Hypothyroid Maybe Hypoglycemia, But I Think It's Solely On Account Of Diet

[Jimmerz]

Hello Citizens of RP Forum,

Hoping one of you kind souls may be able to help me troubleshoot my disasterous condition. I'm a 45 Y.O. male, 6'0" tall, and currently 120 lbs. Down from 180 a few years ago. Prior to this weight loss, I went to my Dr. with issues such as brain fog, memory loss, fatigue, etc. , and when I brought up my lousy diet 8-10 cans of coke a day, no breakfast, no lunch, and usually pizza for dinner, he blew me off, said "That's not it.", and sent me out the door with an antidepressant and adderall for ADD.
To whom it may concern- I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area, or my post seems erratic. My mental acuity is not what it once was right now.


Well, as you can imagine the adderall did wonders for my already poor appetite (sarcasm, just wanted to make that clear), and really screwed up my sleep patterns. After 2 years of working 60-70 hours a week, sleeping once every 3 days, then crashing on Sunday, I had a meltdown and couldn't do it anymore.

I've been off the antidepressants and adderall, and Coca-Cola for a year now, but my daily diet consists of 2-3 bottles of Boost nutritional drink, so I'm starting to look like a 2 year invalid, the only thing missing is the enteral feeding tube. Due to poor nutrition, some of my teeth have actually shattered like glass, and broken off at the gum line. I've lost a lot of muscle tissue, have to cinch my belt up like a tourniquet to keep my pants from sliding down over my hips. Last time I was at the Dr. was for severe constipation and gastrointestinal distress, and when I showed him my belt, and that I'd gone from a 32 to a approx. a 27 waist, he exclaimed "That's the problem! You have your belt cinched up too tight!" The belt however was below my abdomen and applying pressure only to my hips to hold my waaay to big pants up. As you may have surmised by this point, I'm actively seeking a competent G.P.

Anyways, over the past few months I've been getting this ungodly dry and salty mouth, almost as though my salivary glands packed up and moved to a healthier body. Lately I've been getting severe joint pain, bad carpal tunnel like symptoms in my hands (Which could be arthritis. I fought a lot when I was a kid, and broke my hands up many times.) Also, for years my feet are always extremely cold, except in the summertime. Something else I've noticed, is the veins in my inner forearms used to bulge out of the skin if I clenched my fist a few times, now the nurses treat me like a junkie when they try and draw blood. Which is really upsetting, as I hate needles and have even fainted in the past when having blood drawn. Guess I wouldn't make a good diabetic, or dope fiend. Anyways, you can see them faintly, but it's like they're sunken almost, and I'm as lean, or leaner than I was as a teen.

Now, from what I've read (Which is extremely hard for me, as I've forgotten page 1 after getting to page 2, etc. I believe I'm experiencing hypoglycemia and or hypothyroidism. At this point I have no insurance, and am just to the point I wish I wouldn't wake up in the a.m. Sick of feeling like garbage.

If anybody can guide me towards a menu of some sort to follow, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Jim

 

[Emstar1892]

Hello Citizens of RP Forum,

Hoping one of you kind souls may be able to help me troubleshoot my disasterous condition. I'm a 45 Y.O. male, 6'0" tall, and currently 120 lbs. Down from 180 a few years ago. Prior to this weight loss, I went to my Dr. with issues such as brain fog, memory loss, fatigue, etc. , and when I brought up my lousy diet 8-10 cans of coke a day, no breakfast, no lunch, and usually pizza for dinner, he blew me off, said "That's not it.", and sent me out the door with an antidepressant and adderall for ADD.
To whom it may concern- I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area, or my post seems erratic. My mental acuity is not what it once was right now.


Well, as you can imagine the adderall did wonders for my already poor appetite (sarcasm, just wanted to make that clear), and really screwed up my sleep patterns. After 2 years of working 60-70 hours a week, sleeping once every 3 days, then crashing on Sunday, I had a meltdown and couldn't do it anymore.

