Don't Know How Much Longer I Have. Can't Take The Constant, Unrelenting, Unexplainable; Anguish

[LambdaAlpha]

Alright so.
Thyroid Paroxidase (TPO) Ab: was 17 IU/ml. Reference rang is 0-34
Free T4: 0.880 ng/dl (ref range 0.600-1.640 ng/dl)
TSH: 1.710 ulU/ml (ref range 0.260-4.300 ulU/ml
T3: 1.120 ng/ml (ref range 0.840-2.030 ng/ml)

 

[sweetpeat]

Those t3 ant t4 levels are pretty low; in-range but at the bottom 25%. I know I would feel pretty bad with those levels.
Improving thyroid function requires fuel though. Have you been able to resolve your constipation so that you can increase calories?

 

[Jsaute21]

Each person is different, but after going through this thread I can assure you that your thyroid is not working properly. Each symptom you explain is very typical of a low metabolism/low steroid profile. Healing is possible, but requires research, resilience and experimentation. Eating more good calories is essential. Get yourself some good OJ, other fruits, and eat adequate protein, both from milk and meat. I recommend purchasing cynomel and cynoplus eventually as well. In order to cure your low testosterone, you must improve thyroid function. Eating foods like orange juice, cooked spinach and mushrooms, good cheese without fillers, well cooked potatoes, rice, organic coffee will help you. It will take time, but you will heal slowly but surely. Do not consider giving up an option. You will overcome this, but you HAVE to be willing to research, look at studies, etc. Also, listen to your symptoms. Your symptoms/behaviors are far more telling than blood results. I have a TSH below 1, and i still believe my thyroid performance can be improved. TSH is famously poor at representing a person's true thyroid health. Go to www.raypeat.com and read every one of his articles. Then spend less money on supplements and more on good organic foods. Feel free to PM me whenever if you need help. Best of luck to you.

 

[LambdaAlpha]

Those t3 ant t4 levels are pretty low; in-range but at the bottom 25%. I know I would feel pretty bad with those levels.
Improving thyroid function requires fuel though. Have you been able to resolve your constipation so that you can increase calories?

I have not, what suppliments are good for constipation?

 

[LambdaAlpha]

Each person is different, but after going through this thread I can assure you that your thyroid is not working properly. Each symptom you explain is very typical of a low metabolism/low steroid profile. Healing is possible, but requires research, resilience and experimentation. Eating more good calories is essential. Get yourself some good OJ, other fruits, and eat adequate protein, both from milk and meat. I recommend purchasing cynomel and cynoplus eventually as well. In order to cure your low testosterone, you must improve thyroid function. Eating foods like orange juice, cooked spinach and mushrooms, good cheese without fillers, well cooked potatoes, rice, organic coffee will help you. It will take time, but you will heal slowly but surely. Do not consider giving up an option. You will overcome this, but you HAVE to be willing to research, look at studies, etc. Also, listen to your symptoms. Your symptoms/behaviors are far more telling than blood results. I have a TSH below 1, and i still believe my thyroid performance can be improved. TSH is famously poor at representing a person's true thyroid health. Go to www.raypeat.com and read every one of his articles. Then spend less money on supplements and more on good organic foods. Feel free to PM me whenever if you need help. Best of luck to you.

I still havn't cured my constipation/gerd enough to eat massive calories. I DEFINATELY do not have low androgens. I gain/retain muscle mass extremely easily and I'm about 10-11% body fat and all I do is sit around most of the time. That's why most people don't believe i'm feeling the way I do when i tell them...lol.

 

[LambdaAlpha]

Each person is different, but after going through this thread I can assure you that your thyroid is not working properly. Each symptom you explain is very typical of a low metabolism/low steroid profile. Healing is possible, but requires research, resilience and experimentation. Eating more good calories is essential. Get yourself some good OJ, other fruits, and eat adequate protein, both from milk and meat. I recommend purchasing cynomel and cynoplus eventually as well. In order to cure your low testosterone, you must improve thyroid function. Eating foods like orange juice, cooked spinach and mushrooms, good cheese without fillers, well cooked potatoes, rice, organic coffee will help you. It will take time, but you will heal slowly but surely. Do not consider giving up an option. You will overcome this, but you HAVE to be willing to research, look at studies, etc. Also, listen to your symptoms. Your symptoms/behaviors are far more telling than blood results. I have a TSH below 1, and i still believe my thyroid performance can be improved. TSH is famously poor at representing a person's true thyroid health. Go to www.raypeat.com and read every one of his articles. Then spend less money on supplements and more on good organic foods. Feel free to PM me whenever if you need help. Best of luck to you.

