honeypig- That is great news! Thanks for sharing and let us know how your doctors visit goes.
I have a similar story actually, I have been eating strictly gluten free for the past 4 months (husband learned he was severely gluten intolerant and I decided to make the switch with him, part for support and part since I have the Hashimoto antibodies and wanted to try anyway). I feel absolutely AMAZING- the first 2 weeks were bad, but then it was like a flip switched and I have so much energy despite changing jobs and getting a lot less sleep and being on my feet all day. I had blood work this week and am seeing my endo in 3 weeks and I am curious to see what my numbers look like. I haven't felt this good in as long as I can remember- so I actually have a feeling I may be back off my dose again completely but we will see. Actually, now that I think back to 2007 when I went hyper for "no good reason" I had been low-carb dieting trying to lose some weight for triathlon season, I'm wondering if that could have pushed me into the hyper range back then? I'm very curious to see what my numbers look like this time, and to see if I am removed from Synthroid if I will keep feeling this good.
How is everyone else?
HoneyPig and Shaunna - awesome news that the diet is working so well for you!
I wonder if both of you wouldn't mind posting what a typical day's meals would look like. I think it would be helpful to those who may be considering trying this route but not sure how to get started.
I wish I had better news for myself. My FT3 levels keep dropping, I did get a dose increase, and even though it pushed my FT4 levels slightly above the normal range, my last FT3 had dropped even lower than the previous test. Doc wants me to stay on the higher dose and recheck labs sometime in Dec since I wasn't showing any signs of being hyper with elevated FT4 levels. He doesn't know what's going on, but at least he admits he doesn't know and agrees it is linked to my FT3 levels. I'm tired, even with taking naps most days, utterly exhausted whenever I do work out, slowing gaining weight - but that is not going to last for long because now my gut is so messed up, there are very few things I can tolerate eating - and I rarely feel hungry anymore. I've cut back on my estrogen dose just to see if it will make any difference, and still going through the adjustment - big increase in hot flashes at first, but they are tapering down. No one wants to see me try cytomel again, but I don't know, I really don't think anything is going to change without it. I guess I will bring it up again once I see what the Dec labs look like.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown) • Go With The Flow • Thyroid Support Group
Cheryl- really sorry you don't have as positive of a report for yourself. I'm really glad you have gotten to a point with your doctor that they at least realize your FT3 is important and are willing work with you based on that number. Please keep us updated and lest us know how it is going in December.
A typical day of food for me jumps all over the place because 3 days a week I teach from 7 am until 4 pm and live on Larabars since I can't get anything in the school cafe that is GF. The other days of the week I work at home and graze most of the day because I am never really hungry for a big meal. So I'll post some options of things I jump around with for meals, I definitely don't eat all of this in a given day!
Breakfast- Protein shake or eggs and cottage cheese or oatmeal (sometimes GF oats, sometimes not since I am not gluten intolerant am not as worried about the contamination issue) OR a larabar and string cheese. I have been making these egg muffin things with broccoli and cheese lately that are easy to heat up and take in the car. Maybe coffee.
Lunch- Lunch is a lot trickier because I am trying not to eat GF bread because 1) it's really expensive and 2) I don't want to switch up one overly processed food with another. So for lunch I might do fruit and a yogurt if I am at home and some chips. At school I will have a Larabar. Eating out a salad, no croutons.
Snack- I still need an afternoon snack (especially after teaching) and I usually turn to junk here- chips or popcorn, homemade nachos, maybe a cottage cheese or apple and peanut butter if I want to be healthy.
