Hello Everybody,
I haven't posted in a while... I would get on and try to catch up on all the posts but
just haven't posted lately. Today when I got on it said there were 188
unread posts. WOW....
I went to a new dr. last week, and she know nothing about MC... I guess
I had high hopes. All she did was run a blood test and I got my results
back yesterday.
Only two things were out of range...
Creatinine......0.63 L (Reference Range 0.78-1.34 mg/dl)
TSH, 3rd generation.... 0.10 L (Reference Range 0.40-4.50 mIU/L)
She just told me to decrease my thyroid medicine.
Tex, could this be why my legs ach so much because of my low creatinine
levels? I don't know anything about this and thought I would ask.
Hope everyone is doing well...
Hopefully I will get caught up on all the posts soon.
Thanks again,
Tanya
Blood tests shows low creatinine
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
-
Tanya Lynn
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:19 pm
- Location: Texas
Blood tests shows low creatinine
Tanya
When life hands you lemons make lemonade...
When life hands you lemons make lemonade...
Hi Tanya,
A low creatinine level is usually nothing to be concerned about, especially if your BUN level was within the normal range. Low creatinine can be caused by several things, inadequate protein in the diet, pregnancy, decreased muscle mass, or advanced liver disease, for example. We can probably rule out pregnancy, and advanced liver disease, (since you would surely be aware of those issues), so that leaves low protein and/or decreased muscle mass as possible causes.
Of more concern is your TSH level. With a TSH level of 0.1, you are hyperthyroid, (you have way too much thyroid hormone in circulation). I assume that you have been diadnosed with hypothyroidism, and you're taking a thyroid hormone supplement. How much are you taking? How long ago were you originally diagnosed? You seem to have a lot of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, so I'm wondering if you might actually be hyperthyroid, but you were misdiagnosed. Here's why I feel that way:
People who are hyperthyroid, tend to have a high BUN/creatinine ratio. (Even if your BUN level is normal, a low creatinine level will make this ratio high). Hypothyroidism cause loss of muscle mass, and therefore a low creatinine level. Hyperthyroidism can cause aches and pains in the limbs, especially the legs. Hyperthyroidism can also cause increased trips to the bathroom, (IOW, increased bowel movements). And it can probably cause some of the other issues that you're having, that I haven't even considered.
Most doctors are not very good at treating thyroid issues, because it appears to be a simple issue, but it's not, and they don't understand it very well. They just go by TSH test levels, and treat accordingly, but TSH doesn't tell the whole story. Did your doctor test for Free T3 and/or Free T4? Based on your symptoms, one or both of them may be out of range on the upper side.
I suppose it's theoretically possible that your thyroid supplement dosage is simply way too high, but your symptoms are mighty obvious. This raises the question of whether you might have received a bad batch of thyroid supplement, that is waaaaaaaaaaay over tolerances. That happens much more often than most people realize, and it can cause serious issues. One of our members once received a thyroid supplement prescription refill that was 10,000 times the labeled dose. Needless to say, it caused serious issues for everyone who received that drug.
How is your heart rate? If it is elevated, and/or you are short of breath, and/or you have an elevated temperature, you should tell your pharmacist about your symptoms, and ask if anyone has reported a problem with that batch, and/or describe your symptoms to your doctor, to see what she thinks.
IOW, IMO, most of your problems point toward a hyperthyroid condition. Remember, I'm not a doctor, so please don't do anything drastic without checking with your pharmacist/doctor, but you really need to track down the problem with your thyroid hormone levels.
Please keep us updated on this.
Tex
A low creatinine level is usually nothing to be concerned about, especially if your BUN level was within the normal range. Low creatinine can be caused by several things, inadequate protein in the diet, pregnancy, decreased muscle mass, or advanced liver disease, for example. We can probably rule out pregnancy, and advanced liver disease, (since you would surely be aware of those issues), so that leaves low protein and/or decreased muscle mass as possible causes.
