The time before last when I had a blood test, I was in the middle of an untreated bladder infection. I asked my endocrinologist whether or not an infection could affect the test.

He said sometimes having a "non-thyroidal illness" can cause the TSH to drop while the FT4 levels also decrease or do not rise, and that is what my numbers seemed to show, but he said it does not usually happen for a simple bladder infection, simple sinus infection, or simple depression.

It could happen, he said, with a major Psychosis, major Depression, or severe illness. He asked questions to determine if I had other autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Celiac, etc. but I don't seem to have any of them.

I get the idea that having the thyroid levels drop is not something that happens very quickly but more something for chronic ill health.

If TSH and thyroid levels both drop, it is seen as an effort for the body to conserve strength and burn less fuel in order to recover from the illness, so it isn't treated, anyway.

If you are also hyoadrenal,which many people are who are hypothyroid, then you MUST increase your meds as per doctors directives.

Thanks all. Yes Gagel, I take 25mg of HC. However this has been a right palava as being based in the UK and essentially thrown under a bus as far as hormone problems go it was actually the lovely Dr Peatfield that diagnosed me (not sure whether you would of heard of him but he's quite well known here for thyroid/adrenals). As he relinquished his registration with the GMC (because of all this thyroid madness) he can't actually prescribe so his patients have to order from online pharmacies which I do with the cortisol

My GP and current hormone specialist (as I wanted to see if I could get at least the thyroid meds prescribed hence I no longer have the need to see Peatfield) are all aware of my HC treatment and I discuss with them.

My specilist commented recently that I shouldn't up the dose when I get ill as it suppresses more than replaces which means my body won't be able to fight the infection properly. Hmm....this goes against everything else I have read but hey she's my doc

The antibiotics I tend to need to take are for sexual cystitis, which I'm working on trying to tame through preventive measures and have suffered from all my life so I tend not to change the HC dose. Is this a grave mistake do you think? Grr hate all the conflicting info, makes life so much harder.

Thanks

Dr Peatfield!!!!! My, you WERE in good hands! I've read alot of info from/by/about Dr. Peatfield. He's a modern day hero.

Here's where your present doctor is coming from - too much cortisol will lower your immunity- what she left out is: IF YOU DO NOT NEED IT.

She's missing the big fact that your cortisol levels are low (right?) and you're simply replacing what's missing...and not going way above "normal levels", simply replacing it.

Ok, now that I've swooned and given you my two cents let me answer your question, K?

What happens when you're sick:
If you take antibiotics AND steroids - you're ok (in the clear as far as immunity goes)
If you take steroids and NO antibiotics (and in your case, take steroids above what's normal for you) you may not be able to fight off the infection as quickly...and, in some extreme cases (really high dosages of steroids) at all.
Conversely, if you NEED steroids because your adrenals are sluggish (low cortisol), and you skip the steroids your immunity may be compromised.

Dr. Peatfield! Love him...

I hope that helps, and if it's confusing, just post some questions and I'll answer.

BTW: If one's thyroid levels are not optimal, cystitis is common. And, it often resolves itself when thyroid levels are optimized:

https://healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk/posts/130416465/thyroid-and-interstitial-cystitis-ic-and-recurrent-bladder-infection#post-responses

Thanks MButterfly
Yep my doc doesn't seem to quite grasp that I'm just topping up my levels to normal not going into excess levels tbh I think my 4 year old grasps it better. Thank you for your explanation that helps...so am I right in thinking that what you are saying is that I shouldn't increase my HC dose when fighting an infection - as taking levels above what's normal for me may cause me not to be able to fight the infection?

Swoon away! I am delighted to say the legendary Dr P is just as fabulous in real life as you would hope. I would quite happily elope with him :)

Sorry, I probably made that as clear as mud.

If you have an infection, increase your steroids ONLY if you're taking antibiotics. If you have NO antibiotics AND you have an infection, DO NOT increase your steroids.

Hope that helps...and you're right. I'll bet your 4 yr old would be easier to deal with when it comes to thyroid meds.

My partner just got back from the doctor who told him "You're border line on your thyroid, but it's nothing to worry about". When I looked at the labs myself, my head spun right around. Turns out the TSH was sky high, and the Free T4 was at the bottom of the range. That screams "I need medication" but this jerk-wad of a doctor said it was "borderline normal". AND he was using the OLD standards for TSH - TSH of 1-4 instead of .3-3.0!!!

Needless to say, we're looking for a new doctor. AGAIN. UGH.

What a joke! Thank goodness your other half has you to interpret things correctly huh. Makes me so mad, no wonder this wretched disease is so difficult to deal with most of the docs know nothing.

I was reading just yesterday about a UK tv star who has been suffering from this mystery disease that caused her to feel tired all the time, pain, trouble sleeping and had out of nowhere put on 2 stone in weight. All the specialists had no idea what could possibly be wrong....Argh!!! Bangs head against wall, I dread to think how many people are suffering unwittingly.

Thanks ever so for clarifying the steriod situ, got it now, fab.

Um, there's a famous singer here that's been diagnosed with everything BUT hypothyroidism, and has lost her ability to sing at all. They now blame it on "parkinsons". When hypothyroidism gets bad enough, tremors are common. Even though TSH may never exceed "normal limits". This person has lost life essentially and has all the money and contacts in the world.

Says something about the battle we're fighting.