Dinner- Dinner is really pretty easy. Chicken or pork in all sorts of arrangements, steamed veggies, quinoa or rice or potatoes (have got DH loving baked sweet potato fries). Eating out either a salad or a steak/veggie/potato or a burger with no bun. You can actually find GF foods at a lot of places now, like Dominos, PF Changs, etc. Sometimes ice cream for dessert (most non-cookie types are fine). And of course wine
It really hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to make the switch. I miss good craft beer and the ease of just picking up a sandwich or a wrap on the run, but I don't miss cookies/cakes/crackers like I thought I would. My sweet tooth has changed quite a bit. My DH has lost 30 pounds and I've lost 10 (I'm sure I'd lose more without the chips but oh well)... and I feel a million times better. DH does get sick to his stomach when he accidentally has gluten now so eating out is a little bit harder just trusting someone else to make the food right, but that just supports that fact that he needed to go GF (something I have been saying since his mom and sister were diagnosed with Celiac 4 years ago!)
Thanks, Shaunna!
Interesting lab results for me. Despite feeling amazing, my TSH jumped from 1.7 back in March to 3.92 now. So strange because I would have sworn it was around 1.0 or lower just based on how good I have been feeling. FT4 is still smack in the middle of normal range and we didn't test FT3. All other labs look good.
For now I am sticking with me same dose, going to test again in 5 months and see where my TSH is then. My endo says 3.92 is on the high side of what she prefers (<4) but doesn't really need a dose increase if I am feeling good. I decided not to push for an increase because I don't want to take more Synthroid than I need and cause unnecessary bone loss. She did say that before I decide to have kids she wants my TSH below 2.5, so I will probably go for a dose increase in the spring if my number is still in the same place since that's part of the "sometime in the not so distant future" plan. I'll get another sonogram then too as past ones have shown abnormalities but no nodules.
So basically just in keeping an eye on things mode, but she stressed how important it is to be really vigilant about treatment before/during pregnancy so that's something I'll have to plan for in advance.
That is interesting about the TSH jump, but the most important thing is that you feel good - yay for that!
Have you ever had a Dexa scan? If not - I wonder if your endo might order one as a baseline for you if you are concerned about bone loss.
I love your "not too distant future" plan!!!
I feel awful - tired, muscles feel weak and I am brain fogged - oh my! I have got to make myself go work out today - it's been a week since the last time. Should have my labs back this week - maybe I am some weird combo of high/low. I thought about dropping back to the 125, but then decided to wait for labs and discuss with the endo. I have a chem profile, CBC and A1C coming as well - maybe something else is out of wack.
Really sorry you are feeling so crummy- hope you can tweak some things and that will help. It stinks to be so sluggish this time of year.
I have not had a Dexa scan, but I remember talking about it with the ortho when I had my 2nd stress fracture (at 25). I should probably follow up with my endo about that in the spring, thanks for the reminder.
Well, I got my labs back and seems like cutting back on the estradiol helped my FT3 levels - won't know for sure until I get the next set and see if they are stable. My white blood count came back double what it usually is, so apparently I have some kind of infection going on somewhere - had a re-check as well as a test to check for inflammation and the inflammation test was normal, so I'm guessing I just never got over my sinus infection even though the bronchitis cleared up like a month ago. If I don't start feeling better soon, I'm going to an ENT to have my sinus situation evaluated. In the meantime, I decided it was finally time to get off my butt and start exercising again. Hardest part was dragging myself to the gym. OK, I didn't drag myself - I had DH do it . Tomorrow, I make my attempt at running again - outside - so I have an excuse (weather/snow/ice) to make me feel better at how poorly I'm going to do. Whatever - it's always like that when I start over. The important thing is that I remember how good it feels when I'm back in shape.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas and still enjoying some time off to spend with loved ones.
Driver, Runner, Bestie
Hi All: Of course nobody can believe the internet. I have been stuck in a rut as far as losing weight, maintaining energy and just trying to get some steady numbers on my medication. I have been falling to increasingly worse hypo numbers and the response of my doctor is to increase my medication. In the last 6 months I have gone from 112 to 132 to 150. So I am searching for answers.