Of more concern is your TSH level. With a TSH level of 0.1, you are hyperthyroid, (you have way too much thyroid hormone in circulation). I assume that you have been diadnosed with hypothyroidism, and you're taking a thyroid hormone supplement. How much are you taking? How long ago were you originally diagnosed? You seem to have a lot of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, so I'm wondering if you might actually be hyperthyroid, but you were misdiagnosed. Here's why I feel that way:
People who are hyperthyroid, tend to have a high BUN/creatinine ratio. (Even if your BUN level is normal, a low creatinine level will make this ratio high). Hypothyroidism cause loss of muscle mass, and therefore a low creatinine level. Hyperthyroidism can cause aches and pains in the limbs, especially the legs. Hyperthyroidism can also cause increased trips to the bathroom, (IOW, increased bowel movements). And it can probably cause some of the other issues that you're having, that I haven't even considered.
Most doctors are not very good at treating thyroid issues, because it appears to be a simple issue, but it's not, and they don't understand it very well. They just go by TSH test levels, and treat accordingly, but TSH doesn't tell the whole story. Did your doctor test for Free T3 and/or Free T4? Based on your symptoms, one or both of them may be out of range on the upper side.
I suppose it's theoretically possible that your thyroid supplement dosage is simply way too high, but your symptoms are mighty obvious. This raises the question of whether you might have received a bad batch of thyroid supplement, that is waaaaaaaaaaay over tolerances. That happens much more often than most people realize, and it can cause serious issues. One of our members once received a thyroid supplement prescription refill that was 10,000 times the labeled dose. Needless to say, it caused serious issues for everyone who received that drug.
How is your heart rate? If it is elevated, and/or you are short of breath, and/or you have an elevated temperature, you should tell your pharmacist about your symptoms, and ask if anyone has reported a problem with that batch, and/or describe your symptoms to your doctor, to see what she thinks.
IOW, IMO, most of your problems point toward a hyperthyroid condition. Remember, I'm not a doctor, so please don't do anything drastic without checking with your pharmacist/doctor, but you really need to track down the problem with your thyroid hormone levels.
Please keep us updated on this.
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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Tanya Lynn
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:19 pm
- Location: Texas
Hey Tex,
Thank you so much for YOU!!
That was so funny,
We can probably rule out pregnancy!! OH MY Goodness, that would be a miracle since I had a partial hysterectomy at 31...
I had a blood test back in March of this year and my results were as follows:
TSH, 3rd generation 2.98
T4, Free 1.0
T3, Free 357
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (Out of Range) 58H
My dr. said that I was producing to many antibodies and he wanted to start me off trying some supplements. So, I took a thyroid supplement
for 2 months and went back in May. At this time, I hadn't had my second
flare of MC which started June 22.
I went back to my dr. around first part of June and this is when he started me on a compound thyroid medicine like Armour at 30 mgs. for two weeks and if I didn't feel any heart palpitations or other side effects, to increase the dose to 60 mgs. After two weeks without any side effects, I increased the medicine to 60. That's what I have been taking since June.
I went to a different dr. and she didn't even think I should be on any thyroid
medicine at all from the March results. She ran the blood tests but didn't do
check the T3 Free....or check the thyroid peroxidase antibodies.
I did decrease my Thyroid medicine to 30mgs a day starting on Saturday.
I was sure thinking well maybe this was why I am still having such diarrhea..
But that hasn't changed a bit.
What she suggested was to decrease the medicine and get my thyroid checked
again in two months. I will be going back to my other dr.
Hope you are doing well!! Miss everyone here, just been sooo busy getting
my Dad moved in and settled. I'm so excited he's in Texas but he's can be
very demanding at times!!!!!
Tanya
Thank you so much for YOU!!
That was so funny,
We can probably rule out pregnancy!! OH MY Goodness, that would be a miracle since I had a partial hysterectomy at 31...
I had a blood test back in March of this year and my results were as follows:
TSH, 3rd generation 2.98
T4, Free 1.0
T3, Free 357
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (Out of Range) 58H
My dr. said that I was producing to many antibodies and he wanted to start me off trying some supplements. So, I took a thyroid supplement
for 2 months and went back in May. At this time, I hadn't had my second
flare of MC which started June 22.
I went back to my dr. around first part of June and this is when he started me on a compound thyroid medicine like Armour at 30 mgs. for two weeks and if I didn't feel any heart palpitations or other side effects, to increase the dose to 60 mgs. After two weeks without any side effects, I increased the medicine to 60. That's what I have been taking since June.
