More Thyroid problems

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, but the docs have sure seen a lot of me. If you have a medical problem see a doctor.

My latest CAT scan showed some more problems with my liver. I researched it and found out that some people with thyroid problems also develop liver problems. Then I found out that some people have problems with their thyroid medicine. So I tried reducing, then eliminating my thyroid medicine and discovered that I felt much better.

About that time I was having my car worked on and struck up a conversation with a guy that was in the shops waiting room.  I mentioned about stopping taking synthroid.  He asked if the pill was yellow.  I thought that was a really strange question, but the pill is yellow. He said that some people are allergic to the yellow die like in Mountain Dew. I have known for years that I cannot drink Mountain dew!

Eventually my doctor tried a dosage of synthroid that did not have the yellow die, but unfortunately the side effects were the same.

I do fairly well without synthroid by taking supplements like "Thyroid Activator".  It contains kelp and Irish moss.  My blood tests showed that the levels of free T3 and T4 are within .1 of being normal.  My TSH was 12 however, so the doctors want me on something.

My Synthroid / Levothyroxine Symptoms:
Bloating, Nausea, Headache, and Dizziness.
Bending at the waist is painful.
Muscles cramp and bones ache all over.
Loss of energy, Exhaustion, Need to rest.
No BM, (hemorrhoids from trying) No Appetite.
Difficulty standing (Legs feel like rubber).
No restful sleep, wake up feeling exhausted.

More medical problems - Learning to eat healthier

First of all I must say that I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.  But the doctors have sure seen a lot of me.  If you are sick see a doctor!

You may be wondering why there has been so few posts and no videos from me for such a long time. Well to put simply I have been sick.  In November I was not feeling well and made a doctors appointment.  I also started taking more supplements trying to stop the downward spiral of my health.  In January the doctor observed lumps in my thyroid and sent me for an ultrasound.  During the ultrasound I noticed that the tech was taking lots and lots of pictures.

Next I was sent for a consult and a biopsy.  They had observed many lumps including two that were about one inch in diameter.  One of the larger lumps had no clearly defined edges and both had unusually high blood flow.  Both of those things are bad signs.  They took three biopsy samples from each of the larger growths.  When they pierced one of the growths I flinched every time even though they had anesthetized me.

When the biopsy results came back, there was no cancer found.  Now they will observe the growths every few months to see if they are growing in size.  Also by this time my health was improving.  I was taking lots of supplements, fasting for 23 hours at a time, and mostly drinking green stuff (Greens Pak).  I am taking Turmeric with black pepper, Una De Gato (Cats Claw), and Super Supplemental vitamins as well as the supplements that I have been taking for years.  I have also eliminated all corn syrup (was in yogurt) and almost all sugar.

I have found issues with some tings that I was eating almost everyday.

Oatmeal - Recent studies found very high levels of herbicides in oatmeal.
They are using herbicides to kill oat and wheat plants for faster harvesting.
I am now eating organic oatmeal instead.

Yogurt - They use corn syrup for a sweetener.
Corn is genetically modified (GMO) to have BT Toxin in the plant.
It is also sprayed with herbicides to kill any weeds.

Pretzels and bread - Wheat products have herbicides in them.

Attempting to get off Synthroid

After taking supplements for over a year, I was still struggling with the problem that synthroid was not working anymore.  First I added 'Thyroid activator' then 'iodoral' but it still was not cutting it.  Then I had a conversation with another former synthroid taker (I meet a lot of them - most just quit taking it).  She commented that she ached all over while on synthroid.  I suddenly realized that was exactly my problem so I needed to make another effort to get off the synthroid.

This time I turned to eBay.  Believe it or not there is raw thyroid (equivalent to armor thyroid) available on eBay at 50 mg and 200 mg doses depending on the company.  The 50 mg variety has 300 mg of Kelp and sells for around $16.  What a deal, we will see how it works....

FOLLOW UP - I am still taking synthroid.  I can't stop taking it without turning blue and shutting down....

Thyroid Synthroid and medical problems

Well this is a never ending subject.....

My history was that I was sick for over 10 years.  During that time I saw three primary doctors but they all said that I needed to see a shrink because it was "all in my head".  Then a physicians assistant discovered that my TSH was 8.5 and put me on synthroid.  Problem solved...right?  NOT!

This year for Christmas I got an electric blanket.  What a relief, I can finally sleep at night. Going back 20 years I used to sleep in my underpants.  Then I eventually added PJ's then I added some extra blankets, now I am up to about 10 blankets, and finally this year I have added an electric blanket!  I like the solution they used for King David in First Kings chapter 1.  LOL

A while back I blogged on how that when all my symptoms came back after I had been on the synthroid for several years I went to the doctor and was told that it was all in my head once again, because all my tests are fine.  So I added something called 'Thyroid Activator' from the health food store.  Now I have also added Ionine I think those pills are called "Iodide".

Thyroid Synthroid and medical problems

First of all this is NOT intended to be medical advice.

I have been on Synthroid since around 2003. Back then I had changed doctors 3 times and they all said to see a shrink. My shrink admitted that my fingers were blue but he said I was causing it out of my felt need to be sick. They sent me to a heart specialist who said there was nothing wrong with my heart but my fingers were blue. Then a blood test revealed that my TSH was real high so they put me on synthroid. My temperature jumped from 96 to 98 degrees and 15 years of constipation was finally resolved.

I wish that was the end of the story. However it gets a lot more complicated at this point. Synthroid is T4 and you need T3 and T4 to operate. The theory is that excess T4 is converted to T3. Your brain needs T3 to operate. The amount of T3 and T4 you need varies with the temperature outside and the amount of stress you are under. So after tracking my thyroid status by the constipation I discovered that it actually shows up quicker as depression/paranoia. In fact my brain totally shut down before my fingers turned blue again. Then I took an extra 1/2 dose of synthroid and the depression lifted like magic.

I have long felt that people on synthroid need a better method of tracking their medicine. People with diabetes check their blood sugar three times a day. So I got the idea of tracking my temperature. Over a few days of taking my temperature three times a day, I concluded that it is 96 in the morning, 94 in the afternoon, and 98 in the evening. I have like a "hot flash" almost every evening, and I am a guy! I checked and if it goes below 93 degrees you need medical help. The low reading of 94 corresponds with every muscle aching, being stiff as a board, and being depressed. In fact I sometimes had "panic attacks" that also seem to be from the low temperature. It is like getting on an airplane and remembering that you forgot to pack your suitcase.

What is the solution? I do not know. I think the doctors should keep the TSH real low so that you have excess T4 to convert into T3. Another possibility is to take a Thyroid supplement like Kelp that is a source of natural Iodine, as well as thyrosine, Irish Moss, and some other stuff in it.

Having a low body temperature also leads to chronic illness. This winter I had a cold for 6 weeks before going to Asia. There it quickly resolved. After being back a few weeks it started coming back. The reason you get a fever when you are sick is because raising your temperature kills bacteria. Lowering your temperature allows the bacteria to thrive.