune disease. plus another one from sara rosenthal called the thyroid sourcebook for women. know anything about these books?

[nobimbo]

Christie, here's a thread from last month regarding thyroid books:

What's the best book???

Linda

[loveshinesthru]

thanks linda!

[nonstickpam107]

Thanks Tina and Linda. Well, I made it through my three weeks chemo and waiting on some testing to come back. I do NOT want to do the radiation if I don't have to of course. I went back to working out last week (well, kind of 'starting over' at this point, heh heh, but makes me feel good to start using these muscles...what little I have left).

My favorite book is Ridha Arem's "The Thyroid Solution". But, of course, my favorite website continues to be www.thyroidmanager.org (kind of geeky though).

Pam

[loveshinesthru]

im so soorry you had to do chemo! yuck! praying that you dont have to do radiation. i hope you feel better!

thyroid manager is over my head at this point i guess. i used to be really smart and be able to concentrate but i just cant anymore.

[nonstickpam107]

That's thyroid disease symptom too..brainfog. Seriously, I'm not trying to withhold info or anything Christie, but you need to realize how serious this can be to not be treated for your condition. You need a good doctor and the correct tests more than any book...can you go to www.armourthyroid.com and use the docfinder (more DO's and GP's are on their lists...docs that don't cost extra like specialists do)? I went into myxedema coma from not being treated...they just kept taking my TSH and since it was 'within range' they never realized that I really wasn't making any hormone from my thyroid...my pituitary skewed the TSH results. Look up myxedema coma and myxedema and ascites from thyroid disease. Not a pleasant thing.

Pam

[ew1]

Glad you came through the chemo, Pam! A friend at work just finshed her chemo for breast cancer, that is not easy stuff.

Got a question-the last few weeks that the doc told me to cut my synthroid in half (whole pill is .15) and keep taking the cytomel and using my 0.05 vivelle patch, I have been having wicked hot flashes. I know you said sometimes you need to take more synthroid if you are on estradiol so am I not taking enough and it's making my patch do weird stuff? I test again in three weeks but I have NEVER had hot flashes this bad, even before my hysterectomy!Like soaking wet underneath the back of my hair. The doc said he thought I had too much synthroid in my system after we tested post cytomel. So I thought I'd throw it out to you.
Thanks!!

Elaine

[nonstickpam107]

Elaine, you might just need more estradiol, actually. Isn't that the lowest strength Vivelle patch? I'm not sure, but seems like it. Anyway, if you go and get an estradiol, FT4, FT3 testing, you'll know for sure then.

Pam

[Tashi]

I need just a little help here as I'm just feeling overwhelmed by all the changes I'm making to try to improve my health.

How do I work out taking my 2x/day Armour dose? I'm trying to figure out the correct timing for the 2 doses plus get in my regular supplement (vitamins, calcium, etc.).

My day goes from 5a.m until around 9:30-10:00pm. Our meal schedule is
Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
Lunch at 12:00 pm.
Dinner at 5 or 5:30 pm.

I don't snack except for an occasional one after dinner.

When would be the best times to take the Armour? I don't know how long it takes the tummy to be empty after a meal so I don't know when the good time to take the 2nd dose.

TIA

[loveshinesthru]

hi pam, i am sooo happy! my dr did think my labs were normal but she was willing to treat my symptoms! she put me on 1 gr of armour a day. is this correct? should i split it in 2? we are waiting on my tpo, tg and ferritin. hopefully i will have those results the end of next week. how long before i start feeling better?

[ew1]

Pam thanks for the reply. I am scheduled to get another monthly thyroid panel done in about 2 weeks, I'll add the estradiol onto the request!

[nonstickpam107]

Tashi, if you take your Armour sublingually (under tongue, let dissolve) you can virtually eat, drink, etc. ANY TIME. Many do this. In MY case, I take my first dose (1.5 grains) at 5 to 6am, then do my workout, then eat (cuz I don't eat before I work out), and take my second dose (1.5 grains) about 2:30 to 3pm. Since I don't take iron, and I take my calcium at night before bed...I have no worries about spacing my Armour.

Christie, one grain is a starting dosage, and it's up to you if you want to split it (I always have split my dosage into two parts, but mainly cuz I work out so hard in am that I NEED some energy in pm, lol). It's a good idea to start spacing it out NOW, cuz you'll probably be going up in dosage next time you see your doc and get FT's done. It took me about four months to go from one grain, to 1 1/2 grains, then two months, testing, and another 1/2 grain then (2 at this point), then the 2 grains weren't quite enough six months later, and another 1/2 grain added and so on until I was up to 3 grains. I started feeling pretty good at 2 to 2 1/2 grains (so about a year and a half, all the while losing on lowcarb and starting to work out six days a week).

Elaine...yeah, I'd go for six, seven months feeling great...then all of a sudden, my hormones would 'wack out' again, lol. Then I'd have to actually get testing done because one time I 'decided' off the top of my head that I needed more Armour and it wasn't that at ALL (it was my backsliding estradiol and progesterone, and I also require a little testosterone added in). I never rely on what my head tells me I 'need' anymore, ha ha...I go and get tested first...that last time was the LAST time, lol.

