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The Official Hypothyroidism Thread

I have honestly just given up on fat loss. I lift, been doing 5/3/1 with really good results, and spin for about 40min 4 times a week and eat pretty clean. I figure when it is meant to be it will happen
 
Hey everyone...so I'm not sure if this forum is still in use, but I will try anyways. Here's my story...

My name is Amy, I'm 25, im 5'10" and about 245 pounds. I've always been a little over weight, but I dont look awful since im so tall. And when I have the energy and time to, I have been able to lose weight. So for the past 4 or 5 months I have been feeling like hell...I've never had a migraine in my life, but have had them constantly for the last 4 months. I am nauseous, dizzy, numb and tingly down the right side of my body, no energy, extremely moody, loosing hair, gaining a little weight but not too much, very absent minded, forgetting A LOT!! So my doctors did every test imaginable...except a blood test. My brain MRI came back with some "non-specific white matter" in my frontal lobes (whatever that means). So right now I am waiting to see my neurolgist and figure out a treatment plan. Well when I was at my Dr. Last thursday I suggested we should do a CBC since I hadnt had one done in about 2 years. So I had some blood drawn, and she called me Friday morning. My TSH was off the charts. A 43. She couldn't believe it. She said it explains almost all of my symptoms except the headaches. So I am still dealing with that. She called in a script of Synthroid to my pharmacy and I picked it up after work and started my frist dose sat morning. I still am not seeing any results in my energy levels, but im pretty used to being tired all the time.

About a year ago I was doing Hot Yoga 6 days a week and going to the gym twice a day, 6 days a weeks for about 2 months and I lost about 30 pounds. Im not exactly sure when my Thyroid started to give...but I am going to try to lose weight again, hopefully successfully. I guess my question is, does anyone have any tips and diet and exercise? My diet has been awful. I have started a new job and am working from 7am to 6pm, so I dont really eat meals, just kind of snack here and there.

They also have me on all sorts of meds. Topamax for the migraines, Synthroid for the Thyroid, Percocet for my back (6 bulging disks from a car accident), Ambien CR for sleep...and I think thats it...I can't remember :( Anyway...any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!

Thanks!!
 
GREAT thread. I'm a fellow hypothyroid lifter, diagnosed a year ago.

I'll be along for the ride if this picks up again.

AmyKat, that is quite a story, at the least you will want to get off those narcotics. The average MD won't give you any alternatives, but if you find a good doc they will prescribe you massage therapy which can have enormous effects on your pain and healing process from the car accident/bulging disks. Definitely something to look into. Although, that post was from 3/4 a year ago... I hope you are doing better!

MidwestBeast, if you don't mind me asking, how has your condition progressed?
 
rambofireball said:
MidwestBeast, if you don't mind me asking, how has your condition progressed?
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No success in finding the cause(s) or solution, yet. I just met with an endocrinologist (pituitary and thyroid specialist) at Vanderbilt, last week. She is checking cortisol as the problem again (by 2 midnight salivary tests and a 24-hour urine test). If either or both of those come back suspect, it will be the dexamethasone suppression test and that will tell if it's Cushing's or not.

She said I'd effectively ruled out the thyroid as a problem in all of this by all the testing and experimenting I'd done and that it was just something I'm dealing with, but not a cause. The disappointing thing was when she said if it's not cortisol, then there's (in her mind) nothing else to check/do and she mentioned I should consider prescription weight-loss drugs (phentermine, etc. and even metformin). I proposed the chance it's a DNA mutation/flaw or a problem at a cellular level (mitochondrial issue, perhaps-->energy expenditure issue). She said even if it was, there was nothing to do to fix those problems.

These last 2+ years have sucked, and as tired as I am, I refuse to give up or believe this can't be fixed. So, saliva tests just got mailed back today (she said the lab would take 3-4 weeks to process them) and I'll do the urine testing next week, most likely (not in as much of a rush since it'll still get done before the saliva results come in). I'm not getting ahead of myself. I'll see if cortisol is an issue and if not, I'll go from there. If it means going to Mayo, I'll do that.
 
