Hypothyroidism Support Group

Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...

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Puffiness :(

utahgal
utahgal
The other night my ankles and feet were puffy and it was uncomfortable to walk. It was gone the next morning. Could that be a thyroid thing or could it be due to taking adrenal supplements?

Then this morning I woke up with puffy upper eyelids and eyes that kind of feel dry and "not well". Hopefully that goes away by tomorrow!! I've never had that before either.

I'm wondering if maybe my adrenal supplements are starting to kick in after the past 2 weeks, and maybe a thyroid problem is being "unmasked". Although I have a pretty tsh value :) (We all know my FT3 and FT4 values are at the low end of normal....not good). .....Thoughts???

And....my shipment of Thyroid-S came in from Thailand!!! I'm too scared to take it because how do I know if my adrenals are ready???

Cortisol labs (pre-treatment with supplements)
The first set of parentheses are the range and the second set is the "optimal range".

morning: 3.24 (5.1-40.2) (18-35)
noon: 6.40 (2.1-15.7) (6-12)
evening: 2.50 (1.8-12.0) (4-8)
night: 2.43 (0.9-9.2) (2-6)


Should I try taking the Thyroid-S, or should I hold off???
deleted_user
deleted_user
In my personal opinion, I don't think i'd take something that came all the way from thailand! They don't have the same standards and regulations on stuff we have, you just don't know what you're getting. As for the rest i just really don't know.
bm55
bm55
It is good medicine. Have heard from many people.

Your cortisol labs are still on the low side. I am not doctor but people start taking this slowly. Like 1/2 grain for 2 weeks, then up 1/4 grain until on the right dose.

I will try to find information on cortisol and doses.
bransnana
bransnana
My friend had symptoms like yours and she was very hypo. Her tsh was like 147 by the time she went to the doc's.Usually the swelling type thing comes from that. You probably need some replacement for sure. I wouldn't take anything from Thailand either.
bm55
bm55
I have personally taken thyroid s as well as many other people and it works great.

I found this on www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

WHAT IS MY GOAL WITH ADRENAL SUPPORT: Patients have learned that they have to reach three goals for adrenal healing to work: one, to find the dose of cortisol which gets the thyroid hormones to the cells and helps rest the adrenals; two, the right amount of desiccated thyroid or T3 to remove hypothyroid symptoms, which in turn takes the strain off the adrenals; and three, correction/treatment of other issues (low ferritin, low B12, gluten intolerance, etc). The optimal doses of cortisol are held for up to a year, occasionally less, many times more. Then starts the slow weaning process, allowing the adrenals to kick back in slowly, such as 2.5 mgs a week less. Stress dosing may be necessary.
utahgal
utahgal
BM, I read that too. It only makes sense to me that I will eventually need thyroid meds because I think my undiagnosed hypo is what caused my AF to begin with. I don't take HC, but I do take isocort.....which is much weaker. It's only been 2 weeks, guess I'm being impatient. I have a doc apt in 2 weeks. I will try to convince
Her to start me on a low trial dose of Armour. If that doesn't work, I may have to try the Thyroid-S.
bm55
bm55
Yes and there is Naturethroid which many people like.
helerown
helerown
Wow, your cortisol really is low. I had the sames issues you describe when I first started the Isocort and was on no thyroid replacement. You may want to wait a few more weeks and let your adrenal glands heal a bit.
helerown
helerown
I must add, that I wouldn't necessarily trust whatever it is that you ordered as other's have mentioned. It might be best to get started on Armour for now or wait till you see the new doctor...when is your appointment with him?
utahgal
utahgal
My appointment with my new doc in the Boston area isn't for 3 more weeks. I know I just need to be patient. I probably won't take the Thyroid-S unless it's a complete last resort. I wondered how my cortisol levels rated among other AF sufferers. It's been 2 weeks on Isocort (and other adrenal support) and I have felt NO benefit at all!!! I'm wondering if I may need HC.
helerown
helerown
My cortisol wasn't even as low as yours and like I said before, it took me over a month to notice any benefit. I'm still struggling with healing my adrenals, as it takes allot of time. I personally wouldn't recommend HC, way too many side effects.
utahgal
utahgal
The nurse just called back and said the doctor wants me to stop taking the Licorice Root supplement for adrenal support that she recommended. That may be what's causing my swelling/puffiness. Even more frustrating....I asked her to ask the doctor if maybe I could try a small dose of Armour and the doctor said no, my labs were fine. But if I want to check with an Endo the doc was fine with that. (we all know how useless most Endos are.....I won't even waste my time or copay). Luckily I have an appointment in 3 weeks with a doctor in Boston who mostly treats subclinical hypo and AF people like me. I may have more luck with him.
bm55
bm55
Doctor said your labs are fine? The doctor must be blind.LOL



I know you want to hurry and get well and that is so depressing for you. Wishing you good luck with your new doctor.
helerown
helerown
Just hold out till your appointment and ditch the doctor you're seeing now, it boggles my minds that just because the labs are within the "normal ranges" doctors refuse to treat. Can you understand my dismay when I was told I was fine when my TSH was 34, they refused to test my FreeTs, and Synthriod ended me up in the hospital because of my adrenals. I felt like I was in the twilight zone for a good month and a half. I know the next three weeks will seem really long, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait to see someone who actually knows what they are doing. Try taking a Vit B Stress complex in the meantime and see if that may help. I had a cellular deficiency test done in early Aug, as regular blood work doesn't pick up tissue deficiencies. I am extremely deficient in Vit C, Vit D (I already knew this), Biotin, all the Vit B's etc. I was put on B complex w/adrenal support and something called Liposphere Vit C for the Vit C deficiency. My doctor said taking a too high a dose of regular Vit C can have side effects too. I recall you saying you were given Vit C if I recall correctly.
utahgal
utahgal
What doctor thinks a TSH of 34 is ok??? Even a monkey knows that's hypo! lmao! That's terrible!!!! I will just hang on to hope that my appointment in Boston goes better. It's not until Oct 25 so I will have to hang on for 4 more weeks. I've survived for 3 yrs so what's 4 more weeks?! By then I will have been on isocort and adrenal support for 6 weeks. If I'm not feeling a difference, I may ask to be put on HC. I'm not really that concerned about negative effects. It's identical to what our bodies make anyway. I just need to feel better so I can have a life! Plus, if I take Cortef, then I can work on my thyroid sooner.

Thank God I found this site. At least it confirms I'm not crazy! lol. Although my psychiatrist would probably say otherwise! ha!
helerown
helerown
I have lost total faith in doctors unfortunately. At this point, I know more about well being than conventional drs do it seems. Based on the link you provided to the dr you are seeing, I'm sure things will go very well.
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