# My Hashimoto's Struggle



## HolyPurple (May 23, 2017)

Hello Everyone!

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's at 22 years (5 years ago) after spending all my life jumping from one specialist to another. According to my doctor and the lab results, my levels are always "normal" but nothing fells normal with me and my health. I'm always in the ER, have to see several specialists constantly and I'm always feeling like an old car that is too far screwed to fix and its on its way to the junkyard...

I've seen tons of videos and online webinars about the secret "thyroid cure", magic diets and so on. At the end they are always asking for money or a purchase of some goods. I don't know what to believe anymore, all I know is that I need real help.

*My symptoms:*

• Blood pressure drops (fainting feeling, heart palpitations, numb limbs)

• Cold intolerance (even living on a island in the Caribbean)

• Hair loss (TONS)

• Fatigue

• Sleep disorders (trouble staying asleep, "psychological" nightmares and hypnopompic hallucinations)

• Anxiety

• Brain Fog

• Poor hearing

• Poor vision

• Dry skin

• Irritabily

• Depression

• Joint pain (knees mostly)

*My Thyroid:*

• Slightly enlarged

• Bilateral thyroid nodes

• Sometimes if feels like I have something in my throat when I swallow

• Sometimes there is a painful sensation in the front of my neck but not actually "pain pain"

*My Tests:*
• Fine needle biopsy: Bethesta type 2 (Benign)

• Gammagraphy: euthyroid gland function (Normal)

• Anti-TPO antibodies: Initial count: 1000.0 IU/ML Latest: 1117.0 IU/ML (these dropped to 400 in 2014 for some reason and then came back up)

• Antithyroglobulin Antibody: Initial count: 125.1 IU/ML Latest: 27.6 IU/ML

• T3: Initial count: 1.18 ng/dl Latest: 0.90 ng/dl Lab reference: 0.7-1.7

• T4: Initial count: 15.50 ng/dl Latest: 6.0 ng/dl Lab reference: 4.0-11

• Free T4: Initial count: - ng/dl Latest: 0.99 ng/dl Lab reference: 0.75-1.54

• TSH Initial count: 1.16 ng/dl Latest: 1.41 ng/dl Lab reference: Adults: 0.5-6.0

*Vitamin deficiencies:*

• B12: Before supplements: 163.8 pg/ml After supplements: 558 pg/ml (Note: I'm a vegetarian)

• D: Before supplements: <8.1 ng/ml After supplements: due next month (Yes, I live in the Caribbean, not lying)

*Possibly "unrelated" afflictions:*

• Recurrent UTIS (5-8 times a year. Yes, really)
• "Giant and clustered" platelets (Have to re-do blood analysis constantly)

• Gastritis 
• Ovarian cysts
• Contrast Dye "reaction" (totally drained of energy and mental confusion. Happened twice after CT scans, hope I never have to have one again, EVER)

• Drained bank account!

*I'd appreciate any insight / helpful advice. Please and thank you.*


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Do you have the reference ranges for the t4 and t3 tests? Are those free t4 and free t3 or total?

Thanks -- and welcome to the boards!


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

> • D: Before supplements: <8.1 ng/ml After supplements: due next month (Yes, I live in the Caribbean, not lying)


WOW! How much vitamin D supplement are you currently taking? What was your original dose prior to this lab?


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## HolyPurple (May 23, 2017)

joplin1975 said:


> Do you have the reference ranges for the t4 and t3 tests? Are those free t4 and free t3 or total?
> 
> Thanks -- and welcome to the boards!


I have never had a Free T3 test, my doctor has never ordered one for me. Those levels were only for regular T3 and T4. I updated my post to include my latest Free T4 result which was 0.99 ng/dl in March.

Will include the lab reference ranges in a bit.


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## HolyPurple (May 23, 2017)

Lovlkn said:


> WOW! How much vitamin D supplement are you currently taking? What was your original dose prior to this lab?