Wow, that does sound rough. I can kinda commiserate. In 2003, I had a full body CAT scan when was unconscious in the ER after being hit by a car, and when I woke up they told me I had all these broken bones and a concusion and what not, "..and, oh, we also found a pituitary tumor" lol. The tumor has had a lot of fun with wreaking havoc on my endocrine system for most of my life, and stopped responding to the expensive meds a couple years ago, so I had the doc crack me open and take it out last September. My hormones never stabilized as promised so I'm back on quite a bit of HRT and the tumor is back! The damn thing still isn't responding to the meds, persistent little f*ck. Lol, when life gives you lemons..

It is inspiring to hear that you are driven to find the cause and solution. A lot of people just give up when they have come as far as you have.

Best of luck with the forward progress.
 
rambofireball said:
Wow, that does sound rough. I can kinda commiserate. In 2003, I had a full body CAT scan when was unconscious in the ER after being hit by a car, and when I woke up they told me I had all these broken bones and a concusion and what not, "..and, oh, we also found a pituitary tumor" lol. The tumor has had a lot of fun with wreaking havoc on my endocrine system for most of my life, and stopped responding to the expensive meds a couple years ago, so I had the doc crack me open and take it out last September. My hormones never stabilized as promised so I'm back on quite a bit of HRT and the tumor is back! The damn thing still isn't responding to the meds, persistent little f*ck. Lol, when life gives you lemons..

It is inspiring to hear that you are driven to find the cause and solution. A lot of people just give up when they have come as far as you have.

Best of luck with the forward progress.
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That's rough, man. I definitely respect your drive in all of this, too.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about giving up, but I also know who I am and fitness/health/nutrition is such a huge part of my life that even though these couple years have been downright miserable, I have to fight through it. I'm a big believer in that God has a plan and that it will make sense, eventually. I've felt that way for practically my whole life, but this is the first time I've really been tested. That just goes to show how lucky I've been and how awesome my life has been. This all sucks, but through all of it, I've never lost faith that there's a reason for this and that it'll one day make sense. I just hope that I'm closer to finding that out and getting this resolved.

If you ever want/need to chat, just hit me up, man.
 
MidwestBeast said:
That's rough, man. I definitely respect your drive in all of this, too.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about giving up, but I also know who I am and fitness/health/nutrition is such a huge part of my life that even though these couple years have been downright miserable, I have to fight through it. I'm a big believer in that God has a plan and that it will make sense, eventually. I've felt that way for practically my whole life, but this is the first time I've really been tested. That just goes to show how lucky I've been and how awesome my life has been. This all sucks, but through all of it, I've never lost faith that there's a reason for this and that it'll one day make sense. I just hope that I'm closer to finding that out and getting this resolved.

If you ever want/need to chat, just hit me up, man.
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Damn, good luck man. And I agree, there is always a reason, spiritual and physiological. And if there is a cause, there is a solution. I once read a story about a carpenter whose wife had fallen ill with some sort of chronic disease that there was no cure for. The guy had no scientific know-how when she was first diagnosed, and the doctors told him it was more a matter of prolonging life and making her comfortable than it was beating the illness. Well, some amount of time later and after a whole lot of reading the guy eventually found a way to save his wife. I can't remember what the illness was or when it was, but I think the dude was Italian? Anyway, it's stories like that which can really help you push through the feelings of hopelessness.

There is a solution. If you persevere, you will find it.
 
hey guys ive been reading through this thread and have learned a lot. i recently found out that i may be having issues w my thyroid. im getting more bloodwork done soon and have endocrine appointment next month. i was told thyroid seems slow but the free hormone levels were not effected. also, i have "high prolactin" levels. i was screened for a tumor which came back negative. anyone have any experience w this?
 
GIJane1928 said:
hey guys ive been reading through this thread and have learned a lot. i recently found out that i may be having issues w my thyroid. im getting more bloodwork done soon and have endocrine appointment next month. i was told thyroid seems slow but the free hormone levels were not effected. also, i have "high prolactin" levels. i was screened for a tumor which came back negative. anyone have any experience w this?
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Prolactin can vary a bit between men and women (depending on her age; whether it's around pregnancy; etc.). I did in fact have elevated prolactin levels and had a dynamic brain MRI done to specifically look at the pituitary and no prolactinomas/adenomas (small tumors) were found. However, they did point out that there are micro-prolactinomas and there's a possibility in those cases that a tumor does exist, but it just can't be seen.

I'd say it depends on your situation and what your prolactin levels are as far as how you go about treating it.

If you've got copies of any of your blood work, feel free to post the results and I'd be happy to interpret them (just know I'm not the greatest at it; I just have 2+ years of experience digging through/researching all this stuff).

