Doctor Trying To Diagnose Me With A Somatization Disorder

[lovechild]

I have been feeling crappy for the past 8 years since having my son. It has only been the last year or so that I have been having worse stomach issues than normal and 6-9 months ago I decided to go off gluten to see if my symptoms would improve. I have been tested 3 times for Celiac and each time the tests have come back negative but each time I have been sans gluten or eating very little gluten. My doctor doesn't believe that I have a problem with gluten but told me I am welcome to go off of gluten if it makes me feel better.

 

Anyway, when I first went off gluten I felt like a new woman. My bloating went down, I had so much energy and my brain fog and other symptoms went away. Then a couple of weeks later I decided to go off of dairy as I was having issues with it (stuffiness, headaches, stomach issues). I felt better for a short time and then went downhill again. I decided to go see a MD/naturopath and took the Elisa test. It came back that I had issues with gluten, dairy, garlic and eggs as the worst ones. My naturopath told me to go off them for 9 months and then re-introduce them one by one. Over the last 6 months I have been strict with my diet. I only eat fruits, veggies, gluten free grains, meat, nuts/seeds and other items that fit my dietary issues.

 

Since then my health has continued to go down hill. I have lost 25 pounds. I am now 105 lbs at 5 foot 1. My back constantly hurts like I have been in a car accident despite self-help techniques, my stomach and abdomen have a burning sensation most of the time and I again have issues with gas, diarrhea and constipation.  I am also exhaused all the time etc.

 

In the last 2 weeks I have also been having mild night sweats and my hair is coming out in handfuls. All of my blood work has come back normal (my doctor won't test my vitamin levels though) so my doctor is reluctant to think I have anything serious going on. I have recently had an abdominal CT which has came back normal as well. He has told me that he will do a bone scan next to check for arthritis in my spine and some different blood work and if that all comes back normal then he may want to diagnose me with a somatization disorder. After reading what that can do to your health records, I really don't want that to happen!

 

It is not like I want to feel this way every day! I believe that my gut just needs to heal and it will take time. Since I had some scarier symptoms such as weight loss, persistent lower and upper back pain and night sweats I thought it would be important to rule out the bad things first before focussing on trying to heal my gut. Now my doctor thinks this is all in my head!

 

Have you had to deal with this with your own doctor before? Do you have any suggestions for me?

 

 

 

 

[LauraTX]

I would request a copy of your entire medical record (they may make you pay for the copies) and go to a new doctor ASAP for a second opinion, bringing the copies of any diagnostics you have had done so they don't repeat any unnecessarily.  If you suspect you have celiac disease, also go see a gastroenterologist.

 

The fact that your doctor refused a cheap test you requested (the vitamin levels) when you have something going on like hair loss just shows that your relationship with him/her is broken and should be discontinued.  I assume you are talking about your primary care doctor here, and having a good primary care doctor is so important to keeping everything together when you have health issues.  It sucks to fire a doctor but obviously that one cannot help you.

 

I would also look into seeing a registered dietitian/nutritionist to make sure what you are eating is well balanced and there are no major things you are missing.  A lot of people will lose weight when they first start abiding by multiple food intolerances so it doesn't hurt to look again at what is going in and if it is enough.  If you keep a food diary before you see them it will kick start any advice they can give.

 

I hope you are able to find some answers, soon.  I was just sickly for a long time before I found out about all my many legitimate health problems. I think people do not get sick for no reason.

[cyclinglady]

First of all, "it's not all in your head".  That's just a cop out for a doctor who's at a loss for diagnosing you correctly!  Terminate your relationship with him ASAP but not before getting copies of everything single thing in your file (including all labs).  I had a doctor like that once, but fortunately, my husband told him off!  It was not in my head -- hmm....rotting gallbladder and allergies!

 

I wouldn't worry about your weight.  If you've been eating whole foods for the last six months, you will lose weight and you're not considered underweight.  I'm an inch taller than you and went I went on a rotational diet for all my food allergies/intolerances (well before my celiac disease diagnosis), I was down to 100 pounds.  Doctor assured me that I wasn't wasting way and he was right!  The back pain might be osteopenia or osteoporosis, so go for the scan, but get another doc to order the test.  How old are you?  I had night sweats when I started perimenopause at at 40 -- bad too, enough to change my nightgown and purchase towels that matched my sheets to sleep on!

