Thyroid Problems

[PreOptMegs]

When I found out I was gluten intolerant (blood test very positive and positive response to dietary changes) I also found out I was hypothyroid. All I have to say is being hypothyroid sucks badly. I play basketball for the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and our coach weighs us. I can't tell you how embarrassed and frustrated I am when I weigh more than I know I should even though I eat carrots and lean meats all day (I am on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet), and trying to explain any biology or biochemistry to him would be like trying to teach your dog how to fly an air plane.

I am just wondering who else has thyroid problems as well!

[Rusla]

Probably you could teach your dog to fly eaier. Anyway the doctors no more believed me about my thyroid because of the tsh test than they did about Celiac. I however proved them wrong with my anibodies which were 3.5 times higher for Hashimotos Hypothyroidism and the ultrasound which showed nodules on my thyroid. It is very commong how thyroid and Celiac are best friends. However, they are not our friends.

[PreOptMegs]

Yeah, the damn TSH. Doctors think this is just the best thing in the world.... I hate it. "Normal" range is rediciulous --- from 0.3-5 or something. If my TSH is even around 2, I don't lose weight. It is so hard trying to get the right synthroid dose so I can actually lose weight.

[Rusla]

That is for sure. I am up and down with the Synthroid however, being gluten free has been a benefit in losing weight.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Count me in--I've had Hashimoto's for about 20 years, and since going gluten-free in January, I now feel hyperthyroid, but can't get my endocrinologist to call back with my bloodtest results--apparently, her nurse-practitioner-assistant just had a baby, and thewhole office is in turmoil with one less person.

[Sawyer]

I'm on synthroid, have been for years. I feel a lot better than before. Getting diagnosed with hypothyroid helped not only with weight but with emotions, sleep, appetite, just about everything.

[lonewolf]

When I found out I was gluten intolerant (blood test very positive and positive response to dietary changes) I also found out I was hypothyroid. All I have to say is being hypothyroid sucks badly. I play basketball for the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and our coach weighs us. I can't tell you how embarrassed and frustrated I am when I weigh more than I know I should even though I eat carrots and lean meats all day (I am on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet), and trying to explain any biology or biochemistry to him would be like trying to teach your dog how to fly an air plane.

I am just wondering who else has thyroid problems as well!

Wow - you sound like me about 20 years ago. But I never found out why I couldn't lose weight or why I got serious "brain fog", sometimes even during games, until years later. My coach would send a "spy" to watch what I ate in the cafeteria. My friends on the team finally started telling me that the coach thought I was lying about how much I ate. They kept reporting back to her that I ate salad, carrots, cottage cheese and drank skim milk. Then she thought I was sneaking out at night going to Burger King - once again my friends set her straight by reporting back that when I went out at night I rarely bought anything more fattening than yogurt and occasionally trail mix and diet Doctor Pepper. It was humiliating to try to explain why I couldn't lose weight -I didn't even know! When I finally discovered I had food allergies and thyroid issues the first thing I thought was, "I told my coach I wasn't eating too much!" I still have trouble keeping the weight off - even though I teach PE and run triathlons and take Armour Thyroid. It helped at first, but now the weight goes on easier again. At least I can beat all my skinny friends when we do triathlons together! Thyroid problems are definitely tough. I feel for you.

[Against The Grain]

Yup, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 19. It was really depressing for me to think I would have to take a pill every day for the rest of my life. But once I was on the synthroid I started feeling a lot better and didn't mind it so much. I was a rail up until I was diagnosed with celiac disease at age 30. Then the poundage went on and didn't come off. Part of that might have been my age too... I finally got a gym membership, worked out six days a week following the Apex* training program. Dropped all my weight in a super healthy and gluten-free way in three months! So it can be done... just stay disciplined and keep working at it.

(*I didn't take any of their recommended supplements, but I did start taking a gluten-free vitamin daily)

[liljules5]

I've just recently been put on Cytomel for hypothyroid. I was in the "normal" tsh range but i convinced my doctor that it wasnt "normal" for me. The small dosage of Cytomel has made the difference. I have lost about 10 lbs in the last month or so. I started on the meds around Feb 20. It has made an amazing difference in my energy, depression, fatigue, and overall health. I feel like "me" again.