If you had an elevated TSH, I'd check TPO-Ab and Tg-Ab to rule out or confirm Hashimoto's, since it's the number one cause of hypothyroidism (in the US, at least) and is far more predominant in women (this is what I have).
 
thank you. i will try to post new results in 2 wks when they run the bloodwork again. i'm 32 y/o female and definately not pregnant. the dr is trying to determine if my thyroid tested slow due to supps i was on so they are really looking at results this time around. hypothyroidism does run in my family though. i was told poor thyroid function can elevate prolactin levels. i guess im concerned about effects of elevated prolactin, as i dont have common side effects of women such as fluid leakage.
 
GIJane1928 said:
thank you. i will try to post new results in 2 wks when they run the bloodwork again. i'm 32 y/o female and definately not pregnant. the dr is trying to determine if my thyroid tested slow due to supps i was on so they are really looking at results this time around. hypothyroidism does run in my family though. i was told poor thyroid function can elevate prolactin levels. i guess im concerned about effects of elevated prolactin, as i dont have common side effects of women such as fluid leakage.
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It really depends how high the prolactin is/was. Mine was at 17 at its highest (measured) with a ref. range of 3-13 for males. I didn't have any lactation or anything like that, but I was concerned with the long-term effect on decreasing fertility.

TSH is a pituitary hormone, so it can make sense for prolactin to go up, as it is, as well.
 
T4 CRASH

Just started T4 @ 50mcg/day in a.m. after a second FT4 reading came in even lower @ 0.56 (ref range 0.82-1.77) than from the June reading. It's never been this low. At first, I believed it to be from taking T3, but now my hunch is it's from eating VLC paleo/keto as I adjust my calories (need more from fat to make up loss from carbs!) - or perhaps both. FT3 was also slightly low (I have been on 100 mcg T3 [75mcg sustained-release T3 + 25mcg Cynomel]). Another possibility: carnitine supplementation.

I am on day 4 and am just now starting to crash with evening fatigue, wanting to lie down against my will. If I resist the fatigue, I "un-crash and reset" in about an hour.

Is this a normal "adjustment" reaction, as I did not notice this from when starting T3?
Should I try cutting the dose in half to 25mcg (this is why my doc doesn't always advocate natural thyroid like Armour, as you can't adjust the T3 or T4)?
I have never tried T4 before and thought this was a prime time to give it a shot and see. My biggest fear was that T4 would shunt to start boosting my rT3 levels which is why we stuck with T3 only.

Other relevant readings:
- rT3 was @14.7 (ref range 13.5-34.2)
- TSH @1.63.
- preg is low @ 43 (I cannot tolerate oral preg any longer). I will be trying Dr. John's OTC TD preg cream.
- a.m. serum cortisol is 12.7 (am waiting to get my 4x's saliva cort in)
- homocysteine increased from 7 to 9.2 despite my heavy methylation support for my MTHFR C677T genetic mutation
- TPO AB and TgAb are both low normal
- SHBG is elevated @61.4 (my guess: from taking T3)
- Prog is high normal @ 1.4
- E2 is low normal @ 8
- Lipid profiles have improved significantly from June labs which I will report on separately
- Plasma Renin Activity & Aldosterone is LOW @ 0.55 (ref range 1.31-3.95) and Aldosterone is also low @ 3.4 (ref range 0.0-30.0) though my BP runs high, not low.​
 
A few thoughts:

I was initially sucked into the Wilson's syndrome/rT3 wormhole and was concerned that it was hurting my conversion to T3, thus, hindering me. What I've learned through further research is that it's pretty much garbage. Reverse T3 is a stress indicator; it's elevated when there's something else going wrong, so the whole T3-only supplementation at a high dose to "clear" rT3 isn't necessary at all. I did the same thing and it also drove my FT4 levels into the ground. No idea bout the carnitine or your diet, but that's likely the number one culprit for your FT4 being low OOR.

As far as a crash, I don't think that's something that the Synthroid/T4 should be causing. The half-life of it is very long and it will build up in your blood stream over time (that's why they don't recommend blood work until 6 weeks after being on that dose). 50mcg is actually the general starting dose and very low (I'm on 137mcg right now and some go even higher), so I wouldn't be concerned about halving it.