Pam

[loveshinesthru]

i dont think the dr wants me to go above 90 mg(1 1/2 gr) that kinda has me worried if i need more than that. she also tried to put me on cytomel(t3) instead of armour but it was so dang expensive i told her to call in the armour instead. since i had more t4 in my system im wondering if i shouldve gone with the cytomel. i think it was 25 mg? or however they come. (mcg or mg) ive been so tired lately and 4-6 hours after taking the armour i am dead tired. its not like i do anything either.. i havent been splitting the dose yet. and im not sure my tiredness is due to the armour or not. i have noticed a relief with my eyes and constipation already. and my brother says im not as grumpy. lol. next step.. we have to get my daughter tested. she is having symptoms of being hypo too. oh and i found out my uncle is hypo too. so thats 1 uncle 2 aunts and a cousin all hypo on my dads side.

[nonstickpam107]

Yeah, all the synthetic, made in test tube stuff is costly (Cytomel). Are you splitting the grain of Armour? It will be months before you really feel much better, hormones aren't like antibiotics...hormones work gradually in the body, and this is why we must go slowly with dosage. Perhaps the doc only wants you up to 90mg. for NOW...in the next few weeks. AFter you've been taking the grain for about two, to two and a half months you need to go back in for another Free T4 adn Free T3, your TSH will go down very quickly, and you certainly do NOT want the doc going JUST BY TSH to medicate you. Most need much more than 90mg. once they start healing. But it took me about a year to go from one grain up to two grains...that's how slowly it goes. With bad days, and good days.

Pam

[Rustyjack]

Hi Pam,

My friend at work has a 6 year old that is a twin. One twin seems to be normal weight and height wise, but the other one (these are her test)is taller and weighs alot more (85 lb and gaining). I think she said she has gain 15lb in a year. Both do the same activities, eat the same foods and same amount. I talked her into getting thyroid test run by her pedi, then he sent her to a pedi Endo. Here are the test results he is "watching". These were done by Quest Labs. The T3 free was done at her request, because he doesn't order them.

T-4, free 1.3 0.9-1.6
T-4 Total 8.9 4.5 -12.5
TSH 5.11 0.70 - 6.40
T3 free 408 337 - 506

He told her ok for now will check again in 6 month Free T4, TSH and Antithyroid antibodies.

Should the values for children be the same as adults? She is very concerned about the weigh gain in her child.

[nonstickpam107]

I know pedi thyroid care is different, but I wouldn't like waiting for antiTPO antibodies testing...why would you wait when there is a firm lack of conversion and the child has symptoms?? Now, I will tell you that virus's will cause changes in children's thyroids, Many pedi endo's have NEVER seen a case of pediatric Hashimoto's either. Mononucleosis is one of the more common virus seen to impair labs and stats in children's thyroids. But children's TSH's tend to run higher than an adult...are their relatives with Hashi's or Graves in family? Mom have Hashimoto's? Any reason to feel that only ONE symptom (weight gain?? is the child missing her eyebrows?? any other symptoms??? ) would suggest thyroid?

You would def. want another FT4, FT3 panel in three months, and an anti TPO antibody right now. Hashi's should be caught early and watched, it leads to more autoimmune diseases.

But...the child's weight could also be from another cause...insulin resistance, etc. Did they do a test for HGH?

Pam

[Rustyjack]

Thanks Pam

As far as she can tell no one in the family has thyroid problems, but these children are not her biological children. She had an egg doner but they are her husbands. She has never told me this, but a good friend of hers did, as she was there when she kept having invitro. He has a daughter that is late twentys and very over weight and my friend doesn't want her daughter to be the same way.

Her pedi endo is hard to get into and she can't get another appointment until Oct. No test for HGH. He doesn't do the Free T3.

[loveshinesthru]

what about healthcheckusa? do they have a lab near her?

[loveshinesthru]

pam is it ok to drink pop when i take my armour? i ussually have problems breaking down my pills in my stomache so i take them with pop so the carbonation breaks them down.

[nonstickpam107]

No, that's not a good idea...the carbonation not only breaks them down, but also dilutes. I'd rather crush them and take them with water if it's hard for you to swallow them, OR take sublingually.

Pam

[nonstickpam107]

Hmmm, I have two good friends whose children are hypothyroid, and both had WAY higher TSH and all of a sudden...one right after having chicken pox, the other had problems with adrenal too (had been on steroids for her asthma, and it triggered Hashimoto's). I would say to the Mom to keep the appt. in Oct. (of course) and just pay close attention to things like: hair loss, puffyness (water weight), missing outer thirds of eyebrows, fatigue...if the child isn't getting enough exercise or has excessive thirst with lack of exercise.

Kids just tend to have higher TSH's than adults and their thyroids can actually be affected by strep throat, virus, and the diseases can actually cause their thyroid activity to be changed for awhile. Good thing the child's Mother is keeping a close eye on it.

Pam

[loveshinesthru]

how long do i keep it in my mouth for sublingual

[nonstickpam107]

Till it's gone. LOL...Or just take it with water....and wait an hour to eat or drink...but sublingually works fastest.

Pam

[loveshinesthru]

wouldnt it take a long time to dissolve sublingually?