I'm a little confused about Thyroid symptoms. For instance today I have had Adrenalin pumping through my whole body the entire day, even though Im dead tired. My heart beats so fast it feels like Im gonna have a heart attack and then I get cold. Ive had the heartbeat problem for about twenty years even when I was well. I once went into intensive care cos it was 238 beats a minute. They offered me Beta blockers but I refused. Ive had it on and off through the last few years even when Ive been well and its weird cos sometimes it starts when I do something like reach up. It will just kind of go banf, start going really fast , then totally aout of rythmn, then eventually bang back to normal. It makes me cough a lot. The only other symptoms I had when I was well was always cold feet and hands and if I got really tired ringing in the ears and frequent urination with kidney pain. but to me they were just normal to me ,so I lived with them and was 99% well. Sorry gone a bit off track but could this be a thyroid problem does anyone know and if it is , is it under or overactive. Thanks Tracy

Hi Tracy

Check this website out.

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

There is a place in the UK (via your GP referal) that can test these for you at www.nptech.co.uk

They can do all your thyroid checks including Free T4 and Free T3 and antibody and your cortisol for you adrenal glands all for about £100

If you can afford it it will give you piece of mind whether you are on the write track for your diagnosis or not.

Have checked out the website problem is my doctor refused to refer me anywhere as she dosent believe there anything wrong with me, its all in my mind

I would then either change your doctor or give nptech a ring and tell them your difficulties on getting a referal and see what they say.

Tracy - I have rapid heart beat and frequent urination. This is ADRENALS! My heart starts pounding when blood sugar gets too low, and the body goes into survival mode. Are you still taking Pred? You may also need Florinef, which replaces aldosterone, another steroid hormone produced by the adrenals, and which controls the sodium / potassium balance and volume of urine. I take both. I also have to eat every 4 hours to keep blood sugar up, even waking at night to eat, as I have found that low blood sugar causes insommnia - the brain simply won't let you sleep if blood sugar is low. This is my worst mercury symptom - it has been going on for a year now, and is beginning to ease as I have got up to 3 grains of Armour. Weak adrenals and thyroid go hand in hand.

It is miserable, I know. I know exactly what you're going through. You need to see a good endocrinologist who will do all these tests, and sort out the hormones you need to replace. Can you get to Brussels easily?

Nicola

Nicola,

Your post was really helpful to me, thanks for posting the info. I have adrenal burnout and am on Cortef. So far my saliva testing has been only for cortisol and DHEA levels. I haven't had my aldosterone tested. Since I'm not where I'd like to be as far as energy and everything, I'm going to bring the issue up about aldosterone to my docs.

Do you find that even with taking all the supplemental hormones, that you still have symptoms? I don't know whether it's realistic to expect to feel almost normal when taking the Cortef, etc.

Hugs,
SomedaySoon (Sharon)

Hi Sharon

I am having one of those days today. I take 7.5mg of Pred, which is a full replacement dose of cortisol, and 3 grains of Armour, and today I am so tired I can barely drag myself around. I had some blood test results today, and found that I am optimal at 3 grains - my Free T3 and T4 are at the top of the range. So I am not tired because I am hypothyroid...

So I am racking my brains as to what else it could be. DUH, the mercury of course, but WHY, and what can I do about it?. I saw from my blood tests that I am still way over range in Vitamin B12 (have been for a year), and have found out this is probably because I don't absorb B12 due to a lack of intrinsic factor in the gut, which is caused by an autoimmune condition (mercury, then). So while my blood tests show I am way over, I am probably way under, and this could be a reason for my fatigue... Or is it the high Epstein Barr titre that showed in my blood tests?

It's a jigsaw, and no, replacing hormones doesn't necessarily make you feel normal. I think my body is seriously broken. I am 7 months post-amalgam removal, and way more fatigued than I used to be. I guess this is the organ dump or 'hump', when you feel worse, and it should pass around 12 months. Great, only five months to go.

I haven't felt normal since I got sick 2 1/2 years ago, but my head is beginning to clear.

Nicola

This is why I have opted to go to the diagnostic clinic so they can run every test possible and hopefully I ll really know where I stand I am aslo severely fatigued and to top it all I have my mum critically ill in hopital at the moment which dosent help its weird she was told she had a kidney stone about 6 weeks ago and had been feeling really ill the hopital didnt treat her and let her out with areferral for next week she collapsed on Saturday night and my dad called me in a flap so I had to call the paramedics and go with her and everthing Sunday she acted like someone with severe ALzeimers all day the docs have sid they think the stone is so infected its sent the infection all round her body and into her brain she was lucid the day before went to see her today shes slightly more lucid but cant stand is bedridden and in nappies its heartbreaking so as you can imagine I am feeling crappier than ever not sleeping, shivery and sooooooooooooo tired Tracy

Nicola, I had chronic Epstein Barr Virus for years. It went away when I had my 17 amalgams and root canaled tooth removed (I'm just arriving at the 7 month post-removal mark). And I'm crossing my fingers that the EBV will stay away. I wanted to tell you one thing that really helped me with my EBV -- or it seemed to alleviate some symptoms anyway -- was Cat's Claw. I don't know whether you've already looked into it, but I just thought I'd mention it. It REALLY helped with my symptoms. I don't think I could have gotten through alot of days without taking that Cat's Claw.

