# 34 going on 80



## bluemoonguy (Apr 22, 2012)

Hey everyone. I haven't been here in awhile. I hope you are all doing well!

So, as the title suggests, I'm a 34-year-old male and I feel like I'm going on 80. I'm curious to know if anyone else has been getting pretty awful physical symptoms either before (as in a few years before your cancer was diagnosed) or after you had your total thyroidectomy.

Before my papillary carcinoma was diagnosed, my thyroid function was completely normal, according to my doctor. However, a couple of years before my cancer was discovered, I started getting chest discomfort, usually after eating heavy or greasy meals. I've since been dealing with the pain and also generally try to avoid fatty and greasy meals, though it doesn't seem to be helping.

Fast forward to the past year or so, a new set of symptoms have surfaced. Usually when I wake up, my back is extremely achy. On top of that, it often feels like I have a dull ache or squeezy feeling on my lungs. Sometimes the discomfort is also right under my sternum.

Have any of you experienced symptoms like these? I'll give a few more details about myself (tests I've had, height, weight, etc.):

Tests:
2 echocardiograms and probably a half dozen EKGs over the past several years. All came back fine.
Upper GI w/barium test: results were fine. No symptoms of GERD.
Gall bladder issues were also ruled out.
I even had a test for lyme disease, since I've heard it can mess with your nervous system. No luck there either.

Thyroid levels:
My current thyroid levels -are- out of whack, which could be contributing to jitteriness, body aches, heart palpitations, etc. I believe my TSH was really low (under .1) and my free T3 was over 9 based on my last test results. So, my doc dropped my thyroid medication dosage.

Personal stats:
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 215 lbs. (<-Lost 30lbs over the past 6-7 months; working on dropping this even further)
Thyroid medication brand: Armour Thyroid
Current dosage: 180mg, down from 210mg

I'd love to hear your feedback on all this!

P.S. Red wine does wonders in completely relieving my pain/discomfort, which makes me wonder if it's just anxiety/stress, or some sort of mental issue more than an actual physical problem. My jogs in the morning usually don't help in getting rid of the discomfort. In fact, it often brings more attention to it. Though, I have no problem jogging 1.5-2 miles straight.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

bluemoonguy said:


> Hey everyone. I haven't been here in awhile. I hope you are all doing well!
> 
> So, as the title suggests, I'm a 34-year-old male and I feel like I'm going on 80. I'm curious to know if anyone else has been getting pretty awful physical symptoms either before (as in a few years before your cancer was diagnosed) or after you had your total thyroidectomy.
> 
> ...


Okay; I see the problem right out of the gate. If you took your Armour prior to your blood draw, it probably would be over the top. The old Armour did not do that but the new one does.

I am on 210 mgs. of Armour and am doing great and I think you probably were also.

T3 peaks in 4 hours.

Liothyronine (T3)
is almost totally absorbed, 95 percent in 4 hours.
http://www.frx.com/pi/armourthyroid_pi.pdf

I do hope your doctor listens to reason on this one and puts you back on your 3 1/2 grains.

If I am wrong about this, let me know. It was my first thought and I rely heavily on my first thoughts. ROLF!!


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## bluemoonguy (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks for your response, Andros! Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I got a bit tied up, plus I wanted my actual numbers in front of me before commenting.

So, yes, I do take my Armour Thyroid in the morning and did take the full dosage that morning before the blood test (probably around 9am and my blood test was around noon).

Still, I can't help but think that the lowered dosage is better for me. I feel like my palpitations have reduced, but...actually, my back and chest discomfort have gotten a bit worse over the past few days. I don't know if I'm too low now with my dosage or what. I'll have to schedule an appointment with my doctor again and describe all these issues I'm having with my back and chest. It's awful for me to admit this, but honestly, the discomfort can be extremely distracting unless I drink more alcohol. The last thing I want to do is become a raging alcoholic to counteract these feelings!

Here are some of the key results from my last blood test:

Free T3: 9.2 (recommended range is between 2.3-4.2) - High
Free T4: 1.41 (recommended 0.73-1.95) - Within range
TSH: <0.1 (recommended 2.3-4.2) - Low
Testosterone: 186 (recommended 292-1052) - Low
Calc free testosterone: 3.1 (recommended 4.8-25.0) - Low


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

> TSH was really low (under .1) and my free T3 was over 9 based on my last test results. So, my doc dropped my thyroid medication dosage.


Andros is correct in what she said about when you had the draw and when you took your replacement.

I want to point out that TSH absolutely does not matter when you are on replacement for dosing. While they will try to keep your TSH suppressed because of your cancer it has no impact on dosing.

When you post labs please post the ranges. Because of the Naturethyroid you are on you will tend to run a lower FT-4 and your goal should be a 1/2 to 3/4 range FT-3. I notice your doctor runs a Total 3.

Have you ever had your vit D checked? I wonder if that might be contributing to your issues if it is low. Since you are a guy, I am not sure if low iron could also be contributing and you may want to have that checked.


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