burdee

I have taken synthyroid for years.
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's back in May.
I recently saw my endocrinologist and had follow up labs done.

My TSH was 2.46 with the range being .5-6.40
My T4 was 1.20 with the range being .53 -1.80
She is retesting in three months.

My questions are:
does the T4 levels show how well the synthyroid is being utilized/ converted ?
being on the higher end does that mean that my body is not using the synthyroid as well as it could?
When she starts trying to explain this stuff to me I get a bit confused , please help me understand

Since Synthroid provides only the T4 thyroid hormone, you won't know how well that supplemental thyroid is being utilized/converted until you get a free T3 test. The body (cells) actually utilize T3. T4 must lose a molecule to become T3 before the cells can utilize the synthetic thyroid supplement. You can have a normal (midrange) T4 result (which you do), but still have hypothyroid symptoms if your body doesn't easily convert T4 to T3.  A normal T4 result with a low T3 result may indicate you don't easily convert T4 to T3. Also a reverse T3 test can show how well your body converts T4 to T3. Normally T4 is converted to 60% reverse T3 and 40% free T3. If the reverse T3 test is very high, you may not be converting T4 to enough T3. However other illnesses can also cause high reverse T3 results.

I wanted to repeat that your T4 score was midrange normal, not the high end. Also a good indication that your synthroid is being utilized is your lack of hypothyroid symptoms. What were your presenting hypothyroid symptoms (fatigue, weight gain, feeling cold all the time, hair loss, etc.)??? Have those symptoms decreased?

Finally, did your doc test your Hashimoto's antibodies (TPOab test) when you had your recent labs?

It's right on his website.

Now I'm confused ... I agree that Elab's stool test doesn't predict how you feel after going gluten free. However, I don't believe ANY test (blood test, endoscopy, etc.) can predict how you will feel after abstaining from gluten. "How you feel" is subjective. Also, people (like me) may have other allergies (or intolerances) or even gastrointestinal infections from bacteria, parasites and/or candida, which can affect how they feel.  I went through many tests and treatments before my IBS symptoms completely resolved. Gluten free was just the first step for me. Nevertheless, Elab tests show the presence of gluten and Ttg antibodies, which is similar to standard blood tests, which show antibodies.  For many people, who don't want to return to eating gluten just so they can damage their intestines enough to let gluten antibodies leak into their blood stream, Elab stool tests are a viable, noninvasive alternative.

So I'm worried that I am/have developed another digestive problem. Six months ago I got glutened (CC) and then had three months of D, nausea, and vomiting. It slowly disappeared over time. Now last week I started getting D again and nausea. I took Imodium because I had to go to class. That stopped me up for two days and then I had normal BMs for three days. Now the D is back. I don't think this is a glutening as I don't have any of the other symptoms that I get with glutening (not even cramping). I have been gluten free for two years. Could I be developing soy intolerance or lactose intolerance after this amount of time? Any advice/ insight is very much appreciated. Everything has been going well so far.

If you are abstaining from gluten, you may now notice sensitivities (intolerances) to other foods. You may have had those reactions all along, but your gluten intolerance reaction was more noticeable. You could actually have a casein (dairy protein) allergy, rather than mere lactose (milk sugar) reactions. After I abstained from gluten, I still had reaction symptoms. So I got allergy (ELISA blood) tests, which showed I had 5 more allergies (besides dairy and gluten, which Enterolab diagnosed).

Even after eliminating my allergens, I still had symptoms. So my doc gave me a stool test for bacteria, parasites and candida. Over a 4 year period I treated 8 different gut bugs. Only after I identified and abstained from all my allergies and identified and treated all my gut bugs did my symptoms finally disappear.  I read so many posts on this board from people who think they are being 'glutened' even when they conscientiously abstain from gluten. Unfortunately they don't consider (or get tested for) other allergies or gut bugs. If you know you're not consuming gluten, consider getting reliable allergy tests and/or stool tests for gut bugs from a reputable naturopath

Hi, does anyone have natural ways to treat h pylori? Diet, supplements etc? Any advice would be wonderful....the bloating, pain, muscle aches in my back, ugh I can do with out it all...my dr wants me to try a natural root first and if no success in 2weeks will treat me...his suggestions probiotic, alo Vera juice...but I am sure there. Must be a need for a  diet change in there somewhere and I do not seem to have much successes with probiotics but am totally open to all your wisdom and advice....