I've been off the antidepressants and adderall, and Coca-Cola for a year now, but my daily diet consists of 2-3 bottles of Boost nutritional drink, so I'm starting to look like a 2 year invalid, the only thing missing is the enteral feeding tube. Due to poor nutrition, some of my teeth have actually shattered like glass, and broken off at the gum line. I've lost a lot of muscle tissue, have to cinch my belt up like a tourniquet to keep my pants from sliding down over my hips. Last time I was at the Dr. was for severe constipation and gastrointestinal distress, and when I showed him my belt, and that I'd gone from a 32 to a approx. a 27 waist, he exclaimed "That's the problem! You have your belt cinched up too tight!" The belt however was below my abdomen and applying pressure only to my hips to hold my waaay to big pants up. As you may have surmised by this point, I'm actively seeking a competent G.P.

Anyways, over the past few months I've been getting this ungodly dry and salty mouth, almost as though my salivary glands packed up and moved to a healthier body. Lately I've been getting severe joint pain, bad carpal tunnel like symptoms in my hands (Which could be arthritis. I fought a lot when I was a kid, and broke my hands up many times.) Also, for years my feet are always extremely cold, except in the summertime. Something else I've noticed, is the veins in my inner forearms used to bulge out of the skin if I clenched my fist a few times, now the nurses treat me like a junkie when they try and draw blood. Which is really upsetting, as I hate needles and have even fainted in the past when having blood drawn. Guess I wouldn't make a good diabetic, or dope fiend. Anyways, you can see them faintly, but it's like they're sunken almost, and I'm as lean, or leaner than I was as a teen.

Now, from what I've read (Which is extremely hard for me, as I've forgotten page 1 after getting to page 2, etc. I believe I'm experiencing hypoglycemia and or hypothyroidism. At this point I have no insurance, and am just to the point I wish I wouldn't wake up in the a.m. Sick of feeling like garbage.

If anybody can guide me towards a menu of some sort to follow, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Jim

Gosh, Jim. I really feel for you. I hope somebody here guides you on a happy and healthy path :) I can cetainly offer anecdotal comments - when I calorie restricted on a low fat diet two years ago I developed hypoglycemia, and would be at 2.5mmol for hours during the day. I then became hypothyroid. The two are inextricably linked and in my opinion are to do with completely crashing my adrenals as they had to keep my sugar up with cortisol all day long. Like you, I also didn't sleep more than 4 hours a night that entire period. Again, crashing the adrenals. Still surprised I survived it (and am much better, but still very much recovering).

Could you purchase a simple glucose monitor? They are not very expensive and will at least give you some indication.

Good luck :)

 

[Jimmerz]

Thanks Em! Yeah, I'm gonna grab one today, and some keto stix as well to try and figure out what exactly is going on. Sorry to hear about your issues, do you think they all stem from diet, or a combination of diet and underlying medical condition?

Growing up, never having an environment where regular meals were available put me on a bad path. I don't know how to eat normal, or even what the best menu to follow would be to dig myself out. Something I just thought of, is from about 15 to 30 alcohol was a daily thing for me. At least a 6 pack, but usually a 12 pack, those were my daily carbs. During that time, of course I slept like a baby. I read elsewhere, the suggestion of eating a baked potato before bedtime , maybe I'll give that a shot, as I've got nothing to lose.

 

[Blossom]

Hi Jim, welcome to the forum. We are about the same age and I ended up in a similar situation (bmi around 16.5) twice between 36 and 42 primarily due to prescription drugs robbing me of my appetite. I'm so sorry you are going through this and haven't been helped by your doctor.

I'm actively seeking a competent G.P.

That seems like a good idea! Don't forget to tell them your eating habits.

but my daily diet consists of 2-3 bottles of Boost nutritional drink,

Is that all the nutrition you get in a day?

If anybody can guide me towards a menu of some sort to follow,

Notes Toward An "Optimal Peat Diet"
This link (if you haven't seen it) gives a lot examples of nutritious options to include in your diet but with the situation you are in I wouldn't limit yourself too much. I personally think at that low of a BMI you should eat whatever appeals that you can tolerate well.

*If you are actually only getting in 2-3 Boost Nutritional Drinks per day then that equals approximately 400-600 calories per day which is pretty much a starvation level of calories. You might want to Google search refeeding syndrome as that could be a rare but serious possibility as you raise your calories. I don't mean to scare you but I didn't know about it when I started eating more and I wish I had.*

I think you're right that the hypoglycemia and hypothyroidism symptoms are probably related to your diet and I'm hopeful you can correct most of that by just consistently eating enough.