[dtravis]

Wow I dont feel so alone now! I too have struggles with weight. I am 39 years old and at 30 had a total hysterectomy, they gave me hormore replacement which a short time later they diagnoses hypothyroidism. They put me on synthroid - which seemed to help at the time. 3 years ago i was diagnosed with Celiac, following the diagnosis i lost 14 pounds which i thought was great. Then it started creaping back on pound by pound. I quit taking the hormone replacement thinking that was the problem, I have every symptom of hypothyroidism - while I am taking synthroid. My Dr. said their is nothing else he can do - i too am very frustrated. I recently went back and said I want to see a endocrinologist - he graciously made the appointment for next week - even though he said they wont do anything that i havent already done. I just think the combination of celiac, thyroid and lack or hormone there is still an issue. Maybe it is dosage??? wht dosage of synthroid do you take? I also wonder if my body is immune to the synthroid? Has anyone else went to a endocrinologist?

Your reply would be very helpful and encouraging!

[PreOptMegs]

My TSH was just drawn about 3 weeks ago. It was 4.44, so I was upped from 0.075 to 0.1. It makes a HUGE difference. Although, I was also put on birth control (ovcon 35) because I hadn't had a period in 2 years... yes 2 years.. OVCON 35 was awful for me. I was gaining about 2 lbs per day eating carrots, strawberries and chicken breast. Lovely. I have been off of Ovcon for about a week. I am still struggling to drop the weight, but I hope it is just because there is some still in my system. Usually when I get synthroid upped, I lose weight quickly.

[Rachel--24]

I had hyperthyroid (Graves) and had radioactive iodine treatment to basically destroy my thyroid. I officially went Hypo 2 months after the procedure when my TSH was 25.5. I went on Levothroid and my numbers have been normal for 3 years now. I take Armour instead of synthetics now. After I went Hypo I lost 25 lbs. which had me really confused but apparantly it was because of gluten and nothing to do with thyroid. I'm still too skinny and wanting my weight back.

[lonewolf]

I'm still too skinny and wanting my weight back.

LIfe just isn't fair. I'd love to be in some kind of weight co-op where I could donate my easily gained pounds to you. The only time in my life I was even close to "skinny" was right after I discovered all my food allergies, was afraid to eat anything, and dropped to 135 pounds on my 5'7" frame. Doesn't sound too skinny, but for someone who's always been a size 12-14 a size 8 slim was really small. And people started asking me if I had cancer or something because I looked so different.

[ehrin]

I got the phone call last week that I'm developing and under active thyroid. Apprently I'm on the border of the abnormal range (not sure what the physical # was). So my endo and I decided to start therapy immediately because "it is bound to happen." So now I'm taking 100 mcg of levoxyl. I'm definitely not as sluggish as I have been this past month. I have blood work scheduled in 6 weeks to see if all systems are a go. At this point it's just one more autoimmune disorder to add to the extensive list. I am now considered to be polyglandular autoimmune. Oh well - as long as I can keep on keeping on!

Peace

Ehrin

[PreOptMegs]

ISo now I'm taking 100 mcg of levoxyl. Peace

Ehrin

Wow, that seems like a big jump for someone who is just starting the regimen. Perhaps it is just my doctor, but she is extremely "stingy" when it comes to bumping me up.

[DonnaD]

I'v had a whole lot of very odd lab results recently including very 'low normal' thyroid results for free t4 and free t3. and Adrenals packing up and a liver failing to detox something! All with a 'normal' Tsh of 2.96, then 1.4. My body temp is usually only 97f.

I'm seeing a doctor next week who treats adrenals, thyroid with Armour after I had a self trial of prednisalone (closest I could get to cortisol, and 30mg Armour) I lost 3lbs in a week!

[PreOptMegs]

If my TSH was 2.96, I would not lose a single pound. I hate the discrepencies between doctors on this "normal" range thing...

