I'm seeing a new doctor in a few weeks and I'm going to ask him to test very thoroughly for thyroid dysfunction. A book I got from the library made suggestions for home testing. One of the suggestions was to put a quarter-sized spot of iodine on a yourself and watch it fade. If it was still there after 24 hours, that was good. I've done this little test twice and both times the iodine faded away within 5-6 hours. Supposedly an indication of thyroid problems. Also recommended is taking your temperature before getting out of bed. A low body temperature indicates thyroid problems. My body temps have always been low, 96-97 in the morning.
Has anyone else done these home tests? My son's doctor sent him to an endocrinologist because of suspect thyroid numbers and a slightly enlarged thyroid. Big surprise, the endo doc said he thought there was no problem. I know others on the Board have had a heck of a time getting a good diagnosis. Any tips, please?
Sheila W
Iodine test for hypothyroid
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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Sheila
- Rockhopper Penguin
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- Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Fl
Iodine test for hypothyroid
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
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- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Sheila
thanks for the reminder, I am meant to be tracking my temperature for thyroid.!!
Nutritionists/Environmental type General Practitioners use temperature as a reliable assessment of Thyroid.
especially data collected daily, over the period of a couple of months.
thanks for the reminder, I am meant to be tracking my temperature for thyroid.!!
Nutritionists/Environmental type General Practitioners use temperature as a reliable assessment of Thyroid.
especially data collected daily, over the period of a couple of months.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Hi Sheila,
I've never heard of the iodine spot test, but I've checked my temp upon awakening and at 4 pm each day, on many, many days, in order to monitor my Armour treatment. It sure sounds as though you may be hypothyroid.
From what I read here on the board, it appears that many endos may be a poor choice for properly treating hypothyroidism. An old-fashioned doctor who is willing to treat by resolution of symptoms (rather than by worshiping TSH results), would be my preferred choice (if I had my druthers). But doctors willing to do that these days are about as scarce as hens teeth, unfortunately.
Tex
I've never heard of the iodine spot test, but I've checked my temp upon awakening and at 4 pm each day, on many, many days, in order to monitor my Armour treatment. It sure sounds as though you may be hypothyroid.
From what I read here on the board, it appears that many endos may be a poor choice for properly treating hypothyroidism. An old-fashioned doctor who is willing to treat by resolution of symptoms (rather than by worshiping TSH results), would be my preferred choice (if I had my druthers). But doctors willing to do that these days are about as scarce as hens teeth, unfortunately.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
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- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
I think a big part of the issue, is not the endo's or the GP's and how good or bad they are, it is the attitude of the medical system towards accurate testing! (or lack there of)
unless your TSH is outside the range, proper testing of T3- T4 etc is not done. They are not being given the right information to do their assessment.
like the joint pain and foggy brain of MC, if the symptoms overlap with another silo'd speciality, they wont consider those elements as part of the diagnosis.
unless your TSH is outside the range, proper testing of T3- T4 etc is not done. They are not being given the right information to do their assessment.
like the joint pain and foggy brain of MC, if the symptoms overlap with another silo'd speciality, they wont consider those elements as part of the diagnosis.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
The main reason for my comment about endos possibly not being a good choice for treatment in some cases, is because they are specialists (which makes them "experts" according to legal convention), and therefore they can be held to higher standards than anyone else. That exposes them to more legal risk in some situations, therefore they are more likely to go by the book (IMO).
Tex
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I never had any of my labs come back out of the normal range and wasn't successful in getting my thyroid problems treated until after I had it removed due to cancer. I switched to a new PCP to address my concerns. She too did not believe I had my symptoms were thyroid related but did find nodules upon an examination of my neck which led to my dx. The surgeon and endo both insisted all of my complaints were unrelated to my thyroid until after my pathology report came back with undx hashimotos. They were all ready to push me off to a rheumatologist after my surgery. At my post surgery visit to my surgeon he retracted his earlier comments and told me to hold off on seeing any other doctors until I've given myself time to heal and get my meds balanced out. He admitted these types of problem can be hard to dx. I would be one of the few people to say my cancer dx saved my life. It's been a long process but I feel more and more like myself than ever before.
My case would be on the rather extreme end of the spectrum but I learned that you can't give up. I was so very tired of chasing a ghost trying to find the answer to my problems and determining what was MC related and what was something else. This site has been a God-send.
If you feel you have issues, keep searching for someone to help. It's frustrating but in the end so very worth it.
My case would be on the rather extreme end of the spectrum but I learned that you can't give up. I was so very tired of chasing a ghost trying to find the answer to my problems and determining what was MC related and what was something else. This site has been a God-send.
If you feel you have issues, keep searching for someone to help. It's frustrating but in the end so very worth it.
Deb
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
2007 CC
2013 thyroid cancer- total thyroidectomy
2013 Hashimoto's - numbers always "normal"
2017 Lyme's Disease
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
2007 CC
2013 thyroid cancer- total thyroidectomy
2013 Hashimoto's - numbers always "normal"
2017 Lyme's Disease
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Sheila
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 5:10 am
- Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Fl
If it weren't for this Board, it wouldn't have occurred to me to have my thyroid checked thoroughly. Something is off and the thyroid seems to be a likely candidate. When I see my new PCP I will ask for TSH, T3 and T4 and explain the possible connection of Hashimoto's and MC/celiac disease. I am also trying to achieve balance with antihistamines. I switched from Zyrtec to Allegra and found Allegra is too sedating for me. I am back on Zyrtec every night, Patanase nasal spray when needed, Zaditor eye drops every day and Claritin Reditabs, as necessary. I'm on the fence about Quercetin, concerned about adding anything new to the regimen. I'm applying the magnesium oil every day, taking an epsom salts bath a few times a week and I've switched to mineral water for drinking. (Thank you, Gabes :-) I decided to try chicken again and, like an idiot, had Aidell's chicken sausage for lunch and chicken thighs for dinner. Next day I woke up to WD and the knowledge that chicken truly is history.
My son's endo told him everything was in the "normal" range and his readings were caused by the pituitary and not to be concerned. (!!!) I asked him to find out if he got T3 and T4 tests. He has had an extremely stressful year (marriage and divorce in less than a year) and has a stressful job. He has agreed to go GF for two weeks when he returns from vacation. HOORAY! I am so excited he is doing this. He read a couple of books about gluten that I got him and knows in his heart he has a problem that is getting worse. Now that the extreme drama in his life has subsided, he can concentrate on his health and hopefully avoid full blown MC and WD. Deb, you've been a great source of information about thyroid issues.
Thanks for the input, Tex. I keep forgetting to take my temperature when I get up in the morning, Duh. However, it is always in the same small range, very low. I will take it in the afternoon and keep a log. All of these facts and experiences that you all have contributed are such a huge help when put together.
Sheila W
My son's endo told him everything was in the "normal" range and his readings were caused by the pituitary and not to be concerned. (!!!) I asked him to find out if he got T3 and T4 tests. He has had an extremely stressful year (marriage and divorce in less than a year) and has a stressful job. He has agreed to go GF for two weeks when he returns from vacation. HOORAY! I am so excited he is doing this. He read a couple of books about gluten that I got him and knows in his heart he has a problem that is getting worse. Now that the extreme drama in his life has subsided, he can concentrate on his health and hopefully avoid full blown MC and WD. Deb, you've been a great source of information about thyroid issues.
Thanks for the input, Tex. I keep forgetting to take my temperature when I get up in the morning, Duh. However, it is always in the same small range, very low. I will take it in the afternoon and keep a log. All of these facts and experiences that you all have contributed are such a huge help when put together.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
I have heard of the iodine spot test --- a coworker was talking about it a few years ago and she seemed to think it was a very legitimate, valid test. I never tried it nor have I heard or read anything reputable about it so .... who knows? I'd rather get a blood test, though..... they don't normally lie.
The two biggest battles I'm fighting right now are my colitis and my thyroid levels. I had my thyroid removed last July and just when we were SO CLOSE to getting the thyroid med dosage fine-tuned, I was able to come off of all colitis meds - whoohoo! One would THINK that would be good news, but going off of the Entocort seemed to really throw off my thyroid levels so now we're struggling to get those back on track. And as luck would have it, now the colitis is flaring. What a vicious cycle.... I wonder if I'll ever be able to get the two issues under control at the same time.
I guess I should consider myself lucky that (so far) these are the only two auto-immune issues I have.
Sue
The two biggest battles I'm fighting right now are my colitis and my thyroid levels. I had my thyroid removed last July and just when we were SO CLOSE to getting the thyroid med dosage fine-tuned, I was able to come off of all colitis meds - whoohoo! One would THINK that would be good news, but going off of the Entocort seemed to really throw off my thyroid levels so now we're struggling to get those back on track. And as luck would have it, now the colitis is flaring. What a vicious cycle.... I wonder if I'll ever be able to get the two issues under control at the same time.
I guess I should consider myself lucky that (so far) these are the only two auto-immune issues I have.
Sue
Sue
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
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Sheila
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 5:10 am
- Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Fl
Good Morning, Sue. Tex said that Entocort could mask thyroid symptoms and I think that is what happened to me. I stopped taking entocort a few months ago after being on it for more than 2 years. When I stopped taking the entocort, I began having symptoms that could be caused by hypothyroid disease. The colitis was under control when I stopped entocort but I started getting bloat, gas, belching, some D etc. Food that had been a mainstay, rice and sweet potatoes, seemed to be causing problems. I have practically elminated rice and only eat sweet potatoes occasionally. I cut out more sugar, cut back on homemade GF bread and cookies, eliminated all prepared food and added in quinoa. So, I'm back to a modified paleo diet and have Normans for the most part, little bloat and only occasional gas.
People with MC seem to live a life of elimination. To feel better, we have to keep eliminating triggers and fine tuning our diet. I always think of Gloria and her very small selection of food and count myself fortunate to have a few more choices available. I'm not looking forward to changing doctors and trying to get thyroid answers, but it has to be done.
I hope you get everything under control and feel better.
Sheila W
People with MC seem to live a life of elimination. To feel better, we have to keep eliminating triggers and fine tuning our diet. I always think of Gloria and her very small selection of food and count myself fortunate to have a few more choices available. I'm not looking forward to changing doctors and trying to get thyroid answers, but it has to be done.
I hope you get everything under control and feel better.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
Hi Sheila.
I don't know about the Entocort masking any thyroid symptoms..... it was a complete and total shock when I went to my endocronologist for my routine check up and he told me that my thyroid had totally bottomed out again. My T4 was high and my TSH was non-existent. I told him that wasn't possible because I didn't feel hyper, but the number's don't lie. He asked what I had done differently or had changed in the past three months and I told him the only difference was that I had tapered myself off of Entocort. He feels that taking the Entocort had probably interfered with the absorption of my thyroid med and when I stopped taking Entocort, I was absorbing more of the thyroid med and getting too much.
Now that I put myself back on a low dose of Entocort, I'm probably throwing off my thyroid levels again. (shaking head in frustration).
Good luck on your journey, and let's keep fighting!
Sue
I don't know about the Entocort masking any thyroid symptoms..... it was a complete and total shock when I went to my endocronologist for my routine check up and he told me that my thyroid had totally bottomed out again. My T4 was high and my TSH was non-existent. I told him that wasn't possible because I didn't feel hyper, but the number's don't lie. He asked what I had done differently or had changed in the past three months and I told him the only difference was that I had tapered myself off of Entocort. He feels that taking the Entocort had probably interfered with the absorption of my thyroid med and when I stopped taking Entocort, I was absorbing more of the thyroid med and getting too much.
Now that I put myself back on a low dose of Entocort, I'm probably throwing off my thyroid levels again. (shaking head in frustration).
Good luck on your journey, and let's keep fighting!
Sue
Sue
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Sue,
Sheila was referring to my post in the thread at the link below, which comments on how corticosteroids affect thyroid-associated hormones.
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19949
However if you have no thyroid (due to surgical removal), then the effects (of a corticosteroid) should be just the opposite (because your thyroid can no longer respond to feedback, to alter production), and that appears to be exactly what happened to you (and your doctor's explanation is right on target).
Tex
Sheila was referring to my post in the thread at the link below, which comments on how corticosteroids affect thyroid-associated hormones.
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19949
However if you have no thyroid (due to surgical removal), then the effects (of a corticosteroid) should be just the opposite (because your thyroid can no longer respond to feedback, to alter production), and that appears to be exactly what happened to you (and your doctor's explanation is right on target).
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I am always amazed at how sharp and organized you are.... you always seem to be able to keep track of who said what, where, why, and when! I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad you do.... you are a wealth of information and always explain things clearly. Simply amazing.tex wrote:Sue,
Sheila was referring to my post in the thread at the link below, which comments on how corticosteroids affect thyroid-associated hormones.
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19949
However if you have no thyroid (due to surgical removal), then the effects (of a corticosteroid) should be just the opposite (because your thyroid can no longer respond to feedback, to alter production), and that appears to be exactly what happened to you (and your doctor's explanation is right on target).
Tex
Sue
Sue
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Look at www.stopthethyroidmadness.com
There is also a book with the same name. There is a wealth of info on the website!
Pat
There is also a book with the same name. There is a wealth of info on the website!
Pat