I successfully treated my H. Pylori infection with mastic gum, which kills that bacteria and heals the stomach. I also took L-glutamine and turkey rhubarb tincture to heal my stomach. Probiotics won't help heal your stomach, but they will help repopulate your intestines with good bacteria, which crowd out bad bacteria in the intestines. Aloe vera may heal your stomach ulcers, but may not kill the H. Pylori bacteria. Unless you kill that bacteria, you will continue to have stomach sensitivity, if not ulcers.

Sue: i was concerned about the Celiac because it seems my digestive tract is RIDICULOUSLY SENSITIVE. i got glutened over 3 weeks ago ( im suspecting PF CHANGS)- and i am STILL recovering...
also Sue- when u talk about changing your doses, and then doing T3 only for a short period of time- how did your doctor feel about this??? ive been getting labs every 6 weeks- and altho my doc is super great and prescribed Armour, and also has been testing my RT3... she seems to be very resistant to T3 only, 24hour adrenal test, etc....  plus she doesnt seem to fully understand how i am experiencing hypo & hyper symptoms simultaneously... :/

i think my WBCs are okay.. i rarely get sick- but my hypo & hyper symptoms, vit D & iron deficiency, and my additional food intolerances are sometimes UNBEARABLE... that's why im considering also looking into this LDN.

Taking L-glutamine helps my intestines recover after accidental contamination. I also took that to heal my stomach while treating H. Pylori. I don't know whether LDN is used for gluten sensitivity. See http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org for uses and precautions for LDN. I can't remember reading about using LDN for gluten sensitivity. However, it's used for many other autoimmune diseases, which are highly correlated with (if not caused by) gluten intolerance. My doc prescribed LDN to raise my immunity. I was pleasantly surprised when LDN reduced my Hashimoto's antibodies.

My doc respects my decisions so I stayed on T3 only for 2 months while I adjusted to LDN. However, my next blood test showed my T4 was very low. Then she and I both agreed that I should resume taking T4, but start at a lower dose. I'm now back to my original 50mcg dose (with 10mcg of T3) daily. I plan to retest after another month to see where my thyroid hormones and white blood cells are.

Hi All,

I just came across this forum by a search on google for "gluten dry eyes". I was curious weather there was a known relation between the two.

My eyes have been irritating me with severe dryness for over a year now. Not long ago, I started cutting down my gluten intake to see if it would have any affect on my eyes. Well I believe it did, I am fairly certain my eyes overall have improved significantly since than.

Now about a week ago, I went and got an allergy test, and the results showed absolutely no allergies to gluten or anything else.

Is it possible that gluten could be the cause of my dry eyes, even though no allergy has been detected?

Would love to hear some thoughts on this,
Thank You

What kind of allergy test did you get? (blood, stool, skin prick???) Did the test look for IgG and IgA as well as IgE mediated allergy reactions?

An autoimmune disease (Sjogren's) causes dry eyes and dryness of other mucous membranes in the body. Before I was diagnosed with celiac disease and began to abstain from gluten, I had dry eyes for years. I needed artificial tears constantly. After a few years of gluten abstinence, I have normal tear production. Sjogren's is highly correlated with gluten intolerance (as are many other autoimmune diseases). So, yes, gluten could cause your dry eye symptoms.

All your 'dumping syndrome' symptoms are common with celiac disease. If your doc said you had 'beginning celiac', you should abstain from all gluten now. Having 'beginning celiac' is like being mildly pregnant. Either you are or you aren't. I suspect completely abstaining from gluten will decrease many of your symptoms.

