Am I heading towards hypothyroidism?? Please check out my blood tests.

mtview, ypu seem very educated on thyroid disease! ive had graves disrase for 2 years now, just had my thyroid removed in january, still trying to find the right dose of levothyroxine. i was initially on 88 mcg, had bloodwork checked 6 weeks later, tsh 3.57, free t4 .79, t3 uptake 21, my doctor said my levels should only get better so didnt increase my levothyroxine . had bloodwork checked 6 weeks later(in to april now) and tsh was 4.86, free t3 1.53, free t4 1.06. i knew i was hypo cuz extreme fatigue, depressed, had my period for 2 months etc. doctor increased my dose to 125mcg and bloodwork a month later was tsh .138, free t3 2.29, free t4 1.38 so..... decreased my dose to 112mcg. been feeling somewhat better since then but still have problems with my weight. i follow a strict high protein 1000-1300 calorie daily diet(came to this calorie intake as found it to be the correct amount just to maintain my weight) plus i bike 5-7 miles 3-4 times a week!!!! i feel i will never be who i was before, inside and out!! i take fish krill oil, magnesium supplements, calcium and vitamin d, of course 6+ hours after my levothyroxine to not interfere with the absorption. i also experience terrible neck and shoulder muscle pain. i have had a poor quality of life since being diagnosed with graves 2 years ago and seems no doctor family or friend understands! help me!!!

Brenda, so sorry you're having such a tough time. Sounds like you're doing a fantastic job with your weight and exercise. You'll want to ho strict gluten free if you aren't already. The excessive periods you mention are a dead giveaway that your thyroxin levels are low. It can also indicate your progesterone is low, and you probably have adrenal exhaustion. Don't go running out and get hormone treatment. That generally messes things up worse. The fastest way I've found to get my system back on track is with acupuncture and herbs.

When the thyroid gland is removed, your whole system goes haywire and a lot of thyroxin gets dumped into your system during the surgery. So most people seem to find their thyroxin levels spike following surgery, and TSH levels drop initially. It takes several months to level out. But if you don't take the meds right away, starting with low doses and working up, your thyroxin levels will drop faster than the meds can raise them. The problem you'll eventually run into is that the synthetic meds don't work the same as your body's natural thyroxin, and that just wreaks havoc. Frankly, the female hormones being all out of whack are a casualty if thyroid disease.

My mother had her thyroid removed after decades of ineffective treatment. Sadly after her thyroid was removed, while she could swallow better, her health did not improve. So the ineffective treatment continued. Get it?

We're all struggling with this disease and there are a bunch if standard protocols, most of which do nothing, or make the disease worse. If you want an eyeful, thoroughly read the side effects of thyroid medications. They cause hypothyroid disease,,fibromyalgia, lupus and other autoimmune disease. I feel the medical system is worse than useless, offering false hope, with no solution and no cure.

My mother's health degraded to the point we almost lost her. Most of the health problems were caused by medications.

Meanwhile, I'd been dealing with my own thyroid issues, brought on by stress, toxicity and other factors. Between my mother and I, we've been through most of the traditional treatments and none of them work.

I eventually treated myself with high doses of essential amino acids and phenylalanine. This saved me, and I've given up all thyroid meds. I'm still dealing with the longterm side effects of the meds, but overall, I'm doing so much better!!!

Since my mother had most of her thyroid gland removed, she needs thyroxin. I have her on a non prescription glandular called ThyroGold, as well as essential amino acids. I initially didn't think the amino acids would do anything for her, but when we ran out of them, I noticed her immune system went down. So with or without a thyroid gland, the amino acids help.

Really, I want to commend you for maintaining your weight through all this. It is a HUGE accomplishment!!!

I hope you find my comments helpful.

MTVIEW, i very much appreciate your feedback!!! thank you for taking the time to respond!! im trying to stay positive, however, im losing faith as its been nearly 2 years since diagnosed and still have not gotten my thyroid levels regulated. im doing so well on maintaining my weight cuz its the ONLY thing i can control at this point. i feel ive lost who i was, very much down on myself. this disease takes the life out you as im sure you know:(

im going to research how adrenal glands are affected and if you dont mind could you explain how accupuncture works, im interested on trying that! thank you much!

Hi Brenda, acupuncture has been around for thousands of years, and uses very tiny needles to enhance the bodies energy pathways. the bodies energy pathways. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), life force energy is called chi. The belief is that when chi is strong and moving, our bodies are healthy. When chi energy is stagnant, our bodies become unhealthy. Do you have an innate understanding of this concept, as you have worked extremely hard to keep your energy flowing with all of your exercise. Because of your excellent health, as far as your exercising and maintaining your weight, your body should respond extremely well to acupuncture. I have found that acupuncture is the fastest way to help the body recover from a hormonal imbalances.

Acupuncture has been tried and tested for thousands of years, and many thousands of books have been written on both effectiveness of acupuncture and techniques. It is unfortunate that our medical system, which is basically in its infancy, has overshadowed thousands of years of research and treatment. I think you will find acupuncture extremely helpful.

Laws developed and lobbied by Doctors and the AMA to protect the marketing capabilities of Western medicine, prevent open education about the effectiveness of acupuncture.

Like anything, there isn’t an overnight care. Realize that your thyroid disease did not develop overnight, and it will take some time to heal a disease that has developed over many years. So plan to give the acupuncture some time.

Brenda, one more thing, read the many posts here about thyroid disease. This will help you avoid many ineffective pathways, as other people have posted their experiences with various treatments. As you well know, it is important to use your healing time affectively, and not waste time and energy on pathways that do not have results.