O/T If you feel like shit, get your Thyroid checked

[Garwood]

A couple weeks ago I got some bloodwork done. Turns out the reason I've felt a bit dumb, can't deal with cold at all and my body has hurt all over for the past few years wasn't some strange Covid side effect- It was because I have Hashimoto's disease and my Thyroid does not work.

Learned a lot over the past couple weeks and Levothyroxine is making a big difference already.

Seems like a lot of people have this problem and it goes un-diagnosed for long periods. I wish I'd switched doctors years ago.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

I had a thyroid virus 25 or so years ago, they tried to set me up with hospice as my condition mimicked dying of aids. Since I was heterosexual and did not do drugs I was trying to guess what 2 o'clock special was the carrier to try to warn others. In a period of a couple months I lost 30 pounds of muscle, what I could bench press dropped from 390 to about 250, and I needed to sleep 12 hours a day instead of 5. About 3 weeks into my diagnosis of end stage aids a nuclear medicine doctor called me in for more tests.

He called me into his office and said he had good news and bad news, I asked for the bad news first. He said I have a thyroid virus and not aids, but my condition could not be treated. He said I would get better with time and would be back to normal in 3-6 months.

Thyroid issues can cause some very odd problems.

Even though it was 25 years ago I feel thyroid problems can easily look like something else, they originally thought I was dying of aids, and I sure looked like it.

 

[GregSY]

Not to disparage your condition, which I'm sure is real. But it reminds me of a girl I knew who had Graves Disease/thyroid issues. She had no actual symptoms, but milked it for all it was worth, including getting on SS disability at age 34. She also joined several support groups, all of which kicked her out once they determined she was all about the handouts.

So anyway, I had accompanied her to a doctor (free doctor) who she had gone to see about getting her thyroid removed. While she was down the hall getting some blood taken, I was talking to the doctor and mentioned that she often blamed her mood swings and otherwise crazy behavior on her thyroid issue. I asked if having it removed would solve that problem. He sorta looked at me and said, "Well.....at least we could remove the thyroid from the list of possible reasons...." Lol. Well said. So she eventually did have it removed and....no change in crazy.

 

[WizardOfBoz]

Not to disparage your condition, which I'm sure is real. But it reminds me of a girl I knew who had Graves Disease/thyroid issues. ....no change in crazy.

Real Graves is a big deal, especially for gals who care about their appearance. Causes the eyes to bulge. Hard to close the eyes. Not trivial.

Different from psychosomatic/crazy Graves which, as you pointed out, cannot be treated very easily.

 

[michiganbuck]

Thyroid function and Thyroid health are much dependent on proper body Iodine levels.
Thyroid function is responsible for so much likely avoiding cancer may a result of good thyroid health.
The USA recommence 150 mcg (micrograms) of iodine
The average in japan likely runs 1 to 3 Milligrams. (1000 to 3000mcg)
Japan has the best Covid recovery, the best health, and oldest old age.

Don't beat me up because I am saying "the proper amount," perhaps having a doctor check one's iodine level.

One doctor's report said that over 90% of his patients over years of practicing medicine were Iodine deficient.

Iodised salt has 1.100 micrograms of iodine in 6 teaspoons of that salt. likely enough salt to kill you over a short time.
Cancer rate:
USA 113 moderate
Japan 102 low

 

[BoxcarPete]

Yeah, I did just that a couple years ago. Told my doc I felt like I was 29 going on 60 and he included a couple thyroid levels in my blood work. Once most everything came back rock solid, he told me to schedule a sleep study. Turns out I have to choose between sleeping and breathing regularly, but my O2 levels stayed within safe limits all night so they told me I had no need of any medical interventions if I could handle the daytime sleepiness.

But what had me over the edge at the time was a minor potassium deficiency. Sprinkled a little no-salt on my food and went right back to the normal amount of constant fatigue to which I've become accustomed. One of these days I'll get serious about finding a CPAP mask that I can tolerate for longer than an hour, but until then it's coffee time

 

[DDoug]

One of these days I'll get serious about finding a CPAP mask that I can tolerate for longer than an hour, but until then it's coffee time

I use this:
Respironics DreamWear Nasal Mask - with Headgear

Could not get used to anything else.

 

[john.k]

There is a classic thyroid syndrome following a serious virus infection.....first heart over activity ,which novice docs may think is heart disease,then after a few months ,activity falls to below normal ,and the symptoms are lack of activity,increasing weight,and sleeping for 10/12 hours a day.......After misdiagnosis ,I eventually had a course of Beta Blockers ,which cured me entirely from the heart symptoms of the first stage ,and the second stage is so far untreated .....but I am always tired ,and sleep 12 hours a night....I know from path tests ,my thyroxin level is about 1/2 normal.

