new, need help single mom: thyroid and progest-e

[sunmountain]

Waking up at night often now. Eating ice cream at bed and still waking up. OJ helps sometimes to fall back to sleep. Last night it helped.

Yesterday I ate 2500+ calories: 344 carb and 106 protein.
Day before I ate 2146 cal: 311 carb and 82 protein.

Still waking up.

Is it not enough food, or something else? I am not yet supplementing calcium, and since am not drinking milk presently probably deficient in calcium. Can calcium deficiency affect sleep?

Have been meaning to order oyster shell calcium. How does one take it and how much?

T3 -- I've learned to bite off teeny amount. Took teeny amounts yesterday maybe 4 times spread out. Did not feel any worse fatigue; maybe a bit better. Today taken only twice so far.

I know I often ask the same questions. Memory is really bad and lot of confusion.

My paternal grandmother died when I was a teen. She was in her early eighties I think, and in good health until the end. As a child, I would sometimes sleep with her, but she covered her head tightly with the sheet, so that after a while I had to stick my nose out to breathe. Do you think the CO2 kept her healthy? She slept like this every night.

 

[sunmountain]

Also, RP says to monitor effects of T3 via pulse and temp, and mentions something called a daily temperature cycle.

I'm taking and logging only waking temp/pulse, and on weekends, also after breakfast and afternoon. I cannot find anywhere instructions on how to measure for T3, and also what is daily temp cycle.

Thanks

 

[Mittir]

RP did mention that removing parathyroid glands in kidney dialysis patient
resolved many of their health issues including insomnia. Kidney patient
usually have high PTH. PTH has some role in sleep quality. My experience is
that keeping calcium intake high everyday and calcium intake before bed
improved my sleep a lot. You can compensate for low calcium intake with
vitamin D, Vitamin K, niacinamide, good ratio of calcium to phosphorus etc.
I need less calcium now since i started taking vitamin D regularly.
Extra calcium supplement can cause constipation in some people.

RP also recommends slow introduction of thyroid as body needs time to get
adjusted to extra demand of energy. Liver particularly need to be efficient
at storing glycogen to support increased energy demand.
CO2 surely is a big part of good health. But, this alone cant make everything better.
I also think healthy person naturally retain more CO2 by avoiding hyperventilation.

There is instruction on measuring pulse and temp at http://peatarian.com/peatexchanges
He recommends oral or ear drump temperature measurement. One also needs to notice
or measure temperature of finger,toes and tip of nose. You can use pulse oximeter to
measure your pulse.

 

[sunmountain]

You can compensate for low calcium intake with
vitamin D, Vitamin K, niacinamide, good ratio of calcium to phosphorus etc.

I have been supplementing D for several years when it first hit the news, and I tested and found very deficient. I haven't checked it lately, but it should be high. I've been supplementing K for a few weeks, and have just started Niacinamide and A and selenium. I'm not sure how to ensure good ratio of calcium to phosphorus, other than supplementing calcium?

If my D is high, then PTH should not be too high, right?

I did read RP on peatarian on pulse and temp measurement and have an oximeter and keeping a chart. I was quoting him in my above email from his quotes on Thyroid Hormone, where he says to track T3 via pulse and temp. Did he mean anything other than just the log I'm keeping (waking every day, and after-breakfast and afternoon measurements on weekends)?

Thanks, Mittir!

 

[Mittir]

RP recommends 1200 mg for bones and 1500 mg to suppress PTH.
You will probably need at least 1200 mg even with good vitamin D level.
He recommends tracking temp and pulse to see how T3 dose is affecting
body. This way you can get a good idea how much T3 you will need to maintain
good temp and pulse. Even if you do not measure temp and pulse you can
notice if you are feeling warmer , especially extremities, after taking T3.
I have noticed smoother palm and sole shortly after taking thyroid, it shows
better blood circulation and increased CO2.

 

[sunmountain]

I have ordered the oyster shell powder and will start 1200mg.

My extremities were always cold, but since menopause, they are more normal, though it is summer right now so hard to remember.

Does RP recommend measuring pulse/temp just before and right after each dose of T3, OR does he mean the waking, ABT, and AT, only?

