Well, just heard from my doctor and things have actually shown up on the testing results and are not overly good.

I have the growth hormone levels of someone of 50 years or older. I am 35. My thyroid is low, my magnesium was so low she was shocked. Zinc is low. This might explain why I cannot stand for long periods or even walk for long. I cannot even do 5 minutes on my treadmill. I am suffering continual heaviness and cramps in the lower abdomen.

I now require thyroid aid and these supplements, plus iodine. I have to say that since giving up even more of my supplements and other things recently, coincidence or not, I appear to be deteriorating even further. I guess my body has little to go by, so it grabs whatever it can get. So maybe they were doing at least "something". I don't know.

I really need to follow my docs instructions because frankly I don't know what I'm dealing with and I don't think anybody else does. I am regrettful now that I got the recent dental work done because I think it put my already toxic system in a state of almost shutdown mode. So I cannot pick myself back up again.

anyway, thanks for listening! Just thought I'd pass this on.

Bex:

My prayers and thoughts go out to you.

I will pray on this and if anything comes though I will post again. I do not think you did the wrong thing in getting your new dental work - you got out Bisphenol A in the Filtek Supreme Fillings - unless I am wrong the MSDS Sheets show this to be another toxin. Sometimes you go down to come back up again.

TW

Hi TW, thank you!

Yeah, I hope it wasn't all for nothing (the dental work), but unfortunately I don't think my composites were to blame anyway. I think it was a combo of factors. Because things were going wrong before it and got much worse after wisdom tooth removal.

Problem is, even if it's not bisphenol A, they all contain toxins. So I wouldn't escape that side of it anyway, but there is more to it than that. Much more unfortunately.

It would be great if the answers were clear! I really wish dentists would be more careful with what they put in our mouths and how they do extractions etc. It isn't worth messing up someone's body.

It's all toxic. Everything they put in and do. But some get away with it much more than others. Depends on your basic constitution and other toxic burdens. This is why I plummet from anything being done, I just don't have the defenses to cope or the normal functioning system.

Anyway, it'll be interesting when I get the stuff the doctor wants me to take to see if this starts to help me. Hormones are really in a bad way. That would explain a lot! She believes it's toxicity that is causing it, but does not know 'what". Nor do I.

Anyway, thanks again TW, prayers are really appreciated <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/byebye.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/roseinbloom.gif" alt="" /> Bless your heart, Bex. I wish only the best for you, and you will be in my prayers. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/prayer.gif" alt="" />
I had no idea what your age was, but you are actually a little younger than me...I will be 37 on March 4.

HI Bex, sorry to hear about your situation. I would suggest that before treating your thyroid that you get your adrenals checked via a saliva test first. If they are in trouble they can apparently be made worse with thyroid treatment.

All the best,
Cara

Thanks Mommy24, that's very sweet of you thank you! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/orangebloom.gif" alt="" />

Cara, thanks for telling me. My doctor never even mentioned this.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> and she's specialised in these areas. She's also already sending me all the stuff. How or what do I do about this saliva test? Now I'm really concerned.

She did mention I had plenty of cortisone... and that there wasn't a problem in that area. But she said my other tests were very low and needed help.

You're welcome Bex, I would suggest having a very good read of this site: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

heres a page on adrenals and some self tests that you can do at home: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info/

also see this page on recommended labwork
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork/

you will need to find somewhere where you are to order the saliva test from or you may need a doctor to order them for you. Apparently the 24 hour saliva tests are a lot more accurate than blood levels as blood levels can rapidly change.

You could just start on the Armour (if that's what you've been prescribed?) and see if you have reactions but lots of mercury toxic people have adrenal problems and I believe being cautious is the way to go as you can make things worse. I myself have not yet started Armour despite having being prescribed it a few months ago, as I have high cortisol and seem to be in the early stages of Adrenal Fatigue.

I would also get a copy of your lab results and post them to one of the thyroid websites for input from people who have had to self treat as many specialists in this area unfortunately get it wrong, unless you have got a good specialist! Here's one good forum for that: http://www.realthyroidhelp.com/ or you could have a look at some of the yahoo groups, I'm on this one and it's good: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormones/

Sorry to give you another thing to worry about <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

All the best,
Cara

Bex, those results are not out of the ordinary. Sure you don't want levels of minerals, etc. to be low but that is very typical. You could randomly do similar tests on any 10 people and a fairly high percentage would have similar results with deficiencies in various mineral groups and hormonal imbalances/shortfalls.