I went to a different dr. and she didn't even think I should be on any thyroid
medicine at all from the March results. She ran the blood tests but didn't do
check the T3 Free....or check the thyroid peroxidase antibodies.
I did decrease my Thyroid medicine to 30mgs a day starting on Saturday.
I was sure thinking well maybe this was why I am still having such diarrhea..
But that hasn't changed a bit.
What she suggested was to decrease the medicine and get my thyroid checked
again in two months. I will be going back to my other dr.
Hope you are doing well!! Miss everyone here, just been sooo busy getting
my Dad moved in and settled. I'm so excited he's in Texas but he's can be
very demanding at times!!!!!
Tanya
Tanya
When life hands you lemons make lemonade...
When life hands you lemons make lemonade...
Tanya,
Okay, yes, that high thyroid peroxidase level means that you have autoimmune thyroid disease. Looking at your test results, it appears that your recent test results were the result of your going through a phase of thyroid hormone overstimulation or "thyrotoxicosis." People with autoimmune thyroiditis, (an inflammed thyroid gland, due to autoimmune disease), often go through one or more phases of thyrotoxicosis, in which the autoimmune process causes sufficient damage to the thyroid gland, to cause thyroid hormone to leak into the blood. It's usually a self-limiting process, so the effect should soon pass. That's why your doctor told you to cut down your dosage, (until it passes).
In case your doctor didn't explain the reason for your treatment, even though your initial test results were normal, (except for the thyroid peroxidase level), since you have autoimmune thyroid disease, taking a thyroid supplement will help to minimize damage to your thyroid gland, due to the autoimmune issue. In that situation, both T4 and T3 are needed in the supplement. It appears that your treatment is generally correct, though, so please disregard what I said in the previous post, before I was aware of the autoimmune disease issue.
I take 60mg of Armour, myself, but I don't have autoimmune thyroid disease, (at least, the antibody test results were negative, the last time I was tested).
Anyway, the autoimmune disease explains your erratic symptoms, and hopefully, they should settle down, soon. It's very likely that this is what is causing your leg pains, though, because that condition can cause fibromyalgia-like symptoms. I still believe that it's contributing to the D, also. 30mg of Armour probably won't make a drastic change in your symptoms. That amount is probably dwarfed by the amount of T3 that your thyroid gland leaked, or is leaking during this "thyrotoxicosis" episode. Once that settles down, you should notice a big difference in symptoms.
Moving someone is a lot of work, so I'm sure you're glad that you're finished with that project. I hope your dad has some hobbies to keep him busy, otherwise he may be even more demanding.
Tex
Okay, yes, that high thyroid peroxidase level means that you have autoimmune thyroid disease. Looking at your test results, it appears that your recent test results were the result of your going through a phase of thyroid hormone overstimulation or "thyrotoxicosis." People with autoimmune thyroiditis, (an inflammed thyroid gland, due to autoimmune disease), often go through one or more phases of thyrotoxicosis, in which the autoimmune process causes sufficient damage to the thyroid gland, to cause thyroid hormone to leak into the blood. It's usually a self-limiting process, so the effect should soon pass. That's why your doctor told you to cut down your dosage, (until it passes).
In case your doctor didn't explain the reason for your treatment, even though your initial test results were normal, (except for the thyroid peroxidase level), since you have autoimmune thyroid disease, taking a thyroid supplement will help to minimize damage to your thyroid gland, due to the autoimmune issue. In that situation, both T4 and T3 are needed in the supplement. It appears that your treatment is generally correct, though, so please disregard what I said in the previous post, before I was aware of the autoimmune disease issue.
I take 60mg of Armour, myself, but I don't have autoimmune thyroid disease, (at least, the antibody test results were negative, the last time I was tested).
Anyway, the autoimmune disease explains your erratic symptoms, and hopefully, they should settle down, soon. It's very likely that this is what is causing your leg pains, though, because that condition can cause fibromyalgia-like symptoms. I still believe that it's contributing to the D, also. 30mg of Armour probably won't make a drastic change in your symptoms. That amount is probably dwarfed by the amount of T3 that your thyroid gland leaked, or is leaking during this "thyrotoxicosis" episode. Once that settles down, you should notice a big difference in symptoms.