 

You're taking Armour. Is thyroid remaining stable?  When did you start taking it?  When you're hypo, you lose hair and can feel fatigued.  It can take months to re-grown your hair.  Low levels of ferritin can cause fatigue too -- ask any girl's sports coach.  Is that resolved?  (That's why I can't believe he thinks it's all in your head you've had many "off" lab results.)

 

And he threatened you with a diagnosis in advance!   I still can't get over that one.

 

I hope this rant helps!  

[powerofpositivethinking]

grrrr when doctors say it's all in your head that's totally inappropriate 

 

right before I had my endoscopy the GI I went to made a comment to the tune of "For years doctors told patients it was in their head, but now we're realizing the problems aren't in their heads, it's in their GI tract."  

 

I wasn't aware until I started researching about celiac and gluten that the feel good happy chemical of serotonin is mainly produced in the GI tract.  Serotonin helps to make our GI tract and brain happy, but what happens whenever allergens and intolerances start to mess with that delicate balance...a whacked out GI system and mental capacity.  

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

lovechild, it is not in your head, it is an imbalance in your GI tract.

 

oh and I agree with the others, get a new doctor 

 

good luck!

 

 

 

It is not like I want to feel this way every day! I believe that my gut just needs to heal and it will take time. Since I had some scarier symptoms such as weight loss, persistent lower and upper back pain and night sweats I thought it would be important to rule out the bad things first before focussing on trying to heal my gut. Now my doctor thinks this is all in my head!

 

Have you had to deal with this with your own doctor before? Do you have any suggestions for me?

[MarionG]

Hi, 

 

I just wanted to second the option to fire your doctor and say that you are not alone! I literally went through NINE doctors before I found one who didn't say it was all in my head. One of my most striking memories is being in the hospital for the third time in a month, I was having seizures, unable to move, only semi conscious. I heard the doctors telling my mom that I was depressed and to get me to a shrink ASAP and stop bringing me to the hospital for goodness sake! Oh wait a minute, I thought doctors and hospitals were supposed to help people! It took my mom asking everyone and then some if they knew a good doctor. My boyfriend kept saying "we need to find you the real Dr. House" and guess what? My moms friend who has Celiac recommended her Dr. who I later found out has the nickname Dr. House because he is such an excellent diagnostician.  

 

So, hang on. It Gets Better. You need a more knowledgeable doctor, one who will actually treat you, not send you away like some mad cow. 

 

All my best, 

 

Marion

[lovechild]

I would request a copy of your entire medical record (they may make you pay for the copies) and go to a new doctor ASAP for a second opinion, bringing the copies of any diagnostics you have had done so they don't repeat any unnecessarily.  If you suspect you have celiac disease, also go see a gastroenterologist.

 

The fact that your doctor refused a cheap test you requested (the vitamin levels) when you have something going on like hair loss just shows that your relationship with him/her is broken and should be discontinued.  I assume you are talking about your primary care doctor here, and having a good primary care doctor is so important to keeping everything together when you have health issues.  It sucks to fire a doctor but obviously that one cannot help you.

 

I would also look into seeing a registered dietitian/nutritionist to make sure what you are eating is well balanced and there are no major things you are missing.  A lot of people will lose weight when they first start abiding by multiple food intolerances so it doesn't hurt to look again at what is going in and if it is enough.  If you keep a food diary before you see them it will kick start any advice they can give.

 

I hope you are able to find some answers, soon.  I was just sickly for a long time before I found out about all my many legitimate health problems. I think people do not get sick for no reason.

 

Thanks Laura for your reply. Actually I live in Canada so all medical tests and documentation is on Netcare which is our electronic system. Any doctor that has access to Netcare can look up my previous tests and diagnosis. 

 

My doctor did recently check my B12 levels which were now normal as I have been supplementing for the past 4-5 months as my B12 used to be pitiful before I went gluten free. He also recently checked my iron levels and my ferritin was at 34 but for years it was at 13 and as low as 3. I had asked him to check my other vitamin levels (other B's, A and E, D etc, and he said I was fine and he didn't need to check them. My naturopath had checked them 4 months ago and told me I had really low A and E and he wanted me to supplement. I guess I will have to go to my naturopath again to get them checked. I just don't want to over supplement so it is good to know where I am at plus I am sick of my hair falling out in clumps! 

 

Sorry to hear your were so sickly too. These primary care doctors can be the worst. Thanks again.

