# 42 Year Old GUY with Hashis....Please Advise



## superakcraig (May 2, 2013)

Hello All,
I'm in need of some assistance and I will try to make this as brief as possible.

In December 2011, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos and I've been struggling with off and on (more on) symptoms ever since. My latest thyroid numbers came back as being "within range" but I continue to have symptoms (brain fog, memory loss, cold hands, feet and body, slow bowels, bad headaches, I think I'm losing more hair than I should at this age and a general bad overall feeling of health). I also discovered after this last visit to the doc, that I am extremely Vitamin D deficient (13.7). I am taking weekly doses of Vitamin D for this now (have taken 2 doses of 50000 IUs so far) and I am also taking Tirosent 125mcg for my Hashinotos.

Based on your experiences could the vitamin d deficiency be causing the continuation of these symptoms? If so, could the "waves" of bad feelings be caused by me adding Vitamin D back to my system? If not, what else should I have checked?

I feel like I am on an emotional and physical rollercoaster as one day I feel somewhat better and then the next, I feel like crap and there seems to be no end in sight. I hate this and I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. 
Thanks for your insights.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

superakcraig said:


> Hello All,
> I'm in need of some assistance and I will try to make this as brief as possible.
> 
> In December 2011, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos and I've been struggling with off and on (more on) symptoms ever since. My latest thyroid numbers came back as being "within range" but I continue to have symptoms (brain fog, memory loss, cold hands, feet and body, slow bowels, bad headaches, I think I'm losing more hair than I should at this age and a general bad overall feeling of health). I also discovered after this last visit to the doc, that I am extremely Vitamin D deficient (13.7). I am taking weekly doses of Vitamin D for this now (have taken 2 doses of 50000 IUs so far) and I am also taking Tirosent 125mcg for my Hashinotos.
> ...




You are in tune; I can tell. When you read this, you won't believe it but I hope you do.

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

And you do need antibodies' tests; I will list them in case you have not had them.

TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin and 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/

For future reference, we can better help you if you get copies of your lab results so you can post the results with the ranges.

What criteria did the doc use to diagnose Hashimoto's?

And I strongly suggest that you get an ultra-sound as cancer must be ruled out. This is essential given your age and your gender.

More info which may benefit........

men more likely to have cancer than women
http://www.umm.edu/endocrin/thytum.htm

Thyroid cancer, cold nodules, men, uptake etc.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0201/p559.html

Histologic diagnosis of Hashimoto's
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/120937-diagnosis

Hashimoto's Hurthle cells
http://www.pathconsultddx.com/pathCon/diagnosis?pii=S1559-8675(06)71549-2

http://www.thyroidmanager.org/chapter/hashimotos-thyroiditis/

It has been my observation that patients w/autoimmune thyroid have low D, low Ferritin and low testosterone. So, check the other 2 as well. Correcting the underlying issue usually resolves the others.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

It seems pretty common for Vitamin D to tank when people have autoimmune diseases [not limited to Hashimoto's].

My personal experience with taking Vitamin D mega-supplements was that it did me more harm than good....my body just wouldn't metabolize it. So no matter how much Vitamin D......the numbers weren't moving.


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## superakcraig (May 2, 2013)

So I'm still a little puzzled. I had labs done recently and all my numbers were within range INCLUDING my Vitamin D, after taking the supplement (which I'm still on for another 5 weeks).

TSH---0.45-4.50---0.294
FT4---.82-1.77---1.66 
T4---4.5-12---11.8	
T3---71-180---123 
FT3---2.0-4.4---3.6
RT3---9.2-24.1---15.4
VitD--->50---41.2

Obviously in 5 weeks my Vitamin D is looking way better and I am actually feeling better but there are a couple of lingering symptoms.

1)My hands get cold easy, especially when working at a desk on a PC. They are hard to warm up after that happens.

2)Also, my movements seem to be very spaced out. For a 2-3 days I won't go much at all and then it catches up by going 2 or 3 times for 1-2 days.

Any thoughts on what is causing this?


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Always ask for copies of your lab results.

Doctors say normal when you are "in range", it's YOUR job to figure out where in the "range" you feel your best.

Begin a tracking sheet, list dosage and labs with ranges, how you feel.

You will learn to follow your "pattern" an should be able to dial in your dosage.

What you describe feeling would lead me to think you need additional replacement medications

Insist on Free T-4 and Free T-3 labs with every lab draw.


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## superakcraig (May 2, 2013)

Well I already do all of this but thanks for the reminder. I guess I was hoping for somebody else's experiences regarding their symptoms.

Can a person just experience these two symptoms with no other hypo/hashi symptoms?

Thanks!!!


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

superakcraig said:


> Well I already do all of this but thanks for the reminder. I guess I was hoping for somebody else's experiences regarding their symptoms.
> 
> Can a person just experience these two symptoms with no other hypo/hashi symptoms?
> 
> Thanks!!!


Maybe those symptoms are not related to your thyroid.

What is your blood pressure like? Possibly low?