What is cynomel/cynoplus?

 

[LambdaAlpha]

Yes. I would say the biggest visible signs of hypo I have is eyebrows and cold extremities. My eyebrows are like halfway gone haha, and my hands and feet are usually VERY cold and start losing function quickly in cold weather and I'll ask other people do their hands feel the same and they don't. People always complain that my hands are FREEZING. symptoms the lethargy and fatigue are def hypo

 

[LambdaAlpha]

But my sy.ptons are all over...I'm extreme lean...if anything I lose weight pretty fast...but I feel slow and lethargic my symptoms/signs are all over the place and sometimes contradictory...it makes no sense

 

[LambdaAlpha]

Are there any good suppliments you guys can recommend? I've tried almost all of them...no luck haha.

 

[Jsaute21]

I still havn't cured my constipation/gerd enough to eat massive calories. I DEFINATELY do not have low androgens. I gain/retain muscle mass extremely easily and I'm about 10-11% body fat and all I do is sit around most of the time. That's why most people don't believe i'm feeling the way I do when i tell them...lol.

What is your testosterone and DHT? I had severe OCD when my T was almost 900 and estrogen was low. I didn't test DHT but i almost guarantee it was low. My TSH was also 2.25, which is high. Now, my TSH is below 1, and T is probably 600-700 or so. I feel overall better. I also have always had a six pack and look extremely healthy. Moral of the story? Hypothyroid can mean a lot of different things to different people. Go off symptoms. You feel terrible and can't handle cold weather. What is your pulse and temps?

 

[Jsaute21]

But my sy.ptons are all over...I'm extreme lean...if anything I lose weight pretty fast...but I feel slow and lethargic my symptoms/signs are all over the place and sometimes contradictory...it makes no sense

I am similar. I am very lean and it is hard to put on body fat, but my pulse is real low and temps are also low. I also have dry skin, can't go too long without eating, and haven't fully healed my thyroid. Stop telling yourself you are healthy because you are lean. You are right to be thankful of that, as body fat correlates with estrogen levels, and is not at all healthy but it doesn't mean your thyroid is in great shape. Go off your symptoms first, and pulse and temps second. If both are low, you are not currently healthy. Though, your symptoms already tell us that.

 

[Jsaute21]

What is cynomel/cynoplus?

Cynomel is the T3 Ray recommends and Cynoplus is the t3/t4 combo supplement Ray recommends. They obviously supress natural thyroid production, but within days the gland returns to full function. There is nothing worse than the folks on the high horse to tell people to not ask for hand outs on this forum, but i do encourage you to do more research in terms of thyroid, Ray Peat's work etc. If your not willing to, this will be a very difficult journey for you. If you are, things will get better.

 

[sweetpeat]

I have not, what suppliments are good for constipation?

Cascara sagrada is recommended by Peat and it's what I use. This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-...id=1515708888&sr=8-5&keywords=cascara+sagrada
It's possible you can find it at a health food store if there's one near you, or just order it online. Start with one capsule and see what happens. Maybe take with your evening meal or at bedtime and see if you have a bowel movement next morning. If not, increase to 2 capsules.
If you get very strong response, you can make a "tea" (which is gentler on your digestion) by opening a capsule and adding to a cup of boiling water. Take a sip or two after meals/snacks. This is how I use it, but everyone is different so find what works for you.
I've tried to keep this simple. I hope it helps you. I believe it's a really important first step to get your digestion on track. Then work on increasing calories. If you can do those two things, then re-evaluate your condition in a month or two.

 

[LambdaAlpha]

Cascara sagrada is recommended by Peat and it's what I use. This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-...id=1515708888&sr=8-5&keywords=cascara+sagrada
It's possible you can find it at a health food store if there's one near you, or just order it online. Start with one capsule and see what happens. Maybe take with your evening meal or at bedtime and see if you have a bowel movement next morning. If not, increase to 2 capsules.
If you get very strong response, you can make a "tea" (which is gentler on your digestion) by opening a capsule and adding to a cup of boiling water. Take a sip or two after meals/snacks. This is how I use it, but everyone is different so find what works for you.
I've tried to keep this simple. I hope it helps you. I believe it's a really important first step to get your digestion on track. Then work on increasing calories. If you can do those two things, then re-evaluate your condition in a month or two.