Moving someone is a lot of work, so I'm sure you're glad that you're finished with that project. I hope your dad has some hobbies to keep him busy, otherwise he may be even more demanding.
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.
Hi Tanya!
Good to hear from you again! I have been wondering about your leg/feet symptoms.
I would consider your creatinine value to be OK, especially for a woman, since we have less muscle mass than men. It's better to be low, since a high result can be a sign of kidney damage. Also, if it were high, it could be a sign of muscle damage, so that can probably be ruled out as a cause of your leg aches.
At this point I would guess that your leg/feet aches are due to your out-of-whack thyroid. Both hypo and hyperthyroidism can cause this kind of problem. Are you having other symptoms of hyperthyroidism, like jitteriness, muscle twitching, racing heart, etc.? You might want to consider a consultation with an endocrinologist to help get your thyroid into proper balance (if you haven't done this already).
Good luck with the move with dad......is it a permanent arrangement?
Love,
Polly
Good to hear from you again! I have been wondering about your leg/feet symptoms.
I would consider your creatinine value to be OK, especially for a woman, since we have less muscle mass than men. It's better to be low, since a high result can be a sign of kidney damage. Also, if it were high, it could be a sign of muscle damage, so that can probably be ruled out as a cause of your leg aches.
At this point I would guess that your leg/feet aches are due to your out-of-whack thyroid. Both hypo and hyperthyroidism can cause this kind of problem. Are you having other symptoms of hyperthyroidism, like jitteriness, muscle twitching, racing heart, etc.? You might want to consider a consultation with an endocrinologist to help get your thyroid into proper balance (if you haven't done this already).
Good luck with the move with dad......is it a permanent arrangement?
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
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Tanya Lynn
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:19 pm
- Location: Texas
Tex,
I am so grateful to you and how you explain things so well... You are
truly amazing.
Looks like I should see an endocrinologist as Polly suggested in a few
months. I will certainly be glad when I'm feeling better, physically. I do feel
better, mentally, now knowing what's going on with my thyroid. So, the
30mg is the amount I should be taking?
Polly,
I appreciate all your advice, as well. Good to be back....
No, I don't have any symptoms of hyperthyroidism at all. No jitteriness,
muscle twitching, racing heart, etc. If fact, I would say quite the opposite,
tired all the time, no energy, just the tingling and buring in my feet and legs.
My dad's 80 and was confined to a lift chair back home (LA).
It was heartbreaking watching him just waste away, so my husband and
I decided to move my dad and step mom down to (TX) closer to me.
He has gotten a scooter chair and it getting around all over the house
and going outside and grilling, which is his favorite thing to do, COOK...
It's exciting now seeing him able to do things he hasn't in over 2 years
since his open heart surgery. He has a new outlook on life now. I'm hoping
it will be permanent. They aren't familiar with the area, so I have to be the
taxi driver as well. But it's all OK, I'm happy seeing the change in him.
I know that if I felt better, I wouldn't be so drained after leaving their house.
Sometimes, I feel like the life is just sucked right out of me.
Again thank yall so very much for caring....
Tanya
I am so grateful to you and how you explain things so well... You are
truly amazing.
Looks like I should see an endocrinologist as Polly suggested in a few
months. I will certainly be glad when I'm feeling better, physically. I do feel
better, mentally, now knowing what's going on with my thyroid. So, the
30mg is the amount I should be taking?
Polly,
I appreciate all your advice, as well. Good to be back....
No, I don't have any symptoms of hyperthyroidism at all. No jitteriness,
muscle twitching, racing heart, etc. If fact, I would say quite the opposite,
tired all the time, no energy, just the tingling and buring in my feet and legs.
My dad's 80 and was confined to a lift chair back home (LA).
It was heartbreaking watching him just waste away, so my husband and
I decided to move my dad and step mom down to (TX) closer to me.
He has gotten a scooter chair and it getting around all over the house
and going outside and grilling, which is his favorite thing to do, COOK...