[lovechild]

First of all, "it's not all in your head".  That's just a cop out for a doctor who's at a loss for diagnosing you correctly!  Terminate your relationship with him ASAP but not before getting copies of everything single thing in your file (including all labs).  I had a doctor like that once, but fortunately, my husband told him off!  It was not in my head -- hmm....rotting gallbladder and allergies!

 

I wouldn't worry about your weight.  If you've been eating whole foods for the last six months, you will lose weight and you're not considered underweight.  I'm an inch taller than you and went I went on a rotational diet for all my food allergies/intolerances (well before my celiac disease diagnosis), I was down to 100 pounds.  Doctor assured me that I wasn't wasting way and he was right!  The back pain might be osteopenia or osteoporosis, so go for the scan, but get another doc to order the test.  How old are you?  I had night sweats when I started perimenopause at at 40 -- bad too, enough to change my nightgown and purchase towels that matched my sheets to sleep on!

 

You're taking Armour. Is thyroid remaining stable?  When did you start taking it?  When you're hypo, you lose hair and can feel fatigued.  It can take months to re-grown your hair.  Low levels of ferritin can cause fatigue too -- ask any girl's sports coach.  Is that resolved?  (That's why I can't believe he thinks it's all in your head you've had many "off" lab results.)

 

And he threatened you with a diagnosis in advance!   I still can't get over that one.

 

I hope this rant helps!  

Thanks again Cyclinglady! I seem to be staying at 105 lbs for the past week and I know I don't eat enough sometimes so maybe I do need to see a nutritionist. I have my bone scan scheduled for this Tuesday so we will see what it says. My back pain has been non-stop for the past 6 weeks with no end in sight. Uggg! 

 

I am 43 years old so menopause could be started but my doctor did test my hormones in this past month and said he doesn't think I am heading to menopause yet. The last 2 nights I haven't had any night sweats so that is a good thing!

 

As for the Armour, I stopped taking it. I know I am bad! Every time I took it I was getting stomach aches even though I let it dissolve under my tongue so I stopped it.  I don't know if I was hypothyroid to begin with as my naturopath/md told me I could give it a try if I wanted because I have low basal body temperature and most of the symptoms. My TSH is only at 1.0 this past month and my primary care doctor won't test for free T4 or T3 so I have no idea where those are at. My hair did start falling out 1 month into taking Armour and of course 3-4 months later it is coming out in handfuls now that I am off it. I don't know if I should go back on it without finding out what my levels are.

 

As I had mentioned above, my ferritin is better at 34. My doctor said I should be in the 60-70 range. 

 

Thanks for reassuring me that this is not all in my head. I am tired of feeling crappy and would like nothing better than to be well again. It's so frustrating sometimes!

[lovechild]

grrrr when doctors say it's all in your head that's totally inappropriate 

 

right before I had my endoscopy the GI I went to made a comment to the tune of "For years doctors told patients it was in their head, but now we're realizing the problems aren't in their heads, it's in their GI tract."  

 

I wasn't aware until I started researching about celiac and gluten that the feel good happy chemical of serotonin is mainly produced in the GI tract.  Serotonin helps to make our GI tract and brain happy, but what happens whenever allergens and intolerances start to mess with that delicate balance...a whacked out GI system and mental capacity.  

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

lovechild, it is not in your head, it is an imbalance in your GI tract.

 

oh and I agree with the others, get a new doctor 

 

good luck!

 

Thank you! Now if I could just figure out how to heal my gut! I know my food is still not digesting well as it comes out much like it goes in. LOL sorry for TMI! So far I have been staying away from my intolerances, taking digestive enzymes, sometimes probiotics, aloe vera, DGL, L-glutamine. So far I haven't seen any improvement in my digestion. I know it takes some time but it is hard to know if what you are doing is working if the problems are still there.

 

Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks a lot!

[lovechild]

Hi, 

 

I just wanted to second the option to fire your doctor and say that you are not alone! I literally went through NINE doctors before I found one who didn't say it was all in my head. One of my most striking memories is being in the hospital for the third time in a month, I was having seizures, unable to move, only semi conscious. I heard the doctors telling my mom that I was depressed and to get me to a shrink ASAP and stop bringing me to the hospital for goodness sake! Oh wait a minute, I thought doctors and hospitals were supposed to help people! It took my mom asking everyone and then some if they knew a good doctor. My boyfriend kept saying "we need to find you the real Dr. House" and guess what? My moms friend who has Celiac recommended her Dr. who I later found out has the nickname Dr. House because he is such an excellent diagnostician.  

