Some help for a newbie please! Thyroid help please!

Mousey77

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Hello everyone :)
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but it seems to be the only place I can find on the internet that seems to have really knowledgeable people posting in relation to thyroid medication/issues.

Basically this is my story ( shortened!) I've been thinking that my thyroid hormones aren't functioning properly because of a few things... I'm 38 now and untill 7 years ago I was NEVER overweight. I've not changed what I'm eating, and if anything I'm exersizing more! I've gained about 60-70lbs and I can only lose weight by starvation. I have other symptoms such as low mood ( which I've never had before) perhaps the low mood is due to all this weight, I don't know, all I know is I'm at breaking point with it, and thought it MUST be my thyroid.... On a whim I ordered some Desiccated thyroid from Thailand (Pimpom) figuring I would take it to speed my metabolism.
I then figured that I should probably get my thyroid tested! (Probably could have done that first!)
Anyway my test results came back today and it looks like all is 'normal' *sigh* the way I'm feeling and my symptoms, I felt SURE there would be something wrong with my hormones :(
My results were TSH 1.89, FT4 15.6pmol/L, FT3 5.2pmol/L Which I know is completely normal.

My question is would it hurt me to take the desiccated thyroid, like in a low dose of 1 grain daily just to increase my metabolism slightly?

I don't want to stuff my body up, but I'm just so unhappy with this weight. And yes I know about calorie control and low carb etc. it's just that I actually have to go down to 1,000-1,200 calorie range for weeks to lose any weight, it's so unsustainable as it's such low calorie. Any slip up in a week and I don't lose an ounce. I'm just feeling very down about it.
Advice would be appreciated please!
 

Nicholas

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Mousey77 said:
post 115866 My question is would it hurt me to take the desiccated thyroid, like in a low dose of 1 grain daily just to increase my metabolism slightly?

if your body temperature rises between when you wake up and lunch then you are not hypothyroid (according to Broda Barnes). But, like most people, body temp may not be as stable or high as we would like it to be (and thyroid testing doesn't always reveal these problems). That is simply low thyroid function that your body has downregulated on its own - with the help of you and your environment. If you have low thyroid function this means that you have low total body function. You will have hormonal imbalances elsewhere, not just thyroid. If you have an inability to lose weight, i would venture to guess that you have other dysfunctions as well that you are dealing with. Nobody gets into a low thyroid state because they are deficient in NDT. Our choices and environment, over time, are to blame. Just as we collaborate with our bodies over time to downregulate function, we can also collaborate with our bodies over time to increase function. Your weight loss experiments would be a direct cause in lowering thyroid function, as a lack of fuel shuts down the conversion of T4 to T3.

measuring your temp. *with* pulse upon waking, 20min. after breakfast, and 20min. after lunch (all at rest) can reveal more of the state of your energy production. you should re-post what those are when you are able.
 
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answersfound

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Mousey77 said:
post 115866

My question is would it hurt me to take the desiccated thyroid, like in a low dose of 1 grain daily just to increase my metabolism slightly?

Not at all. It is my personal belief that most human beings should be on .5 to 1 grain of thyroid minimum. You don't sound too desperate and your TSH is floating around 1 so you can analyze the effects patiently after a month and then see if you want more, like 2 grains. But you should eat in the 2500-3500 calorie range.
 
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Giraffe

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:welcome Moussey77!

Did you have cholesterol tested? If you are under eating I would expect it to be low-ish.

Want to tell us more about your diet? What and how much do you eat in a day?
 
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Mousey77

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Giraffe said:
post 115896 :welcome Moussey77!

Did you have cholesterol tested? If you are under eating I would expect it to be low-ish.

Want to tell us more about your diet? What and how much do you eat in a day?
Giraffe said:
post 115896 :welcome Moussey77!

Did you have cholesterol tested? If you are under eating I would expect it to be low-ish.

Want to tell us more about your diet? What and how much do you eat in a day?

Thanks everyone for the input! I knew I'd find people that could help here!
In regards to cholesterol it is low LDL 2.1 mmol/L, HDL 1.40 mmol/L
Haemoglobin is 141 g/L
I had my blood glucose looked at too HBA1C is 4.8% and 29 mmol/mol
So all these are totally normal.

What I'm really concerned about is this... Doctor said my thyroid function is 'normal' and wouldn't prescribe anything obviously. He tested the TSH and T3, T4. So if I take the desiccated thyroid, wouldn't my TSH go down, which will mean my own body stops producing T4 etc. then it would be a negative feedback loop that would mean I have to take more of the tablets as my own TSH is not triggering my own hormones? And does this have the potential to damage my own thyroid function? Does the thyroid 'pick up' again if I was ever to stop taking the Thyroyd ( which is the product I ordered a few weeks ago- it isn't to me yet)

I have other symptoms that I think seem hormone related too, like the last 6 months I've had serious pain around my foot bones, ankles ( and a little in my calves) like sometimes I can't walk properly for 20 mins until the foot "warms up" from me using it ( I don't know if I'm explaining that right!) Also I feel like I've been to the gym and worked out ( my legs mainly) even if I haven't! Like I feel muscle fatigue that feels like gym related. If I do go to the gym I feel worse in that regard. I thought perhaps I was working out too much ( 3 days a week) so I've had a complete rest the last 3 weeks and I STILL have the lower leg pain and fatigue!