Cortisol/ACTH would be interesting to look into further with the low aldosterone levels. I actually have a doc that wanted to check that one last time for me and she had me do a 24-hour urine collection for cortisol, again, but made me drink minimal fluids to keep total urine volume down (it was 6 liters last time and this time was maybe 1.5) because the high urine content can keep the cortisol circulating instead of being reabsorbed by the kidneys. She also had me do 2 midnight saliva cortisol tests and said the daytime saliva tests aren't that important.

Anyway, I hope that helps some.
 
can someone give me cliffs, or a link, about why and how hypothyroidism works and how it can beat math? Ive heard of people having this condition but it never made sense to me since cals in vs cals out is complete mathematics.... id like to understand what you guys go through as my mom says she has this but i never understood
 
y0lked said:
can someone give me cliffs, or a link, about why and how hypothyroidism works and how it can beat math? Ive heard of people having this condition but it never made sense to me since cals in vs cals out is complete mathematics.... id like to understand what you guys go through as my mom says she has this but i never understood
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Well, essentially, you're right. Hypothyroidism results in a slower metabolism that decreasing cals or upping exercise should take care of. I would assume that more often than not, people with hypothyroidism have other accompanying issues that make it more difficult. I'm still not sure what all I'm dealing with, but it's more than just hypothyroidism.

So to answer your question, in my opinion, it isn't the hypothyroidism that defies science, but something else at play (and then the hypothyroidism obviously doesn't help things).
 
Has anyone mentioned anything about fluoride in this?
 
So - the questions remains - based on my deficient FT4 levels, should I add T4 or not? Assuming I have a conversion block, we can assume T4 will shunt to rT3 - the exact opposite of the goal of the T3 monotherapy (which was to suppress TSH and rT3 levels) which we have accomplished to a degree. Since T4 is a storage hormone whose job is to convert (in euthyroid individuals) to T3, does it even have any metabolic significance itself? Does it really matter if my FT4 levels are depressed?​
 
heard back from dr. thyroid hormones now test normal but prolactin still elevated. the only side i experience from this is low libido. any other possible causes?
 
GIJane1928 said:
heard back from dr. thyroid hormones now test normal but prolactin still elevated. the only side i experience from this is low libido. any other possible causes?
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Has the doc talked to you about the possibility of a prolactinoma? This is the main cause of prolactiaemia (high prolactin), a tumor of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland which is an overgrowth of lactotroph cells that secrete prolactin. There are currently only two treatments accepted as valid in the medical community; dopamine receptor agonist therapy (cabergoline or bromocryptine, preferably cabergoline) which mimics the inhibitive properties of dopamine on prolactin secretion in order to cause cell shrinkage and prolactin secretion decline, or transphenoidal adenectomy - a surgery in which the tumor is removed. Usually people start with cabergoline and go to surgery if they are non-responsive to the cabergoline, which is not very often as cabergoline has a high success rate.

As far as other treatment methods, when studies are done on prolactinomas, the researchers usually inject the test rats with a mega dose of estradiol to instigate tumor formation. Because of this connection prolactinaemia to high levels of estrogen, some docs have started using aromatase inhibitors to lower estrogen and subsequently prolactin. This may not be the best mode of treatment for you as you are female, but it may be worth it to get a lab of your e2 (estradiol).

Also, I've been following a study in Iran which is currently underway investigating the effectiveness of Curcumin from Turmeric extract as a viable treatment for clinical prolactinaemia in humans. It was scheduled to have already been finished, but the results have not been posted/published yet. There have been several studies done in rats showing promise for treatment of prolactinaemia, but none in humans that I am aware of besides the above.
 
I just read above that you have already had an MRI showing no macroadenoma (big tumor), but as beast said above, it is entirely possible you have a microadenoma (small tumor), which is much easier to deal with.
 
i go to see the endocrinologist in a week or so. i will ask about a smaller mass that may not have been seen. any supps that i could have taken that could play w prolactin?
 
Of the top of my head D-Aspartic Acid and Agmatine can both raise prolactin. I'm sure there are many more. Do you have a list of what you have been on?
 
currently: womens multivit, half a dexaprine a day (new version) vitamin C and D, tyrosine, calcium, magnesium, glucosamine, green tea extract, trib test, zma, l carnatine and kelp

in the past: l-dopa, abliderate advanced, lean xtreme
 
Depending on how long and dosing, l dopa could have affected pituitary hormones.
 
ok another thing i will bring up at appointment. took it for a while yrs back. prob about 5-6 yrs ago then recently 2 bottles of the NOW brand always dosed according to bottle. stopped taking it for the month between bloodwork. long term effect?
 
