Hyperthyroid surprise

Totto said:

Levo is synthetic T4 and T4 is the storage form. Did you get FT3 rested as well? In my opinion FT3 is the most important test as this shows something about what is actually going on, T3 being the active form of thyroid hormone that is tested. There are several others as well.

Keeping tabs on morning temperature, blood pressure and resting heart rate are what we can do ourselves in order to check if the dose is correct. I do understand the sweating and such but as I'm 54 and suffer from other hormones or lack of them it's not always easy (as if it ever was!) to understand what is wrong.

If I were you I'd skip a couple of doses in order to lower thyroid levels. Levo is T4 and it's a storage hormone so you don't need a daily fix.

I'm on NDT, works much better for me than Levo ever did but it contains all the thyroid hormones so a completely different thing.

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Thanks so much for this, @Totto ! Will chase up full results (I was in a state when I spoke to them, so I didn't get them all) and see what's what.

Update - I found this fascinating.

For months now, I have been googling 'brassica cravings' in an effort to discover why I am DESPERATE to eat raw broccoli stalks, raw kale, as much cauliflower as I can fit in, and raw sprouts (which I peel on the day I buy them - in bulk - and keep them in poly bags in the fridge, so they're an instant snack).

The results of my Googlings had only ever come up with stonkingly unhelpful things like 'Craving crisps? Eat celery!'.

On my way to bed last night I was hungry and cravy (which interestingly just autocorrected to 'crazy' - oh so true right now), so grabbed a couple of sprouts, and as I munched on them (they were amaaaaaazing) I remembered a conversation I'd had a while ago with a friend who has subclinical hypothyroid, when she was telling me that she'd heard that broccoli was a thyroid suppressant, so she was choosing to not eat it very often.

OMG. What if, I thought (mid-sprout), my body is crying out for brassicas BECAUSE my hyperthyroid body is desperate for my thyroid activity to BE suppressed?!

So I Googled 'thyroid and brassica vegetables', and got this:

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Q: I read an Op Ed piece in the NY Times recently in which the writer stated that a doctor had told her that eating kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli was not a healthy choice for anyone with hypothyroidism. I have hypothroidism, but have never heard this. I tend to eat a fair amount of all vegetables, including those listed. Is it safe to continue?

A: These vegetables are from the plant genus Brassica, which are known to be goitrogenic. A goitrogen is a thyroid antagonist found in food. Besides the vegetables you mention, also included in the Brassica family are turnips, rutabaga, watercress, kohlrabi and cauliflower.

As someone with hypothyroidism, should you avoid these vegetables completely? No. Make sure to eat most of these vegetables cooked, rather than in their raw state and don’t eat them every day. Always eat a variety of produce.

(taken from here: http://drhoffman.com/article/ask-leyla-brassica-vegetables-and-hypothyroidism/)
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It'll be interesting to see if I'm still desperately seeking brassicas once my T4 has gone down and I'm back in normal land again. Certainly I'll be looking out for unreasonable broccoli behaviour in the future, which might with luck warn me that I'm on the way back to hyperthyroid mania BEFORE I get there next time!

Or maybe I just really, really, really love the raw sprouts and broccoli! Each to their own....

Sherlock Snapsy? DO I GET TO WEAR THE HAT?!!!!

Pleeeeeeeease.........?

Snapsy said:

For months now, I have been googling 'brassica cravings' in an effort to discover why I am DESPERATE to eat raw broccoli stalks, raw kale, as much cauliflower as I can fit in, and raw sprouts

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Update: I don't know whether to be impressed, worried, or contact the Guinness Book of Records.

Home alone last night, after a very busy day working away - so I wanted a simple supper and I didn't have to cater for Mr S. So I broke out the brassicas....

Microwaved 250g frozen cauliflower until soft, whizzed it with 3 whole eggs.
Cooked a whole pack of cavalo nero in steam and butter.
Made a thick pancake/omelette with the cauli-egg mixture, piled it high in the pan with the cavalo nero and a giant spoonful of homemade sauerkraut.
Folded it over (a messy job, but I didn't need to score any points for presentation) and served it with broccoli.
While it was cooking I ate the thick broccoli stalk raw.
After supper - it was AMAZING - I remembered that I wanted to start another batch of sauerkraut, so set to work with the mandolin and a beautiful white cabbage.
And then I chopped up the core of the cabbage into about a dozen pieces and ate those too.
As a treat.