For some reason, the insomnia is back. Oddly the only thing effective right now (most of the time) is OJ. Not even HD ice cream. Last night I couldn't fall asleep until a couple sips of OJ. Then woke up early around 5:15 to go bathroom and didn't sleep after that.

 

[Mittir]

You will need to take oyster shell powder with food for better absorption. Calcium carbonate needs gastric acid to be absorbed properly. It is also good to take calcium in divided doses, 400 mg 3 times a day or 600 mg twice a day. If you see constipation problem you can lower the dose. Some people may lack acid to break down calcium carbonate, in that case you
can consider dissolving calcium carbonate in lime or orange juice. Calcium citrate absorption
does not depend on stomach acid.

I do not remember him mentioning anything specific about measuring temp before and after
T3. I think more temp and pulse you measure, better the understanding. You only need to do it
for few weeks until you reach your target dose.

I have also noticed that ice cream is not as effective as sugared milk. Probably because ice cream has more fat than sugar. You can start drinking OJ or sugary salty food every 1-2 hours from the evening till bed time. This increases the possibility of refilling liver glycogen.
Excess T4 can cause sleep problem.

 

[sunmountain]

Thank you!

I take T4 at bedtime. I wonder if I should try taking it upon waking instead.

If I drink OJ all evening until bedtime, it would definitely put me to sleep but then I might wake up to go to the bathroom. I need to figure out some very sugary food and try that first. Thank you so much for this tip!

I'll mix the Oyster-shell powder in OJ.

 

[Mittir]

RP recommends T4 before bed to suppress night time rise in TSH.
I was talking about excess T4, even excess T3, can cause sleep problem
if there is problem in storing glycogen. This is why RP recommends slow
increase in thyroid supplement while liver is energized. RP also recommends
T3 before bed for sleep problem. I think first approach should be increasing
glycogen storage by eating frequent meals and keeping blood sugar steady.
You can try other sugary food to avoid extra fluid. If i do not feel like drinking
milk, i add 2-3 tbs of sugar to some farmer's cheese and eat one or twice
before bed. You want something with low glycemic index and some
salt, potassium and magnesium to handle the sugar. Adding some fat and protein
to carb can check sharp rise in blood sugar. Fiber also slows down absorption
of carb, but there is risk of endotoxin production, depending on the type of
fiber and gut bacteria composition.

 

[sunmountain]

Thank you, MIttir! Lately I had been plagued by insomnia again, and no amount of OJ, ice cream, etc. helped. 2-3 days ago I drank only apple juice one day instead of OJ. I slept through that night. Today will be the fourth day on apple juice instead of OJ. Let's see how long this can continue.

Which makes me wonder why the difference in juice makes a difference in insomnia.

Also, I had increased table sugar intake and was putting a lot of it in OJ, tea, etc., but it did not make a difference to the insomnia. So it also seems like fructose is the way to go for me if I want to sleep.

I'm also wondering about whether to continue low glycemic like agave versus table sugar. Before Peating, I was using agave for sweetner in tea, but also maple syrup in oatmeal. Is low gly recommended by RP during the day? (I can see why in the evening.)

On another note, I bought a 8-second digital thermometer to take with me to the retreat, and it gave readings a full degree higher than my standard thermometer. I have returned it, but am wondering which one is correct. I prefer oral.

My temps/pulse seem stuck in the late 96s/early 97s and pulse around 75 since I started measuring about 3 weeks ago. I'm taking niacinamide twice a day which helps but still get easily fatigued during the day and wake up fatigued. Also taking A, K, D, E, selenium, vitex, and the calcium just arrived.

I think I need to increase meds, but am wondering which one - T3 or T4. I'm on 25mcg T4, and nibbling teeny amounts T3 during the day. Small amounts so that maybe only 12.5mcg in one day. I came down to this amount as I was taking too much too soon and experiencing joint pains and fatigue. I can try to increase again a bit slowly.

One thing I could do is to run some tests for T4 levels. Before I ask my dr., I thought I would check in here to see which other tests might be useful for me at this point.

Thanks again!

 

[sunmountain]

Also, my tooth is starting to get sensitive again, probably from the increased sugars and fruit juices. When I started K, it helped for a while, but now the sensitivity is back.

