That I HAVE This Disease: Tests Back...Looks Normal.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:50 pm

Ok, I'm trying to make a little humor out of it, but I'm going to do the tests tomorrow for a bum thyroid, and if it shows hypothyroidism, it will explain a host of things messing me up for some time. Weight gain, constant fatigue, anemia, aches/pains, diabetes, depression, etc. The thyroid can be treated, and all that other stuff really cannot be cured, just have meds thrown at it.
I don't like whining, but I sure hope this is something they can put their finger on, and get me straightened out.

Rimfire McNutjob · Post by **Rimfire McNutjob** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:01 pm

Sounds serious. Just in case things go south, I'm going to reserve a space in my safe for your 88 in 284. You know, just in case.

I'm getting a thyroid ultrasound tomorrow morning for the same.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:04 pm

Prayers that it gets sorted out and you get your wish friend.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:11 pm

Rimfire McNutjob wrote:Sounds serious. Just in case things go south, I'm going to reserve a space in my safe for your 88 in 284. You know, just in case.

I'm getting a thyroid ultrasound tomorrow morning for the same.

Good luck to you, as well.... I hope we don't need surgery. For some reason they tend to "bump" things, and the parathyroid, and larynx go T.U.

Your concern for an orphaned 88 is touching....

Rimfire McNutjob · Post by **Rimfire McNutjob** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:21 pm

BlaineG wrote: Your concern for an orphaned 88 is touching....

I was worried that it was a little "off color" but then I came to my senses when I remembered "Blaine" was the OP and that if I wasn't careful, you would somehow pun me to death in this thread.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:28 pm

I hope all goes well for you TTT and Rimfire McNutjob.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:38 pm

.

Wishes for the best of luck, fellas !

FWIW, thyroid issues effect one's entire metabolism (I had my thyroid gland removed in 2001), and can tell you a few things that are good to know, going in.

Metabolism isn't just how food is handled it is more about how every cell in your body functions, for good or for bad.

First/foremost, in this "fast-food" mindset, realize that ANY changes in thyroid levels and/or medications (like synthroid) will take place s...l...o....w....l....y - like testing for the results of the tiniest change won't take place for 3-4 MONTHS , because of the very slow body/metabolism responses to changes in thyroid levels.
Thyroid level stabilization can/will take 18-24 months of several different medication changes/waiting/testing, etc, etc, etc.

Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) that affect cell functions can include:

Fatigue

Sleepiness

Mood swings

Forgetfulness

Weight gain

Depression/irritability

Muscle cramping and aching

Weakness

Decreased perspiration

Changes in blood pressure

High cholesterol

Swelling in legs

Blurred vision

Cold intolerance

Hoarse voice

Heavy menses (females)

Coarse, dry hair and skin

Hair loss (on head and/or body)

Constipation

Please don't hesitate to accept treatment as soon as possible, even if it involves surgery (like me) - as IME it will take (literally) YEARS to get stabilized enough to function (almost) as before/normally.

.

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:43 pm

Good luck, fellers.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:45 pm

Pete44ru wrote:.

Wishes for the best of luck, fellas !

FWIW, thyroid issues effect one's entire metabolism (I had my thyroid gland removed in 2001), and can tell you a few things that are good to know, going in.

Metabolism isn't just how food is handled it is more about how every cell in your body functions, for good or for bad.

First/foremost, in this "fast-food" mindset, realize that ANY changes in thyroid levels and/or medications (like synthroid) will take place s...l...o....w....l....y - like testing for the results of the tiniest change won't take place for 3-4 MONTHS , because of the very slow body/metabolism responses to changes in thyroid levels.
Thyroid level stabilization can/will take 18-24 months of several different medication changes/waiting/testing, etc, etc, etc.

Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) that affect cell functions can include:

Fatigue
Sleepiness
Mood swings
Forgetfulness
Weight gain
Depression/irritability
Muscle cramping and aching
Weakness
Decreased perspiration
Changes in blood pressure
High cholesterol
Swelling in legs
Blurred vision
Cold intolerance
Hoarse voice
Heavy menses (females)
Coarse, dry hair and skin
Hair loss (on head and/or body)
Constipation

Please don't hesitate to accept treatment as soon as possible, even if it involves surgery (like me) - as IME it will take (literally) YEARS to get stabilized enough to function (almost) as before/normally.

.

Yep.....VA has been treating individual symptoms for over five years, and I had them for years before that.....I'm hoping a T3, T4 replacement regimen will suffice. But, my calcium is marginally high, as well = parathyroid.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:07 pm

BlaineG wrote:
Pete44ru wrote:.

Please don't hesitate to accept treatment as soon as possible, even if it involves surgery (like me) - as IME it will take (literally) YEARS to get stabilized enough to function (almost) as before/normally.

