# Hashi, mercury poisoning??? help!



## gina (Mar 25, 2011)

Hi...I am new here and in need of guidance please! I was diagnosed with hashimoto 4 years after my son was born...although the diagnosis took 2 years as i was feeling like crap and no one had any answers for me. Anyway, long, long story kind of short...I thought I finally found an MD/naturopath that could help me after the endo's said we would just sit back and watch my thyroid die. Not good enough for me. Said he helped alot of people w/hashi. I told him i needed to get to the bottom of this ...that my immune system was obviously responding from some cause...the hashi was the effect.

First he put me an Nature Thyroid, calcium/magnesium and nascent iodine & said I was gluten intolerant, did an 8 week heavy metal cleanse, $$$$'s worth of supplements, a 10 day fast, colonics - all with in about 3-4 months. I was feeling better, but knew I was not cured. Everytime I told him my thyroid hurt from being attacked, he said he had never heard of that before..hmmmm. Said he's treat over 1000 patients w/hashi & no one said their thyroid hurt!

Cut to Thanksgiving when I started using the FaceMaster by Suzanne Somers. Used it about 15 times and kept feeling my fillings hurt, then I was feeling hyper signs, hot & cold, heart palipatations,...thought I needed to lower meds, so I went from 1.5 grain NatureThyroid to 1.

Come January I was feeling awful -no memory, vision disturbances, severe agitation to noise, moody, anger, gained 10 pounds hot & cold, messed up menstral cycle. So I went to get my blood drawn. A week later he called me into his office and said we had a puzzle to figure out because my symptoms and my numbers weren't right. He suggested a heavy metal test. I thought ok, even though that summer I did a 8 week cleanse, but ok...it was a urine toxic metal test provoked w/dmsa. The results came back with severe mercury and lead poisoning. He said I needed to go to 1.5 grains NT, chelate w/2 -250mgs. dmsa 3x's day for 3 days then off for 12...with no end in sight and to also come in for vitamin c iv's. Also, get my fillings removed which I did (more $$$). I thought I finally found the answer to why I have hashimoto. Mercury causes alot of autoimmune diseases - so I've since read.

I left his office rather stunned and thought maybe that facemaster stimulated the mercury in my fillings and thats why I got so sick. Anyway, i did my own research before i started the chelation and got in touch w/ Andy Cutler who has a well known protocol for chelation that is relatively safe. He said the test the doc gave me was worthless and I might not even have mercury poisoning. I did the cutler protocol for 2 rounds on a low 12.5 mg dmsa round the clock 3 days on, 3 days off. I cannot tell you how bad I have felt. The beginning of the 2nd round I thought I would increase my NatureT. 1/2 grain, now taking 2 a day. I immediatley felt better for about 3 days and now I feel like I have a constant hashi attack with low energy, head & ear aches.

I am lost and don't know what to do. I started to take dry saunas in hope of sweating the toxins out. I don't want to give that doctor anymore money since he said he'd research the cutler protocol for me and hasn't. I was nervous about taking sooo much dmsa (what he wanted). I had emailed him all this info he said he'd read it and get back to me. That was over 6 weeks ago. I called his office & they said he was still researching! Yeah, right.

I stopped the chelation until I get a hair test to know for sure. I have no health ins. and little money as I am looking for a full time job with what little energy I have.

I got a thermometer today and will start taking my temps for 5 days to see if I have adrenal fatigue. I was hoping someone could look at my numbers and tell me if I was on too low a dose of Nature Thyroid.

1/10/11 - most current

TSH 14.280 (0.450-4.500)
Vit D 56.2 (32-100)
T4 Free (Direct) .85 (.82-1.77)
Reverse T3 243 (90-350)
Triiodothyronine,Free,Serum 3.9 (2.0-4.4)
TPO 457 (0-34)

8/4/10

TSH .011 (.450-4.5)
T4 (Thyroxine) 6.8 (4.5-12)
Triiodothyronine (T3) 152 (71-180)
TPO 360 (0-34)

Currenty on:
2 grains Nature Thyroid
3000 vitamin D
20 drops nascent iodinine
200 selenium
50 mg zinc
400 Sam-E
calcium-magnisium
4000 grams vitamin C

After reading on the forum, I don't even know if I have the right labs to diagnose hashi's. My current labs above reflect my dosage of 1 grain of Nature Thyroid. I have upped it to 2 and still feel bad.