I just love your posts, Nicola. They're so informative. Interesting about your B12 status. I just added another holistic doc to my "team." I don't know how well versed he is in heavy metal toxicity. He's a holistic Gyn and I went to him for Gyn problems. But he's taking all sorts of functional tests on me to see if we can identify more of my body's weaknesses -- he's looking at the entire body. Maybe I'll start to get some more answers soon and I can take steps to bolster and strengthen my system and eventually do a detox.

Tracy, I'm so sorry to hear about everything you're having to contend with. On your Mum's kidney stone -- I had a bad bought with a kidney stone a few years ago. I also experienced severe infection from it. The urologist had to surgically remove the stone and blast me with antibiotics finally. That was after waiting about 6 weeks to see if I could pass the stone -- which I couldn't. I think it was stuck. Anyway, I share this with you because I finally had to request the surgery and by that time the docs agreed that the stone had to be removed because it was making me sick.

Nicola and Tracy, I hope you both start feeling better soon and can have some energetic, yet serene, days ahead.

Hugs,
SomedaySoon (Sharon)

Thanks for those kind wishes. I too have Epstein Barr virus and Cytomeglavirus. The one thing I just cant get my head around is how the symptoms vary so much from day to day and its almost as if in the morning you just know what its going to be like, even with the stuff going on with my mum and son I havnt really been depressed. But today woke uup in that very dark place where you dont want to be. Just feel numb and suicidal thoughts. How does it keep changing I mean you would think if you were going to be depressed it would be there all the time but that dosent happen with me. Last night I was laughing and joking with the nurses in the hospital and then today like this just dont understand. I am still on the pred Niclola and 2 sleeping tabs but still only get about an hour and have really bad night sweats again its the pits Tracy

Tracy

don't know where you are with your hormones, but this could make a difference from one day to the next. Adrenals manufacture estrogen and progesterone as well as cortisol and aldosterone. Chances are if your adrenals are shot, you are low in female hormones. Do you take anything to supplement them? I had to take both estrogel and progesterone (but no longer - another story). Can you relate the bad times to your monthly cycle - sorry I don't know how old you are so don't know if you still have one? If there is a pattern, you may want to look at female hormone replacement.

I found since using coconut oil in generous amounts my hormone problems have become much better. Apparently it converts to pregnenalone, which is a precursor to all hormones. My low estrogen symptoms (night sweats, foggy headaches) have disappeared. Progesterone has been high for me throughout the time I have been sick because of the candida - apparently candida loves progesterone and fosters it. This could also be a slow balancing out after amalgam removal, though.

Diet is the other biggie which could affect your brain. And thyroid, which is HUGE. Your brain NEEDS that T3. T4 only meds won't work in mercury toxic people because mercury disables the enzyme that converts T4 to T3, so you need a thyroid med which contains both, like Armour or Thyroid S. Within a few days of taking Armour I was laughing with my children again - the difference was incredible.

Hope this helps Tracy.

Nicola

I have EBV, hypothyroid, adrenals crashed etc etc etc. The one thing that has made the biggest difference to me is Progesterone cream. As I have said before many times it helps with your moods among many other things! Not sure re the candida fostering progesterone but I do know that mercury toxic women tend to be estrogen dominant and usually find progesterone very helpful.

I have had hashimoto's for three years and I have been progressively feeling worse. One thing that I have just found out is that T4 can be misformed into reverse T3 instead of T3. This is common with autoimmune diseases from increased cortisol and stress. You need to get a specific RT3 Test to see what your levels are. Also, decreasing your T4 and slowly increasing slow release T3 is very helpful. Some test show a immune response in the gut with mercury toxicity and leaking gut syndrome which causes a decrease in digestion. It may be helpful that your doctor prescribe Creon (pancrease) which assists digestion and will decrease the immune response which drives the cortisol.

Hi Nicola

Just a thought, but did you stop taking Armour on the day you did your blood test? If you take Armour on the day of the test then your Free T3 will give false results.

I cant agree with lowering your T4 is good. Both your Free T3 and Free T4 should be in the high end of the ranges if you have a blood test, however if you have Hashi, you cant go on blood tests alone, as the antibodies attack can screw up the results

If you are producing to much RT3 then its still good to use Armour as you will get you normally level of T3 and T4 that way.

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork/

I have suspicion of Hashi's as well, but the treatment is the exactly the same as if you were hypo. You have to get your Free T4 and Frede T3 high enough, so your antibodies attack your thyroid dont have any effect.

The only difference is that some people with Hashi's do feel worse on low doses of Armour, as the anibodies 'battle' is occuring, however if you slowly rise to your optimal Armour level, you will feel better and the hypo symptoms will slowly disappear