Revisiting Hypothyroidism

Last week I heard Dr. Berry (my favorite Keto YouTube Doc) say constipation can be caused by HYPOTHYROIDISM, and he recommended a website to help with it: www.stopthethyroidmadness.com.  I had not considered hypothyroidism to be a possible cause for my IBS-C, probably because when I first learned about it and my symptoms I didn't yet have constipation.  Hypothyroidism is something my own doctor has always told me I don’t have!

I have tried so many ways to help alleviate my constipation. Keto is helping, so is higher water and mineral intake.  But nothing works long term and certainly nothing has cured it.  All my efforts only seem to temporarily cut back on the severity of the constipation, not consistently prevent or cure it.  There seem to be too many factors to control, including travel and stress.  My efforts are commendable, but obviously are not treating the real cause.  It’s still a monumental effort to keep my motility going because there’s usually something that changes up in my routine that knocks me back and takes a week or more to readjust.  At most I can go (pun intended) for about 1.5-2 weeks, then trouble again.  I can only seem to “manage” my constipation on a scale of not as bad.  I WANT A TO KNOW THE ROOT CAUSE so I can more effectively deal with it!

Granted, there is something else I have not yet tried, and should try (going dairy free), and I am already ramping down.  Originally that was the plan for my Keto adventure.  But 2 days before I started, my daughter asked to join me and... well, I wanted to give her the best chance possible at sticking with this.  So, I did not limit dairy at that point.  Now that I'm trying to ramp down on it.  I still find myself accidentally adding dairy here and there (just had some ranch dressing for instance, without thinking).  I'm getting better, even if I'm obviously not 100% committed yet to no dairy.

But this new info on Hypothyroidism... in my gut hypothyroidism feels like it could potentially be the key.  Why? 

All throughout my adult life I have gone to the doctor asking to be tested for hypothyroidism, nearly yearly for a really long time until I gave up trying (because my doctor wouldn’t treat sub-clinical hypothyroidism).  But in reality, I have blazing hypothyroidism symptoms and the TSH test isn’t indicating it:

•        Fine, thin, & thinning hair
•        Weak nails
•        Dry skin
•        A slow metabolism
•        Cold all the time
•        And since 2005, chronic constipation for which I have had all kinds of tests that turned up absolutely nothing. 
•        And let’s not under emphasize that I have not one, not two, but 3 of 3 of my closest blood relatives ALL have some form of diagnosed thyroidism!!! 

My mother, my father, and my full-blooded sister are all on synthetic T4-only medications, based off of TSH lab testing, for which I have never fallen outside the range (or have I??? I found out the range has narrowed, noted further below).  My sister is hypo & hyper.  As I've been reading about this subject. I now wonder if she has been tested for Hashimoto's.  The symptoms are much the same as Hypothyoroidism, but the thyroid is under attack due to an autoimmune response.

TSH – Why It’s Useless
https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/tsh-why-its-useless/

What I have learned from “Stop the Thyroid Madness”, STTM for short, a website and book that complied patient-to-patient experiences with better diagnosing and treating thyroid-related conditions (hypo/hyper/Hashimoto’s/adrenal fatigue, low iron, etc.), is that the TSM test can be “normal” for 10-15 years before it gets sufficiently out of hand so that it finally shows up out of range!  So people like me with blazing hypothyroidism symptoms, simply get told the thyroid is fine and go untreated FOR YEARS.  In addition to that, modern synthetic prescriptions are “T4-only” when our actual thyroids involve T4, T3, T2, T1 & calcitonin.  There’s even a link to heart palpitations from hypothyroidism, which I dealt with 2 years ago.  A constipation aide sent that over the edge for me, which I figured out and ceased. I also learned at that time, to increase my magnesium intake, which also helps constipation.  It’s been somewhat better since, but still not well-controlled.  I am starting to see that the medical establishment has failed me with their inferior TSH test. 

So, I’m reading this book, which I started Friday after work and am nearly half fished already.  I find it fascinating.  There is SO MUCH to learn about how the hormone system works together, or is supposed to work together.  I don’t find it a dull read at all. 

Here’s a study looking at hypothyroidism and gut motility (constipation). This one is rather boring to read, though it demonstrates the link.
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/grp/2009/529802/

I have a physical scheduled in a couple weeks.  I may or may not, for financial reasons since I may ask for extra lab tests, reschedule it for some time after the 1^st of the year (when my deductible restarts).  I also need the time to study up better, so I can present the information to my doctor, so that I can convince him to base his diagnosis on the presentation of my symptoms and not the faulty TSH lab.  Although, in this book, they said the range used to be 0.5-5.0, and it’s since been lowered to 0.3-3.0.  My last TSH result (Jan. 2016) was 3.7, on the higher side, which is the side that starts to indicate possible hypothyroidism.  The TSH is high because the body is signaling for more because the thyroid isn’t answering the call of the TSH message.  It’s “knocking but no one is answering”. 

Anyway, there are a couple of possible underlying conditions that can thwart proper treatment with Natural Desiccated Thyroid medicine (or even synthetic t4-only medicine), and that is an adrenal dysfunction or low ferritin (low iron).  I’m still reading how to determine that. They have tests and lab work that can help diagnose it.  I just need to get my ducks in a row before I see my doctor.  Some of the lab work I can order myself and have as ammunition.  I don’t know if I have any underlying problem or not, but I need to at least rule it out.  If I do, that has to be treated as well, or I won’t see positive results from even the better Natural Desiccated Thyroid medicine – assuming I can even find a doctor to prescribe it properly (which is also a big problem, while most won't prescribe it at all).

I don’t believe in leaving it to my doctors.  They don’t know me.  They don’t suffer my symptoms.  They don’t have vast knowledge, nor are they financially free from oppressive pharmaceutical and corporate interests.  These things get in the way of good doctors practicing the best medicine they could.  I really feel for doctors, because they go into the field for all the right reasons, go into hellacious debt to do it, and end up with their hands tied by the industry.  I will NOT let that stop me from finding my answers.