Even if you don't consider yourself as having an eating disorder this site www.youreatopia.com has some good articles explaining what people experience when recovering from under eating.

Wishing you the best, Blossom

 

[tara]

jimmerz

As you may have surmised by this point, I'm actively seeking a competent G.P.

Good idea. Though I don't know if identifying starvation is given that much priority in med school. Might be good to deliberately seek a doctor who has experience caring for people recovering from anorexia and such-like - they might have a better idea of which specific refeeding issues to look out for than the average dr. Once you are recovered, maybe consider making a complaint to/about the incompetent care of that dr, if you are up to it.

I'm not clear about how much you are eating now, or why you have eaten so little. Is it because you really lack appetite, or are you hungry but not eating anyway for some reason, or eating but not absorbing food well? If you want to tell.

Getting blood glucose checked, and maybe getting a glucose meter, seem like a good idea to me too.

I agree with Blossom about checking out information on refeeding syndrome - not very common, but it is apparently severe and dangerous if not treated quickly. One way to mitigate the risk could be to increase calorie consumption by no more than 100-200 calories every couple of days till you get up to reasonable amounts (eg 3000 cals every day and more when you get hungry).
If you are suffering hypoglycemia, then drinking juice/milk/calorie dense smoothies every half hour or hour throughout the day (and at night if you are not sleeping) may help stave that off as you get started. If you can, better to have something with a bit of protein, minerals and vitamins rather than just refined sugar, at least some of the time. But sugary coke etc is better than nothing. Pizza is a lot better than nothing too. Anything you can eat is better than nothing. As you get a little more energy, you can attend to a bit more of the detail, and look at making sure you cover other nutritional bases in addition to the fundamental fuel requirements. If you can manage a bit of liver, it gives some good stuff. Fruit, juice, milk, cream, cheese, + whatever else you feel like, at

I also recommend reading youreatopia.
The main thing I would not take from that site is the recommendation to eat lots of high PUFA foods like nut butters - Peat favours low PUFA intake, because PUFAs can have a bunch of anti-metabolic effects. Favour butter and coconut oil over seed oils etc when you can . (But eating something is better than eating nothing.)

Have you measured your body temp and resting pulse a few times? They can give a useful DIY indication about base metabolism/thyroid function.

You seem to be in quite a critical state - I hope you can get some good nourishment working for you very soon. I think/hope you are not working so hard now - your survival takes priority over a 70hr a week job.

Take care

 

[Birdie]

@Jimmerz
It's been a few days, so I wonder where you are with this now. Have you started a more Peat way of eating?
He does have ideas that are pretty easy, so you could start with the milk and orange juice, etc. It doesn't sound like you do cooking.
But Ray's ideas can be used whether you cook a lot or not. So it works for a lot of people.

If you're working 70 hours, you don't have a lot of time, but that should be okay.
Hope you can get going on this.

One thing, I tend toward hypoglycemia, and can't tolerate a lot of oj. I mix it with water and add a little baking soda.
I have to go easy with it. Even after 4 years, I can't take it straight at breakfast time. I do use applesauce which doesn't cause that reaction.
It takes time to try things and see what works. I hate that feeling of brain fog and dizziness, but keep trying.

 

[Blossom]

It's been a few days, so I wonder where you are with this now.

I've been wondering too. I hope you are doing o.k.

 

[Birdie]

@Jimmerz

And I got another thought last night. Am reading Broda Barnes again. He gives info on the link between hypothyroidism and hypoglycemia. This was what helped me back when I was first dxd with CFS. I had to convince a doc to Rx Armour Thyroid, and I did start low dose. He recommends starting with 1/4 grain, and slowly working up using your basal temps. Along with this, I made dietary changes. Had been bedridden practically, so highly recommend.

Btw, Ray does recommend Coke included. The ones with sugar from Mexico are good. Also, there are online sources of thyroid that I think some people here are using. Just be sure to start very low and only go up 1/4 grain every 2 or 3 months per Barnes. Eating breakfast and other food should help. Barnes didn't have people change their diet, but back then people ate more real food. Not much else available.

I'm finished. :)

 

[Giraffe]

Just be sure to start very low and only go up 1/4 grain every 2 or 3 months per Barnes.