Any advice is appreciated. Also, if anyone knows a good doc. in Nashville, TN please let me know.

Thx..gina


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

1. See a qualified endocrinologist. Your TSH does not match you labs--for someone on 2 grains of naturethroid it should be quite low, especially with your free T3 above the midline like it is, and your free T4 low. Someone needs to check your pituitary function as being part of the problem.

2. Stop the iodine. Unless you've tested deficient, you don't need it. In people with thyroid disease, mildly elevated levels of iodine can inhibit thyroid function and high levels can cause hyperthyroidism.

You doctor needs to run TSH , free T4 and Free T3 consistently. Initially, you should be looked at for all of the thyroid antibodies--TPO, thyroglobulins and TSI. You should have a sonogram to see if there are structural changes, and possible a radioactive uptake to see how your thyroid is functioning (but not until you have cut out the supplemental iodine). Your doctor can look a pituitary and adrenal function as well.

It sounds as if you have done a lot of cleanses and other supplements to solve this problem. You don't cure (at this point) hashimotos, diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune diseases. If you have an autoimmune disease, even medication doesn't stop the process itself once it has started, it treats the damage that has been done. At this point, if all of the supplements and "natural" treatments have not worked, I would stop spending money on them.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Gina, welcome!!

Good grief, woman! Why is it you just don't see a regular doctor? The only true way to diagnose Hashimoto's is by having FNA (fine needle aspiration) of the thyroid whereupon the pathologist looks for Hurthle Cells indigenous to Hashimoto's. If they are present, then you do have Hashi's.

It is my personal opinion that all else is supposition and speculation based on clinical observation of notably high TPO or "certain" nodular appearance on sonogram.

TPO is "suggestive" of many things.
TPO
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003556.htm

As you already know, your TSH is horribly high. You cannot be feeling well.

As Lainey has pointed out, your FREES do not match that TSH. One would expect to see them much lower. A lot is converting into rT3.

Here is info on that.
rT3
http://thyroid-rt3.com/whatis.htm

Furthermore....................if your thyroid gland is hurting, there is a problem that must be rule out and that would be cancer.

I cannot urge you strongly enough to get RAIU (radioactive uptake scan.)
Thyroid cancer symptoms
http://www.cityofhope.org/patient_care/treatments/thyroid-cancer/Pages/symptoms.aspx

If it were me, I would stop all supplements that you are currently on. High doses of Vitamin C can cause kidney stones, sometimes Vitamin D keeps on triggering the antibodies and iodine is definitely contraindicated for those of us w/thyroid disease.

Vitamin D
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/arf-vdm040809.php

Here are some recommended tests. Just omit the ones you have already had.

TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin),TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/

I am so so sorry you have been so unwell; my heart goes out to you. I hope you find a good doc in Nashville or nearby. You should be able to. You don't necessarily have to see an endo. A DO (doctor of osteopathy) would be good if they are not into selling "product!" That would be a definite "red flag" to me. An internist, PCP...................any doctor that is interested in helping you and getting you feeling great again.

Hope I did not inundate you with information.


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## gina (Mar 25, 2011)

Thanks for all your suggestions. The TSH was so high when I was on 1 grain of NT, not 2. Now I am on 2 and I am feeling a little better and since I had my fillings out my memory is coming back, hot & cold gone, but I'm still tired, depressed and my thyroid hurts. I don't have the other symptoms of thyroid cancer. My neck lymps hurt, but only at the end of the 3 day detox then it goes away on the rest days. - I really don't think cancer is the case. When this initially started they scanned my thyroid and said i had no nodules. The endo's at Vanderbilt University diagnosed me with hashi and I would hope they knew what they were doing. The reason my doc had me do a heavy metal test is because of the numbers. I guess his thinking is the elevated mercury is causing this. The mercury detox isn't easy- as is any detox. I don't have insurance so all those tests are out of the question at the moment. I was just wondering is I was on the correct dosage of NT.