Another issue could be h.Pylori, which is pretty common, and likes a low acid environment.  Low acid lets other things besides h.Pylori thrive, like alien invaders, oh my!    Well, anyway, joking aside, it might help to try a Betaine HCL tablet once in a while 20 minutes before eating.  Raises the HCL acid level in your stomach and can kill off some nasties.  And don't drink a lot of water with your meals, so the stomach acid is not super diluted.  Give it a half hour or so to work it's way on the invading organisms before slurping in lots of the aqua.

Betaine HCl should not be taken by anyone who suspects H. Pylori. That bacteria damages the stomach lining. So taking HCl can be very painful, if not dangerous, until the H. Pylori damage is healed. I took mastic gum to kill my H. Pylori infection (diagnosed by stool test) and L-glutamine to heal my stomach lining. After 6 weeks of healing, I started slowly with 1 HCl capsule after 1-3 bites of a meal.  When I knew I didn't have any burning sensations or pain, I progressed to 2 capsules with small meals and 3 with larger meals. People who are larger and eat larger meals may need much more (5-7 per meal). However I weigh about 100# and don't eat large meals.

As you may already know, acid reflux is caused by inappropriate opening of the lower esophageal valve, NOT by excess stomach acid. In order to avoid reflux, you need to avoid foods and drugs which cause the lower esophageal valve (LES) to relax when you're not swallowing. The following foods and beverages weaken (and relax) the LES:

coffee
chocolate
peppermint
onions
alcohol
sugar
fats
any food to which you have allergic reactions (which slow  down and back up the entire digestive system)

The following drugs relax the LES and should be avoided:

cigarettes (nicotine)
bronchodilators
NSAIDs
calcium channel blockers
Valium
Nitrates
Demerol

Since your throat is already irritated by years of reflux, you should also temporarily (while your throat heals) avoid the following esophageal irritants:

citrus fruits
tomato based foods
spicy foods
coffee
carbonated drinks

The following drugs can also irritate your esophagus:

Aspirin
NSAIDs
Tetracycline
Quinidine
potassium chloride tablets
Iron salts

When you have recovered somewhat (less reflux and throat irritation), I urge you to try drinking a tablespoon of vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup of water before a meal. If that helps digestion, you may actually have deficient stomach acid, which can also cause reflux. Ginger tea can also stimulate digestion. For more info about healing reflux naturally, see "Why Stomach Acid is Good for You" by Jonathon Wright, MD.

PS Acid blocker drugs will exacerbate reflux caused by low stomach acid. So when you go off those drugs, your reflux will be worse, not better.

I have hypothyroidism for a while.  I just started my diet over a week ago.  I am feeling better from the gluten free diet already.  It would be nice to think that my hypothyroidism could improve because of my diet.  My guess is that further damage to the thyroid may be halted by being on the gluten-free diet but once the thyroid is damaged I don’t know how much improvement there can be.  How long have you had hypothyroidism?

I was diagnosed with celiac disease and stopped eating gluten 6 years before I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism (actually Hashimoto's thyroiditis exacerbated by gluten intolerance). I had hypothyroid symptoms for YEARS, but mainstream docs only used the outdated 'normal range' for TSH during that time. So I was considered 'normal'. Only recently did I find a doc who used the updated (in 2003) TSH normal range and tested my free T4, free T3 and TPOab (Hashimoto's antibodies).  

By the time I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, my Hashi's antibodies were only in the high normal range. However I didn't easily convert T4 to T3. So taking T4 thyroid supplements didn't help much. When my doc saw that my free T3 was below normal, while my T4 was normal, we agreed that I need a T3 supplement. However, I only need a small amount (10 mcg daily) of T3. I no longer take any T4 supplement.

So I believe abstaining from gluten stopped further damage to my thyroid, which allows me to only take a small dose. However, I've also taken Low Dose Naltrexone (for neutropenia), which can also reverse Hashimoto's damage. After I was on LDN for only 8 weeks, my Hashimoto's antibodies decreased into the mid normal range.