If I understand @Jimmerz right, he isn't hardly eating anything. This needs to be addressed first. Otherwise thyroid would be useless at best.

 

[Birdie]

If I understand @Jimmerz right, he isn't hardly eating anything. This needs to be addressed first. Otherwise thyroid would be useless at best.

Glad we agree there. Makes sense. However, OP seems to be gone.

 

[Jimmerz]

Hi Jim, welcome to the forum. We are about the same age and I ended up in a similar situation (bmi around 16.5) twice between 36 and 42 primarily due to prescription drugs robbing me of my appetite. I'm so sorry you are going through this and haven't been helped by your doctor.

That seems like a good idea! Don't forget to tell them your eating habits.

Is that all the nutrition you get in a day?

Notes Toward An "Optimal Peat Diet"
This link (if you haven't seen it) gives a lot examples of nutritious options to include in your diet but with the situation you are in I wouldn't limit yourself too much. I personally think at that low of a BMI you should eat whatever appeals that you can tolerate well.

*If you are actually only getting in 2-3 Boost Nutritional Drinks per day then that equals approximately 400-600 calories per day which is pretty much a starvation level of calories. You might want to Google search refeeding syndrome as that could be a rare but serious possibility as you raise your calories. I don't mean to scare you but I didn't know about it when I started eating more and I wish I had.*

I think you're right that the hypoglycemia and hypothyroidism symptoms are probably related to your diet and I'm hopeful you can correct most of that by just consistently eating enough.

Even if you don't consider yourself as having an eating disorder this site www.youreatopia.com has some good articles explaining what people experience when recovering from under eating.

Wishing you the best, Blossom

Hey Blossom, Yes 2-3 bottles of Boost a day was all I was eating/ drinking. Thank you so much for your assistance!

 

[Jimmerz]

jimmerz


Good idea. Though I don't know if identifying starvation is given that much priority in med school. Might be good to deliberately seek a doctor who has experience caring for people recovering from anorexia and such-like - they might have a better idea of which specific refeeding issues to look out for than the average dr. Once you are recovered, maybe consider making a complaint to/about the incompetent care of that dr, if you are up to it.

I'm not clear about how much you are eating now, or why you have eaten so little. Is it because you really lack appetite, or are you hungry but not eating anyway for some reason, or eating but not absorbing food well? If you want to tell.

Getting blood glucose checked, and maybe getting a glucose meter, seem like a good idea to me too.

I agree with Blossom about checking out information on refeeding syndrome - not very common, but it is apparently severe and dangerous if not treated quickly. One way to mitigate the risk could be to increase calorie consumption by no more than 100-200 calories every couple of days till you get up to reasonable amounts (eg 3000 cals every day and more when you get hungry).
If you are suffering hypoglycemia, then drinking juice/milk/calorie dense smoothies every half hour or hour throughout the day (and at night if you are not sleeping) may help stave that off as you get started. If you can, better to have something with a bit of protein, minerals and vitamins rather than just refined sugar, at least some of the time. But sugary coke etc is better than nothing. Pizza is a lot better than nothing too. Anything you can eat is better than nothing. As you get a little more energy, you can attend to a bit more of the detail, and look at making sure you cover other nutritional bases in addition to the fundamental fuel requirements. If you can manage a bit of liver, it gives some good stuff. Fruit, juice, milk, cream, cheese, + whatever else you feel like, at

I also recommend reading youreatopia.
The main thing I would not take from that site is the recommendation to eat lots of high PUFA foods like nut butters - Peat favours low PUFA intake, because PUFAs can have a bunch of anti-metabolic effects. Favour butter and coconut oil over seed oils etc when you can . (But eating something is better than eating nothing.)

Have you measured your body temp and resting pulse a few times? They can give a useful DIY indication about base metabolism/thyroid function.

You seem to be in quite a critical state - I hope you can get some good nourishment working for you very soon. I think/hope you are not working so hard now - your survival takes priority over a 70hr a week job.