[Moongirl]

Did most of u have thyroid problems before ur DX of celiac? I, thank god, dont have a thyroid prob, I think they might have caught the diease early enough that i didnt develop a whole slew of problems. Only because my mother was Dx with it 2 years ago, and she had a underactive thyroid, and osteoporosis.

Is there a chance that I can develop a thyroid problem even after going gluten-free?

PS im as skinny as can be and right now cant gain weight, im 26, 5'3 and 105lbs. But i contribute that to my celiac damage.

[Canadian Karen]

Hypo here.

My dosage has been upped and then lowered several times over the years but we seem to have found the right dosage Eltroxin 0.15 mg.

[cultureslayer]

Last May my T4 was barely hanging onto the normal range and my TSH was slightly elevated. I couldn't get any work done and was gaining weight while doing over 100 miles a week on the bicycle! My mother has had thyroid problems for decades, so I insisted that I get Armour and nothing else. When the Dr. responded to be offering to send articles saying that I'd find many more against T3 I told her I liked the study design better of the ones that found a difference with T3 and at that point she gave up. I switched to another Dr. that did antibody tests and my tests for hashimoto's were about 5x the max "normal" antibody level.

In less than a year I am up to 105mg Armour (roughly equivalent to .175 Synthroid) and I was taking 150 to 200mg Provigil a day. My celiac test labs were inconsistent (AGA IgG was very +, TTg and AGA IgAs were both - but Dr. won't test for IgA deficiency because I have "some" IgA according to the tests grrr) but after only a week gluten free I am down to 100mg Provigil and feeling better. I'm going to see an endocrinologist in a week and I'm going to try to talk him into the total IgA test and see if I can get a referral to an imunologist. Most of the ones around here are into arthritis and only a very few specialize in patients with multiple autoimmune issues and allergies. I think one of those few would be the best for me though, since I have a very strong family history of autoimmune issues and frequent infections (classic signs of IgA deficiency)

[PreOptMegs]

Did most of u have thyroid problems before ur DX of celiac?

Is there a chance that I can develop a thyroid problem even after going gluten-free?

PS im as skinny as can be and right now cant gain weight, im 26, 5'3 and 105lbs. But i contribute that to my celiac damage.

When I was being tested for antibodies against Gluten, they just took a vile of blood and checked my TSH, so I got a double wammy of hypothyroid and celiac all in one.

You can definately develop hypothyroid at any time in your life because it is separate from celiac and gluten, although it has been shown that celiacs tend to have more autoimmune problems

[PreOptMegs]

SUCCESS! I am losing a lot of weight pretty quickly. I finally got all of the estrogen out of my body from the birth control I was on, but now my increased synthroid is really kicking in. I feel great and hope to continue the weight loss. I lost 7 lbs last week and I know for most that sounds unhealthy, but really, I just think it was most of the hypothyroid and birth control weight. I have approx 9 more lbs to lose and everything will be fantastic.

[IntensePort]

I was told that I have an abnormal thyroid something or other. I guess it isn't serious because my doctor hasn't taken action on it. I think it's hypo because I have all those symptoms like brain fog, constipation, cold problems and irritablity. And MAN have I gained stupid weight.

[Random Guy]

graves disease here (hyperthyroid) - diagnosed like 9 years ago

daignosed 12/5 celiac

i recently asked my endo if maybe it's possible that going gluten free would allow ne a better chance of remission with graves. he said there weren't any studies showing that would or wouldn't be likely, but it was an interesting question.

in any case, it got him off my back pushing me to get radioactive iodine - at least for a few months.

-rg

[Heather22]

Hi PreOptMegs

Good for you! That is great to hear things are getting back in working order. That must feel really good. How long after stopping the pill did it take for you to notice a difference? I just went off and I am hoping to feel something different soon.

Heather : )

SUCCESS! I am losing a lot of weight pretty quickly. I finally got all of the estrogen out of my body from the birth control I was on, but now my increased synthroid is really kicking in. I feel great and hope to continue the weight loss. I lost 7 lbs last week and I know for most that sounds unhealthy, but really, I just think it was most of the hypothyroid and birth control weight. I have approx 9 more lbs to lose and everything will be fantastic.