thyroid misery

Rosie1983

cltt97 wrote: »

Rosie, I have tried both and I've been on Armour for about a months or so now due to the ERFA shortage. I don't think I noticed too much of a difference, but had my bloods taken last week so will see if there is any difference. I know a lot of people much prefer ERFA and feel better on it due to the fillers used. Armour used to be like ERFA but then they switched to different fillers, in particular microcrystalline cellulose if I remember correctly (so don't take my word for it), which is why it is a bit harder and doesn't dissolve as easily under the tongue and it also doesn't taste as sweet as ERFA. A lot of people think that they cannot absorb Armour as easily as ERFA due to these fillers. Many suggested that crushing armour first and adding a bit of honey helps them absorbing it better. Personally I think the most impact I have had was adding T3 to the ERFA and taking it at 4am - to help the adrenals, this has worked really well for me and I've overall been feeling really well for a good while now.

Thanks. I rang my chemist last Friday and they were able to get Erfa back in today! Woohoo!! I now have a bottle of 100, and I'll get my Endo to prescribe another six months too. I just feel happier taking a Canadian drug versus an American, because I know US animals are routinely fed GM feed whereas Erfa get their thyroid glands from Germsny as far as I know, so hopefully it's better quality. Can I ask why you take the T3 as well?

I haven't been taking my vitamins lately, must get back in the habit, always feel better when I do...

cltt97

I seem to have a problem with T4, I can't take Eltroxin at all and with ERFA I also reached a certain limit beyond which I couldn't go and I figured it must be due to the T4 again, so I tried adding small doses of T3 and that just worked fine for me

marizpan

Hi,
Amazingfun has asked me to post my story as it might be of interest to those that follow this thread.

I was diagnosed was hypothyroidism almost six years ago.
I started off with 75 eltroxin and most recently at 100mg.

I went off eltroxin cold turkey about 2-3 months ago and had my blood results yesterday.
TSH 3.18
T4. 12.9
They told me I dont have hypothyroidism anymore.
Even my cholesterol is in normal range. It was 9.4 about 18 mths ago.

I went off eltroxin about 3 yrs ago before but by 3 mths I had developed a large goitre and I needed to adjust the eltroxin to 125mg.

I have been focused entirely on diet/gut health since i realised that it was autoimmune related two years ago. I found the gaps diet book very helpful.

Blingy

marizpan wrote: »

Hi,
Amazingfun has asked me to post my story as it might be of interest to those that follow this thread.

I was diagnosed was hypothyroidism almost six years ago.
I started off with 75 eltroxin and most recently at 100mg.

I went off eltroxin cold turkey about 2-3 months ago and had my blood results yesterday.
TSH 3.18
T4. 12.9
They told me I dont have hypothyroidism anymore.
Even my cholesterol is in normal range. It was 9.4 about 18 mths ago.

I went off eltroxin about 3 yrs ago before but by 3 mths I had developed a large goitre and I needed to adjust the eltroxin to 125mg.

I have been focused entirely on diet/gut health since i realised that it was autoimmune related two years ago. I found the gaps diet book very helpful.

That's very interesting. Do you mind me asking what your typical daily meals are now compared to before when you were on the eltroxin? Also do you feel that all the symptoms are now gone. Thank you for sharing.

Amazingfun

Blingy wrote: »

That's very interesting. Do you mind me asking what your typical daily meals are now compared to before when you were on the eltroxin? Also do you feel that all the symptoms are now gone. Thank you for sharing.

3.18 TSH is still a bit high according to some thyroiders, but I know Wyldwood here said he felt great with a TSH much higher than that, so it depends on the person. My last tsh was below 1, and I feel good at that level, totally suppressed.

I am going to get my bloods done again soon as it's been a few months now and since I've been self treating, I like to keep on top of things. I do monitor my symptoms though and everything is going well. I have lost a stone and a bit (17 pounds) since January 1st doing the AIP, so I may need to drop some meds soon too!

Viva diet and health, and thanks for sharing your story Marzipan

marizpan

I expect that when I get my blood done again in 3 mths that they should improve further.
I'm very happy just to be off eltroxin.

