Andromeda,

I just skimmed through this article, when it reminded me your name (Because u had Lupus):

https://www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-treatment/lupus-medications/dhea/

Have you ever tried taking DHEA? Two of my former doctors actually prescribed it a few years ago. I really loved it's 'aphrodisiac' properties (I do suffer with E.D.).. E.D. can be a really bad thing to live with. According to Dr. David Healy, he says that E.D. (PSSD as he calls it) can happen to almost anyone who stays on antidepressants for an extended period of time (I was on antidepressants for about 4.5 years)

I'm just saying that because I don't want you to start the whole "Self-medication lecture".... With all due respect to you! I hope you're doing well, Andromeda,

DHEA is not available for sale in my state. Hormonal replacement therapy can also restore cognition, but it would not be good for the lupus. My mentation is much better, and the confusion has improved after I stop drinking soy milk and eating gluten.

The trend these days is to remove antidepressants therapy from patients who have been on them for more than 5 years, but for people who do have mental illnesses, such drug withdrawal may not be advised. All medications have side effects; if you experience adverse effects, perhaps it is time for your doctors to review your meds.

I've thought this thread is about Hashimoto. You have gone off on a tangent my friend.

Hoping that you are well, and take care.

I thought that hypothyroidism was the "hidden" reason behind my long-standing E.D..

Have you seen an endocrinologist and/or a urologist to have your problem checked out? The mayo clinic may have information on the various causes. It's not good to use Dr Google to diagnose yourself, but go and see a physician specialised in the field. Antidepressants or any other drugs may be the cause too, so go and consult a doctor.

Andromeda,

As a matter of fact, that is exactly my point. I actually have indeed seen at least 2 doctors for this, and sure enough, they diagnosed me with Low Testosterone (Way out of range low). So one doc prescribed me "AndroGel" which is an Rx testosterone drug that u basically have to rob all over your body like arms, chest, belly, etc.. After rubbing it everywhere I could, I felt jack shit!! Can u believe that a prescription form of testosterone did not do jack shit for me? No energy boost, no mood boost, and certainly no libido boost.. When I told the doctor about my response, she thought I was "making it up" or faking it to try to get more prescribed.. The second doc who also found Low T (testosterone for short= T ), gave me "injections" into my butt with intramuscular "T" - enanthate. As u can imagine, I had the same ZERO response to the injection as to the Androgel prescription cream.

But wait, there was also a third time. My doctor prescribed me a genuine form of Rx "NordiTropin" which is Human Growth Hormone. And, for the THIRD time, I got ZERO response.

So, if 2 different forms of "T", and NordiTropin all gave me just a bunch of fatigue and brain fog... I figured that there must be a hormone problems further up the hierarchy of hormonal control. And, since the thyroid is called the "master gland", I was seriously hoping that this might have been the answer all along.

You have been given all of these testosterone products with no effect, so the cause may not be hormonal. Perhaps your doctor needs to consider other things such as diabetes, nerve damage, side effects of medications, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, tobacco and alcohol use, cancer etc... Ask your family doctor to refer you to physicians who can investigate all of these causes.

I'm sorry for "crying on your shoulder".

I still want to correspond with you.

Being of Ukrainian heritage, I never truly grasped the psychology of Westerners... especially Anglo-Americans. It has taken me a lifetime, and I still cannot understand the ways of the West.

Again, I'm sorry if my emotions/thoughts were a little too open for sharing with a stranger.

I hope God can forgive me.

Drozer, this is a support forum where the community of patients suffering from hypothyroidism share their experiences. You have another medical issues which may not relate to hypothyroidism, which you can share in another forum where sufferers can give you advice. I note on DS, there is a forum specialised in this problem. The link is below:

https://www.dailystrength.org/group/impotence-erectile-dysfunction

I am happy to discuss about hypothyroidism, but other issues that I don't know much about, you would be best to approach the specific forum to ask about your health problem. The best persons to ask/check out about specific illness is your doctor; these social support groups cannot replace the medical advices/treatment from your doctor(s). Take care.

Andromeda,

I just found out that I can get all my blood test results through Quest labs' online portal! The problem is, I can't really understand it all.

Specifically, the antibody test that the doc did for hashimotos/Graves disease. Maybe you understand? Here's what the results said:

ANA SCREEN, IFA, W/REFL TITER AND PATTERN
ANA SCREEN, IFA Reference Range: NEGATIVE
NEGATIVE
No Historical Data


ANA IFA is a first line screen for detecting the presence of up to approximately 150 autoantibodies in vari9us autoimmune diseases. A negative ANA IFA result suggests an ANA-associated autoimmune disease is not present at this time, but is not definitive. If there is high clinical suspicion for 5jogren's syndrome, testing for anti-SS-A/Ro antibody should be considered. Anti-Jo-1 antibody should be considered for clinically suspected inflammatory myopathies.
AC-0: Negative
International Consensus on ANA Patterns (https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2018-0052)

For additional information, please refer to http://education.QuestDiagnostics.com/faq/FAQ177 (This link is being provided for informational/ educational purposes only.)