I work in the health care industry and review people's health situations on a daily basis. Hormonal deficiency are as common as the common cold. Very easily treated with generic drugs. Not uncommon for young people and entire families to have hormonal deficiencies. Doctors give out synthroid to treat hormal deficiencies like aspirin.

I wouldn't worry about the results you received, they are not atypical. They can all be easily treated with supplementation short term and diet long term. 8 out of 10 people if tested would have similar results to what you received. They are common.

Hi Bex,
it's not fair that anyone suffers like this,but especially not fair when someone as nice & kind & helpfull as you is suffering.
I don't have any advice because I feel a bit stuck in a rut myself at moment but I wanted to say that you have my sympathy and thoughts.
I understand how frustrating it is to have different practitioners telling you conflicting advice and suggestions
which serves only to confuse you further! aagghhh!

Wish I had something more helpful to say.
Don't give up.It will pass.

HI Bex, sorry to hear your results, for someone that has been mercury free for sometime now, you sure do have all the troubles of mercury people…… Ho hum.

Just a note of caution, treating the thyroids and adrenals is fraught with dangers. Not because its dangerous in itself, it is in-fact easy, but because the doctors out there don’t know enough of how to diagnose you correctly and then how to treat you correctly……. So they make matters worse. Giving you synthetic drugs……..as ever…..then not monitoring you…as ever……etc

I’m sure your thyroid is low, as yr doctor said, but adrenals ALWAYS need treating first. ALWAYS. If you support and treat the thyroids before the adrenals then the extra thyroid hormones overload everything and you crash, which I’m sure you have heard people repeatedly talking about crashing when talking about thyroids and adrenals. You start feeling good…then crash to worse than before…and all because the doctors don’t know what to do. However, normal doctors don’t seem to know this, although they give the impression that they know everything and that you should not question them, ever. I know you already know this….but it applies to the hormones too, just as it applies to mercury and well…… lots of other things too.

So unfortunately you need to do your thyroid & adrenal homework yourself first. I must say I found it difficult to understand at first, but then I’m slow on the uptake. It is not difficult, but you do need to dedicate some quality time to reading about it, the odd article here and there just made it more confusing for me.

The links Cmlyon gave are excellent (good post!) and you should get reading.

I must say I had all the tests done……and I didn’t really learn much new from them. Not a complete waste of money….but near enough. (cortisol saliva test was worth doing) Your symptoms will enable you to figure out what’s wrong and what needs treating and how, just………just you need to know what the symptoms you have mean…….hence the homework you need to do. Which is just reading those links top to tail and reading 1 book.

“Adrenal Fatigue – The 21st century stress syndrome” by James Wilson

This book explains things fairly clearly and gives you plenty of things to try.

One thing you should start immediately is the temperature graph, all you need is a thermometer and print out the blank temperature graph from the Dr Rind link.

Here is mine. Normal people should have a temp of 98.6.

<img src="http://herballure.com/ForumExtras/Images/dbtzgxatyw.jpg">

http://www.drrind.com/tempgraph.asp

Read this link, take your temp and within 1 week you will know what’s happening to your thyroids and what’s happening to the adrenals. Once you know roughly whats wrong, it makes understanding the links and book much much easier.

Before you spend your money on tests, may as well do something that 100pct works, is easy and is free.

P.s. the Dr Rind website is also well worth reading top to bottom too.

P.P.s. what you are currently discovering is exactly what I discovered about myself…mercury screws everything up, which is why everything needs supporting.

P.P.P.s you can treat the adrnals and the thyroids together, but adrenals almost always need supporting in some way.

HI Cara, I really appreciate how much you've put into this and thank you for your help.

I am feeling totally overwhelmed, which I guess is part and parcel of my sickness. I've tried phoning my doctor to talk about this, but she is usually booked up. Plus I get charged for a phone call too.

They have already sent me the stuff, and I'm supposed to do this for 3 months before further testing. This is very hard on me right now because I"m trying to balance everything, do what people are suggesting and I don't seem to be getting things right.

I'll check over the links you sent, and I'll try and get a copy of my test results from the doctor and chat to her about the adrenal side of things and ask about the 24 saliva test.

I would honestly like to just try what she has suggested regardless, I'm sure she tested the adrenals as well. However, I don't know if the testing on those is completely 'telling". I really don't know what's going on.

Anyway, again I'll look things over.

Bex, your tests aren't out of the ordinary. Really they aren't. Follow what the doctor prescribes in relation to the minerals and you will be fine. Takes 90 days for the body to make "new blood".

Much ado about nothing. When I had a hair mineral test 12 years ago mine read very similar to yours except for the hormone part. Was deficient in several minerals and vitamins and had adrenal fatigue.