Standard diet today:

Breakfast
Eggs with salmon or sausages
500ml green juice ( celery, kale, ginger etc)

Lunch
Roast meat with large portion of veg

Dinner
Large salad with cured hams, cheese etc
500ml Kombucha

Snacks
Nuts
Greek yogurt
Raw milk smoothie


I used to eat like this:

Breakfast
Cereal and milk, or I skipped it

Lunch
Sandwich
Packet soup and bread
Beans and toast

Dinner
Roast, small amount of veg and loads of carbs

Snacks
Taytos
Choc
Fruit
Pizza
Takeaways


I feel good now but I have felt good for about a year . The biggest change was developing a normal sleep pattern. I sleep like a log as soon as I hit the pillow and feel very fresh in the mornings. I have plenty of energy throughout the day but I'm falling asleep by 10 pm.

lovelystuff

It's so nice to hear that lifestyle changes are making such a difference to you both. Amazingfun can I ask what you typically eat on aip! I have done some research but it seems quite restrictive which is a bit intimidating. Also marizpan thanks for sharing your typical diet! I see you have dairy etc which aip wouldn't allow as far as I know, interesting to compare both approaches!

marizpan

For further clarity:
I diet I listed, I eat 80% like that.
So if I'm out socially I eat what is available.
I only eat/drink raw jeresy milk, which is very different from processed stuff.
I eat no processed foods or refrained sugars except raw honey. I try to eat plenty of good fats such as butter and coconut oil.
I don't eat bread as for me it's a big problem. I might make a sourdough or brown bread once a week, I seem to tolerant these in moderate amounts.
All meat and eggs is pasture reared etc.

It took me years to change to eating like this. I got off sugar and then bread and in the last year I have lower carbs and increased veg intake and fermented foods/drinks. I now find it very easy and enjoyable but looking at my diet I realise how strict it is.
My husband was having pizza a few night ago and I picked up a slice and held it in front of my mouth and realised it wasn't worth 3-4 days of constipation, so I put back down.

Amazingfun

lovelystuff wrote: »

It's so nice to hear that lifestyle changes are making such a difference to you both. Amazingfun can I ask what you typically eat on aip! I have done some research but it seems quite restrictive which is a bit intimidating. Also marizpan thanks for sharing your typical diet! I see you have dairy etc which aip wouldn't allow as far as I know, interesting to compare both approaches!

My new way of eating is a lot like this:

Morning: homemade sausage (pork/beef with thyme, sage, and real salt, etc) because regular sausages have wheat in them. Veg too, depending on how hungry I am. I also stopped coffee at the end of December (miracle!) and I now have herbal tea.

Afternoon/evenings: meat or fish of some sort, I have been trying my very best to start including organ meats into my diet. I had beef heart for the first time recently, and although I wouldn't say I love it, or even like it that much, it is really cheap and used in stir-frys it's really ok. Best part is I am never tempted to overeat it, lol I am lucky that I really like vegetables, and most meats and fish. I haven't found it that difficult at all, and I think I just got *sick and tired of feeling sick and tired*. I want my life back, and if sacrificing some former food choices is the price I pay: so be it!

I need to have *legal* treats around to feel secure, so I use a lot of coconut cream, you can get it in the Asian shops, it's very cheap as well. There are loads of delicious things to have with it, many recipes are here on this blog, but there are others too:

http://simpleandmerry.com/blog/
(I make her lemon blueberry muffins and Apple spice cookies a lot).

I also have been using Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut oil, and a few supps, Vitamin D3, magnesium, selenium and Vit C.

All is not perfect, I am having a lot of trouble with my left knee and fear it may be arthritis , I also had a return of my awful cold sores recently after being completely free of them since the day I started thyroid replacement meds a year and a half ago. But I have faith in this way of eating for now because my weight, which had been stuck for soooo long, is at last dropping, and apart from these *autoimmune bumps in the road* , I think I am headed in the right direction

I may have posted this before (brain fog, lol) but here are some links I love:

http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/05/19/what-is-the-paleo-autoimmune-protocol/

http://autoimmune-paleo.com/


http://www.thepaleomom.com/autoimmunity/the-autoimmune-protocol

Plus, there is great support on the Internet for anyone needing it. Facebook has loads of groups I listed way back in the thread. Some find it too much and maybe just start giving up one thing at a time, but as I said above, I've had enough of feeling crap and wanted to give this a real try.

Hope this helps!

Wyldwood

Marzipan, very interesting to see the results of the diet change to your health. I wonder what your cholesterol reading is with all the meat and dairy?

