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[outOfThisWorld]

Hi.

For several years I have felt like something is wrong with me but I never knew what. I have suffered from anxiety and depression which are the main symptoms I have been treated for. I haven't been able to make any noticeable improvements on these and could never work out why? So basically I am looking at whether I am intolerant to particular types of food. Based on the reading I have done online I feel my sensitivites could be associated with gluten/yeast or maybe both.

Some of my symptoms include constipation(been like this for LONG time),depression,anxiety,irritability/mood swings,flushing,breathing difficulties(generally struggle for breath but gets quite bad when exercising),malnutrition(i am naturally skinny but can't seem to change body shape),sore eyes,dry skin,lack of energy. I generally feel down/tired all the time and sometimes am more tired when I wake up in the morning compared to the night before. Recently I have also had a very dry mouth and sore teeth for some time.

One difficulty I am having is deciding which approach to take. Should I try a detection/elimination diet or see a doctor about getting tests done? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Marcus

[Ursa Major]

Hi Marcus, and welcome to this board.

Your symptoms could be from celiac disease, other food intolerances, but are also very suggestive of low thyroid function.

Is your body temperature consistently below what is considered normal? That would be one telltale sign of hypothyroidism. Yes, even if all the tests appear to be 'normal'.

I suggest several approaches at this point. See your doctor and ask to be tested for celiac disease. Also, ask for thyroid testing (at this point, free T4, free T3 and TSH). Allergy testing would also be a good idea.

Wait for any drastic action (like an elimination diet) until you get the results back. Let us know what they are, so we can together figure out what should be done next.

The reason why eliminating gluten at this point is unwise is, that you won't get accurate test results if you do. I know it is tempting to just go ahead and try the diet, and I did that. But once you do, the testing is useless.

I couldn't wait because I was so severely ill, that I was afraid I would die. Unless you're at that point, it would be better to wait a little longer, until testing is finished.

[outOfThisWorld]

Thanks for the feedback Ursa.

I thought I may have had a thyroid problem a while ago and was tested. Apparently my results were normal so I never took any further action. At the time I actually thought I may have had hyperthyroidism (i think thats what its called) since I seem to be intolerant to heat. If anything I would say my body temperature is above normal based on how I feel sometimes.

The reason I didn't go straight onto a gluten-free diet was because of the issue with tests. However this is something I feel I need to get until control sooner rather than leaving it for the time being. If I feel something can be done about it then I would definetelt prefer to take action. I have a doctors appointment in just over half a week so I will bring it up then. Just out of curiosity, how is it best to raise something like this? In the past I have mentioned feeling hot,getting flushed and so on.

Also I believe I read somewhere that going off gluten has in some cases improved peoples thyroid problems. Since I can't recall where I read this can something please validate it for me?

Cheers

Hi Marcus, and welcome to this board.

Your symptoms could be from celiac disease, other food intolerances, but are also very suggestive of low thyroid function.

Is your body temperature consistently below what is considered normal? That would be one telltale sign of hypothyroidism. Yes, even if all the tests appear to be 'normal'.

I suggest several approaches at this point. See your doctor and ask to be tested for celiac disease. Also, ask for thyroid testing (at this point, free T4, free T3 and TSH). Allergy testing would also be a good idea.

Wait for any drastic action (like an elimination diet) until you get the results back. Let us know what they are, so we can together figure out what should be done next.

The reason why eliminating gluten at this point is unwise is, that you won't get accurate test results if you do. I know it is tempting to just go ahead and try the diet, and I did that. But once you do, the testing is useless.

I couldn't wait because I was so severely ill, that I was afraid I would die. Unless you're at that point, it would be better to wait a little longer, until testing is finished.

[Ursa Major]

It is true that a gluten-free diet can fix the thyroid. But it didn't work for me.

Actually, being heat and/or cold intolerant can be a sign of hypothyroidism. And feeling very hot and flushed is as well. The reason is, that your body is so cold, that the normal temperature in people's houses makes you feel way too hot.

I always have my thermostat no higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit, because any higher would make me so hot that I would be sick. Just lately, when my body temperature dropped to being in the hypothermia range, would I feel really cold and turned up the heat at times.

I am so intolerant to heat that for the most part, I stay inside all summer with my air conditioner. Going outside makes me feel limp and wilted, and it drains my energy. Especially if it is humid as well.

Check out these websites for more information: Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Read through them to see if it fits you. By the way, if your TSH was over 3, that indicates hypothyroid. Mine was 3.5, and our lab (using outdated values which claim that anything under 5 is fine) declared that to be normal. The values were changed a couple of years ago, but our lab is still using the old values. I made my doctor aware of that. And she reluctantly prescribed dessicated thyroid for me (the herbal remedies made me sicker, because they are high in salicylates, and I am intolerant to those).

If your doctor doesn't get it, you may need to see a naturopathic doctor.

[outOfThisWorld]

I have just looked up the results from my previous test for thyroid issues. Here is what it states:

Thyrotropin (TSH): 1.170. I think the normal range is specified as 0.3-4.0.

Free T4: 18.4 9.0-26.0(range i assume again)

As I mentioned in my previous message I was told these results are normal so no further action was taken.

Are these results normal? From what I have read 0.0-0.3 would be a sign of hyperthyroidism so I look safely above this.

So I guess the main areas I should look at being tested for are celiac and food allergies. Are these all done via blood tests and are these tests common?