I'm just crazy for cabbage! Fortunately it doesn't give me any tummy issues.

Yesterday I booked a follow-up thyroid test for mid April, which will be 8 weeks after my thyroxine dose was reduced. So far I have to say I haven't noticed a huge difference in my mood swings or concentration issues, although I am maintaining my weight more easily. I'm still eating loads as I'm hungry but I haven't been losing weight without trying, like I was before. The fact the I'm still on cabbage overdrive makes me think there's still something up!

Brunneria said:

I'm struggling to imagine this kind of brassica enthusiasm.

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I know, it's sooooooo weird! Loving the sound of that chocolate omelette of yours, though........! Now that's definitely what a half-decent food craving should represent!

As you say, it's just fine tuning - am sure I'll get right again very soon. The endocrinologist said to retest in 6-8 weeks, but am resisting temptation to test after just the 6 weeks just in case that doesn't paint a true picture - would rather be absolutely certain of where I am with the new dose before any more tweaking is suggested.

Hmmmmm, 24 weeks after writing that last post about having my thyroid function tested again in 6-8 weeks.......... I have this morning, thanks to an alarming recurrence of some of my hyperthyroid, erm, behavioural symptoms* over a recent period of time - finally booked a blood test for next week.

Ooooopsie. And it's about time to see what my HbA1c is up to these days, too.

The older I get, the faster time goes. How did I leave it so long?! It's scary, frankly, and with extra scary sprinkles on top.

Can I ask how you're doing with your thyroid at the mo, @himtoo ? And @GrantGam , did you get yours checked out? I might have missed an update, so forgive me if you've already posted about it elsewhere!



*Head stuff. Y'know. But hey, I might be just DESPERATE FOR A HOLIDAY rather than out of my mind!

Thanks so much for this, @Indy51 ! I found it really interesting - especially to find out exactly why - and how - decent thyroid function is so significant to our metabolism at a cellular level - brilliant!

The chap delivering the module is certainly an enthusiast! I must look out what he has to say about what happens in the body when there is too much of the stuff coursing around the system.

Thanks again for sourcing such brilliant stuff - I watch a lot of the videos you find and post here, and I always learn loads!

GrantGam said:

Hello @Snapsy, sorry for the late reply!

Things are a bit up in the air just now. Still have to have a follow up appointment regarding my recent results. But again they came back "normal".

TSH - 4.24
T4 - 11
Antibodies - 'normal'

Hopefully get to the bottom of things soon.

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Hmmmmmmmm @GrantGam the fact that your T4 is still only 11 would bother me, and the high-end TSH is suggesting to me that your pituitary is trying its very best to tell your thyroid to produce more thyroxine*.

High TSH + low T4 = not surprising if you're getting hypothyroid symptoms.

I note your highly appropriate use of inverted commas!

Hang on in there. Hope they are able to follow up with something.



*Disclaimer: this is my laySnapsy's opinion - I don't have any medical training, just long experience of wobbly thyroid**
**Not an actual condition. But y'know.

Shouty update from Snapsy - I popped into the surgery to collect some prescription items this morning and took the opportunity to get my results.

HbA1c 40
TSH 1.18
NO T4 result!
And I can't even tell you the cholesterol results, because according to popular science I'm apparently at death's door in that respect (I know, but still!), and I'm too ashamed of them to share them.

Moving on.........

Why oh why did they not check the free T4 level of a 15-year post-radioiodine patient on Levothyroxine who has asked to be tested a) as a belated follow-up to the last test, at which both TSH and T4 were measured, and b) BECAUSE they have advised that they are experiencing worrying psychiatric symptoms as a result, they feel, of taking too large a dose of Levothyroxine?!

The receptionist is lovely, and I was absolutely not cross with her - but I completely fell apart.

Have been booked in for a repeat test tomorrow, in between scheduled appointments. Bless her. Am going to fast this time - last week the phoebotomist was all about 'cholesterol, cholesterol, cholesterol', and tested me unfasted - the result is frankly terrifying - so I'm fasting from 6.30pm today in the hope that she will agree to repeat that.

I'm really upset not to yet have an answer re the thyroid.

On the plus side, when I asked the receptionist on arrival what my HbA1c result was, she said 'normal'. Great! At least I'm not diabetic any more!