GIJane1928 said:
ok another thing i will bring up at appointment. took it for a while yrs back. prob about 5-6 yrs ago then recently 2 bottles of the NOW brand always dosed according to bottle. stopped taking it for the month between bloodwork. long term effect?
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It's possible that there was a rebound effect with the l-dopa. If your dopamine levels were increased during l-dopa administration that would have a suppressive effect on prolactin which could set the regular checks and balances out of whack to some degree which would then lead to a slight rebound jump in prolactin once you discontinued the suppressive l-dopa. In which case I would think that it would just be a simple game of waiting for your endocrine system to balance out. I'm just spit-balling, that's something you'd want to ask your doc about.

I would never claim that these are proof of what's happening with you, but it lends some weight to the possibility.

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thanks i will read more about that. i would be surprised if the lasting effects are from years ago though. although i did not see the bloodwork, the dr didnt indicate that the prolactin levels improved at all w the cease of l-dopa supplementation over the month.
 
Just recently diagnosed with hypo myself. I've had several high TSH readings 5.5, 4.9 and finally 7.5. After the last reading, my doc put me on 50mcg of levothyroxin and, so far, I'm feeling pretty good. Since starting the main thing I've noticed is the increased energy. Normally I was very tired in the middle of the day and had to take a nap (usually 2 hours :sleeping:) to get by. Now I'm good to go for the whole day. I've never really had much trouble with weight gain but my energy has definitely been on the decline particularly the last couple of years. So far, no weight loss, actually I've gained a couple of pounds as my appetite is through the roof right now. Might be a good time for another bulk :D

Got a couple of questions. What supplements would be contraindicated with this condition? Iodine, which I saw discussed earlier, makes my condition worse so that's definitely something I have to steer clear off. Any others? I'm currently supplementing with Beta Alanine, Vit D3, fish oil, green tea, gingko (once or twice a week) and cit malate (pre workout only). Also use DAA and Erase. These ok?

Does this condition affect your joints? I'm always kinda achy (knees, back, elbows and now right shoulder). Interestingly, Cissus made my joints hurt worse and, of course, Erase made me feel like I was 90.

I was thinking of adding a preworkout (Jacked Micro, Condense, C4, White Flood) and a fat burning aid (TTA) . Any recommendations?

Good thread and thanks in advance for responses.
 
leprechaun1 said:
Just recently diagnosed with hypo myself. I've had several high TSH readings 5.5, 4.9 and finally 7.5. After the last reading, my doc put me on 50mcg of levothyroxin and, so far, I'm feeling pretty good. Since starting the main thing I've noticed is the increased energy. Normally I was very tired in the middle of the day and had to take a nap (usually 2 hours :sleeping:) to get by. Now I'm good to go for the whole day. I've never really had much trouble with weight gain but my energy has definitely been on the decline particularly the last couple of years. So far, no weight loss, actually I've gained a couple of pounds as my appetite is through the roof right now. Might be a good time for another bulk :D

Got a couple of questions. What supplements would be contraindicated with this condition? Iodine, which I saw discussed earlier, makes my condition worse so that's definitely something I have to steer clear off. Any others? I'm currently supplementing with Beta Alanine, Vit D3, fish oil, green tea, gingko (once or twice a week) and cit malate (pre workout only). Also use DAA and Erase. These ok?

Does this condition affect your joints? I'm always kinda achy (knees, back, elbows and now right shoulder). Interestingly, Cissus made my joints hurt worse and, of course, Erase made me feel like I was 90.

I was thinking of adding a preworkout (Jacked Micro, Condense, C4, White Flood) and a fat burning aid (TTA) . Any recommendations?

Good thread and thanks in advance for responses.
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Your doc sounds like a mainstream one that has no clue on thyroid. Be careful with T4 (levo) only as T4 only can make things worse in the long run. 99% of docs including endos know sh*t about treating hypo. You really should be on a natural dessicated T3/T4 combo (i.e. Armour) or like in my case, T3 and T4 separately, so I can regulate the dose. And you need a FULL thyroid panel, not just TSH, which is only a basic indication of thyroid function and a poor one at that. Very important to also test for FT3, FT4, rT3, TPO, TgAb at the minimum. That will tell you whether you have Hashi's autoimmune also in which iodine may be contraindicated. You may do well in the short run and then worsen because in a LOT of people including myself, T4 doesn't get converted to T3 which is why T3 monotherapy is mandatory. Mainstream docs are clueless on this.