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## superakcraig (May 2, 2013)

Actually my blood pressure normally runs a bit high. Top number usually in the 130s while the bottom number is in the upper 70s and lower 80s.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Welcome, from one guy to another! Sorry to hear you are dealing with Hashi's. It is no picnic, and getting everything dialed in takes a lot of time and research. Heck, just getting diagnosed is like pulling teeth, and getting a doc to properly manage it is like asking for a miracle. Anyway, I digress...

Your labs look pretty good, but like everyone is mentioning, "normal" in the doctor's eyes, "normal" in your eyes, and "normal" to another person here on the boards can be three different things. And like Andros mentions, there are binding immunoglobulins and so forth that can make your labs look pretty good on paper, but ultimately leave you feeling crummy. Might be good to test for those.

I'd be casting a wide net here and looking not only at thyroid, but other inter-related stuff, too. Celiac disease, gluten sensitivity (they are not one in the same), 24-hour cortisol levels, total testosterone and free testosterone, SHBG, estrogen/estradiol, rheumatic diseases, low-level viruses or infections lingering around, elevated calcium, liver function, CBC and CMP panels. Chances are pretty good that something else is wonky in addition to the thyroid.

But honestly, the first thing that comes to my mind is low testosterone. It is linked pretty closely with the thyroid. A couple of tips; if your doc tests it and it comes back low, but in range, and your doc remarks that it's "normal", do a little more digging. A total testosterone in the 200-300 area might fall barely within the lab ranges, but would likely leave you feeling absolutely awful on a daily basis. Dr. Shippen has a book floating around out there that is a few years old now, but still a good read; "The Testosterone Syndrome". (And if you happen to have "Low T", be sure to look for reasons _why_ before starting any sort of treatment, as it can have an affect on fertility.)


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## superakcraig (May 2, 2013)

Hello Bigfoot and thanks. It's funny that you mention testosterone as I did have that tested with this last lab workup. It was my request as I had read this could, as you say, go hand in hand with thyroid issues. The following is what it showed:

Testosterone, Serum ---348-1197---488
Testosterone, Total ---348-1197---536.9

I'm not sure if this should be considered in the low part of the good range or not.

As far as the other things you mentioned, I guess I will have to request to have some of that checked. At this point I am only seeing a GP as the two "specialists" (and I use that term very loosely)that I have seen in the past, wouldn't even check my T3s. My GP will most of the time do what I ask and listen to how I feel.



bigfoot said:


> But honestly, the first thing that comes to my mind is low testosterone. It is linked pretty closely with the thyroid. A couple of tips; if your doc tests it and it comes back low, but in range, and your doc remarks that it's "normal", do a little more digging. A total testosterone in the 200-300 area might fall barely within the lab ranges, but would likely leave you feeling absolutely awful on a daily basis. Dr. Shippen has a book floating around out there that is a few years old now, but still a good read; "The Testosterone Syndrome". (And if you happen to have "Low T", be sure to look for reasons _why_ before starting any sort of treatment, as it can have an affect on fertility.)


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## allowingtoo (Mar 31, 2012)

This is a pretty good view of Testosterone treatment in which they refer to Dr. Eugene Shippen. Do you take Zinc?


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## superakcraig (May 2, 2013)

Thanks for that info allowingtoo. To answer your question, I do NOT take zinc at the moment. Once my high doses of Vit D run out, the Dr wanted me to take a daily Vit d of 2000IUs. I have heard good things about the MegaMen daily from GNC and it does have zinc in it along with selenium, which I have heard can possibly help me too!



allowingtoo said:


> This is a pretty good view of Testosterone treatment in which they refer to Dr. Eugene Shippen. Do you take Zinc?


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Yep, Selenium can be good for those with thyroid issues. Just don't go over 200 mcg / day. You might check out not only GNC, but other well-respected brands like: New Chapter, NOW Foods, Gaia, Source Naturals, and Jarrow. No connection to any of them -- those are some of the various brands I have tried in my travels. Just be careful to stay away from places like big-box stores, as their quality is not supposed to be very good. Oh, and if you wind up taking B-12, try to go for a sublingual kind that is of the "methyl-" variety (not the "cyano-" variety, which is harder for your body to use).

That's great you had your testosterone levels tested! The totals look okay... but I would really recommend getting a few more things tested in relation to that. If your docs are only looking at the Total Testosterone, they are missing the other half of the picture. I would definitely ask for SHBG, Free Testosterone, and Estradiol (E2). You could have all the Total Testosterone in the world, but it could be inhibited by the SHBG. Very important stuff to know. And Estradiol (E2), if it is elevated, your body is shunting your testosterone over to estrogen, causing things like weight gain around the waist, less libido, gynecomastia (basically, male boobs), etc. If your doc goes, "Huh?" like mine did, it might be time to seek out someone more experienced with male hormones (and they usually know about subtle thyroid issues, too, so it can be a win-win). Might try looking for anti-aging MDs, a D.O., naturopath, or out-of-the-box MD.

hugs6


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