# Hashimoto's in NYC with terrible brain fog.. help!



## nkolin01 (Mar 31, 2011)

Hi there, I was diagnosed by an integrative, traditionally trained OB/GYN last August with Hashimoto's. Upon seeing this physician, I did not have any thyroid-related symptoms to complain of but he did a full work up and uncovered Hashimoto's with the following labs:

August 2010
TSH, 3RD GENERATION - 10.26 (0.40-4.50)
T4 FREE - 1.0 (0.8-1.8)
T4, TOTAL - 8.8 (4.5-12.0)
T3, TOTAL - 95 (76-181)
T3, FREE - 297 (230-420)
THYROID PEROXIDASE >1000 (<35)
THYROGLOBULIN 1268 (<20)

With high gluten and dairy antibodies and no thyroid symptoms to complain of, he thought it would be good to try eliminating these foods before turning to any replacement hormone. After several months on this diet, things changed a bit:

January 2011
TSH, 3RD GENERATION - 5.14 (0.40-4.50)
T4 FREE - 1.3 (0.8-1.8)
T4, TOTAL - 8.0 (4.5-12.0)
T3, TOTAL - 107 (76-181)
T3, FREE - 317 (230-420)
THYROID PEROXIDASE 503 (<35)
THYROGLOBULIN 283 (<20)

In early February, he said we should continue without thyroid hormone as things were improving. I also pushed him to allow me to try gluten again since my gluten antibodies were now normal. 2-3 weeks after trying the gluten maybe 4 times, I experienced an intense wave of brain fog which started in waves and now is constant. Thinking this was a food intolerance reaction, I stopped the gluten immediately and saw my internist who also retested my thyroid:

February 2011
TSH, 3RD GENERATION - 2.08
T4, FREE - 1.2
THYROID PEROXIDASE 447 (<35)
THYROGLOBULIN 260 (<20)

Very curious, my TSH is normal and now I feel the worst and the most hypothyroid I have ever felt (fatigue, brain fog). The integrative doctor just prescribed Armour thryoid (starting 1/4 grain increasing to 1 grain a day, over 4 weeks).

I see the people are very in tune to the various blood levels related to thyroid disorders and since I am new to this whole world of Hashimoto's I would love your input about how things progressed and if anyone else has suffered from this "brain fog" (such a fague complaint but very dreadful to anyone who has ever experienced it).

Thanks in advance!

N


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## northernlite (Oct 28, 2010)

I think your response in thyroid levels on the gluten/dairy free diet was very very interesting. It is a response that some on this board have connected to symptoms but you are the first that I have read that correlates it to blood work.

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease more than 10 years ago and although you don't mention that you have that diagnosis, the gluten antibodies suggest to me that might be the case. In addition, CD is thought to be autoimmune and would fit in the family of AI disorders as does Hashis. If you do have CD, you should never reintroduce gluten into your diet and I am surprised any doctor would allow it. You eliminate the gluten antibodies attacking your body by the gluten free diet and your adherence to the diet can be measure by the lack of these antibodies. Why would you want to start them attacking your body again?? The AI response in CD is the antibodies destroy a portion of the villi in your small intestines. That is what cause the wide variety of symptoms in CD depending on what part of the small intestine it attacks. The main risk to anyone with untreat CD, is cancer of the small intestine and the risk of this is normal if you maintain a gluten free diet.

Brain fog was a big symptom of my Celiac Disease which was eliminated on a gluten free diet. It was also a symptom prior to my Hashi's diagnosis in November and is now gone since I am on a good level of medication for me.

Your levels of thyroid antibodies and current symptoms lead me to believe that treating your Hashi's is the right thing for you to do right now.


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## nkolin01 (Mar 31, 2011)

Thanks for responding, Actually, I was tested for CD via biopsy 2 years ago before being diagnosed with hashi's. The result was a false positive. The GI felt that it was not CD.

After this recent episode, my GI is doing a bloodtest for CD since I am again off the gluten and you cannot do the biopsy without being on gluten (I understand biopsy is the gold standard for CD testing). Results are yet to be determined.

Either way, i understand there is a category for gluten intolerance/sensitivity which is not a disease but a food sensitivity that can cause autoimmune issues to pop up. It's all very unstudied at this point. And quite frustrating.

I have been gluten-free again for 2 months and this intense brain fog will not lift. I just started armour thyroid 2 days ago, so I am hoping this will help. I really just want to feel like my normal self again!


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## northernlite (Oct 28, 2010)

False positive as in your antibodies said yes for CD but your biopsy said no or false positive as in your biopsy said yes and the dr didn't believe it? I have never heard of a biopsy being false positive. It is said you have CD, you have CD.

You won't have any luck with the antibodies blood test now that you are gluten free for two months. The same thing will happen as with the biopsy. On a gluten free diet your antibody levels fall fast to almost nothing. I have a friend with two little boys with CD and that is how they check their compliance to the diet. Their home is completely gluten free but one of the boys was still showing antibodies. She began to question him about what he eats at other peoples houses and he was eating goldfish (because fish is gluten free!!).

You are right about gluten sensitivity and intolerance and there are a lot of people on this board that are gluten free because of it.

I agree with you that your current brain fog is no longer gluten related and think treating your thryoid is the way to go.


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## nkolin01 (Mar 31, 2011)

Thanks, sorry if i wasn't clear. The false positive was the result of the biopsy for CD. The GI doctor wasn't convinced I had CD back then but now we are doing a test through Prometheus Labs,which tests the blood for celiac. In any case, I hope the Armour thyroid clears things up! I know it can take a few weeks for it to take effect. Thanks for your interest. The gluten-thyroid connection is one that should be further researched for sure! I will be sure to check back with the outcome of the Armour trial and CD blood test in a few weeks.

N


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## raincloud (Apr 1, 2011)

I also suffer from terrible brain fog. It's a big part of why I can't hold a job. At my last job, I couldn't remember what I was doing, even while I was still doing it, and I was messing everything up. It is unbelievably frustrating.

I never thought about checking for gluten or dairy antibodies, and that is very interesting. Even though I've had my Hashi's diagnosis for 8 years, there's so much I don't know.


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## nkolin01 (Mar 31, 2011)

Hello again, I have been doing a lot of reading on this board in the last few days - wow everyone has such different and arduous journeys they have taken with their various illnesses! Those who are feeling healthy, you really have me feeling jealous!

Anyway, I wanted to ask if others with Hashimoto's feel detached or like they are not experiencing their full range of emotions.

Thanks all for your support. Tomorrow I increase the Armour to a half grain. Hoping to begin to feel some improvements.


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## livinginhope (Mar 5, 2011)

Hi nkolin01,

In answer to your question, I feel like I just don't care about anything anymore, too tired to care usually. But then on the other hand I spend an awful lot of time crying as well, sometimes over relatively nothing. I agree, brain fog is a huge problem too, very hard to concentrate at work. Hoping it all gets better when I get the meds right.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

And just so we're all on the same page......not everyone gets brain fog. And of those who do, not all is attributable to thyroid.


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## raincloud (Apr 1, 2011)

Yes, I also have severe depressive episodes (which may or may not be thyroid related) and that can also cause brain fog. So can fibromyalgia and other autoimmune illnesses. My brain fog did improve a bit when I started taking cytomel again (I'd gone off it a while) but now I have so many other problems and the brain fog is back.


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