I'm taking Vitamin D3 2,000 IU daily (gummy ones XD). This was the first time ever that my vitamin D levels were tested (March 2017). I have to redo the test next month according to my doctor.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Well, you free t4 certainly indicates that you are hypo. And, just to be clear, you are not on any thyroid medication right now, correct?

Have you had a thyroid ultrasound?


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## HolyPurple (May 23, 2017)

Yes, I'm on Synthroid 25 mcgs. I take it daily before breakfast. I was on a different brand of T4 (Eutirox) for around 4 years but I've complained so much to my doctor that I'm not feeling well at all and she decided to change it to this brand but the same dose. I've been on the new one for 4 months now.

Yes, the ultrasound revealed that my gland was enlarged and had nodes on both sides. These were biopsied and came back normal.


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## visc (Feb 22, 2014)

Hi HolyPurple,

Whats "daily before breakfast"? You are taking your medication on an empty stomach and waiting at last 30 minutes before you eat right?

Have you been sleeping enough? I know you said it's been hard. But can you force yourself to lay in bed with nothing and get the best sleep your can?

Have you been drinking enough water and moving your body around?

Have you seen a gastroenterologist? Do you have other bowl issues? Like pain or bloating or inconsistent movements?

Sometimes we have other autoimmune diseases other than thyroid that interferes with our lives. You could be experiencing this and thinking it's your thyroid.

Although you sound very Hypo to me. You sound like me at times even when I am medicated (25 male here). But you majorly sound like me when I was first diagnosed at 21 and put on 25 mcg. My dosage now is 100mcg after three years. I have antibodies as high as yours. I also has a TSH of 15 when I was diagnosed.

Let us know how you're doing. I would avoid those nature medicines. If there was a cure all we'd all know about it.

Lots of hugs

visc


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

HolyPurple said:


> I'm taking Vitamin D3 2,000 IU daily (gummy ones XD). This was the first time ever that my vitamin D levels were tested (March 2017). I have to redo the test next month according to my doctor.


Your levels are very low - when I was tested at low range my doctor gave me a prescription for 50K IU weekly for 12 weeks and suggested I remain on for another 12 weeks.

I opted to take 5K IU daily plus 10K IU 1 x which only keeps me around 3.4 range.

You are below the Ecuador so extremely rare to be as low as you are, I imagine.


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## HolyPurple (May 23, 2017)

Yes, I wait almost an hour before I eat anything after I've taken the pill.

No I really don't sleep well. At night I don't feel like sleeping so I go to bed really late but then I wake up way before my alarm goes off but I can't bring myself to get up from bed and always end up being late for work. Lately I've also been waking up in the middle of the night just to make sure that the door is locked or that my cats haven't escaped or some stupid reason like that.

I force myself to drink several glasses of water a day because of my constant bladder and kidney infections. 
I'm not super active because I don't have the energy or the motivation to be, but I'm moderately active I would say because of all the house chores and adult responsibilities that I have to take care of.

Yes, my gastro is the one that treats my gastritis which is usually under control unless I get stressed out or get emotionally distressed. I used to have TERRIBLE stomach growling but that stopped as soon as a stopped drinking milk or eating the cereal Raisin Bran which i loved to have for breakfast every day.

Autoinmune diseases DO seem to run in my family. My dad has Miastenia Gravis and my sister has Vitiligo. Another sister has had thyroid issues and I have recommended she get tested for Hashimoto's but she has not... That being said, I have not been tested for any other autoinmune conditions.


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## HolyPurple (May 23, 2017)

Lovlkn said:


> Your levels are very low - when I was tested at low range my doctor gave me a prescription for 50K IU weekly for 12 weeks and suggested I remain on for another 12 weeks.
> 
> I opted to take 5K IU daily plus 10K IU 1 x which only keeps me around 3.4 range.
> 
> You are below the Ecuador so extremely rare to be as low as you are, I imagine.1


Do you think my doctor should increase my dose? Can I take more on my own?

Yes it was so shocking to me! I go to the beach very often and I get sun exposure every single day. It sounds more like my body can't absorb / transform / make it or whatever because it is not due to lack of exposure.


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