I appreciate the info. So i should take this daily? Will I develop a dependence? Do you have an recommendations for gerd?

 

[LambdaAlpha]

Cynomel is the T3 Ray recommends and Cynoplus is the t3/t4 combo supplement Ray recommends. They obviously supress natural thyroid production, but within days the gland returns to full function. There is nothing worse than the folks on the high horse to tell people to not ask for hand outs on this forum, but i do encourage you to do more research in terms of thyroid, Ray Peat's work etc. If your not willing to, this will be a very difficult journey for you. If you are, things will get better.

I will do more research...thanks

 

[LambdaAlpha]

I can't take this ***t...like I said my symptoms go on and off. Just had my worse one yet...feels like throat is closing up/swollen. I can't do it...I'd rather die tbh.

 

[LambdaAlpha]

I'll have times where i feel totally fine and ones where i feel death is near. I can't...

 

[sweetpeat]

I appreciate the info. So i should take this daily? Will I develop a dependence? Do you have an recommendations for gerd?

It's probable you'll need to take it daily for a while. I'm assuming you have some healing to do in your gut. I've never heard of anyone becoming dependent on it. I'm not sure Peat would recommend it if it was likely to cause dependence. Hopefully, as you keep your digestion moving and increase calories, your metabolism will increase as well and you can reduce your cascara use and then eliminate it altogether. That may depend on your thyroid status ultimately, but ONE THING AT A TIME

As for GERD, do you know for a fact that you have excess stomach acid? Usually, in cases like yours with slow digestion and constipation, the cause is often a lack of stomach acid. Everything is backed up because of the constipation and the food you eat can't digest fast enough and so it sits there and causes indigestion. If you think that's the case, I would recommend trying some betaine HCL to improve your digestion, especially with protein-heavy meals. You may also find that by using the HCL, you will need less cascara.

 

[Constatine]

yes I tested bilirubin, let me get the paper.
So what steps should I take exactly? It's weird before accutane i could gain muscle easilt and i always had a low body fat and high metab, and extrwnely high sex drive. During accutane i gained alot of weight, started to lose my musculature and gained a feminine fat pattern around my hips, and my libido went south so bad i thought i was asexual. I also got gynecomastia...something I'd never had in my life. Though i still felt like i could do everyday things, I still had energy etc, didn't lay in bed all day...etc. fast forward like 8-9 months after accutane...this is where it gets weird...my body fat, musculature, weight etc that i had pre tane started to return...my gyno went away...I could gain muscle by barely doing anything like before accutane...the female fat patterns went away etc...but then it switched, then came ibs, fatigue, gerd, dizziness, etc...at least before it looked like something could be wrong (even though I felt fine)...now, about a year and a half later/two years later i look like i did pre tane but i feel like absolute trash...it makes no sense. It's like my body resolved part of the damage bit it's not reflecting this in the inside...hormonaly I am highly above average in testosterone and dht. How could it be androgen insensitivity still?

Interesting. Perhaps such excessive vitamin A degraded your gut mucosa (by surpressing production) as it can certainly do (Retinoic acid suppresses intestinal mucus production and exacerbates experimental enterocolitis). I've been through a very similar situation to you. I've almost died multiple times from it. At times I seriously felt like I was dying and at times I became incredibly confused like I had Alzheimer's. But you can heal and things will be good again. I'm about back to my old self now and wiser from the experience. You just need to learn how to endure the bad moments. You need to understand that you are forced to feel the way you do because of your physiology and choose to endure the pain because the future can be bright.
You should try to increase your intestinal mucus production as much as possible by supplementing specific amino acids that stimulate mucus production Nutrition | Mobile. Eat a lot of protein in general as well. You need to rebuild your intestinal barrier. Try a low FOMAD diet while recovering as you need to remove all insults to fully repair.

 

[EIRE24]

Interesting. Perhaps such excessive vitamin A degraded your gut mucosa (by surpressing production) as it can certainly do (Retinoic acid suppresses intestinal mucus production and exacerbates experimental enterocolitis).

People advise high vitamin A for acne. Never helped but then again I never did a very high dose e.g 100k iu