Take care

Hi Tara, I think initially the Adderall killed my appetite, and since I've been off it, I've had no appetite whatsoever. The past few days I've been eating once a day anyways, General Tsaos chicken w/ rice, Ham& turkey sub, sloppy joes & ffs, etc. I made a grocery list from the RP menu, and although I feel better haven't felt up to the trip to the grocery store yet. I did however order a glucometer & ketostix. Thank You so much too! I can not even convey how much I appreciate the guidance, advice, and experiences from you all! ☺. Jim

 

[natedawggh]

Hello Citizens of RP Forum,

Hoping one of you kind souls may be able to help me troubleshoot my disasterous condition. I'm a 45 Y.O. male, 6'0" tall, and currently 120 lbs. Down from 180 a few years ago. Prior to this weight loss, I went to my Dr. with issues such as brain fog, memory loss, fatigue, etc. , and when I brought up my lousy diet 8-10 cans of coke a day, no breakfast, no lunch, and usually pizza for dinner, he blew me off, said "That's not it.", and sent me out the door with an antidepressant and adderall for ADD.
To whom it may concern- I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area, or my post seems erratic. My mental acuity is not what it once was right now.


Well, as you can imagine the adderall did wonders for my already poor appetite (sarcasm, just wanted to make that clear), and really screwed up my sleep patterns. After 2 years of working 60-70 hours a week, sleeping once every 3 days, then crashing on Sunday, I had a meltdown and couldn't do it anymore.

I've been off the antidepressants and adderall, and Coca-Cola for a year now, but my daily diet consists of 2-3 bottles of Boost nutritional drink, so I'm starting to look like a 2 year invalid, the only thing missing is the enteral feeding tube. Due to poor nutrition, some of my teeth have actually shattered like glass, and broken off at the gum line. I've lost a lot of muscle tissue, have to cinch my belt up like a tourniquet to keep my pants from sliding down over my hips. Last time I was at the Dr. was for severe constipation and gastrointestinal distress, and when I showed him my belt, and that I'd gone from a 32 to a approx. a 27 waist, he exclaimed "That's the problem! You have your belt cinched up too tight!" The belt however was below my abdomen and applying pressure only to my hips to hold my waaay to big pants up. As you may have surmised by this point, I'm actively seeking a competent G.P.

Anyways, over the past few months I've been getting this ungodly dry and salty mouth, almost as though my salivary glands packed up and moved to a healthier body. Lately I've been getting severe joint pain, bad carpal tunnel like symptoms in my hands (Which could be arthritis. I fought a lot when I was a kid, and broke my hands up many times.) Also, for years my feet are always extremely cold, except in the summertime. Something else I've noticed, is the veins in my inner forearms used to bulge out of the skin if I clenched my fist a few times, now the nurses treat me like a junkie when they try and draw blood. Which is really upsetting, as I hate needles and have even fainted in the past when having blood drawn. Guess I wouldn't make a good diabetic, or dope fiend. Anyways, you can see them faintly, but it's like they're sunken almost, and I'm as lean, or leaner than I was as a teen.

Now, from what I've read (Which is extremely hard for me, as I've forgotten page 1 after getting to page 2, etc. I believe I'm experiencing hypoglycemia and or hypothyroidism. At this point I have no insurance, and am just to the point I wish I wouldn't wake up in the a.m. Sick of feeling like garbage.

If anybody can guide me towards a menu of some sort to follow, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Jim

Dairy and dairy fat will help the quickest to stabilize your health. Lots of milk add cream to it, three or more meals a day. The fat in dairy stabilizes cellular functions and it has the most nutrients of anything you can eat. Also eat potatoes, fruit, and sugar. Basically anything is better than what you've been doing, but it's not too late and since you're already lean, dairy will have a profound impact on your health (dairy fat! No skim. I'd make half-and-half with cream and a gallon of milk if I were you). Sometimes it takes a while for the stomach to digest lactose if it's been a while, be patient. If severe digestive trouble happens with dairy take riboflavin (b2) it will help balance your gut.

 

[Jimmerz]

@Jimmerz
It's been a few days, so I wonder where you are with this now. Have you started a more Peat way of eating?
He does have ideas that are pretty easy, so you could start with the milk and orange juice, etc. It doesn't sound like you do cooking.
But Ray's ideas can be used whether you cook a lot or not. So it works for a lot of people.

If you're working 70 hours, you don't have a lot of time, but that should be okay.
Hope you can get going on this.