I believe I will always need some thyroid supplementation, because I suffered irreparable damage to my thyroid during the 56 years I was undiagnosed (and misdiagnosed) for celiac disease.  However, I'm glad I only need a small dose.

I don't know what kind of feedback you want. I consider Elab's interpretation of your results very easy to understand. Whether or not you have 'true' celiac disease, your Elab results (esp. TtG antibodies) show that gluten damages your intestines.  Also you react to casein. So your next move would be to eliminate gluten and casein from your diet.  Whether or not you get a mainstream doc's dx of celiac disease, gluten will damage your intestines. So your choice seems clear to me ...

First of all, the 'normal' range for TSH changed in 2003. So the new range is .3 to 3.0, rather than .5 to 5.0. Many docs (esp. endocrinologists) prefer the top number be more like 1.5.  So consider what range your doc uses.

Secondly, you need to consider several thyroid tests, such as free t4, free t3, total t4 and total t3, as well as thyroid peroxidase antibodies, which indicate Hashimoto's antibodies.  If you have Hashimoto's your TSH, T3 and T4 scores can be normal, while your Hashimoto's antibodies are very high.  

Consider seeing an endocrinologist, if your current doc won't give you the full panel of thyroid tests.

thank you all for the replies.
I HOPE to get some relief from the heat being on a gluten-free diet.
I have thyroid tests done and they always come back fine.

Which thyroid test was done? How long ago? Most docs only consider TSH, which can be normal, when you have autoimmune thyroid problems. Also the 'normal range' for TSH was revised to a narrower range in 2003. Many docs still use the older, outdated wider normal range of TSH. So many people with thyroid problems go undiagnosed.

Does anybody get really hot sometimes?  I'm wondering if this is a symptom of Celiac.
For as long as I remember I've always been the hotest one in the room.  I am miserably hot.  ALL THE TIME.
I'm not talking about heat flashes.  My house is so cold people that come over bring sweaters.
Just wondering if anybody else has this problem.  I've never met anyone else that suffers from that.

Ask your doc for a full panel of thyroid tests: TSH, free T3, free T4, TPOab, etc. You might have hyperthyroid symptoms (feeling too warm all the time).

I'm so bummed to discover that the pills I just started taking have gluten in them.  These pills have been a lifesaver for me.  They are marketed as diet pills, but, really, they are just a bunch of stimulants.  I do need to lose weight, and that would be great if they worked in that regard, but the amount of energy and motivation I have when taking them more than makes up for their failure as a weight loss pill.  Are there any pills out there that are gluten free and give you energy?  I need something to replace these pills.  I am good for NOTHING when I cannot take them.  

Ingredients:
Citrus Aurantium (Bitter Orange) (synephrine extract 30%), Acacia Rigidula (95%), Phenylethylamine HCL, Pure Organic Green Tea (45% Epigallocatechin Gallate) (ECGC), Theobroma Cocoa, Kola Nut Extract (Natural Caffeine), Guarana Extract, Yerba Mate Extract (Polyphenols), Naringin, Ma Huang (Ephedra Extract), Yohimbine HCL, Alpha-Yohimbine, 11-Hydroxy Yohimbine

Other Ingredients:
Microcrystalline Cellulose, Dextrose, Sodium Starch Glucolate, Magniesium Stearate, Stearic Acid, and Silica

Stupid starch is the problem ingredient.  

I 'googled' starch glucolate and found this definition: "Sodium starch glycolate is manufactured by carboxymethylation of starch. Starch is a polysaccharide of glucose, a long chain of glucose molecules linked together. The carboxymethylation process increases the ability of the starch to absorb water, making it a rapid distintegrant." So starch glucolate is not made from wheat or any gluten containing grain.

However, if you need energy and have excess weight, you might have your doc check your thyroid function (TSH, free T3 and free T4). Low energy and difficulty losing weight (as well as low body temperature and constipation) are symptoms of hypothyroidism. Many celiacs also have Hashimoto's thyroiditis which causes hypothyroidism.