Tests for underactive thyroid

HI Gil, the usual belief is that thyroid numbers don't change rapidly, but there have been several posts here recently from people questioning their labs and rapid changes in thyroid function tests.

“Normal” ranges for thyroid can be deceptive. ...”it was 15, and the normal range is between 12 and 30...”  Okay, which test are you referring to? There are several in a thyroid panel blood test. What were the results of your other tests? But you see that you were in the low end of normal? It wouldn't take much to drop out of range.

I’d be concerned about the long term steroid use. And I would encourage you to seek alternate solutions. Everything I’ve read is that prescription drugs generally cause liver and kidney problems. Start with a search on side effects of the drug you've been on. It’s my understanding that steriods are not intended for long term use due to their side effects.

Unfortunately, both kidney and liver problems have drastic ramifications for the entire body, as the body depends on the liver and kidneys to clear the waste from every cell in the body! When the liver gets “sick” it becomes sluggish and is unable to filter blood at normal rates. This can result in a sluggush metabolism as toxins build up. Toxins are known to trigger thyroid disease and autoimmune disease. So you see, it isn't a far stretch for your medication to indirectly cause thyroid problems.

Think of the liver as a strainer, that filters blood (with all its clotting capacities), and imagine the liver function slowing, what do you think happens to the circulation if your blood flow? It slows... when blood flow slows, it clots  easier...  In an effort to get the (sluggush) blood flow (in the liver) back to speed, your body will adjust by doing what it can to thin the blood, or dilute it. That's a problem.

In your search try to see if the medication you’re taking is known to cause anemia. Or try searching “steroids that cause anemia”.  It may not be all fat you’ve gained, it could be water retention. And really, it could all be the result of longterm steroid use. So you have to look at that first.

Here’s the thing, thyroid disease is generally NOT easy to diagnose or treat. So thyroid patients find themselves troubleshooting the myriad of health conditions associated with thyroid disease. Really, i know you feel like crap, but in the end, you need to remove the cause of your illness if you want to feel like yourself again.

In addition to troubleshooting and re-evaluating your meds, I would tend to focus on the liver since it is a larger organ. However, western medicine generally causes toxicity, so there’s unlikely to be medication to remove toxic buildup from your liver.

I think you’re going to have to look at your illnesses from a whole body view. I don't know what sort of specialist does this. Seems like a GP should look at the whole body.

Surely, you need to keep your vision healthy. Seems like it’s worth your time  to do more research on your eye disease to see if there is any alternative treatment or new and effective progress in treatment. 

You’re probably overwhelmed and exhausted. Do you have someone close to you who can help you with some online research?

I’ve  had extremely good experiences with  acupuncture for improving general health. Its pretty mainstream where I live. Worth a try for a while to see if you can reduce some if your symptoms.

Hope that gives you some ideas on how to proceed.