If you want to get more educated, I suggest read up on this excellent site: stopthethyroidmadness.com
 
mcs5309 said:
Your doc sounds like a mainstream one that has no clue on thyroid. Be careful with T4 (levo) only as T4 only can make things worse in the long run. 99% of docs including endos know sh*t about treating hypo. You really should be on a natural dessicated T3/T4 combo (i.e. Armour) or like in my case, T3 and T4 separately, so I can regulate the dose. And you need a FULL thyroid panel, not just TSH, which is only a basic indication of thyroid function and a poor one at that. Very important to also test for FT3, FT4, rT3, TPO, TgAb at the minimum. That will tell you whether you have Hashi's autoimmune also in which iodine may be contraindicated. You may do well in the short run and then worsen because in a LOT of people including myself, T4 doesn't get converted to T3 which is why T3 monotherapy is mandatory. Mainstream docs are clueless on this.

If you want to get more educated, I suggest read up on this excellent site: stopthethyroidmadness.com
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Thanks for the info. Doc looked at other measures and they all looked good but will request blood results and look myself.
 
went to dr. thyroid function back down to 3.4 but prolactin still around 27-28. she old me estrogrn is low but is attributing it to my training. i think im going to seek out a second opinion. there is nothing on my staple supps list to continue elevated prolactin
 
GIJane1928 said:
went to dr. thyroid function back down to 3.4 but prolactin still around 27-28. she old me estrogrn is low but is attributing it to my training. i think im going to seek out a second opinion. there is nothing on my staple supps list to continue elevated prolactin
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Is she saying that your training is the cause of the low estrogen or the high prolactin?
 
The low estrogen. I'm going to try to schedule to see a different doctor. The woman I saw knew nothing about the lifestyle I lead and kept asking me why I train so much. Not really sure why it mattered to her... she just seemed more focused on that. She didn't know much about supplements for the lifestyle either. I trust her but a friend referred me to someone who is more familiar with these types of things.
 
MidwestBeast said:
Well, first of all, I don't think this necessarily belongs in the "weight loss" section, but I think this is as good of a fit as any of the options. If you're anything like me, this is one of the nastiest things accompanying hypothyroidism.

I had done some searching in the forums and there are plenty of threads asking about thyroid drugs and screwed up thyroids (a lot of, if not most of, the threads are inquiring about the potential of creating hypothyroidism due to abuse of T3), but not one thread came up specifically on hypothyroidism. The idea to start this thread came to me after Kleen set up his thread on Intermittent Fasting -- something totally unrelated, but a thread that brought together a lot of great minds, experiences and discussion. I'm hoping this will do the same.

For those who haven't read any posts from me, I'll include a shortened version of my story (feel free to read over / skip this part :laugh: ).

I've always had trouble losing weight, but always assumed it was something I wasn't doing right. So, I ran more. Then, when that wasn't doing what I wanted, I researched training and perfected my weight-training. Then, when that wasn't doing it, I researched nutrition for quite some time and really put a lot of time and effort into my diet and seemingly perfected that. All that time, I was able to lose fat, but it was like pulling teeth and it was at really low calories for someone of my age, size and activity level.

My whole life, I'd been trying to lose weight the entire time I was lifting (so think of the 10 years I was lifting weights, I was simultaneously trying to lose fat; that was the more important goal the entire time). In April / May of last 2010, I got into arguably the best shape of my life and was pretty ripped and cut up at 208 lbs (all natural, too). I went a full month without even one cheat meal during the final push of that (dropping 6.4 lbs and increasing all of my lifts). I treated myself to a splurge day after that and then got back on the horse of a clean diet, though not as strict as that one month was (just normal lifestyle, not like contest prep, but certainly clean).

I managed to get back up to ~220 lbs in a very short amount of time. I was so frustrated and disappointed; back to square one without even really screwing up. At that point, a friend asked me how long I'd been cutting - when he knew it was that strict for those several months on top of all the years, he said your body probably needs a break and you should try switching it up to bulk for a while. I thought that sounded reasonable and thought, "sure, I'll finally add some nice mass and then get back to cutting."