It all comes down to the intestinal system and its ability to assimilate and absorb the vitamins and the minerals in the food we eat.

Vitamin and mineral deficiency develop over a long period of time. Any diet changes or supplement changes you've made in the past couple weeks would have zero effect on any tests you just took. It doesn't work that way.

Relax tho, there's nothing there that is earth shaking.

Hi Bex,
You're welcome. You've helpled me lots in the past and it's the least that I can do!!

Even if you don't get the saliva test done, I would do what Sunshine has suggested and track your temperatures for a week. If they are low but steady this indicates thyroid problems only, if they are up and down like the ones in the picture that sunshine posted, that indicates adrenal issues as well. You could also do the pupil test and there might be a couple of others you can do in the links I posted that are free and you can do at home.

Unfortunately given your history of illness and everything that you have been through your adrenals are probably struggling as well <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I would really hate to see things get any worse for you so please be cautious.

Your doctor may have tested the adrenals through a blood test but a saliva test is much more accurate as your levels can change through out the day. For example my cortisol levels are very very high in the morning at night, normal in the afternoon and low mid morning. The blood test could show your level as 'normal' at one time but they could be low or high at other times of the day. A blood test might show that everything is 'fine' when it isn't.

I know this is all overwhelming and very confusing, it's exactly how I felt when i got my labs back a few months ago. It's very frustrating to have all these problems on top of many layers of other problems and can be bewildering to know which problem to start with first. However if you do have adrenal problems you should start feeling better once they are being treated and as sunshine has said you can start treating the thyroid after you get on the right level of adrenal support (if necessary) so when you look at it that way your prescription is not really a waste of time after all. If you don't mind me asking were you prescribed Amour or something else?

Best Wishes,

Cara

Hi James, thanks for your posts, they're quite a relief to me.

I think given what I've got and what I've had, It's probably not abnormal to have these things out of balance or things being blocked or hindered. I don't like to mess around with anything like hormones, I hate it. But I understand the aid in supporting them. I can well imagine most people do not have ideal levels. Also I have to remember that my latest dental work has really put a great strain on my already vulnerable system, so the test results may have reflected that also.

I would really like to do what my doctor has recommended, but I'll talk to her about the adrenal issue. I've got a phone appointment with her very soon today. So I'll mention that side of it.

I am supposed to take lugols iodine (4 drops in water daily), viractive liver immune powder (basically vitamins and minerals), selenium, magnesium and zinc and of course the natural thyroid (from a pig). I will only be taking low dose thyroid. She said it's no doubt temporary, as she really wants to try and build me up, but she's seeing if this will help me.

I need to do this regime for about 3 months and then be retested.

Thanks again Cara, and thanks Sunshine too. You guys are all great. It's just so much to take in and so much to do sometimes. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/looney.gif" alt="" /> I really wish in a way that I just simply had supplementary support and nothing more. That's all I really want.

Cara, I'm not sure what the name of the thyroid she's giving me is. It's from a pig.

I'll do the temperature testing too, thanks Sunshine. I'll give that a go. I'm delaying taking these things for a wee while anyway. I may leave them for another week.

Hi Sunflower, thanks for your kind post. Yeah sometimes all the suggestions can be too much to take in. I get stressed easily over even trivial matters though.

Not sure if this is something that will pass, I've been ill for over 20 years of my life with one thing or another and this time it's much worse. I think the underlying problem here is something that isn't being addressed or understood by me or anybody.

But you gotta keep on. It's tempting to just give up and rot. So I know exactly how you feel too. It's a battle. I hope that you too will make progress, as with everybody else here!

I wish there was one size fits all answer for people, but unfortunately that's not always the case. What works for some may not always work for others.

take care and hang in there too!

Here is my story:

8 years ago - started with nails getting bad - dry ends, white dots, uneven. - chronic fatigue, many colds that would last a month or more, psoriasis, excema. Tried all corisone creams known to man. Then my condition slowly turned into anxiety and panic attacks -- I took paxil and celexa, pain killers that were suppose to make me better. Lamisil for fungi. Later found out these were extremely hard on liver.

I found a naturalpath and started various treamtments - I wish she would have told me that this process would take 1-2, maybe 3 years depending on your condition. I thought it would take a month or so, because this is how we are conditioned to think. So, I started and stopped many times, took too much, mixed things around and ended up wasting 4 years., let alone the cost.

Its a 1-2 year journey - be prepared mentally.