 

So, hang on. It Gets Better. You need a more knowledgeable doctor, one who will actually treat you, not send you away like some mad cow. 

 

All my best, 

 

Marion

Marion, I feel for you! It is terrible when doctors only want to give drugs to fix you and pass you off as a depressed crazy person. My doctor actually asked if I was depressed too and I told him that I didn't think that I was but it is frustrating when you feel so crappy every day. It starts to get on your nerves. I think after these most recent test results come back I am not going to go see him again. I just hope he doesn't diagnose me with the somatization disorder the next time I see him and I will tell him why I don't want that! I am scheduled to see an internist doctor and a gastro doctor in the next couple of weeks too and the results will go back to this bad doctor. The gasto and internist doctors I actually organized on my own through my work as my supervisor knows these doctors.

 

My bad doctor thinks I have this somatization disorder as I have so many vague symptoms and I hurt all over (mainly back and stomach) and since I want to get to the bottom of my issues just to be sure they aren't anything serious he thinks I have this disorder. Since I have never had such bad back pains in my life, I am losing weight etc. I thought I was being proactive for my own health by trying to figure it out instead of ignoring it. Could my bad back pains be a result of crappy digestion? Maybe my main issue is just my digestion and once that is solved the rest of my problems will subside too.

 

Thanks again.

[cyclinglady]

A blood test for estrogen just captures a moment in time.  Perimenopause is roller coaster ride of hormonal fluctuations.   The good news is that you can deal with the night sweats and they may dissipate for a while.  My symptoms would come and go over a course of 12 years.  If your quality of life takes a nose dive, you can consider hormone replacement therapy.  It can be a life saver.  I was on and off it for 12 years.  My husband was always the one to tell me that I needed to get "back on!" 

 

It's good that you are getting a bone scan.  I had a compression fracture of the T9 vertebrae and that was worst than being diagnosed with celiac disease (emotionally!)   I'm starting HRT again even though I'm now officially through menopause (12 months period free!)  Cancer risk is low and this may be my only time to build bone even though I've been taking calcium and doing weight bearing exercise since my fracture in June.  

 

I agree that you need more thyroid testing.  Perhaps, your nautropath/md doc could order a complete panel.  Otherwise, just looking at TSH, it's just fine.  But you have so many hypo symptoms.....

[powerofpositivethinking]

Here are my thoughts, so take them for what it's worth 

 

I would take a probiotic in the morning on an empty stomach, and in the evening before bed.  IrishHeart recommended Custom Probiotics, and they are definitely worth the money.  Don't take a probiotic sometimes, take them every day!

 

With your diet, do you eat enough fat?  Olive oil and coconut oil?  I know nuts are high in fat, but with the combination of the fiber and fat in them, maybe your system can't handle breaking them down fully until more healing happens.

 

here's another thread I did when I was finding lots of nuts in my stool  https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/100684-nuts-in-stoolnormal-or-not/

 

As for your food coming out the way it goes in, does that include your chicken, beef products as well?  Protein is designed to digest almost completely in the stomach, so if that's coming out the way it goes in, it sounds like maybe you'd need an HCL supplement.  Even if protein isn't coming out, and you're seeing other foods groups, you may still find an HCL supplement beneficial.  HCL supplements don't get a lot of publicity because they are a natural supplement, and the big pharm companies can't make millions off them, but yet they are sooooo much better than an acid reducer!

 

Do you have GERD or take any acid reducing medication?  I supplemented with HCL for awhile and that definitely helped.  The drug companies say that acid reflux is caused by too much acid, but really I think that's a bunch of malarky after reading this book  Open Original Shared Link

 

Adequate stomach acid is a must for proper digestion!  

 

 

I would definitely recommend reading that book.  It's scary what those acid blocking medications can do if you don't really need them, and the doctor prescribes it as a quick fix.

 

hope this all helps!

 

 

Over the last 6 months I have been strict with my diet. I only eat fruits, veggies, gluten free grains, meat, nuts/seeds and other items that fit my dietary issues.

