Posted by BarbaraCat on August 5, 2002, at 12:29:34
In reply to Re: Bipolar, chocolate thyroid, posted by cybercafe on August 4, 2002, at 20:44:27
Hi, CyberC
You probably don't have low thyroid, especially if you're swinging into heat cycles. Have you checked your other hormones? There's some good reason why you're having these symptoms, you know? Your TSH is very low, so has your doc ruled out hyper thyroid? But internal cold is so hypo thyroid. Or graves disease? Or Hashimoto's thyroiditis? A TSH test does NOT look at any of these other conditions. In fact, many holistically oriented MDs and NDs scoff at the TSH as the end all in a diagnostic thyroid test. If thyroid symptoms still persist - either hot or cold - then additional tests should be given: T4 panel, T3 total, microsomal antibody. Again, you could have plenty of T4 in your blood, but if it's not getting converted to T3, you're plumb out of luck. And that conversion dysfunction is exactly the problem. Most docs will just put you on T4 alone stating that T4 always converts to the active T3 form - but that is definitely not the case. I can't take just T4, like Synthroid, or levoxyl. I have to take the natural hormone which contains T3, as well as other T2 and T1, which I seem to require. So, with all that, it's probably the case that something besides thyroid is malfunctioning in you. But you have to keep at this. Don't know your sex even, but are you going through the change?Re the basal temperature test, it's very common for hypothyroids to show up on it. It can pinpoint a hypothyroid condition even when all blood tests come back normal. In fact, you could take your temp during the day too (just stick it in your mouth rather than the armpit). If your temps are either high or low, it would make you feel bad. This would be good data for your doc as well.
I started on thyroid seriously back in the mid 80's. I went to a holistically oriented MD who heard my symptoms and put me on it immediately without even first doing a test. Prior to that, my thyroid tests always came back 'borderline low' and no one put me on thyroid. Nowadays, those borderline low numbers would be considered hypo without question. A few years ago on the advice of a naturopath, I weaned myself off it to see if I really was hypothyroid or if I could get by on natural support. I became severely tired, depressed, all the symptoms came back but I'd forgotten I'd stopped taking thyroid and didn't make the correlation. I was too fuzzy headed, I guess. My TSH was 5.5, just out of range. I felt terrible and it took almost a year before my system adjusted. Yes, taking enough thyroid helps with anxiety. Too little and I feel depressed, sluggish, bone cold, worried. Too much causes not so much anxiety, but anger. Other symptoms of too much are heart palpitations, skin breakouts, headaches, sweating. I think I told you that I recently increased my dose because I wanted to see if more would help with the fibro pains. I started out at 1.5 grains and slowly went up to 3 and then 3.5. At 3.5 I started flashing with anger at all kinds of things and when my heart started thunking off key, I knew it was too much and backed down. Now at 3 grain, I feel very good. So wierd, because my TSH was 1.9, which is considered just fine. The symptoms can mimic bipolar swings, but the difference is the inner core feeling of hot/cold that show up on a thermometer. I don't know why more doctors don't suggest the simple trick of taking your temp throughout the day for a week or so.
poster:BarbaraCat
thread:111115
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020731/msgs/115298.html