I wish there was something to improve memory too; mine is so bad.

 

[Mittir]

Thank you, MIttir! Lately I had been plagued by insomnia again, and no amount of OJ, ice cream, etc. helped. 2-3 days ago I drank only apple juice one day instead of OJ. I slept through that night. Today will be the fourth day on apple juice instead of OJ. Let's see how long this can continue.

Which makes me wonder why the difference in juice makes a difference in insomnia.

Also, I had increased table sugar intake and was putting a lot of it in OJ, tea, etc., but it did not make a difference to the insomnia. So it also seems like fructose is the way to go for me if I want to sleep.

I'm also wondering about whether to continue low glycemic like agave versus table sugar. Before Peating, I was using agave for sweetner in tea, but also maple syrup in oatmeal. Is low gly recommended by RP during the day? (I can see why in the evening.)

I have been experimenting with Apple juice for last 1 week and it has been great.
I believe It is definitely the high fructose content of Apple juice that is doing the trick.
Apple juice can have about 70 percent fructose and some variety of apple has about
85 percent fructose. Fructose with potassium in juice is very efficient at refilling
liver glycogen which keeps all the stress hormones low during the night and
let us sleep for longer hours. Commercial apple juices are free of pectin, unlike OJ.
You can add some baking soda to neutralize the acidity of apple juice.
RP's only concern is the fungal content in apple juice from spoiled apple.
RP is worried about allergenic problem from high temperature processing of
Agave and Maple syrup. Agave is very high in fructose. Even though sucrose
has moderately high glycemic index(around 65) but the insulin index is much lower
than glucose.Extra fructose is also helpful for diabetic people as fructose does not
depend on insulin to be metabolised and it increases metabolism of glucose.

 

[sunmountain]

Thanks, MIttir!

I've started adding a bit of baking soda to the apple juice though I don't like the taste. My tooth sensitivity is bothering me.

Can one get fructose powder or something? So that I can supplement a bit with it in addition to apple juice.

thanks

 

[Blossom]

I have purchased and used pure fructose from the health food store.

 

[sunmountain]

Thanks, Blossom! Do you know if Whole Foods has it? How much do you take at a time, and do you mix it with something?

On another note, I've been feeling very warm suddenly now and then since a day or two, especially at bedtime or night (when I take T4 and a bit of T3). Does this indicate too much T3 again? I had lowered it a lot, and might be mistakenly increasing it.

 

[sunmountain]

Is it hot flashes? Does that mean too much estrogen? What might cause the estrogen rise? I didn't eat my carrot today?

 

[Blossom]

I usually have the fructose in my coffee. I will often use half fructose and half sucrose. Maybe 2 tsp of each. I couldn't find fructose at the whole foods by my house but found it at a locally owned health food store. It's hard to find ( I guess) because fructose has been so demonized lately. On the temperature issue I must plead ignorance. I'm admittedly still trying to regulate my own thyroid dose. I'm hopeful someone will have some insight into that for you though.

 

[sunmountain]

Thanks so much, Blossom! Do you take table sugar for sucrose? What is the total amount of fructose you take in a day? Since I read somewhere that it acts as fat, do you eat a bit less fat overall on account of eating fructose?

I found it at a local store and am about to go get it. It's Aunt Patty's brand from Israel. I'm thinking of having it in around bedtime.

Why is it demonized? Sorry I did not have time to read the internet -- things are incredibly busy these days. What is RP's position on fructose? Sorry for all the questions.

Do you post your thyroid dose regulation adventures somewhere? I would like to start reading other's experiences to see what I can learn.

Last two nights I've been waking up again. So I want to see if the fructose might help.

Thank you

 

[sunmountain]

Also, what is the opinion on taking glucose? I remember growing up overseas that athletes were given glucose right after the games. Wouldn't that be the easiest way to give the body what it needs to make glycogen to sleep through the night?

thanks

 

[Blossom]

Peat seems to favor fructose from fruit, honey, and table sugar from what I've read. I only tried fructose on the advice of a Peat practitioner not Peat himself. When I used the term sucrose I did mean table sugar- sorry for the confusion! I do not have a thyroid log personally but sueq does and I'm sure there are lots of other helpful threads on the forum.