Thats it. Sorry for the messy print.. I tried a special "text-reading" setting on my scanner.

If you could decipher anything at all from that result, that would be so awesome..

Well Andromeda, good luck... I also wish much luck to your family!

You have tested negative to ANA on an indirect fluorescent assay test, and your ANA titer is less than 80, that means you've tested negative for ANA. This means that you've tested negative for a range of autoimmune diseases where the diagnosis relies on an ANA positivity. To confirm Hashimoto, you need to test for thyroid antibodies - if you test negative to this, perhaps you just simply have hypothyroidism.

Andromeda,

Thank for replying.

I remember another doctor specifically ordering a "reverse T3" test. So I did it at Quest Labs, but when I go to Quest's online portal, it seems to show "most" of the ordered tests, but not all, and certainly not the "reverse T3".

I'm concerned that if I do those anti-thyroid antibodies as u described, which i will because my endo gave me a new script.... I'm worried that Quest will just "forget" to show me the results through the portal..

I gotta be honest. I sometimes feel like I'm seriously being fucked with by the entire Medical Establishment including the Lab corporations like Quest, and even the doctors themselves. My older sister finished med school for Neurosurgery... She told us about how determined these drug reps were to "bribe" doctors into prescribing their newer, more expensive drugs by giving doctors expensive restaurant dinners, and even free vacations!! That's honestly pretty scary.....

You can call me paranoid all u want, but I will always feel like the medical profession is actually purposely KEEPING me sick.

HI Drozer, sorry I have not been online lately. I hope your query is not urgent.

Reverse T3 is an inactive form of T3 that is produced in the body particularly during periods of stress. Under normal conditions T4 (thyroxine) will convert to both T3 and rT3 continually and the body eliminates rT3 quickly. Under times of stress, more rT3 is produced and the conversion of T4 to T3 decreases. This occurs during fasting, starvation, illness such as liver disease and during times of increased stress.

An increased production of rT3 is often seen in patients with disorders such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue sydrome (CFS), Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome and stress. Measurement of rT3 is also used to identify sick euthyroid syndrome where active T3 is within normal range and rT3 is elevated.

CONDITIONS THAT INCREASE REVERSE T3

- Increased Cortisol and other stressors

- Increased Adrenalin

- Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome (excessive production of rT3 from T4)

- Euthyroid Sick Syndrome (Low circulating T3 levels in spite of normal gland function)

- Common in Chronic Fatigue Syndrom (CFS) and fibromyalgia

- Decreased levels of Selenium

Unless your body is stressed, your doctor will not order reverse T3. Autoimmune testing takes a while for the results to come out, but if the tests are ordered, results should come out. Sometimes, the pathology issues results in staggered sequences, depending on which tests are completed first. Why don't you check with your doctor and pathology company to see if any tests are still pending.

Sometimes I feel some doctors purportedly decline to treat me with a curative intention, but are dragging out the duration of my illness to secure my next visits. Or perhaps I am being paranoid just as you, that my doctors have elected the slow treatment because it would be unwise to make drastic changes to the body with rigorous treatment, so to avoid the event that my body cannot withstand the reactions/side effects that may ensue.

Drugs companies invite health professionals to conventions/conferences to keep us up to date with medical knowledge, and keep us well fed as well as gifting us with restaurant dinners, vacation-conferences, and freebies samples ....so to make us more amenable to prescribe their drugs. BUT at the end of the day, doctors cannot prescribe drugs to people who don't have a compatible diseases. There is still an ethical duty to do what it is necessary for the best interests of the patients.

BUT I agree with you that for some doctors, the fine line between humble doctor and God is blurred. Perhaps you can look for physicians (endocrinologists) whom you can respect, in awed of and in compliant with because at the end of the day, who wants to be treated by an arrogant negligent cow whose knowledge of medicine is diminished by his/her own ego.

Hope that helps, and take care.

If there IS a God, I hope he takes me soon.

For goodness sakes, you are acting like an old man. Hypothyroidism is a condition with least severity comparing to other ailments. You are stressing over little things, and this anxiety cannot be good for your health. Relax, takes the medicines prescribed by your doctors, and don't self-medicate (and that includes herbal medicines). Surely, you don't want to die from an adverse reaction. You are becoming a hypochondriac, my friend, just relax.

You're right. Sorry for being melodramatic.. That's a problem I have from time to time..

If only I knew you a little better, I would actually tell you what non-thyroid conditions I have that are really messing with my head & making me so dramatic all the time..

If you're not way too busy, I think we should have like a Skype conference sometime and I might tell you some things about myself. (But thats entirely at your discretion).