So, I started taking calcium magnesium/vitD liquid by Genestra
and Latero Flora powder in the AM 30Min before food/drink - 1/4 scoop every 5 days 2 months for yeast

VSL3 - probiotic 1/2 pack a day for 1 year or more, still on it www.vsl3.com Take only evening on day of VSL3

Simple greens with dulse (for iodine)thyroid - www.myvega.com/products/smoothie.asp - this is all your vitamins and minerals - your liver cannot handle processing pill form vitamins.... when you are sick 90% time your liver is stressed.

Meditation and breathing - this was huge !! Once I learned to breath again things started to change. It made me realize how terrible my breathing really was - Andrew Weil - Breathing the Master Key - CD

Sea Salt Celtic on food - minerals - is good if you get very tired after 2PM - put some in water, for your adrenals

Krill Oil - dont know whats in it - but 30% better in 1 week after taking - omega 3
Halibut Liver oil - for natural vitamin d - especially from September to April winter months in the north people

Later I started glandular therapy - I dont have a spleen so started taking these. Talk to your naturalpath.

Liver formula - www.stfrancisherbfarm.com - always start 1/2 for first 2 months

www.resultsrna.com - heavy metals - start 1/2 dose in 3 months -- for 12 months or so - 1 month on, 1 month off

3 ounces of water per hour

chlorine filter for water and shower

stretching - 45 mins ever 2 days after 20 min cardio workout - circulation

massage


good luck


<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dance.gif" alt="" />

Hi Kako, thanks for sharing what has helped you. Sounds like a good regime. It seems people all have their own personal journey to wellness.

It's all a lot for me to take in, so I am just going to do what the doctor ordered for now. I'm glad that she's a specialist, plus is into alternative therapy. So she knows her stuff.

Im not really taking anything that would be harming my liver, but whatever is wrong with me probably is because it's all strain from the underlying condition. I'm eating very well and not taking supplements right now, but when I do, I keep them minimal and they are usually helpful to me in some way.

My liver testing turned out excellent at my last test, so there is more going on here than that, plus what i have doesn't seem to show up on a test and it's more serious than how I was with just mercury poisoning. Something that just isn't shifting or improving, regardless of efforts.

I spoke to my doctor before and she already knows about these other tests. What she did with me she said was very good and she's experienced in what turns out most accurate. I had urine and blood testing, plus had to take iodine too as part of the testing.

Turns out my cortisol is normal, my DHEA is normal, but T3 is low and she said my body wasn't excreting much iodine from the test, which showed it was desperately hanging onto it, as though it needed it.

She was not interested in getting me the 24 hour saliva test, she was satisfied with the testing she gave me. I' may do the temperature testing though.

She did tell me that she's aware of the adrenals and relationship to thyroid and what can happen sometimes if the adrenals need the help and when you take stuff for thyroid. she told me the symptoms. So if I get them, I'll know to stop the treatment.

She is also sending me something for my adrenals that might help me. She said it may also be related to why I have to sit down permanently and am having trouble standing or walking. She feels this is related to one of the adrenal hormones.

So it'll be interesting to see what eventuates from all this. I'm not personally keen on taking ANY hormones at all and wish it could just be done through supplements. But I'll do this and see how it goes. I can always stop at anytime if I feel uncomfortable.

Certainly if no improvement results, I'm not wasting too much time on it. Already I'm not overly happy, I feel that the problem is being missed by everybody, including me.

Hi again Bex,
I hope that you do try charting your temperatures before you start on Armour (dessicated pig thyroid). I too saw a an excellent and highly recommended specialist for my thyroid issues. She has cured lots of people but I think that she got it wrong in my case therefore I did not start the amour. Yes I am hypothyroid but my labs show high RT3 and Armour can make that worse and my cortisol is low sometimes and high at other times of the day which indicate adrenal problems, again thyroid treatments can make that worse . It pays to do your research as even doctors that have excellent intentions and lots of experience can get things wrong!

Very true

sorry to hear about your test results , I know that it is painful to hear them ,but at least now you know what areas need the attention, I hope you start feeling better very soon

Hi Cmlyon, thanks. I'm taking my temperatures daily and marking it down on the chart Sunshine gave a link to. I'm doing this for a week.

Later I'll try the hormone stuff. And recheck the temperatures and see. I'll go by how I feel more than anything. If I notice anything alarming at any point that doesn't feel right, or feels weird or hyped up or even worse in anyway, I'm not staying on them. But I'll give it a good shot.

She has given me something for an adrenal hormone because I told her I am having big issues with moving around, getting up or walking. So I' have something for that, though it's synethic not natural.

We shall see. Thanks again!