One thing, I tend toward hypoglycemia, and can't tolerate a lot of oj. I mix it with water and add a little baking soda.
I have to go easy with it. Even after 4 years, I can't take it straight at breakfast time. I do use applesauce which doesn't cause that reaction.
It takes time to try things and see what works. I hate that feeling of brain fog and dizziness, but keep trying.

Hey Birdie! Its interesting you mention that about the O.J.& baking soda, as when I was younger I had an ironclad stomach and could eat anything. I used to love hot peppers, flaming hot potato chips, spicy anything, etc. Now my stomach is easily upset by anything that's not pretty bland. I have been eating once a day, so far just things that I've had at home, or ordered out. Made a shopping list from the RP menu and am going to try and go tomm. Thanks so much! Jim

 

[Jimmerz]

Glad we agree there. Makes sense. However, OP seems to be gone.

Sorry Birdie, I'm still here!

 

[Jimmerz]

Dairy and dairy fat will help the quickest to stabilize your health. Lots of milk add cream to it, three or more meals a day. The fat in dairy stabilizes cellular functions and it has the most nutrients of anything you can eat. Also eat potatoes, fruit, and sugar. Basically anything is better than what you've been doing, but it's not too late and since you're already lean, dairy will have a profound impact on your health (dairy fat! No skim. I'd make half-and-half with cream and a gallon of milk if I were you). Sometimes it takes a while for the stomach to digest lactose if it's been a while, be patient. If severe digestive trouble happens with dairy take riboflavin (b2) it will help balance your gut.

Thanks Nate! I used to drink a lot of whole milk (years ago) but have been drinking 2% for the last 20 years or so. I'll pick up whole milk and half & half tomm.
The biggest frustration of all of this is the memory loss, loss of vocabulary, skewed mental processes. I used to be able to buzz through a NY Times crossword in no time, tried it the other day, got frustrated and threw in the towel in about 5 minutes. It scares me that the Adderall may be to blame, as ive read a lot of bad things about it online.

The other possibility is sedentary lifestyle I guess. Thanks for the guidance Nate, its greatly appreciated! -Jim

 

[Giraffe]

@Jimmerz, for many of us it is stress hormones that kill our appetite. What helped me was to sip some fruit juice or salted milk, or eat some fruit, each time I noticed symptoms of stress (cold nose, frequent urination, feeling irritated ...). After a couple of days I got ravenously hungry. I ate and ate, and was still hungry. I was like this for several weeks.

I got rid of severe carpal-tunnel like symptoms within a month,

 

[natedawggh]

Thanks Nate! I used to drink a lot of whole milk (years ago) but have been drinking 2% for the last 20 years or so. I'll pick up whole milk and half & half tomm.
The biggest frustration of all of this is the memory loss, loss of vocabulary, skewed mental processes. I used to be able to buzz through a NY Times crossword in no time, tried it the other day, got frustrated and threw in the towel in about 5 minutes. It scares me that the Adderall may be to blame, as ive read a lot of bad things about it online.

The other possibility is sedentary lifestyle I guess. Thanks for the guidance Nate, its greatly appreciated! -Jim

Sedentary is fine. I sit at a computer all day and only get up to get coffee from Starbucks. :)

Oh, Your memory problems are specifically a b-vitamin deficiency. Yes, adderall might have caused it but more likely just having a poor diet. Multi-b vitamin supplements are usually poorly made and contain allergens, and even supplemented if the diet is poor your body would not be able to hold onto them (adderall also makes the body go through b's very quickly). As your health improves through the use of dairy and dairy fat your body will make better use of b vitamins, and I'd recommend taking @haidut 's b vitamin supplement.

 

[jaguar43]

The weight loss is very drastic. Has your doctor done a full check up ? To make sure it isn't any serious problems like AID's or something else. Hypoglycemia doesn't make you lose so much weight.

 

[tara]

The weight loss is very drastic. Has your doctor done a full check up ? To make sure it isn't any serious problems like AID's or something else. Hypoglycemia doesn't make you lose so much weight.

*If you are actually only getting in 2-3 Boost Nutritional Drinks per day then that equals approximately 400-600 calories per day which is pretty much a starvation level of calories.

I agree it could be worth a fuller check up once Jim finds a more competent dr to see if the are other serous issues at play. But living on a starvation diet for a long time might be enough to account for the weight loss.