Type 2 Hypothyroidism and Type 2 diabetes

[Angelmum21]

Does anyone have experience of reaching a plateau in weight loss on a low carb diet?

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last October (2013) with a reading of 32 on my doctors blood glucose meter. I was put immediately onto metformin 200mg from 4 pills a day and lost weight ( over 20kg) but 4 months ago experienced alarming side-effects of extremely severe diarrhoea and prescription was changed to one pill (500mg) of slow-release metformin which suited me better and my HbA1C was 5.6 in July. So far so good.

However, I was also diagnosed back in October 2013 with hypothyroidism and have been on 50mg of levothyroxine ever since.

I have made major changes to my diet and now eat no bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta and potatoes and keep to Low GI fruits etc. I do not cheat!

I have a feeling it is my thyroid problem that is holding back the weight loss. Has anyone else experienced this and found a way to overcome it?

 

[Tigerkitty1950]

You prob need your thyroid levels tested again, I was told I was fine on 50 mg but feeling exhausted after mowing the lawn I was re tested and told I needed to up it to 100 mg, we agreed to make it 75mg for A few weeks and I found I was losing the occasional pound here and there, and I feel more energetic, Im now up to 100 mg and hoping for better weight loss, the bowel problems are related to losing potassium when taking metformin, I started eating a banana, or plain yogurt, or a baked potato, canned tuna etc, to increase my levels, it helped a lot, for cramps in the leg I use tonic water it has quinine in it, I still eat some carbs as I want to help my muscles to deal with exercise on a bicycle, I think though I will have to alternate with walking for bone strength. So far I have lost only 4lbs in the last 3 weeks, but its a step in the right direction

 

[Angelmum21]

Thanks Tigerkitty1950 - have already had my levels retested and doc says they are fine so am now keeping a basal temperature chart for the next 4 weeks which I will take in to try to persuade them. This morning for instance the reading was 35.4C which as I understand it means that my heart is having to work extra hard to compensate for the low core temp and my pulse was showing that. Thyroid UK have been helpful in suggesting scientific studies to take in to your doctors as its clear that there are thousands of people struggling with the standard thyroid medication.

I like how you changed your diet but strict carb control was the only way to go for me as I am obese and need to get down to a normal weight. Someone like me with a low core temp should only be on 1,000 calories a day which is really severe. I walk my dog for miles each day and have taken a new job at the post office that involves me standing for 5 hours at a time which I figured was good for increasing my activity.

I cut all those things out because not only is that good for my diabetes but also for my thyroid. All white flour products have been chlorinated or brominated to bleach them and a by-product of that is alloxan which is fed to lab rats to make them diabetic! Chlorine and Bromine also have similar outer structure to Iodine as they are near each other on the periodic table and can therefore take up the sites in the thyroid where iodine should attach.

I am about to invest in a whole house water filter to make sure that any of these substances are not in my drinking water.

 

[Totto]

What are your thyroid levels?

 

[satindoll]

Thirty something years ago I had my Thyroid removed for Hypo-thyrotoxicosis and luckily have never had to take thyroxin, but I must admit it took them 18 months for a diagnosis by then I had a goitre and could no longer bow my head or sleep on my back, yes I am sure it was hypo not hyper, but I never was a one to do things by the book. Hope they can sort something out for you soon, wasn't given metformin due to IBS and cardio problems, in a way I'm glad after reading how many seem to suffer on it.
Must ask daughter about the flour thing, she's a haematologist at TRF in London doing research on an artificial liver.

 

[Angelmum21]

Hi Totto, my level on 12 May when I complained about not feeling well was 1.49

 

[Totto]

Presumably TSH and if so there is room for improvement. Have you had FT3 or FT4 tested recently?

 

[Angelmum21]

Presumably TSH and if so there is room for improvement. Have you had FT3 or FT4 tested recently?

Yes Totto, That is the TSH level and no FT3 and FT4 were not tested and I am angry about that because I have listened to a lot of stuff from a thyroid summit in America and the docs over there insist that you must know what these levels are as without them you do not know if your body is capable of utilising the T4 you are taking. Am doing the basal temp chart and will see if that persuades them to look again. If not I can always ask for a private genetic test to see if I have a flawed copy of the DIO2 gene which has been shown to activate T3 and if flawed could mean that although the body gets enough T3 the brain does not.

I have already helped my friends daughter who has hypothyroidism at the alarmingly young age of 16 to get a referral to an endocrinologist and I am beginning to feel that GPs do not have enough insight into the condition.

 

[satindoll]

Unfortunately most gp's only have the basic knowledge about thyroid problems that's why it took 18 months to get my diagnosis, my the dr was too reliant on the standard blood test, I always ask now for t3, t4 and t5 to be done on recommendation by my daughter, she's the haematologist in the family, apparently it gives a better complete result

 

[Angelmum21]

Unfortunately most gp's only have the basic knowledge about thyroid problems that's why it took 18 months to get my diagnosis, my the dr was too reliant on the standard blood test, I always ask now for t3, t4 and t5 to be done on recommendation by my daughter, she's the haematologist in the family, apparently it gives a better complete result

Yes thank you - you obviously have more compliant GP than I do - am going to have to put a rod up my backbone next time I ask for an appointment!

 

[satindoll]

Yes he can be a sweetie, I find if I say "Do you think it could possibly be --- or is it worth looking into" it helps, but it was my daughter who took him to task and spoke technical terms with him, as we have a familial problem with thyroid, my mum had hers done twice, her mother had a goitre bigger than mine, and I remember seeing my great grandma trying to hide hers with a scarf, luckily my girl is in the right place to have hers tested on a regular basis as she is coming up to the age both me and my mother started having THE SIGNS.

 

[Totto]

Yes Totto, That is the TSH level and no FT3 and FT4 were not tested and I am angry about that because I have listened to a lot of stuff from a thyroid summit in America and the docs over there insist that you must know what these levels are as without them you do not know if your body is capable of utilising the T4 you are taking. Am doing the basal temp chart and will see if that persuades them to look again. If not I can always ask for a private genetic test to see if I have a flawed copy of the DIO2 gene which has been shown to activate T3 and if flawed could mean that although the body gets enough T3 the brain does not.

I have already helped my friends daughter who has hypothyroidism at the alarmingly young age of 16 to get a referral to an endocrinologist and I am beginning to feel that GPs do not have enough insight into the condition.

Good, you know your thyroid stuff then. I wouldn't bother with genetic testing before you have had FT3 and FT4 tested and without them neither you nor your GP for that matter will have a clue as to what effect your very low dose of Levo actually have.

I think there are private tests you can do but I dont know through whom or where. Possibly TPA-UK will know.