In about 6 weeks I'd added 24 lbs. I was only eating about 3,500 cals/day (mostly clean) and working out regularly, to boot. While I added some good size, I also added a LOT of fat. I wanted to turn back after about 2 weeks of this, seeing my waist line grow, but everyone said that you just focus on growing during a bulk and then worry about cutting when you cut. Well, for normal people, I suppose that's fine. I ended up at about 244 lbs and thought to myself how badly I needed to cut, so I got back to it. I even tried my first PH to help with the process (Epi bridged into H-drol) and it didn't help in my venture, either.

At the start of 2011, I had a hardcore new year cut mapped out and was a few days in before my weight started slowly going up by about a pound every other day with calories ranging from 2,000 to 2,400 while lifting 5 days a week, doing cardio every morning and a 2nd cardio session on my 2 off days.

I finally said to myself that I can't do anything else to help this. It's clearly something out of my control.

I had a full hormonal panel done on January 21st. On February 1st I got my results and saw I have hypothyroidism. My TSH was 5.67.

All this time, I thought I was doing things wrong, but my body was just battling me. All of those years I was busting and busting my back, I could have just addressed my under-active thyroid and who knows where I'd be now.

Now here's the thing; I'm a firm believer in everything happening for a reason. So, there's a reason my life has taken this path. There's something for me to learn from it and I can tell you that I sure know a ton more about nutrition and training than I ever thought I would. And who knows? Maybe part of this experience was that I could help someone else avoid all of the heartache that I've experienced.

I was on 50mcg of T4 for 6 weeks, which brought my TSH down to 3.69, but I lost no weight during that time. An endocrinologist has since bumped me up to 112mcg/day. I've been on that for just past 3 weeks now, and haven't noticed anything yet, either, but I'm still hopeful. I'll go in in the beginning of June for more blood work and then a followup appointment with the endo.

Until then, I'm just doing what I can, working out hard, eating right and doing a lot of praying.

So, this first post ended up being more about my story than anything else, but I plan on adding a lot of quality information and articles to this and I hope you'll do the same. I'll go back to edit a few posts on some specifics of this.

Let's hear from all of you who suffer from hypothyroidism just like me. Share your story. Share your thoughts. Share whatever you feel comfortable sharing with the rest of us. Let's make this a support group as well as an area to find a plethora of information.
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GIJane1928 said:
The low estrogen. I'm going to try to schedule to see a different doctor. The woman I saw knew nothing about the lifestyle I lead and kept asking me why I train so much. Not really sure why it mattered to her... she just seemed more focused on that. She didn't know much about supplements for the lifestyle either. I trust her but a friend referred me to someone who is more familiar with these types of things.
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HAHA! Man, some doc's are hilarious with that. You know the average MD gets about 2-4 hours of nutritional training int their entire medical education? What a joke. And the ones who don't understand exercise physiology or why it's good for you are even better.

Good luck with the new doc.

Are you very lean?

To me that may make sense as to why your estrogen is low. I've read that some female athletes that compete at high levels like the Olympics can reach a point of fitness where they start to lose their breast and accompanying fat, leading to somewhat skewed estrogen etc.
 
If you're interested.

The effects of intense exercise on the female reproductive system
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Just recently been diagnosed with Hypo, my question is how bad are PWO supps while in Synthroid? Would Armour be a better choice?
 
I never noticed an issue with any general Supps with levothyroxine (synthroid). I was on Rx for that AND cytomel at one point but didn't notice a difference, so,just been on the T4 since.
 
So it's been close to a year since I was originally diagnosed sub clinical(TSH5.5).

After dealing with crappy doctors who only went by TSH level. I started doing my own research on hypothyroid and went looking for a good doctor. Just when I find one and boom fired right before Christmas.
I no longer have insurance, so I'm pretty screwed for a while.

I'm hoping someone who's been living with hypothyroid can help out.


I'm currently on 146 Nature Throid and labs look okay per Doctor and myself.

TSH 1.48 // 0.40-4.50 mIU/L EN
T4, FREE 1.1 // 0.8-1.8 ng/dL EN
T3,Free 3.0//2.0-4.4

I still don't feel great, struggling with fatigue/weight and tendons being more sore . I eat as if I'm prepping for a damn contest but weight still doesn't budge.

