AmandaWald hopes to get thyroid meds soon

AmandaWald

Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2013
Messages
49
Hi everyone!

A quick intro:

What's your age?
50 (and female)

How did you find the forum?
Google

How did you find Ray Peat's work?
via the Active Low-Carbers Forum

How long have you been Peating?
Tried maybe a year ago, gave up, restarted in October due to insomnia

What is your favorite part about Peating?
sugar

What is the worst part?
the PUFA restrictions - the dang stuff is EVERYWHERE!

What are your health issues?
Being hypothyroid, slightly overweight, but unable to get treatment - so far - because of my TSH level not being high enough. I have always been a high-adrenaline, wired sort of person and I think that my high adrenaline levels keep my TSH down.

I had bloodwork done two years ago (Sept 2011) after feeling terribly tired all the time, but the doc in question - after I showed him my puffy ankles, pigment loss around my eyes - told me, "You.Are.Not.Hypothyroid.". Even the fact that my cholesterol had gone up - even he could see that - was not enough to point in that direction. My TSH was only "2.4" or thereabouts and that was that. He ended our conversation by muttering, "Psychological problems" and I left his office fighting tears. It took me two years to actually find the courage to tackle a doctor again.

I have recently had bloodwork done (docs are on holiday though, so I won't see the results till next week) and am wondering what the new numbers will be. The doc I saw last time - a new general practitioner - seemed determined to argue against me when I suggested that my various symptoms could come from the same source - i.e. low thyroid function - so I see a battle ahead.

My DH is losing weight right now from having given up baked goods from the store (i.e. white bread and so on) and by eating massive evening salads. I keep telling him that I can't eat like him, but he keeps showing me his new low weight numbers!!!

I daren't tell anyone about my new love affair with sugar as I have probably lost all credibility in my family after having been low-fat, low-animal-protein in 2003-2004 (and lost weight, but muscle, too). In 2007 I started on a low-carb diet as I had gained weight again after giving up the low-fat diet (I was just too hungry to keep up with it). I got into missionary mode over the low-carb thing, demonising sugar - as you do - and carbs and trying to convert the world to my new religion. But then it caused blood sugar issues in a big way and I had to give up the low-carb diet as well.

I think I have probably been hypothyroid for most of my life as I have always had the problem of not being able to go long without food and have always been rather hyper and driven - i.e. someone who has always relied on adrenaline for energy, rather than glycogen stores. The low blood sugar problem didn't get really bad, though, until May 2009, when I was unable to even stand up for a couple of hours every morning because I felt so dizzy and spacy. I saw a couple of doctors back then (ENO specialist and my GP) but nobody found anything and nobody could explain anything.

I then somehow found out about "adrenal fatigue" and because I TOTALLY fit the profile, I started on the Schwarzbein programme (which does have some similarities with Peat, actually) and also started reading about magnesium. I started to feel somewhat better after I got more magnesium inside me and started taking supplements. I ended up giving up Schwarzbein when I realized that I couldn't give up coffee. I read about Peat and coffee at some point and lost faith in Schwarzbein.

The other reason I am sure I have been hypothyroid for a long time is my total inability to hold on to magnesium. My DH never ever takes any supplements (well, once in a blue moon if he is very stressed, he agrees to take a bit of magnesium) and never has cramps or other signs of low magnesium, but I get them All. The. Time. Even though I supplement. My younger daughter seems to be taking after me in this respect and I am going to see if I can get her (she's 13) checked for hypothyroidism soon. It makes me think that there is a history of hypothyroidism in my family, certainly on the maternal side, and that the fact that my younger daughter has so many similar symptoms to mine makes me feel that there must be something in my suspicion as hypothyroidism does tend to run in families.

Now in 2013, I find myself drawn to Peat as he is the only one who makes sense. Even if he is a bit bonkers, too.

I have started implementing a few small changes and am already feeling a lot better, but I don't think I have a chance of losing weight - my extra weight is partly myxedema, I'm sure - until I get some extra thyroid in my system.

OK, that is all for now. Have to get my kids their lunch as they will be home in about an hour.

Thanks for reading,

Amanda

I am hoping so badly to be able to persuade a doctor here to prescribe me some T4/T3 medication as I have very little chance of being able to import T3 from anywhere. The German customs are very strict and open packages from outside the European Union.
 

Mittir

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
2,033
Did your doctor test for Total T3 ? A person can have normal TSH and T4 with
low total T3 , which is the active form of thyroid hormone.
Some people have normal total T3 but high reverse T3,which also results in hypothyroidism.
Even if you can convince your doctor about it, they will most likely prescribe
only T4. This T4 needs to be converted by liver to T3 and female liver tends to be
less efficient at doing that and this will make things worse.
Rayser is from Germany and she got her thyroid med from overseas.
You can make chicken neck soup or fish head soup to compensate for
thyroid hormone. There are good amount of thyroid in there.
Check Jenn's post on chicken neck soup.
Here is an article on "Low T3 syndrome" using scientific studies.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/118651-overview
 
OP
A

AmandaWald

Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2013
Messages
49
Hi Mittir,
Thanks for your reply. I asked for reverse T3 but they couldn't do that test as the docs were about to go on holiday and there was some technical reason - at least that is what the technician who took the blood said. She looked it up in some kind of handbook and told me.
So, this time around at least, I am only getting TSH, T3 and T4 tested.

I am going to do my very best to get a combination thyroid med prescribed. No way am I going to let them give me a T4-only med!

Thanks for the tip about the other forum member from Germany, who goes by the name Rayser. I think I saw someone else called something like "tcrazyjam" who seems to be from Germany.

Thanks also for the tip about chicken neck soup. I don't know where I could source chicken necks, but fish heads might be easier to come by. I bet the house will stink of fish afterwards, though!

So much to do and think about...
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom