Help - low energy all the time despite normal bloodwork

mzh · Post by **mzh** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 8:46 am

By all rights I should feel more energetic but I continue to have to push myself just to get up and do something.

My gut is doing fine and I'm off Entocort; I hope I can stay off. I swear, I either have low thyroid or low cortisol. Cortisol is only 9 at 8 AM. My salivary cortisol is nonexistent but my docs can't seem to help me because I'm in normal range. Salivary DHEA is very low too, but again, docs around here are clueless.

I've just had a progressive thyroid test but don't know the results yet. My TSH has always been normal so everything stops with the TSH; I expect the same this time too. I'm low on Vitamin D even while on supplements. I requested a FT3 and that's also low normal. Sheesh.

What can I tell the docs so they can be more helpful to me who has perfect bloodwork but feels tired and weak all the time even though I exercise? I have lots of joint and soft tissue pain. Maybe I have CFS or fibromyalgia or even Lyme disease.

I live in Upstate SC (northwest corner) so if anyone knows of a well-rounded, knowledgeable doc within reasonable - or unreasonable if need be - driving distance, please tell me who it is!

Post by **tex** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 10:10 am

Marcia,

My TSH was mid-range normal, and so was my Free T3. But my Free T4 was below range. When your TSH is normal, but you have hypothyroid symptoms, Free T4 is the correct test to base your decisions on. If it's below range, then the correct way to regulate your thyroid hormone supplement dose is by monitoring your FT4, not your TSH. IOW, forget about TSH if your FT4 is below range.

If you want some info to read, here's a good article. The most relevant part seems to me to be in this section of the article:

4 Interpretation of TSH and T4 assays

4.1 The TSH-T4 relationship

and a little farther into the article, here:

4.3.1 Steady-state conditions.

But there's a lot of good information throughout the article.

Clinical Strategies in the Testing of Thyroid Function

It would probably be best to read this shorter article first, though:

Thyroid function tests and hypothyroidism

Of course, if your Free T4 is also mid-range normal, then your thyroid probably isn't the source of your energy issues. And unfortunately, I know virtually nothing about cortisol, or how to regulate it.

Tex

mzh · Post by **mzh** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:34 pm

THANK YOU, TEX!

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 6:51 pm

I've been struggling with fatigue and soft tissue pain for years. I've been told I have chronic pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, and depression- all that was offered was more drugs. My blood work, like yours, comes back normal and I'm stopped dead in my tracks. No one will look into my thyroid. I'm finding relief through acupuncture and very optomistic.

I hope you are able to find some answers, it's hard to deal with the never-ending aches and pains when the doctors just don't get it.

mzh · Post by **mzh** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 9:06 pm

Deb,

What part of yourself are you getting acupuncture on? I have access to an acupuncturist so I could go back there....

I have a very badly arthritic shoulder that's bad too, plus a bunch of other places. Looks like we're in the same club.

Fish2575 · Post by **Fish2575** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 10:37 pm

This is just my two cents....These are all of my symptoms when I eat a forbidden food. I tried eating chicken last week and I could hardly get out of bed! Much more energy now that it is eliminated. Might be worth looking into!

Susie

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 5:40 am

Mine, right now, is primarily focused in the face, neck, and shoulders but the needles run the length of my body including foot, leg, back, and stomach. It depends on what your primary complaint is. One session was focused on my adrenals, others were for eyes & sinus area..... She agrees nutrition is key to healing and restoring energy. I've been trying to find unbiased info about how it works because I'm truly fascinated by it. I've had five visits now since the end of December and the improvements are amazing. Not there yet but I've learned from MC that patience and dedication is where it's at.

I was also told to get off my butt-

actually I believe she said I need to get my blood circulating. I 'm normally a very active person but the fatigue has slowed me down considerably and I'm not a cold weather person so this time of year is more difficult for me. I can literally spend all day puttering around the garden and yard but come November to Aprilish, I'm SOL. She made it very clear that I shouldn't over exert myself because that would be counterproductive to regaining energy. It's something to keep in mind be because I do get the urge to prove myself now and then and pay for it later.

I believe Acupunture is worth a try. It hasn't done anything to help my D but I'm ok with that right now. There is just too much going on in my body right now and I imagine its a matter of taking one issue at a time. I'm trying to talk my mom into giving it a try as she has arthritis, asthma, D, and circulation issues. It is helping with my chronic pain problems. The worst that can happen is it doesn't help. I've spent thousands of dollars over he past five years, out of pocket, trying different options all without success. I had the attitude when I first went that it would be another failure I could add to my list. I am pleasantly surprised and regret not trying it earlier. However, I do believe it would have been less effective had I not changed my diet so drastically.

Susie- I'm the same way with certain foods. It seems odd that a single food can wipe you out for days!

mzh · Post by **mzh** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 8:44 am

Thanks for the responses. Looks like it's time to do the the Enterolab (or maybe Dr Fine's?) foods test. I did the basic 4 Enterolab test plus yeast already and had no bad numbers except gluten was 11. (I'm gluten-free.) Stool testing and acupuncture is in my future. I have a doctor appt on Tuesday but I'm not sure he can help me anymore. We'll see.

Does anyone know which test I should get?

Post by **tex** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 10:15 am

Marcia,

If you've already done the basic four food tests, the only food sensitivity test left at EnteroLab is the C panel. Repeating the anti-gliadin test would tell you how much cross-contamination from gluten is in your diet. I found that information to be quite illuminating, when I ordered the test a year ago. And I like the gene test, because sometimes the results can be illuminating, but of course most of the time they're just another bit of so-so information.

Tex

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:00 pm

Marcia,
if you don't think the Drs are ordering the correct blood tests you might want to look for an independent lab where you can order your own tests. My town has one. I called them to check on a free T-4 test after reading the article Tex references above, and their price was around $35, which I thought was quite good. Our lab is call Affordalab. When I ordered my MRT kit from Signet Diagnostics they drew the 4 tubes of blood for $15 then put my kit in their Fed Ex stack so I didn't have to go find a drop off point. Can't beat that.
I have to share too that the article Tex has listed above on clinical strategies for assessing thyroid issues is so good that when I showed it to my PCP she was impressed. She then ordered the thyroid tests I wanted and those specific to Grave's disease. Turns out that I did not have Grave's disease so we knew to look elsewhere.

Here's one more random thought. It could be that you have a food or two still aggravating you. After developing LC, now if I eat peanut butter I ache all over the next day. I'm avoiding all legumes these days.

take care and good luck, Carol

mzh · Post by **mzh** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 7:23 am

Carol, you've been incredibly helpful. I eat peanut butter on an apple every day!

I've got a PCP appt today. Maybe I should bring the article. I don't know if I have enough ink to print it out. LOL

Fish2575 · Post by **Fish2575** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:21 am

Marcia,

Quick question....you put in parenthesis "or Dr. Fine's" food test. Is that a different Dr. Fine from the Enterolab one? I had seen info on a GI doc named Jeffery Fine in Texas who offers food antigen testing and was wondering if you were referring to him or to Kenneth Fine from Enterolab?

Thanks!
Susie

mzh · Post by **mzh** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:23 am

Fish2575 wrote:Marcia,

Quick question....you put in parenthesis "or Dr. Fine's" food test. Is that a different Dr. Fine from the Enterolab one? I had seen info on a GI doc named Jeffery Fine in Texas who offers food antigen testing and was wondering if you were referring to him or to Kenneth Fine from Enterolab?

Thanks!
Susie

Oops, good catch, Susie. I was thinking of the MRT as the other option. My mind isn't as sharp as I would like it to be. Sigh.

Fish2575 · Post by **Fish2575** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:40 am

I was just thinking maybe someone was on to another good test!

mzh · Post by **mzh** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 4:50 pm

LOL, Susie.