How to help hypothyroid grandmother?

[pyttsan]

My grandmother is very hypothyroid, despite (read: probably worsened by ) a prescription of 100 mcg T4 / day. She also has IBS and some form of autoimmune disease and is on hydrocortisone I believe.

She's well in her 80's and it pains me to see how much her condition has deteriorated lately. I've tried talking to her about diet and, to make it easy, I made a list of things she should try to avoid (grains, PUFA's) but I don't think she takes any of this seriously. Her usual response is to just smile and nod and says something like she'll soon die anyway..

It's frustrating as her problems will probably get worse and eating differently should be such an easy thing to do.

The other issue is the T4 she's prescribed. I don't think it's helping, don't know what the readings was but her body temp is still at 96.8 degrees F. I'm thinking of ordering either synthetic T3 or NDT from PimPom and giving it to her without talking to her doc about it (would probably not do any good, she might even warn grandma about my ideas etc ).

Question is just how much she should start out with. She's old and frail and I think she has problems with her adrenals as well.

Anyone had similar issues or can think of good ways to help her?

EDIT: oops, wrong forum section I believe!

 

[aguilaroja]

My grandmother is very hypothyroid, despite (read: probably worsened by ) a prescription of 100 mcg T4 / day. She also has IBS and some form of autoimmune disease and is on hydrocortisone I believe.

Much depends on what is feasible, with the attitudes of the person, family, caregivers and physicians. If you are close to your grandmother, you might get more information:

What have the TSH numbers been, exactly? On the basis of those number, and better knowledge about even orthodox guidelines, their might be a basis for discussing combined T4/T3 treatment with the prescriber:

http://thyroid.about.com/od/gettestedan ... ltsh_5.htm

Some things have reached closer to the mainstream. Vitamin D testing is much more routine these days, and you could get that 25-hydoxy vitamin D checked (the number, not "normal" or not) and supplement accordingly.

Elderly people, after decades of health trendiness, tend to be low in protein and salt generally. Check whether she is avoiding salt and encourage ("good for thyroid") salt intake in food and as a condiment. Gelatin or (gelatin) gummy bears might be encouraged, IBS permitting. If she is using a lot of margarine, she might be encouraged to enjoy butter. Has she been avoiding cholesterol on medical advice, for instance? If she enjoys eggs, that is a protein source many elder folk enjoy. If her skin is dry, she might use coconut oil as a lotion, to relieve the PUFA burdens a bit.

"IBS" has wide uses. If it is known if she is generally loose or generally constipated, that may guide the choice of support.

More details about the autoimmune diagnosis might help you, as well. I have found that often progesterone or pregnenolone helps protect against corticosteroid side effects, if a person continues on corticosteroids. It's best to discuss corticosteroid measures with a thoughtful treating physician.