That's one of the problems I've had with my TSH so high, Chol. is jumping up.
I've been watching my diet pretty closely also. I don't need to lose weight. 5'4" & 8st 4.
I cut down on sugar, only Manuka Honey. Eat all freshly made meals, home made bread, no junk (except the occasional meal out), don't drink alcohol, dessert is a yogurt. I'm not great on fruit, I eat a handful of grapes every day & have veg with dinner. I can't eat nuts, don't eat cheese or red meat. Dinner is fish or chicken or something veggie such as lasagne made with Quorn mince and lots of veg. Dairy is kept to a minimum. Low fat milk with homemade muesli for breakfast, honey on bread instead of butter.

I'm due another blood test shortly as I increased my meds by 12.5 a week 5 weeks ago, at the request of GP. I also have an endo appointment in April. I'm tolerating the increase reasonably well. The odd patch of palps and lightheadedness but will try to keep going in the hope that my system will eventually accept it.

Amazingfun, you are correct in saying that I feel well with a high TSH (10.07 last time!) but I would prefer to be hypo any day to going hyper again. Horrible experience. Still on 12.5mcg daily, with the extra 12.5 taken Sunday night, so hopefully bloods will be a bit better next time. Oh by the way, I'm a she

Wyldwood

Amazingfun, that's a fantastic diet. How do you make the homemade sausages, they sound delicious.

I too gave up caffeine and drink decaf tea or herbal teas. There are some delicious herbal teas, my most recent find is Fennel tea. I also take vit D, on the advice of my doctor, vit C and transdermal magnesium (which is great for relieving bowel problems also)

I tried changing to coconut oil for a while but was afraid it was shunting my cholesterol up so switched back to olive oil again. I wonder if coconut products affect cholesterol? This is my biggest problem now, my cholesterol was always under 5 and in the last 3 years it has slowly crept up and is now 6.4. The GP is threatening me with statins which I'm resisting. The last thing I need is another chemical in my system. I'm hoping that it will eventually improve if I can get the Eltroxin up a bit more.

The other thing I'm doing, apart from diet change, is walking for 45 mins as many times a week as I can manage. I always feel better after a walk.

Thanks for all the valuable information everyone contributes her it makes such a difference to know you're not alone.

Amazingfun

I don't know why I assumed you were a male Wyldwood: apologies


Here is the recipe for the sausage:

http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/12/08/perfect-breakfast-sausage/

And just to speak to the cholesterol issue. My understanding is that it is not as much of an issue to worry about as thought in the past. Far worse is inflammation.
Btw: I noticed you are still eating soy products *Quorn* which I know most of these *paleo bloggers* frown upon.

Here is a piece you might find interesting. I am planning on doing some iodine supping myself down the road. I've tried a bit here and there but don't really know what I am doing so I always stop, lol.

http://paleononpaleo.com/paleo-cholesterol-testing/

However I am no expert, very much in the beginner stages with this stuff, and I know everyone needs to do what's best for them.
It is great that everyone shares info and what they are doing to heal, it can only help

Wyldwood

Thanks Amazingfun must try to make those sausages.

I don't eat soy products, Quorn is made from a fungus similar to mushrooms.

Tofu is soy so I avoid that. It's amazing the number of things soy/soy flour is in, bread is the common one and even some supplements, very difficult to avoid

Amazingfun

Wow, thanks, I wrongly assumed it was soy in Quorn, might try them myself now!

And just by ways of coincidence, and a pretty amazing one given our present conversation, check this out:

The First Clinical Trial Using a Paleo Diet for Autoimmune Disease
February 20, 2014

The first paper from Dr. Terry Wahl’s clinical trials, titled “A Multimodal Intervention for Patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: Feasibility and Effect on Fatigue“, has been e-published ahead of print in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. And this is exciting news!

The recommendations in The Paleo Approach are compiled from insights gleaned from over 1200 scientific studies. Each of these studies provided guidance for one tiny piece of the puzzle. For example, one study would show that vitamin D deficiency is correlated with autoimmune disease. Another study would show that fish oil supplementation reduces symptoms of autoimmune disease. Yet another study shows that wheat germ agglutinin stimulates the immune system. I took all these tiny pieces and wove together a set of recommendations aimed at regulating the immune system, regulating hormone systems, restoring gut barrier function, and nurturing a healthy ecosystem for our gut bacteria to thrive in. I know from personal experience and from thousands of others that this works. I can point to scientific papers that explain why (at least for each individual tiny piece). But all this is still anecdotal. What has been missing is the clinical trials to prove the effectiveness of a nutrient-dense Paleo diet to reduce autoimmune disease symptoms. Until now.

