# severe chronic constipation



## kirstyk4 (Mar 18, 2012)

Hey guys, sorry for the gross topic.

I've been dealing with horrible constipation for over a year. I am 25 and previously never experienced before...ever. Finally found a doctor that put me on synyhroid and has helped significantly. The issue is still there and I am looking for advice of getting my life back from this uncomfortable problem. I also have loss of appetite when the constipation is bad. Has anyone had more success with T3 replacement curing their chronic constipation?

My TSH was never above range but I have had many if the symptoms for years. The constipation is by far the worst and hardest to live with.

I would appreciate any advice you can share with me, thank you.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

kirstyk4 said:


> Hey guys, sorry for the gross topic.
> 
> I've been dealing with horrible constipation for over a year. I am 25 and previously never experienced before...ever. Finally found a doctor that put me on synyhroid and has helped significantly. The issue is still there and I am looking for advice of getting my life back from this uncomfortable problem. I also have loss of appetite when the constipation is bad. Has anyone had more success with T3 replacement curing their chronic constipation?
> 
> ...


What helps me is of course my thyroid med being exactly right and keeping me in the euthyroid state.

Then.....................I drink lots of water and eat a very very high fiber diet, no simple starches and I do take Swiss Kriss every night. Religiously.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I don't know if this will be helpful at all, but, here it goes...

Starting when I was about 22, I began to have severe, severe constipation. Weeks would go by with nothing and I was in lots of pain...I had to go up a size in pants because I would be so bloated...I ate lots of fiber -- salads, prunes, you name it...and took fiber supplements as well to no avail. I saw the folks at the university health center and they couldn't come up with an answer or explanation, other than to use stool softener. At the time, I was doing two graduate programs and working three jobs, so I didn't have time to follow up on it.

By my late 20s/early 30s, those symptoms flip-flopped and I dealt with bowel irritability, chronic diarrhea, bloating, gas etc. My diet was good, I was hydrated, got plenty of exercise, so I again went back to the doctor. This time they did a cat scan, blood work, and a three-day fecal test. Again I was told everything was normal (including the thyroid panel), that I likely had IBS, and to up my fiber therapy. Things got progressively worse over the past couple of years.

Then last summer, my GYN noticed my thyroid...long story short, I had thyroid cancer and the pathology was consistent with chronic thyroiditis (Hashi's). My thyroid labs (TSH, T4 & T3) were *perfectly* normal, save for a slightly increased TSH, which did not raise red flags.

I'm amazed that, now that we're getting closer to being euthyroid, how perfectly normal my digestive track is these days. No emergency pits stops, no constipation, no gas or bloating. It's weiiiiiiiiiiird! Anyway, my point is that it may take some time for your digestive system to get back in order after starting the Synthroid. And, you may not be at a dose where you feel like the symptoms have disappeared. I know it's not what you want to hear, but it may take some time.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

joplin1975 said:


> I don't know if this will be helpful at all, but, here it goes...
> 
> Starting when I was about 22, I began to have severe, severe constipation. Weeks would go by with nothing and I was in lots of pain...I had to go up a size in pants because I would be so bloated...I ate lots of fiber -- salads, prunes, you name it...and took fiber supplements as well to no avail. I saw the folks at the university health center and they couldn't come up with an answer or explanation, other than to use stool softener. At the time, I was doing two graduate programs and working three jobs, so I didn't have time to follow up on it.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing this. It is also interesting to note that this slow motility re hypo causes kidney stones, gall bladder and just a myriad of problems including hypohydrosis!!

The subject matter has been a most horrible experience for me ( and many others) and I live in fear of being constipated. Thyroid disease leaves a lot of scars literally and figuratively.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

My digestive story is a lot like joplins. I saw my first gastroenterologist at age 25, after a few years of not functioning properly. Diagnosed with IBS. Symptoms off and on for the next 17 years. IBS drugs helped...sometimes. Continued to see various doctors over the years because I've lived in several places, and all agreed that I had IBS.

Fast forward to last year...had my thyroid removed. My digestive system works perfectly 99% of the time. No more IBS drugs.

On a side note...I have also been freezing cold my entire adult life. I would plan my wardrobe and my day around how I would stay warm. Not anymore! I'm nice and comfortable most of the time.

Despite all of this, on the few occasions I had my thyroid tested, I was told all was "normal." Riiiiiiiiiiiggggggggghhhhhhhhtttttttt....
(I was not smart enough to ask for my lab results.)


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## kirstyk4 (Mar 18, 2012)

Thank you Octavia (and others) for relying. I noticed you replied to my last one too. My doctor has never even felt my neck. I feel like if I go to her asking her to check, that she might start thinking I am a hypocondriac. I just know that the constipation isn't subjective and that I am very concerned about this change and the discomfort it causes me. I am also frequently cold. In fact my husband will wear shorts and I will be freezing in jeans and a sweater.

After my first post I was optimistic about synthroid helping me but the past two days my symptoms have come back. I just wish I knew what to do. If it was thyroid cancer, would that show up in the labs anywhere?

Thank you everyone for your help.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

kirstyk4 said:


> Thank you Octavia (and others) for relying. I noticed you replied to my last one too. My doctor has never even felt my neck. I feel like if I go to her asking her to check, that she might start thinking I am a hypocondriac. I just know that the constipation isn't subjective and that I am very concerned about this change and the discomfort it causes me. I am also frequently cold. In fact my husband will wear shorts and I will be freezing in jeans and a sweater.
> 
> After my first post I was optimistic about synthroid helping me but the past two days my symptoms have come back. I just wish I knew what to do. If it was thyroid cancer, would that show up in the labs anywhere?
> 
> Thank you everyone for your help.


Thyroglobulin and Thyroglobulin Ab could be suggestive.

cancer TPO and thyroglobulin
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1699-0463.1994.tb04888.x/abstract
http://www.wikigenes.org/e/gene/e/7173.html

Understanding Thyroglobulin Ab.
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroglobulin/test.html


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I think you'll find that is pretty much par for the course...when you start the medication and/or increase doses, your digestive track will speed up for a while and then once your body gets settled in to the new dose, things will slow back down. Lawsy, when I went from 50 to 100mcgs, I thought I'd have to invest in adult diapers...but thankfully things settled down. 

I'd wait the full 6-8 weeks, reassess, and then talk to your doctor about the symtoms. It does take a while for T4 to build up in your system.


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