[stargazer]

in reply to: Help with Lab Results please #1182571

I am a 68 yr. old female who had RIA 12 yrs. ago. I have recently been having issues with going Hyper again and I have had to lower my dosage of Synthroid for the first time in years. Its frustrating trying to find the right dosage all over again. My question is, why is this happening to me now? I have changed my diet and its the only thing that I can think of that would have a possible impact on my levels. 9 months ago I came down with a systemic yeast infection (candida) because of all the high doses of antibiotics and steroids I have taken over the years..most of that due to my Graves disease and thyroid eye disease. For the last 9 months I have gone gluten free, dairy free, soy free, yeast free, sugar free just to name a few of the things I have given up in order to control this yeast infection. I use a lot of coconut and olive oils and I now eat a lot of spinach, kale, and other green and cruciferous veggies daily as well as lots of almonds, macadamia nuts,pecans and walnuts. Could a large amount of any of these food items have anything to do with my thyroid levels? I also have read that sometimes candida and hyperthyroidism can go hand in hand…could that be my problem? The one good thing that has happened however is that all of my lab tests have been coming back showing significant improvement…such as cholesterol, insulin levels, triglycerides, etc have all been lowered to the point that I am considered super healthy. Now I just have to get my thyroid levels regulated. Thank you for any info you can give me in this regard. Stargazer

[stargazer]

in reply to: Still experiencing symptoms…but labs are normal? #1067796

I used to write to this board when I was first diagnosed with Graves 7 years ago. I had RAI and I also suffer from TED but only when my levels are off. My life changed after a few years and I got more used to how to deal with my thyroid and I stopped writing to this site. I have had some ups and downs with my dosages throughout these 7 years even though my lab results are always "normal". My doctor and I have finally come to realize that my level has to be much more in the center of the charts than wavering off in either direction..therefore my dosage amt. has to be very accurate in order for me to feel "normal" and they don’t make the meds in my dosage. The closest we can come is that I need 93.5 mgs. of synthroid which means I take a 25 mg. pill and half of a 137mg. pill each time. I also have come to realize that for my body its best if I take the exact same amt. every 24 hours without variation. Therefore, for me it works best if I take my meds at 3:00 a.m. It sounds weird but by that time my stomach is totally empty (4 hours are needed to empty the stomach) and I do not eat anything for hours afterwards so no foods can interfere with the absorption. Its a ritual that I have come to accept as normal..waking up every night to the alarm and taking my pills with a good sized glass of water. I keep bottled water and my nightly dosage next to the bed.
However, I have recently been going through an extreme case of HYPO symptoms. One year ago I was feeling better than I have since I was first diagnosed. I finally had my meds figured out and my schedule of how to take them and I was flying high…my hair was thick and luxurious feeling, my skin was soft, my nails were hard and long, my eyelashes and eyebrows were good, I felt super healthy and like I said, ON TOP OF THE WORLD – no mood swings, my eyes were great, everyone gave me compliments on how well I was looking. Then, about 6 months ago, I decided that I should go on a healthier eating regimen just because I wanted to do the best I could for my body. I created healthy muffins that I eat 2 or 3 of every single day. They are loaded with everything that the experts say are good for our bodies, organic fruits and berries, organic vegetables, nuts and healthy flours and whole grains – no fats, no sugars, no salt..just totally healthy. I also make homemade soups that are loaded with kale, mustard greens, rutabaga, brocolli, cauliflower, garbanzo beans, brown rice…I could go on and on listing tons of healthy foods that I have incorporated into my diet. Long story short, for the last three months I have been losing hair to the point that I am just like I was when I was first fighting Graves, my skin is dry and my nails have all broken off, my eyelashes are almost gone, I have heart palpitations, rapid heart beat, night sweats and day sweats, I am anxious, I am depressed and most of all, my TED problems are back and everything is blurry and my eyes hurt and are bulging a bit and I see double. Three months ago I had 20 – 20 vision and I did not need reading glasses for the finest of print..and I am 64 years old. ……I could go on and on and list all the other symptoms of HYPOTHYROIDISM that are causing me trouble because I know that is what this is. I am perfectly healthy in every other respect. I have had a thorough medical checkup with tests and I am good on all counts except that there is no answer to my problem. My lab tests came back normal for TSH and for T4 but my T3 shows that I am just at the edge of being HYPO. My doctor upped my dosage of Synthroid by just a teensy bit but so far I am still having all the same problems. Today, I was so exasperated I googled "Graves Disease and Soy" because the only thing I can think of is that my diet has changed. Most articles stated that there really is no relationship to soy or other foods regarding the thyroid, unless you are eating them close to when you are taking your meds. Then I found an article that contradicted that information. It said that soy, walnuts, high fiber foods, kale, brocolli, cauliflower and other cruciferous foods can all play a part in how your thryoid hormone works during the day. I do not know if this article is written by reliable experts or not…but it sure does explain to me what has been happening to my body. I am convinced that I am eating these foods in excess and that I need to cut way back on them. Another article said that if you eat these foods you should also be getting iodine into your system to counteract their affects..especially soy. Well, I have cut way back on salt in my diet and I do not eat shellfish because I thought Iodine was bad for the thyroid. My source of anger here is that no one ever told me this stuff and I had to learn it on my own. I realize that I have gone overboard in my zealous efforts to be super healthy, but why don’t doctors at least tell us thyroid patients that there could be a problem when we over indulge in what I thought of as super healthy foods?
It was hard enough to find a doctor who truly understands how important it is to have the correct dosage and how important it is to not be wavering on the charts. My doctor finally believes that even if the lab tests show "normal" it does not mean that that is where my "normal" is. I think that there are millions of thyroid sufferers out there who do not realize that the charts are not always completely accurate in regards to their particular body. That we all have different bodies and different lifestyles and that we do not all fall into the same exact categories. I think there are a lot of thyroid sufferers out there that do not even realize that they cold be feeling even better than they do if they had more accuracy with their dosages. I am 100% convinced that tons of the diagnoses that are made about our health are actually misdiagnoses because doctors do not realize how truly precarious the thyroid hormone is in our bodies and how important it is to keep everything regarding our thyroid levels completely correct. Instead they tell us we have heart problems and need heart meds, or that we are depressed and need meds for that, or that we have other diseases that require meds, when in effect, we have these diseases and symptoms because our thryoid levels are off. And if they could get us to a "normal" thyroid level and keep us there, then we would not have to take all these other meds.
I dont really know why I am writing except that I feel like someone has to address these issues and we have to keep addressing them until greater strides are made on our behalf. Thank you for letting me get on the soap box for a while.

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