The rest here:

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2014/02/first-clinical-trial-using-paleo-diet-autoimmune-disease.html

Orla K

Wyldwood have a look at Chris kressers website he's alot of info about thyroid and cholesterol stuff. I think his wife has hashimoto thyroidosis. I can't link cos im on the phone

stonecipher

Does anyone know a pharmacy that stocks Armour thyroid or ERFA?
I have a prescription for it, but had no luck with any of the small local pharmacies. Dublin or North Kildare.

Thanks

cltt97

stonecipher wrote: »

Does anyone know a pharmacy that stocks Armour thyroid or ERFA?
I have a prescription for it, but had no luck with any of the small local pharmacies. Dublin or North Kildare.

Thanks

no pharmacy will have either in stock. As this stuff is not licensed in Ireland it can only be prescribed on a name basis, which means that the pharmacy will order it in specifically for you. It might happen that a pharmacy might have some in because the ordered a lot in for someone - happened to me once that Boots in Jervis centre had given my Armour to someone else and I was short in the end, which wasn't very nice!

Redpunto

Have a question for ye, saw a new endo in bons and she wants me to get ultrasound. In the bons it gonna cost €190. I checked out euromedic and from the website they seem to be a bit cheaper. DO you think its worth getting the referral letter back from Bons and going with euromedic or just sticking where the consultant is based?
Thanks

Emme

stonecipher wrote: »

Does anyone know a pharmacy that stocks Armour thyroid or ERFA?
I have a prescription for it, but had no luck with any of the small local pharmacies. Dublin or North Kildare.

Thanks

Try Boots. Don't bother with the small local pharmacies, some of them still won't sell condoms!

cyning

Anyone have any idea how long it should take thyroid antibodies to come back from a lab?

Wyldwood

Cyning, in CUH they take 2 weeks but it would depend on individual labs I guess.

cyning

Fingers crossed they're back tomorrow so.... Could do with having them back 2 weeks ago!

bergkamp77

Hi folks,
sorry to hear about all your problems with the thyroid, don't know if this is any help or not but I know of a natural product that cleans the cardiovascular system with an amino acid called L-argenine witch turns into nitric oxide in the blood cleansing any build up of plaque on the walls of the arteries. the product is rich in nutrition therefore the blood feeds the organs with a plentiful supply of badly needed minerals and vitamins which normal food is not providing anymore because of the fertilizers and other chemicals and also as a result of the flavourings and additives introduced to the food chain to boost sales. These products are most beneficial for those with high Blood pressure and who are at risk of heart disease and stroke and are widely prescribed in the US and can be taken along with regular medication.

Boronia

Does anyone know where I can get my FT3 bloods done? My Endo says it's not necessary and my Gp cannot convince them to do it where she does bloods-even after sending in 3 requests to them.

cyning

Where abouts in the country are you? I'm in Kerry and never had an issue but that's no good if your in Dublin

Wyldwood

Boronia, labs don't test FT3 if your other thyroid bloods are in range.

I get mine done in CUH (Cork) and have no problems but my bloods are way out of range.

Give the larger hospital labs in your area a ring and see who does it, then ask gp to try them.

cltt97

I get it done in Tallaght, but my GP has to write that the endo requested it, plus I am on T3, so because of that they do it. But they will only either do it if requested by an Endo or if for a specific reason, such as taking T3. Jamses Hospital don't offer the test at all. Bit of a nightmare...

Crummymummy83

Can skin breakouts be a sign of overactive thyroid? I have bad breakouts on my t-zone, particularly my chin. I also have to go to the loo constantly, am exhausted all the time and have really thin and patchy hair. Plus the backs of my hands are itchy. Does this sound familiar to anyone with hyperthyroidism? I did the Google doctor thing but it's making me paranoid :-)

Wyldwood

Crummymummy83, have you had bloods done to check thyroid function? If not that's your first port of call. The symptoms of both hypo & hyper thyroid are vast and very individual and overlap with each other.

Get your GP to check Free T4, Free T3 and TSH, also request antibody tests if possible. Be aware that GPs can be very reluctant to do all these tests so you may have a bit of a battle on your hands.

This is the only way to be sure if your symptoms are thyroid related.

Sarah_12

I'm fairly newly diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. My bloods weren't correct for a year or two before I finally pushed for eltroxin. I'm currently on 100mcg a day and have just been told after about a year that my bloods are finally within normal range...but it really doesn't feel like they are! I'm so tired all the time, I feel like I could sleep for days at a time if I had the opportunity!