Also I feel very unmotivated ( which is totally not like me) I'm usually go go go! But I just can't be bothered with stuff and I feel so much is an epic chore ( if you get what I mean)

My weight is seeming to be attracted to my middle too, which I know is usually a hormonal problem, I've always been very slim, and when I did gain weight it has gone evenly everywhere, but now I'm losing my waist definition ( which is depressing me no end)

The tempreture thing is a great tip, and I'll try and measure it tomorrow ( I read this message after I'd already got up and wandered around and had coffee!) Do you think that tempreture is a better measure of hypothyroid than the tests? Because the tests say I'm 'normal' ( I put my numbers in the original post)

I appreciate this advice so much, I really don't have anyone to ask that isn't going to judge me!

Also I'm not sure I can get another blood test in a few months to monitor myself if I do start taking the desiccated thyroid, my doctor was adamant that I didn't need medication, and he would flip out if he thought I disregarded his advice and ordered drugs from Thailand! I'm in Australia so I don't think I can use the services that you request your own blood tests like they are used in America etc. So in the opinion of the forum, given the levels of the hormones I posted above that are in my blood, what would be a safe dose, or should I just go on how I feel rather than bloodtests? Is that unsafe/unwise?
 
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Giraffe

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Weight around the waistline is suggestive of too much estrogen in relation to progesterone. Thyroid supplementation might help here, but so might aspirin, vitamin E, progesterone or pregnenolone... It might be enough to make some changes to your lifestyle and diet: reduce stress, get enough daylight, get enough nutrients, don't over-exercise.

If I was you, I would try diet and life-style changes first, and I would focus on getting healthy before trying to tackle weight issues. Many of us here saw huge improvements within a month after changing our diet and food frequency.

It is your total cholesterol that matters. If it is low-ish, it's better to get it up before trying thyroid. Forget everything you have heard about how bad cholesterol is; it is an important building block of steroid hormones.

Mousey77, no matter how many questions we ask, chances are we don't get a complete enough picture to advise for or against thyroid supplements. Best is you educate yourself.

Maybe start here:

Ray Peat Diet, Food Choices, and General Guidelines
Cholesterol and saturated fats
TSH, temperature, pulse rate, and other indicators in hypothyroidism

Good luck!
 

answersfound

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I have found tests to be pretty much useless.
 

Nicholas

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Mousey77 said:
post 115997 I have other symptoms that I think seem hormone related too

the hormones are not the root of the symptoms. there is something else in your context which is requiring the body to create an imbalance of hormones. everything in the body requires hormones for communication.

Mousey77 said:
post 115997 Do you think that tempreture is a better measure of hypothyroid than the tests?

yes (only if it's in conjunction with measuring pulse). testing for any hormone is not usually that helpful. because the labwork doesn't explain to you why things are imbalanced. a hormone doesn't raise or lower in isolation - it raises and lowers in direct relation to other hormones raising and lowering....which is in direct relation to the context of your body. so to try to isolate a hormone to "fix" is not biochemically logical. it is impossible to balance a single hormone. the only way to balance a single hormone is to balance all hormones. It is probably more important for you right now to get away from the clutter of trying to figure things out and what changes you have to make and to focus more on how the body works. Dr. Diana Schwarzbein teaches almost entirely Ray Peat concepts but really ties it all together for the person interested in healing. If you want, she has a lecture on youtube, "Survival of the Smartest".

Dr. Diana Schwarzbein doesn't really get into the variables of (as she says) "building".....so i will list the ones i have realized over time. These are the variables we use to balance all hormones (i.e. create oxidative metabolism (i.e. regulate blood sugar)). These variables are different for everyone and could add even more, but these are the basics that you address to bring balance into to your life.

your stress environment
your physical activity
your sunlight exposure
your sleep habits
your habits in general
your social activity
your calories per day
your calories per meal
your meals per day
your timing of meals
your non-allergenic food
your digestible food
your types and varieties of carbs
your types and varieties of proteins
your types of fats
your macro ratios per meal
your nutrient variety
your fiber/fiber types
your toxins in your environment (to a lesser degree)

All of these variables together are what is the point - not picking and choosing. For example, if one is not eating frequently enough and pushing food through the system, they may experience digestive woes. Those digestive woes may have nothing to do with their ability to digest that food. That is just an example. In other words, you can't really assess any one of these variables until you are assessing all of them. Ironic, this is the way the body works chemically as well. : )

Your body will shed excess fat in a state of balance, not in a state of deficiency or excess. even further, it will shed it on its own time schedule so long as you are providing the CONSISTENT balance to keep it from feeling its in an emergency. completely throw out all other wishes or desires or thoughts about how you have to lose weight and save yourself years of time by accepting this truth. : )

every positive choice you make really does matter....and it adds up.
 
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