 

 

 

Thank you! Now if I could just figure out how to heal my gut! I know my food is still not digesting well as it comes out much like it goes in. LOL sorry for TMI! So far I have been staying away from my intolerances, taking digestive enzymes, sometimes probiotics, aloe vera, DGL, L-glutamine. So far I haven't seen any improvement in my digestion. I know it takes some time but it is hard to know if what you are doing is working if the problems are still there.

 

Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks a lot!

[IrishHeart]

First of all, I never think anyone's declining health is "in their heads".  And if you look up "Somatization disorder" well, those symptoms are the same as undiagnosed celiac disease symptoms, so I do not buy that malarkey label! If doctors can't find the problem  through blood tests, they are quick to say

"idiopathic" or something worse.

 

That said, if you went gluten-free because of ELISA IgG testing, it should be noted that these tests are not valid for diagnosing any food intolerances. Yet, naturopaths and chiropractors keep using them as so-called diagnostic tools. 

Please, read the science-based medicine and see they are not reliable for anything. Sorry.

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

If eliminating gluten has ,in fact , made you feel worse, then gluten may not even be your problem.

I fear you are feeling poorly because of something else--or something IN ADDITION to a gluten sensitivity. Maybe it is a  food intolerance, but if it were gluten, dairy, eggs and garlic and you have avoided them for 6 months, then you would feel better, not worse. (based on the principle of eliminating food intolerances)--right? 

 

Not to argue, honest...but IMO, I would be very careful of adding HCL in the form of supplementation to your GI tract. Low stomach acid and excessive stomach acid symptoms are essentially.the same, so without adequate testing, (Gastric acid secretion test) you have no idea which one is at work.

 

Try the probiotics--- as they can only help, not hurt. but IMHO, something else may be causing your symptoms. I hope you can get the help you need in figuring out what's going.

 

I live with chronic pain myself and I know you are not making this all up.

I wish you better health...and soon.

[nvsmom]

As for the Armour, I stopped taking it. I know I am bad! Every time I took it I was getting stomach aches even though I let it dissolve under my tongue so I stopped it.  I don't know if I was hypothyroid to begin with as my naturopath/md told me I could give it a try if I wanted because I have low basal body temperature and most of the symptoms. My TSH is only at 1.0 this past month and my primary care doctor won't test for free T4 or T3 so I have no idea where those are at. My hair did start falling out 1 month into taking Armour and of course 3-4 months later it is coming out in handfuls now that I am off it. I don't know if I should go back on it without finding out what my levels are.

 

As I had mentioned above, my ferritin is better at 34. My doctor said I should be in the 60-70 range. 

 

Thanks for reassuring me that this is not all in my head. I am tired of feeling crappy and would like nothing better than to be well again. It's so frustrating sometimes!

 

I would definitely get free T3 and free T4 checked, along with TSH. When a patient takes natural desiccated thyroid, like Armour, you will be taking a bit more T3 that your body would normally make, but since TSH is made in response to how much T3 and T4 is needed by the body (as I understand it), your TSH will often be suppressed.

 

Take me for example, without treatment my TSH is in the teens, my free T3 and free T4 are in the lower end of the "normal" range (bottom 10-15%), and I feel hypo. I am now on basically a full replacement dose of natural desiccated thyroid and my TSH is suppressed at 0.01, my free T3 is at about 75% of the normal range, and my free T4 is just a tad bit lower - and I feel better than I have in years.  When I first started on NDT I took a bit too much and although my TSH was within the normal range (if at the bottom), my free T3 exceeded the normal normal range and I felt hyper - just not quite right.  

 

If a doctor or naturopath is going to prescribe NDT, then they need top look at your free T3 and free T4 levels because TSH doesn't tell you enough. It is only with synthetic T4 meds (like synthroid) that you can sometimes dose correctly without knowing your free's. Naturopaths should be able to order those tests; I know they can in Alberta.

 

Also, in Canada we have Erfa's Thyroid available to us. It is a natural desiccated thyroid very similar to Armour, maybe that one would work better for you. Sometimes it also helps to space out your dosages. I take some of mine in the middle of the night and the rest when I get up in the morning.

 

And you have my sympathies on the back pain. I too had that for years - it can really wear you down.  

[lovechild]

Here are my thoughts, so take them for what it's worth 

 

I would take a probiotic in the morning on an empty stomach, and in the evening before bed.  IrishHeart recommended Custom Probiotics, and they are definitely worth the money.  Don't take a probiotic sometimes, take them every day!