I found this article that sounds like bunk, but wanted to get your opinions. http://torresfitness.com/can-too-much-running-effect-your-thyroid
Thanks for listening. Kate
Hi Kate,
I am sorry to hear you are having problems again. I took a look at the link, and my thought is that perhaps there is a connection but it would have to do with what is excessive for the individual - it's not the first time I've read about the connection and I don't think it applies to just women. The only way you could know for sure if it is affecting you, is to cut back or slow down and see if it makes any difference. Has there been a change in how hard you train? Has there been a change in how you feel after training even without an increase? If training feels like it is causing fatigue or just feeling a lot harder than it used to, you might want to drop back. If you feel no different during or after training, then I am guessing that perhaps something else is causing the problem, It could be fluctuating estrogen levels, or cortisol, or iron levels, or just a change/worsening of your thyroid function. Some people have had success with going gluten free, if you haven't tried that, it might be an option for you.
Hugs and if you find any other information or find something that helps you, please share.
Cheryl
Oh roo roooo!
+1 to the comment above about going gluten free. I had been dabbling in that area for quite some time but when I started w/a new doc this past September, she challenged me to actually do it and go totally gluten free. Since then, we have cut my levothyroxine dose from 150 mcg to 112 mcg in 2 steps down. I also lost 10 lbs from mid-September to mid-December (still have a good 20 to lose, but those 10 just went away of their own accord w/no calorie counting, no specific weight loss attempts of any kind, on my part).
I'm short on time now but can post more later if folks are interested.
Have a good day, all!
Another update from me- still eating GF and feeling really good. Was taking 1/2 of 25 mcg Synthroid, and TSH went from 2.8 in April to 4.35 in August. I was shocked it was so high, because I still felt pretty decent. I noticed I was having trouble losing the few pounds I put on with summer travel, and was having higher than normal hair loss, but my energy, mind-fog, etc were all OK. My endo agreed to up me to a whole dose of 25 mcg and I was just retested (only 3 weeks later b/c endo is going on maternity leave). TSH already down to 3.3, and a month later I am really feeling the effects- almost like an excess nervous energy and trouble sleeping and concentrating that just showed up this week. These are all basically symptoms of hyper, but knowing my TSH is 3.3 I guess my body is just getting used to the higher dose. FT4 was right in range and metabolic panel was fine. I'll get everything tested again in January. Goal is to get TSH<2.5, which I think this higher dose will do.
I had 2 more sonograms- one in April which showed that I had developed 2 cysts (both <0.5 cm in size) that were not there last year. My endo was concerned that they showed up so fast and went along with the big jump in TSH so she ordered another sonogram in August that showed they had both decreased slightly in size (great news)!. The guess is that I will need more and more Synthroid over time as my thyroid fails, but that as long as I am in a decent TSH range, the cysts will hopefully not grow too much. Strangely my mom (diagnosed hypo a few years ago) also had 2 cysts (both < 1 cm) found on her thyroid this spring, but it was her 1st ultrasound so no idea how long they have been there. She had a Levoxyl increase this summer and just had a 2nd sonogram and hers also shrank slightly.
Honestly, I think being back on meds has helped me a lot, but the GF thing seems to be what keeps my energy levels high and most of the hypo symptoms away. I can't believe how "normal" I felt at 4.35- if I had to guess I would have said I was around 2.0! Guess I can't read my body just based on symptoms anymore!
How's everyone else?
I've been doing great on 100 mcg/day. So good that I just ran my first marathon! Can hardly believe it, really. At age 57 and having run for the last 30 years, finally fulfilled a long held dream I never thought I was capable of. I'm due for annual TSH test this week and hoping it's normal because I dread any dose reduction. I don't have any "hyper" symptoms, so I'm hoping my good energy level is just a reflection of good health.
Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done.
Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.
That is great to hear HappyFeat! Congrats on the marathon!
Happy---that is wonderful! So very glad you were able to run a marathon. What is next--an ultra? Seriously, you should be proud of all you have accomplished with running inspite of the hypo. You are my hero!