 

[neilho]

Good tip, Garwood.

My family has a history of thyroid problems, only realized in the last 30 years. A couple suicides before that, as the Amish men got older. What a waste of life.

Happily, the off spring of those who left the church have no problem going to docs. Technology does have its rewards.

 

[michiganbuck]

Lately, some are saying vegetarian diets may not have sufficient iodine for thyroid function.

Crops from certain areas may be iodine deficient.
Michigan and Ohio soil may be lacking in iodine.

usa iodine deficient soil map - Bing

Iodine rich foods:
25 Iodine Rich Foods You Should Include In Your Diet

 

[michiganbuck]

Brest cancer in japan is 51.5 per 100K
In the USA it is 93 per.
Cranberries are a good iodine source, also baked potatoes, dried prunes and most things from the sea like seaweed, shrimp, shellfish, fish, pretty girls in swimsuits. Ops not pretty girls in swimsuits.

 

[GregSY]

I've heard the Japanese have a rate of stomach cancer that is many times higher than the USA.

 

[michiganbuck]

I've heard the Japanese have a rate of stomach cancer that is many times higher than the USA.

That seems true, but in all cancer USA is higher than in Japan.

Global cancer data by country | World Cancer Research Fund International

I did find this:
Many Asian countries, including Korea, Japan and China, experience disproportionately high rates of stomach cancer, possibly due to high rates of infection with Helicobacter pylori — also known as H. pylori — and the increased consumption of salted and smoked foods.

 

[BoxcarPete]

I use this:
Respironics DreamWear Nasal Mask - with Headgear

Could not get used to anything else.

Heard good things about those, but my diagnosis was in 2020 so nobody was willing to let me try anything on before using it. Did not try that one, but the first couple options didn't fit me well and I got sick of throwing shit at the wall to see if it sticks so to speak, and I mostly avoided higher dollar options for that reason as well.

 

[DDoug]

Heard good things about those, but my diagnosis was in 2020 so nobody was willing to let me try anything on before using it. Did not try that one, but the first couple options didn't fit me well and I got sick of throwing shit at the wall to see if it sticks so to speak, and I mostly avoided higher dollar options for that reason as well.

It was added on to my order as a free sample, man was I lucky.
I would spend the money, I sleep much better now (linked is only $64)
This place has a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
cpapXchange: AirFit N30i Nasal CPAP/BiLevel Mask with Headgear

 

[5 axis Fidia guy]

Out of curiosity, were they looking for something specific in your blood? or did they just notice something abnormal?

 

[Strostkovy]

I ended up in the hospital following blacking out for a bit and unfortunately most everything was normal.

All of my issues are mental.

 

[Garwood]

Out of curiosity, were they looking for something specific in your blood? or did they just notice something abnormal?

The doctor had a hunch when I said that I had been dealing with fatigue and constant chills for several years. I also have bad reactions to gluten, like if I eat wheat my brain stops working, I can forget my name, and my whole body feels like I'm 90 years old. I've been dealing with the gluten thing for a long time, I have that under control. The doc knew that gluten issues and Hashimotos go together. He ordered a bunch of bloodwork. When the initial tests came back that some of my vitamin levels were low and thyroid hormones were non-existent he ordered further tests to look at the hormone levels that are supposed to stimulate the thyroid and tests to look for immune markers for hashimotos disease.

All that way done inside of 2 days of my first appointment. I was pretty impressed for a small town doctors office.

 

[michiganbuck]

The Importance of Iodine
When you consume iodine, it is quickly absorbed and entered into your bloodstream. Your thyroid, which has tiny cells that capture the circulating iodine, takes in and oxidizes it so it can begin to be used to create triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4)—thyroid hormones that make their way throughout the body to regulate metabolism and ensure healthy functioning of the heart, brain, and other organs. While the major portion of iodine is concentrated in the thyroid gland, the nonhormonal iodine is found in a variety of body tissues including the mammary glands, the eyes, the gastric mucosa, the cervix, and the salivary glands. 1

Iodine assists in the production of strong teeth and bones by being a key player in calcium absorption. In fact, the connection between low iodine, low calcium absorption, and hypothyroidism has been known by researchers for at least the last hundred years.

 

[JST]

Seaweed is pretty high in iodine, apparently. Japanese tend to eat dried seaweed with rice, at least the folks I know, so maybe there is a connection there.

PS: seaweed is not bad with rice, interesting taste