 

With your diet, do you eat enough fat?  Olive oil and coconut oil?  I know nuts are high in fat, but with the combination of the fiber and fat in them, maybe your system can't handle breaking them down fully until more healing happens.

 

here's another thread I did when I was finding lots of nuts in my stool  https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/100684-nuts-in-stoolnormal-or-not/

 

As for your food coming out the way it goes in, does that include your chicken, beef products as well?  Protein is designed to digest almost completely in the stomach, so if that's coming out the way it goes in, it sounds like maybe you'd need an HCL supplement.  Even if protein isn't coming out, and you're seeing other foods groups, you may still find an HCL supplement beneficial.  HCL supplements don't get a lot of publicity because they are a natural supplement, and the big pharm companies can't make millions off them, but yet they are sooooo much better than an acid reducer!

 

Do you have GERD or take any acid reducing medication?  I supplemented with HCL for awhile and that definitely helped.  The drug companies say that acid reflux is caused by too much acid, but really I think that's a bunch of malarky after reading this book  Open Original Shared Link

 

Adequate stomach acid is a must for proper digestion!  

 

 

I would definitely recommend reading that book.  It's scary what those acid blocking medications can do if you don't really need them, and the doctor prescribes it as a quick fix.

 

hope this all helps!

Hi NVSmom,

 

Thanks so much for your comments. I do try to have olive oil and coconut oil every day. I eat olives, I cook with olive oil and grapeseed oil and I eat coconut oil by the teaspoon full or bake with it. I also try to have avocados once and a while but they make my stomach upset so not too often. Maybe I am still deficient in fats? As for the probiotics, yes I am really bad for taking my pills/supplements on a daily basis. The probiotics I have problems taking as they need to be kept in the fridge and I always forget to take them. I will make a more conscious effort to start taking them on a daily basis. 

 

For the digestion part of it. No, I don't usually see meat coming out the way it went in but it does seem to constipate me. Usually when I am having troubles with absorbing my food it is with vegetables like the mixed green salad I had the other day and things like beets, corn (usual stuff). Nuts also sometimes come out the way they went in sometimes. Most of the time lately I have been going the other direction and have been constipated but I still have bouts of D every once and a while.

 

Actually, I bought digestive enzymes with HCL the other day to give them a try. For three days I took 1 pill at a meal time and by the third day I had to stop. I had the worst burning pain through my stomach, bowels and coming out the bottom end. Maybe I have too much acid. I did have to go on PPI pills about 3 months ago as they found I had a hiatal hernia but I went off those after a month and have not had much problem with heartburn since. It is just the stomach, back and bowel problems that are still plaguing me.

[lovechild]

First of all, I never think anyone's declining health is "in their heads".  And if you look up "Somatization disorder" well, those symptoms are the same as undiagnosed celiac disease symptoms, so I do not buy that malarkey label! If doctors can't find the problem  through blood tests, they are quick to say

"idiopathic" or something worse.

 

That said, if you went gluten-free because of ELISA IgG testing, it should be noted that these tests are not valid for diagnosing any food intolerances. Yet, naturopaths and chiropractors keep using them as so-called diagnostic tools. 

Please, read the science-based medicine and see they are not reliable for anything. Sorry.

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

If eliminating gluten has ,in fact , made you feel worse, then gluten may not even be your problem.

I fear you are feeling poorly because of something else--or something IN ADDITION to a gluten sensitivity. Maybe it is a  food intolerance, but if it were gluten, dairy, eggs and garlic and you have avoided them for 6 months, then you would feel better, not worse. (based on the principle of eliminating food intolerances)--right? 

 

Not to argue, honest...but IMO, I would be very careful of adding HCL in the form of supplementation to your GI tract. Low stomach acid and excessive stomach acid symptoms are essentially.the same, so without adequate testing, (Gastric acid secretion test) you have no idea which one is at work.

 

Try the probiotics--- as they can only help, not hurt. but IMHO, something else may be causing your symptoms. I hope you can get the help you need in figuring out what's going.

 

I live with chronic pain myself and I know you are not making this all up.

I wish you better health...and soon.

Thank you Irishheart. I think you are right about the ELISA tests. I do believe in them somewhat though as I know I have issues with gluten and dairy. Garlic I had no idea about and it wasn't one of the foods that I ate too often but garlic is in everything so who knows. Eggs give me stomach aches and make me tired like gluten does. Maybe I don't have issues with these foods or maybe I do. I am going to give it a couple of more months and then challenge each one of them, one at a time and see if my previous symptoms return.