I get daily hip pain and muscle strain in my calfs almost pre cramp feeling every evening.

I was wondering if anyone has this problem before? I supplement with Vitamin C,D,selenium and magnesium.
 
cheloz28 said:
So it's been close to a year since I was originally diagnosed sub clinical(TSH5.5).

After dealing with crappy doctors who only went by TSH level. I started doing my own research on hypothyroid and went looking for a good doctor. Just when I find one and boom fired right before Christmas.
I no longer have insurance, so I'm pretty screwed for a while.

I'm hoping someone who's been living with hypothyroid can help out.


I'm currently on 146 Nature Throid and labs look okay per Doctor and myself.

TSH 1.48 // 0.40-4.50 mIU/L EN
T4, FREE 1.1 // 0.8-1.8 ng/dL EN
T3,Free 3.0//2.0-4.4

I still don't feel great, struggling with fatigue/weight and tendons being more sore . I eat as if I'm prepping for a damn contest but weight still doesn't budge.

I get daily hip pain and muscle strain in my calfs almost pre cramp feeling every evening.

I was wondering if anyone has this problem before? I supplement with Vitamin C,D,selenium and magnesium.
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Good timing to bring this up, as I need to re-evaluate my thyroid function after all these years as I know it is still not optimized putting it on the back burner due to other issues, and rather than self-experimentation, I'm going to consult with a top-rated endo whose treatment philosophy jives with mine - Dr. Friedman in LA: Invalid Link Removed
 
mcs5309 said:
Good timing to bring this up, as I need to re-evaluate my thyroid function after all these years as I know it is still not optimized putting it on the back burner due to other issues, and rather than self-experimentation, I'm going to consult with a top-rated endo whose treatment philosophy jives with mine - Dr. Friedman in LA: https://www.verywell.com/ted-friedman-md-on-hypothyroidism-3231703[/ How long you been hypo?
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cheloz28 said:
mcs5309 said:
Good timing to bring this up, as I need to re-evaluate my thyroid function after all these years as I know it is still not optimized putting it on the back burner due to other issues, and rather than self-experimentation, I'm going to consult with a top-rated endo whose treatment philosophy jives with mine - Dr. Friedman in LA: https://www.verywell.com/ted-friedm...I posted it to help those that may need help.
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Have you contacted this Endo? He seems to know exactly what we are all looking for. I wonder how expensive he is? Check your pm
 
cheloz28 said:
Have you contacted this Endo? He seems to know exactly what we are all looking for. I wonder how expensive he is? Check your pm
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Haven't seen him yet only because I live out of the area and haven't had a chance to get an appt. yet. The downside (as with anyone half-way decent) is that they usually don't take insurance AND are not inexpensive. But my health is my most valuable asset and what better to invest in, as we only get one body, it's the only thing we will ever truly own, and we are stuck with it to the grave. I believe you can find out his rates if you read his article and find the link to his site. A few hundred to save me tens of thousand in having a better life down the road is worth its weight in gold. Is he good and more importantly, going to help us? Dunno. But my gut tells me he's among the top on the west coast and seems a better bet than the docs I've hired before to help me out. You can't always believe yelp, but he has some pretty good reviews overall: Invalid Link Removed. If you live in CA, you can set up a video appt. and save on travel expenses.
 
Man you are so right. This whole experience has been rude awakening for me. I know understand why people feel jaded towards the medical system . I've seen more doctors in the last year than I have in my whole life. After a few months of feeling like **** and barely functioning, I woke up one day and refused to accept the "it's all in your head" and "just learn to live with it" from doctors.

Some people get lucky and get placed on the right meds and never have a problem. Others like myself have to be proactive and learn as much as possible so you can try to figure out how to heal.

Anyways enough of my frustrated ranting. Anyone deal with muscle cramp and found a solution ??
 
Muscle cramps are side effect of hypothyroidism. The lack of T3 causes an electrolyte imbalance that prevents muscles from relaxing. You could try magnesium. Might work but for some reason things are never that simple. In my experience Epsom salts ( yea the crap that old people use to soak their feet in) in the tub offers the highest absorption rate with the least amount of gastro upset ( too much magnesium gives you the runs).

In addition to the free T3 Free T4 bloods I would ask for RT3 ( reverse T3) as well. See link below.

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