Hi Mikey, thanks. I believe personally that a big part of this is just internal infections. Because that's when these issues started. I never even had this with mercury, I got poisoned yes and felt horrible during detox, but NEVER had these problems. This all developed after bacterial infection of one kind or another.

I believe I have infected gums, possibly infected jaw, I KNOW i have systemic bacteria/viral infection. All those things can cause immense damage and strain throughout the body and ongoing too. not something you can "detox" from.

I even looked up on low growth hormone and it said that there can be various causes for it and one is infection. And I am suffering sore throats and fever right now just becuase I tried to walk on my treadmill. This happens all the time these days because of this. My face gets paler and my eyes puff up, I become a mess from doing anything.

Bex, sounds like a bad systemic bacterial infection at least. The bacterias give off ammonia. Your symptoms seem to be ammonia-related, I bet you also have chest tightness, and wheezing. Have you talked with your doctor about this possibility, or checked blood ammonia levels?

Our bodies are used to ammonia, because it is formed from food, but too much is too much. There are some supplements that help in detoxing ammonia, but I suppose you don't have the money to buy them.

HI pgm, normally I don't get chest tightness or wheezing, but when I was exposed to mercury vapor recently in the dental office, I did. I even had to go into emergency because it was so bad and have been getting pain all over my body ever since. Lower back pain especially (around kidneys too), chest pain, just stiffness and achiness.

That's been happening after both dental visits, along with the other worsening of symptoms. My body, being so weakened by infections/virus is vulnerable and easily hurt. So it doesn't take much to knock me down.

What I really want to do at some point is address the infections, but for now I'm on too many different roads to include another one right now. Or I'll confuse everything. I need to do one thing at a time if I can in order to see the responses so I know what needs to be done! I'm already on supplemetns and they're excellent. Covered just about everything. You can check one main one that I'm taking and see what you think.
http://www.clinicians.co.nz/afawcs0132762/CATID=8/SUBID=78/ID=1434/SID=700160255/productdetails.html

Now I take that, plus added to that is magnesium, zinc, fish oil (mercury free), milk thistle and selenium and vitamin E. I consider it pretty good. I would not want to go and get more I don't think. I'm on enough as it is. I really need it too. When I stopped all supplements recently as a test to see what would happen (along with excluding onions and nuts), I found things actually worsened even further. It's bad enough without stopping these support supplements. So it didn't help me at all to stop them. Just increased problems.

No, I do not have money to buy much if anything now. It's the way it is. I know I'm not the only one in that situation. Very tough for the sick to afford to do things to try and get well. They dont make it easy these doctors or dentists!

I'm glad to hear you're making progress in a way Bex. Give the supplements a chance. The magnesium might really help if you are very depleted. In the meantime, good luck with your search for the source of toxicity. I'm looking forward to the day when you can come on here and tell us all how much better you are feeling <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

hi linda, thanks! Well, I"m not making progress, but certainly without the supplements things appear to get a little worse and right now I cannot handle that.

I just hope that over time they may help a bit more. I know I need to get to the bottom of this, rather than trying to address every single symptom that is resulting from it all, but that's easier said than done as you know. Sometimes things are not clear cut or obvious.

I hope you are hanging in there yourself?

hi bex, it sounds like you have a great doctor. Iodine is great stuff wether you have thyroid issues or not,i take 7 or 8 drops a day sometimes,i heard it chelates mercury too. I give it to my kids, i dont want them to get thyroid probs like me. Pigs thyroid is a natural hormone, its great stuff, i only need 2 and half grains per day, even though i have no thyroid, was taking 4 but it was too much. I think once you get the thyroid stuff sorted your immune system will be better, your energy levels will rise and pains in the chest is very common with people with low thyroid so hopefully that will go, hang in there, hang on to that doctor of yours, Dawn xx

Hi Dawn, thanks for the reassurance! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I needed that, because I just feel things are very confusing right now. I'm taking tempatures daily and it woudl seem I do indee (according to this) have adrenal issues.

So I don't want to make those worse either. My doctor said if my issues are adrenal related and I treat my thyroid, she said you will notice problems and one of those is feeling very hyped up. I get the same response with coffee <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

So we'll see what happens. She's given me a bit of adrenal stuff too, but it's synthetic hormone and I'm a bit dubious about that. I'll try and hey, I don't have to keep using any of it if I don't like where it's taking me.

I think the pains in the chest was from the lungs (mercury vapor). I didn't have it before the dentist and I've had pains in other places since too. I attribute it to that mainly because that's what happened after my last visit too and I wound up needing help to breath.

I felt like I'd breathed in an acute exposure of vapor. For others more stronger, they'd not notice it I guess. I never used to once either, but these days it's dramatic.