[Kaycee]

Hi Marcus, if I were you, I would go for blood tests for coeliac, before trying an elimination diet. If you were gluten free for a while before being tested it is harder to get true results, as healing will have been taking place in your small intestines, and the antibody levels would be a lot lower and the test would be leaning more towards normal levels. So with results like that you would not be totally sure whether you are gluten intolerant or not.

My blood tests were positive, and one day, (the doctor said it would take a while) I will be getting a biopsy done, not so much in his opinion to check for damage done by coeliac, but more to make sure there is nothing else wrong with my digestive system, because by the time I will have the biopsy, I would probably have healed. So I have been gluten free since the blood results came back.

Cathy

[georgie]

Hi Marcus, I am from Aust too ! I was wondering about your Thyroid cos you have so many of the Thyroid symptoms like me.Your Dr hasn't done all the tests for Thyroid.

Thyrotropin (TSH): 1.170. I think the normal range is specified as 0.3-4.0.

Free T4: 18.4 9.0-26.0(range i assume again)

You also need FREE T3 tested which shows how much active T hormone you have. T3 is the energy T hormone. And you need ANTIBODIES tested as that will show if you have an Autoimmune Thyroid. You can have a normal TSH, T4 but have Antibodies which means your Thyroid is sick and under attack.

As Celiac and Autoimmune Thyroid are linked often - its very important to check for Antibodies. And to be aware that 10% of people with autoimmune Thyroid NEVER show Antibodies anyway! The levels change all the time once you have antibodies, and labs may change too - so if dr just treats you on one test a year - you may miss the boat!

What state are you in ? I went to a compounding chemist and they told me of the Drs that use Armour and gave me a list of Drs in my area. Also - ring ARL saliva testing in Melbourne as they also keep lists of Drs that use their kits - and a Dr that is prepared to use Armour, do saliva testing for adrenal fatigue ( common with Hypo), and treat symptoms like temps ( temps can be unstable with thyroid) is my type of Dr !

And Hashimotos Thyroid - one type of autoimmune thyroid - can swing between hyper and hypo as the antibodies atttack. The attacks can be weeks, months, years apart. So - be aware of that too.

You can PM me anytime if you want extra help ! I have been Hypo so long and its amazing to suddenly 'wake up'

[outOfThisWorld]

Thanks for the excellent replies Kaycee and georgie, they were very informative.

georgie I am from Victoria.

Now I am a little confused. When I go to the doctors should I ask to be tested for Free T3,Free T4, TSH, antibodies and celiac? Can all these be tested easily?

[georgie]

Now I am a little confused. When I go to the doctors should I ask to be tested for Free T3,Free T4, TSH, antibodies and celiac? Can all these be tested easily?

Yes - that is right. And get the paperwork as well as sometimes Drs miss the borderline readings. They are all covered by Medicare. I know of a good Dr in Melbourne that a friend is seeing. He has been to Hertoghe conferences . Hertoghe's great grandfather pioneered Thyroid treatment with natural dessicated thyroid late in the 1800s in Europe. I will get that name and PM it to you tomorrow. This is an old science we are talking of here - that has been lost in the modern world. When modern methods continue to fail - the old ways become popular again. Its not about ignoring labs. Its more about using labs as a part of the total picture.

[outOfThisWorld]

Hey georgie

I am from Geelong here in VIC. My Free T4 and TSH was previously tested at PathCare so I would assume they also accomodate Free T3, thyroid antibodies and celiac testing.

Yep last time I asked for the paperwork as I was pretty unhappy when I was told results were normal. I had convinced myself my thyroid was the problem. Having had some symptoms for many years I just can't wait to pinpoint what is contributing to these issues. Hopefully thyroid/gluten/yeast as these are areas I have noticed cover symptoms.

[georgie]

Hopefully this will help . These are all Drs that are more naturopathic in style. Some use Armour ( called Thyroid USP in Aust) or some use T3 ( the active 'energy' T hormone). Most people say Armour works better. I know it did for me.

Open Original Shared Link

And these are compounding chemists

Open Original Shared Link

I have a friend who has a good Melb Dr - so will track that name for you and PM it to you.

You may like to read www.stopthethyroidmadness.com as well. Lots of info there and it helped me a lot. I think of Thyroid as a bit like Celiac. Most people seem to guess they have IBS problems before they get the official dx. And sometimes that official dx is hard to get as the blood test doesn't always show it. Same with Thyroid. People usually have an idea what is wrong but get confused by blood tests that show nothing. Hope you find an answer soon.

[outOfThisWorld]

Thanks for those resources.

What i have noticed at stopthethyroidmadness is the emphasis placed on hypothyroididm. GIven that I experience heat intolerance, inability to put on weight (and other symptoms) I would have been leaning more towards hyperthyroidism. Therefore wouldn't this also mean that Armour would cause more harm than good? However I experience the opposite of increased bowel movements so this would lean more towards hypothyroidism.

I doubt I switch between hypo and hyper as my symptoms are constant. That is, I dont feel really cold one day and hot the next; or have varying bowel movements. Rather I am constipated and hot all the time.

So now I am wondering if heat intolerance is in any way linked to gluten intolerance/celiac? Could this be associated with the breathing difficulties I experience, and therefore could be linked to something else?

Gee this is confusing. Just trying to get my head around possiblities.

[georgie]

Hypo can cause heat AND cold intolerance. On the other list at the moment there is a big talk about this and many seem to suffer the heat more than the cold. Until you can get all the blood tests done you are still guessing - so no need to plan Armour yet. But spend this time to read all the info and be prepared so when you see the Dr you can ask more.

Hashis swings can be years apart too. Not day to day.Still waiting to hear back re that Melbourne Dr.