 

I did feel awesome after going off gluten and my huge bloated tummy has gone away never to return. Also, I rarely ever get brain fog anymore like I used to after eating something with gluten in it. That is why I am thinking that I will stick out this diet for just a little longer even though I seem to still be having other issues with my digestion. Maybe I haven't figured everything out yet possibly??

 

I am supposed to see an internist this week and a gastro doctor in a couple of weeks so hopefully they can help me in some way. I have also ordered InflammaCORE to try. Has anyone tried it?

 

Thanks again for all of your suggestions. I really appreciate it.

[lovechild]

I would definitely get free T3 and free T4 checked, along with TSH. When a patient takes natural desiccated thyroid, like Armour, you will be taking a bit more T3 that your body would normally make, but since TSH is made in response to how much T3 and T4 is needed by the body (as I understand it), your TSH will often be suppressed.

 

Take me for example, without treatment my TSH is in the teens, my free T3 and free T4 are in the lower end of the "normal" range (bottom 10-15%), and I feel hypo. I am now on basically a full replacement dose of natural desiccated thyroid and my TSH is suppressed at 0.01, my free T3 is at about 75% of the normal range, and my free T4 is just a tad bit lower - and I feel better than I have in years.  When I first started on NDT I took a bit too much and although my TSH was within the normal range (if at the bottom), my free T3 exceeded the normal normal range and I felt hyper - just not quite right.  

 

If a doctor or naturopath is going to prescribe NDT, then they need top look at your free T3 and free T4 levels because TSH doesn't tell you enough. It is only with synthetic T4 meds (like synthroid) that you can sometimes dose correctly without knowing your free's. Naturopaths should be able to order those tests; I know they can in Alberta.

 

Also, in Canada we have Erfa's Thyroid available to us. It is a natural desiccated thyroid very similar to Armour, maybe that one would work better for you. Sometimes it also helps to space out your dosages. I take some of mine in the middle of the night and the rest when I get up in the morning.

 

And you have my sympathies on the back pain. I too had that for years - it can really wear you down.  

NVSmom, I had no idea you lived in Alberta. I am from Edmonton. I haven't heard of Erfa's thyroid. I will have to make another appointment with my ND to see if he can re-test my thyroid. I was only taking 30 mg of Armour for 1 month to give it a try. Then my hair started to fall out and my stomach got worse so I stopped taking it. Now my hair is coming out in clumps when I wash it. Fun times!

[IrishHeart]

 

 

Actually, I bought digestive enzymes with HCL the other day to give them a try. For three days I took 1 pill at a meal time and by the third day I had to stop. I had the worst burning pain through my stomach, bowels and coming out the bottom end. Maybe I have too much acid. I did have to go on PPI pills about 3 months ago as they found I had a hiatal hernia but I went off those after a month and have not had much problem with heartburn since. It is just the stomach, back and bowel problems that are still plaguing me.

 

Exactly my point about HCL. Best to avoid them for now, hon.

[powerofpositivethinking]

yep it sounds like HCL isn't right for you 

 

Actually, I bought digestive enzymes with HCL the other day to give them a try. For three days I took 1 pill at a meal time and by the third day I had to stop. I had the worst burning pain through my stomach, bowels and coming out the bottom end. Maybe I have too much acid. I did have to go on PPI pills about 3 months ago as they found I had a hiatal hernia but I went off those after a month and have not had much problem with heartburn since. It is just the stomach, back and bowel problems that are still plaguing me.

 

 

Exactly my point about HCL. Best to avoid them for now, hon.

[nvsmom]

NVSmom, I had no idea you lived in Alberta. I am from Edmonton. I haven't heard of Erfa's thyroid. I will have to make another appointment with my ND to see if he can re-test my thyroid. I was only taking 30 mg of Armour for 1 month to give it a try. Then my hair started to fall out and my stomach got worse so I stopped taking it. Now my hair is coming out in clumps when I wash it. Fun times!

I'm in Calgary, although I'm loathe to admit it after yesterday's western final game. LOL

I hear you about the hair loss. Mine was horrible when I first started Synthroid, I actually went into an autoimmune fare up and felt even worse. When I switched to Thyroid I also had some renewed hair loss again... it seems to take a couple of months to calm down again. Luckily it's hat season now. Yuck.