# 51, male, hashi's and now anemic



## cujet (Feb 6, 2015)

Hashi's for 25 years.

I'm on synthroid 75mcg, and Erfa (armour equiv) 90MG daily. I do vary the dose a bit by feel, sometimes to 60MG Erfa. I don't convert T4 well and T3 levels are quite low with just T4. Hence the armor (Erfa) added to the mix.

I'm quite active, eat extremely carefully, and as fit as my situation will allow. Which means that I'm fighting this with every fiber of my being. Even so, it's been horrible from the very start.

In order of occurrence:

1) First symptom. I ended up with difficult to control afib due to my failing thyroid and wildly fluctuating thyroid levels.

2) Then significantly reduced kidney function and related out of control blood pressure due to salt, also affected heart function.

3) Testicles completely stopped making testosterone about 10 years ago (T=45) .

4) Gastroparesis (intestines don't quickly move food and I bloat up) .

5) Two years ago, pancreas issues and insufficient insulin. (somewhat better now)

6) Now I'm anemic.

I've been feeling utterly horrible the last 2 years, near daily crushing fatigue, very poor gym performance, sadness, etc. My blood tests were generally nominal, with the occasional kidney/sodium related, slightly out of range values. Doc says "I don't know", get an upper/lower GI and cat scan.

So, my most recent blood work (by my dermatologist, of all things) shows that I'm slightly anemic. He mentions this casually and nothing more. I don't know what that means, and go on my way.

Being so amazingly tired, I've started relying on 5 hour energy drinks, which perk me to near normal for the day. They contain cyanocobalamin form of B12, which it seems I can't readily absorb, so not a great solution to the problem. (but it is a clue I use to solve my issue) I try B12 from Costco under the tongue and see little benefit (because it too is cyanocobalumin B12 which I can't absorb) . Then at the county fair, there is a vendor selling spray vitamins. I try some spray B12 (methylcobalamin and folate) and within an hour, I'm starting to feel better. Not just better, but normal. Over the next few days, I improve more and more. I've not felt this normal in many, many years. Eventually, I put 2+2 together and start to understand that I've had the B12 absorption problem for years.

So, I call the doc back and he tells me to look up "Pernicious Anemia". Sure enough, that sounds right. Then I start reading about Hashimoto's, (autoimmune-chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis) and the relationship to anemia, the disease progression and so on. Hashimoto's sucks and doctors don't explain the disease progression properly. Mostly because they don't know. I'm posting this to mostly to inform others. So maybe they won't suffer like I have.

What's worked:

A mix of T4 (synthroid) and T3 (from Armour/Erfa)

Low salt diet

Salad with fish regularly (keeps insulin spikes down)

Low Carb diet

Daily exercise

Testosterone gel 80MG/Day (yes that's stupid high, but due to thyroid related myxedema, I don't absorb T well)

Methylcobalamin spray (with folate) 2mg/day.

After all is said and done, I'm doing just fine. I simply wanted to post what's been necessary to achieve success.


----------



## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Welcome.

Do you have any thyroid tests with ranges that you could post so we can see exactly where your levels are?

I know you are struggling - but this is only going to hurt your situation



> I've been so amazingly tired, I've started relying on 5 hour energy drinks, which perk me to near normal for the day.


As far as your anemia - what did your doctor suggest you do? That fatigue can be dibilitating, I've been there and can relate.

Also, have you had your Vit D tested? Low D is common and can also contribute to fatigue


----------



## cujet (Feb 6, 2015)

Lovlkn,

I'd doing just fine now, in fact, better than I have in many years. I'll post my upcoming labs when I get them. However, since I'm a pilot, I make absolutely sure my labs are perfect. The FAA won't accept out of range labs. In other words, I know how to, and do, keep my labs well within the normal range.

I'll edit my above post for clarity. What I had intended to write was simply that the 5 hour energy drink was a clue. The solution was to treat the anemia with Methylcobalamin and Folate oral spray, 2mg/day.

As far as vitamin D, I get plenty of sun living here in South Florida. I've never been low on "D". Off to drive the convertible....


----------