Yep.....VA has been treating individual symptoms for over five years, and I had them for years before that.....I'm hoping a T3, T4 replacement regimen will suffice. But, my calcium is marginally high, as well = parathyroid.

Yeah - All four of my parathyroid glands were paralyzed after my thyroid gland was removed, and my body weight required 2000MG of a calcium supplement per day for 13 years, but my VA Endocrinologist thinks they may be in partial recovery, as my calcium levels have recently become high enough to reduce my daily requirement down to 1000MG/day.

.

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:09 pm

Prayer up my friend. Keep us posted.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:59 pm

Prayers up.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:56 pm

Be sure they don't just check the TSH - a free-T3 (and total T3), free-T4 (and total T4), and Reverse-T3 should ALL be done.

Most important in my not-necessarily-humble opinion would be the TSH, fT3 and RT3.

Also keep in mind that the laboratories give "REFERENCE ranges" - NOT "Normal ranges"....meaning that they bell-curve the data from patients without diagnoses known to affect the thyroid, and figure out the "two standard deviations" statistically, which means they will have two numbers, with the lower one the cutoff that 2.5% of the population is below, and the upper one the cutoff that 2.5% of the population is above. Those are NOT "Normal ranges" but many doctors treat them as if they are.

If exactly 2.5% of the population were hypothyroid, and another 2.5% were hyperthyroid, those numbers would work as 'normal ranges', but hyperthyroidism is much less common than that, and hypothyroidism may be anywhere from 5% to 20% of the population, depending on age, gender, other medical conditions, and symptoms (...and - who you ask...!)

Sometimes the only way to know if thyroid Rx would help is to try it. You want to be sure not to push a lot of T4 (levothyroxine) into the system unless you're sure it's going to turn into T3, instead of Reverse T3, so measuring them both initially and at followup is important. You can take products like NatureThroid that is a mix of T3 and T4 if that issue arises, or if you have side effects from the T4 being driven too high (fast heart rate, etc.).

The good news is that sometimes treating thyroid enables better lipid/cholesterol response to meds, so those meds can be lowered or even sometimes discontinued, and the same thing sometimes happens to medications for diabetes or low testosterone.

Good Luck

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 9:17 pm

Prayers up. For as many advances we've made medically, there is still nothing routine. Hope it goes well, they identify what's ailing you, and most of all, you get the care you desire!

jdad · Post by **jdad** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:42 pm

Blaine,

Thyroid issues aren't that big of a deal. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto Syndrome a little over a year ago. It's an auto-immune disease that attacks the thyroid. I take the med daily and get blood work every 3 months. I thought it was just old age setting in. Once they get yours regulated you'll be feeling young again too.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 11:00 pm

jdad wrote:Blaine,

Thyroid issues aren't that big of a deal. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto Syndrome a little over a year ago. It's an auto-immune disease that attacks the thyroid. I take the med daily and get blood work every 3 months. I thought it was just old age setting in. Once they get yours regulated you'll be feeling young again too.

Hoping

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:27 am

https://www.nahypothyroidism.org/deiodinases/

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 9:21 am

AJMD429 wrote:Be sure they don't just check the TSH - a free-T3 (and total T3), free-T4 (and total T4), and Reverse-T3 should ALL be done.

Most important in my not-necessarily-humble opinion would be the TSH, fT3 and RT3.

Also keep in mind that the laboratories give "REFERENCE ranges" - NOT "Normal ranges"....meaning that they bell-curve the data from patients without diagnoses known to affect the thyroid, and figure out the "two standard deviations" statistically, which means they will have two numbers, with the lower one the cutoff that 2.5% of the population is below, and the upper one the cutoff that 2.5% of the population is above. Those are NOT "Normal ranges" but many doctors treat them as if they are.

If exactly 2.5% of the population were hypothyroid, and another 2.5% were hyperthyroid, those numbers would work as 'normal ranges', but hyperthyroidism is much less common than that, and hypothyroidism may be anywhere from 5% to 20% of the population, depending on age, gender, other medical conditions, and symptoms (...and - who you ask...!)

Sometimes the only way to know if thyroid Rx would help is to try it. You want to be sure not to push a lot of T4 (levothyroxine) into the system unless you're sure it's going to turn into T3, instead of Reverse T3, so measuring them both initially and at followup is important. You can take products like NatureThroid that is a mix of T3 and T4 if that issue arises, or if you have side effects from the T4 being driven too high (fast heart rate, etc.).

The good news is that sometimes treating thyroid enables better lipid/cholesterol response to meds, so those meds can be lowered or even sometimes discontinued, and the same thing sometimes happens to medications for diabetes or low testosterone.

