# Fibromyalgia



## lmitchell (Jan 1, 2011)

Well just got back from the Rheumatologist and although he is testing me for Lupus and RA, he says he is positive I have Fibro. I have 14 of the 16 tenderpoints, cant sleep, weight gain, joint swelling, headaches, chronic infections, etc.... They took a TON of blood and he said he would give me a copy of the results. Oh and he had my results from prior Thyroid test....

TSH 1.50
T4 4.8
T3 67

Both white and red blood cell counts right below normal on two tests that were taken. Not sure what that indicates but no one ever said anything to me about it.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

lmitchell said:


> Well just got back from the Rheumatologist and although he is testing me for Lupus and RA, he says he is positive I have Fibro. I have 14 of the 16 tenderpoints, cant sleep, weight gain, joint swelling, headaches, chronic infections, etc.... They took a TON of blood and he said he would give me a copy of the results. Oh and he had my results from prior Thyroid test....
> 
> TSH 1.50
> T4 4.8
> ...


Glad you are in competent hands and the appropriate tests are being run.

Would you by chance have ranges for your results? Different labs use different ranges; alas!

Just a tip: I got rid of all fibro-like symptoms by giving up glutens, MSG and other chemicals and all artificial sweetners. I seldom have a single pain or inflammation.

You may wish to consider the above.

Will be anxious to see what the rheumatologist turns up or rules out.


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## lmitchell (Jan 1, 2011)

Yes I have the ranges...
TSH 1.5 .45 - 4.5
T4 4.8 4.5 - 12.0
T3 67 71 - 180

I just realized looking at the T3, its low. Does that mean anything?

How do you know what foods to eat that eliminate all of those things? Is there a cookbook or diet book you recommend?


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## lmitchell (Jan 1, 2011)

White blood cells 4.0 4.2 - 10.5
Red Blood cells 3.80 3.80 - 5.10


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## lmitchell (Jan 1, 2011)

Also he stated that my hemoglobin was low also....not sure what that means


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

you might benefit from some T3 replacement. I have had tons of pain and fatigue since my thyroidectomy and my T3 level was pretty low. I switched from Synthroid which is T4 only to Armour that also has T3 and my pain is going away. I feel better than I have in a really long time. 
There is also cytomel which is a T3 only replacement. Selenium helps your body convert T4 to T3. Or you might explore why your body is not converting. Possibly an adrenal issue. Regardless of how you do it, I bet you would feel better if your T3 was raised.


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## lmitchell (Jan 1, 2011)

Thank you Lavendar for responding, however I am on both synthroid and cytomel. .88 of synthroid and 10mcg cytomel. I will look into the Selenium because my doc is not willing to increase my meds


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

lmitchell said:


> Thank you Lavendar for responding, however I am on both synthroid and cytomel. .88 of synthroid and 10mcg cytomel. I will look into the Selenium because my doc is not willing to increase my meds


I know I feel tons better in the 2.5 weeks I have been on amour as opposed to synthroid. Lots of things my former doc and endo told me had nothing to do with my thyroid. I feel human again and it's pretty amazing. My T3 was not as low as yours is, but the absence of enough T3 can really do a number on your body. I ended up dumping my endo and a PCP who I had been with for 5 years and really liked because they were not willing to do anything else for me. To me, feeling better was worth it. 
I was diagnosed with fibro 5 years ago and have found that there are many other factors that affect my symptoms. I have had all the symptoms you describe and more.


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## lmitchell (Jan 1, 2011)

How do I find a good endo and primary in Roanoke, VA? I feel like I have been to everyone and I am more educated than they are and when I try to tell them, they won't listen. Do you know how to go about finding one?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

lmitchell said:


> Yes I have the ranges...
> TSH 1.5 .45 - 4.5
> T4 4.8 4.5 - 12.0
> T3 67 71 - 180
> ...


Oh, wow!! Yeah!! Low is right. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeks! This is an instance where the T3 is helpful because the T3 is comprised of Bound, Unbound and rT3 hormone. When it is low like that; you just know something is really wrong.

Thank you for the ranges; they are so helpful. It is my humble opinion that you are either severely undermedicated or that you have malasorption. The Total 4 is also very low and that is you bound and unbound hormone.

Has your doctor ever run FREE T3 and FREE T4 which is unbound hormone only available for cellular uptake? If not,that is truly sad.

Here is info on why the Frees are important.
Understanding thyroid lab tests.....http://www.amarillomed.com/howto

Here is info on the rT3 in case you are interested.
http://thyroid-rt3.com/whatis.htm

Re the elimination diet. We use no cookbooks. We have gone back to basics. Just good ol' home cooking from the freshest ingredients we can find. Avoiding gluten is not that hard either. Or giving up artificial sweeteners.

We sometimes use a bit of honey. We do not have sugar in our cupboards. LOL!! It truly is easy once you get the swing of it. Use lots of herbs and spices in our cooking and olive oil only. No artificial anything.

Take one challenge at a time so you can be a good scientist. Go 30 days w/o glutens. Then go back and eat some. See what happens. You will be in deep shock.

You want to get rid of the fibro, go for it.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

lmitchell said:


> How do I find a good endo and primary in Roanoke, VA? I feel like I have been to everyone and I am more educated than they are and when I try to tell them, they won't listen. Do you know how to go about finding one?


I found an alternative medicine center at our local university hospital here. It's a family practice that is run by medical doctors who also have training and knowledge about complimentary medicine. My doc actually spent time in China studying traditional Chinese medicine as a part of her training. She looked at my labs, asked me about my history of symptoms dealing with my thyroid, and immediately suggested I try Armour. She said that my body was making T3 before my surgery and that I needed it now.

I almost cried because I knew this was what my body needed and I was so tried of fighting doctors who were unwilling/unable to help me. I had to wait two months to get in to see her, and could barely function because my T3 was so low. I was pretty miserable during that time, but it was worth the wait.

I looked up all sorts of search engines for thyroid docs, docs who prescribe armour, patient reviews, but they just made my head spin. In the end, I have a friend who has some pretty complicated medical issues (non-thyroid) who told me that his doctor had him feeling a lot better and often recommended supplements and dietary changes. I knew this fit my own philosophy since my body does not respond well to traditional pharmaceuticals and decided to give her a try. In the two months I waited to see her, I found out that several other friends were seeing her as well. I had no idea if she would prescribe armour or if I was going to have to fight her with it, but I had to just go with my gut and trust that everything would work out.

Maybe there is a similar complimentative/alternative medicine clinic/doctor near you? Or even a doc who is willing to try a different type of treatment with you? I have come to the conclusion that there is no perfect doc, they are only human. For me, the importance has been finding someone who listens to my symptoms, believes me, believes in my healing and is willing to help me.


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