How would the pituatary come into play? What could be wrong with it? Thanks for all your help.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

So, you have access to endocrinologists at a major teaching hospital--did you see the doctor there about the mercury diagnosis?

What did the doctor think the source of the "poisoning" was? Do you have a workplace or other continuous environmental exposure? Did you use a mercury free dentist to remove the fillings?

As for your urine test provoked with dmsa, have you seen this:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/urine_toxic.html

You realize that the urine levels are supposed to be elevated if you use a chelating agent, right?

Do you realize just how far away from mainstream medicine you have strayed with all of this?

If those were your labs on 1 grain of naturethroid, you were likely undermedicated. What were your labs when you lowered the dose from 1.5 (if I am following)? Why are you going up and down a half a grain/1 grain at a time? It's more typical to titrate the dose, with labs, in 1/4 grain intervals every 4 to 6 weeks.

As for the pituitary, sometimes a benign adenoma of the pituitary can produce TSH, and other problems with the "master gland" can slow TSH production in spite of low free T's. With the high T3, your pituitary should respond by slowing TSH production--but in your labs the TSH was high--an unusual result. Repeat labs on a stable dose of thyroid replacement will show if this continues, and necessitates further investigation.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

gina said:


> Thanks for all your suggestions. The TSH was so high when I was on 1 grain of NT, not 2. Now I am on 2 and I am feeling a little better and since I had my fillings out my memory is coming back, hot & cold gone, but I'm still tired, depressed and my thyroid hurts. I don't have the other symptoms of thyroid cancer. My neck lymps hurt, but only at the end of the 3 day detox then it goes away on the rest days. - I really don't think cancer is the case. When this initially started they scanned my thyroid and said i had no nodules. The endo's at Vanderbilt University diagnosed me with hashi and I would hope they knew what they were doing. The reason my doc had me do a heavy metal test is because of the numbers. I guess his thinking is the elevated mercury is causing this. The mercury detox isn't easy- as is any detox. I don't have insurance so all those tests are out of the question at the moment. I was just wondering is I was on the correct dosage of NT.
> 
> How would the pituatary come into play? What could be wrong with it? Thanks for all your help.


If your lymph nodes are swollen..................???

There is no harm in RAIU; be on the safe side!


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## gina (Mar 25, 2011)

Yes, I have seen it. I know they are suppose to be high if you use a chelating agent, but only if you have mercury in your body to begin with. If you had no mercury, there would be nothing to chelate out. I will also get a hair analysis to get a second opinion. I do know the source and I did get them removed very carefully. My doctor graduated from Boston University school of medicine and happens to also believe nutrition is a source of healing as do I - I know that's left field of mainstream medicine. Honestly, I don't think the Vandy docs would have even thought of heavy metal toxicity - they really let me down. But once the hair test confirms the mercury, I will seek out another opinion with one who specializes in the pituatary and thyroid specifically. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I did some research and found that mercury settles in the pituatary gland - that's probably what is going on. You've all been very helpful.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

Okay, we'll start with, mercury is a component of air pollution made from the burning of fossils fuels. From there it works into the food chain..... Don't break a compact fluorescent light bulb, either, they contain mercury vapor. It is found almost everywhere in the environment..

I think you can assume that nearly everyone has some mercury in their body, so all of us would have "something" to chelate out. Try as you might to remove the mercury, it's part of your environment, and its almost impossible to avoid continuing incidental exposure, so you will remain with traces of it, and many other contaminants for that matter, in your body.

The doctors at Vanderbuilt wouldn't have considered heavy metal toxicity unless you had some unusual high level of exposure to it, just because we all have a certain level of incidental exposure. This level of exposure has not been shown to be problematic except for a very small percentage of the general population.

You seem very focused and have a plan in place for treating the heavy metal problem. How is this going to solve the thyroid problem? If your thyroid is damaged and not functioning, you need proper hormone replacement therapy. If you are correctly treated with thyroid replacement medication, using lab values as a reference, your symptoms might likely improve. What is your strategy for accomplishing that?


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