Good Luck

Thanks for the details, AJ !

I've been into ongoing treatment for 14 years, now, and never knew the details (even though they're like Chinese to this dum-dum

)

.

plowboy 45 · Post by **plowboy 45** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 9:27 am

Prayers will be said in OL MISS.

FWiedner · Post by **FWiedner** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 9:37 am

Prayers up, Blaine.

Hope you find a path to feeling better.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 10:28 pm

Prayers up Blaine.

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 8:53 am

Blaine, Rimfire, you have my prayers and good wishes as well.

JerryB · Post by **JerryB** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:36 pm

Blaine and Rimfire, prayers said for your surgery and healing that God's will be done

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:24 pm

I really appreciate it. Thanks.

Rimfire McNutjob · Post by **Rimfire McNutjob** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:19 pm

Thanks. I see the Endo on Monday to get my results from labs and the ultrasound. I might get out of the biopsy due to my heavy Warfarin use. I literally bleed like a stuck pig.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 2:13 pm

Rimfire McNutjob wrote:Thanks. I see the Endo on Monday to get my results from labs and the ultrasound. I might get out of the biopsy due to my heavy Warfarin use. I literally bleed like a stuck pig.

All the best.

piller · Post by **piller** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 2:22 pm

If you do get put on thyroid medication, I have to second AJMD429's recommendation for which one to use. I am not a fan of Synthroid, AKA levothyroxine, due to having seen it fail too many times. Additionally, Synthroid made me bleed from my ears. Yes, there was some blood that would come out of my ear canals and drip down. I am +2+2 on the 2C19 part of the Cytochrome P450 liver enzyme system, and I don't process levothyroxine (Synthroid) properly. Even though I am an extreme rarity in this case, I base my dislike of levothyroxine on years of watching patients, and not on my own problem with it.

Ray Newman · Post by **Ray Newman** » Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:46 am

Blaine: hope all goes well with you.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:29 pm

All the tests were in the "normal" range. But, as Doc AJ said, I'll talk about this with TPTB.....

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:35 pm

Always knew you were "normal", which is a range, not definite point! Good luck going forward.

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 4:34 pm

Blaine, I am sorry it did not boil down to an easily treatable condition that would have addressed the side issues. Fresh prayers.

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:11 pm

Sorry you didn't have the disease. Now that really sounds strange. But prayers will continue that the problem is identified and treated.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 11:38 pm

Say La Veee

JohndeFresno · Post by **JohndeFresno** » Mon Jan 25, 2016 12:54 am

Bill in Oregon wrote:Blaine, Rimfire, you have my prayers and good wishes as well.

Yes, praying this evening for our esteemed cyber-campfire mates, Tooby Tubmeister and Nutfire McRimjob.

Blessings to you both and to those healers who endeavor to make things better. Prayers definitely up.

claybob86 · Post by **claybob86** » Mon Jan 25, 2016 1:27 am

JohndeFresno wrote:
Bill in Oregon wrote:Blaine, Rimfire, you have my prayers and good wishes as well.
Yes, praying this evening for our esteemed cyber-campfire mates, Tooby Tubmeister and Nutfire McRimjob.

Blessings to you both and to those healers who endeavor to make things better. Prayers definitely up.

Well said. Me too!

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:04 am

Much appreciated, Riflemen.....Prayers really do help.

FWiedner · Post by **FWiedner** » Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:36 am

JohndeFresno wrote:... and Nutfire McRimjob.

I'm sorry... This just does not sound good.

It's like... a handy screen name for a B-flick Scottish porn star....

.45colt · Post by **.45colt** » Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:47 am

Prayers Up.

Rimfire McNutjob · Post by **Rimfire McNutjob** » Mon Jan 25, 2016 11:53 am

Thanks. Turns out I am good to go. The growth on my Thyroid has shrunk since my last appointment. No biopsy for me today and all of my blood markers were in the normal range. Well, the Thyroid related ones anyway.

I did get yelled at for my Hemoglobin A1C but I'm on a pump now so that should help there.

Oh, I missed his post of normal range as well. My bad. I had some of those symptoms as well along with Type 2 Diabetes obviously. I finally got on the juice and it has helped a lot. I couldn't absorb it well enough through my skin so I skipped the patches and creams and I just inject 1.5cc of Testosterone Cipionate every 14 - 17 days. It's kind of a hassle and the first few days after the injection are a little unnerving for me ... like being 16 again.

JohndeFresno · Post by **JohndeFresno** » Mon Jan 25, 2016 1:53 pm

Rimfire McNutjob wrote: It's kind of a hassle and the first few days after the injection are a little unnerving for me ... like being 16 again.

...Praying for peace, friend.