It's exciting now seeing him able to do things he hasn't in over 2 years
since his open heart surgery. He has a new outlook on life now. I'm hoping
it will be permanent. They aren't familiar with the area, so I have to be the
taxi driver as well. But it's all OK, I'm happy seeing the change in him.
I know that if I felt better, I wouldn't be so drained after leaving their house.
Sometimes, I feel like the life is just sucked right out of me.
Again thank yall so very much for caring....
Tanya
Tanya
When life hands you lemons make lemonade...
When life hands you lemons make lemonade...
If you're not having any hyperthyroid symptoms, (and apparently, you're not), then that should be a safe dose. Another trick is to measure your temperature around mid-afternoon, when it should be at it's maximum for the day. If it is significantly low, you may need a higher dose - if it's elevated, you may need to reduce the dose. This is the correct way to regulate treatment with Armour. I would think that it should work with a synthetic combination of T4 and T3 supplement, though, also. The body usually needs about two weeks to reach a state of equilibrium with a new dose, before deciding whether or not to make an additional adjustment.Tanya wrote:So, the 30mg is the amount I should be taking?
That's great, the way you've restored your dad's freedom.
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.
-
Tanya Lynn
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:19 pm
- Location: Texas
Update...
Tex.
Apparently I was having hyperthyoid systems, (diarrhea) and all this time, I'm thinking the diarrhea is from MC. I reduced my thryoid medicine down to 30mgs on Oct. 9th and the diarrhea started to slow down until I'm hardly going now. I only went 3 times on Monday, 4 times on Tuesday, 2 times Weds., and nothing today... I feel so bloated and have alot of pain in my upper stomach. This morning, I reduced the Entorcort to 6mgs, thinking this would help.
I'm just at a loss, maybe I should stop taking the Entorcort all together and see what happens. This just makes me so upset, this whole time, I was following the strictest diet, taking the Entorcort and having diarrhea constantly. Trying stay positive and not get depressed only, to find out that the thyroid medicine was too strong and could have been the culprit the entire time. I am just so discouraged at this point thinking maybe I should just stop taking anything.
Do you have any suggestions? Should I slowly decrease the Entrocort or just stop taking it?
I'm sorry to be such a whiner....
Tanya
Tex.
Apparently I was having hyperthyoid systems, (diarrhea) and all this time, I'm thinking the diarrhea is from MC. I reduced my thryoid medicine down to 30mgs on Oct. 9th and the diarrhea started to slow down until I'm hardly going now. I only went 3 times on Monday, 4 times on Tuesday, 2 times Weds., and nothing today... I feel so bloated and have alot of pain in my upper stomach. This morning, I reduced the Entorcort to 6mgs, thinking this would help.
I'm just at a loss, maybe I should stop taking the Entorcort all together and see what happens. This just makes me so upset, this whole time, I was following the strictest diet, taking the Entorcort and having diarrhea constantly. Trying stay positive and not get depressed only, to find out that the thyroid medicine was too strong and could have been the culprit the entire time. I am just so discouraged at this point thinking maybe I should just stop taking anything.
Do you have any suggestions? Should I slowly decrease the Entrocort or just stop taking it?
I'm sorry to be such a whiner....
Tanya
Tanya
When life hands you lemons make lemonade...
When life hands you lemons make lemonade...
Hi Tanya,
That makes a lot of sense. The bloating and pain could be connected with C, so you're probably on the right track, reducing the Entocort dosage. Sometimes, returning to normal, formed BMs can be painful, after D has been the order of the day for so long. The bloating is not normal, though, of course, but that may just be due to your digestive system trying to adjust to a more normal routine. If I were in your shoes, I think I might try one Entocort a day, to see what happens. If the D returns, you can always bump it back up.
No need to apologize for whining - we all come here to whine, now and then. We're just glad you pinpointed the problem. One of the problems with MC is the fact that it is often combined with other issues, and many of the symptoms overlap with other issues, so it's sometimes difficult to determine which condition is causing the various symptoms.
You should feel optimistic, not depressed, because now you're back on track, with that issue out of the way, (temporarily, at least - until your autoimmune thyroid issue "drops the other shoe").
I hope you feel better, each day. Thanks for the update,
Tex
That makes a lot of sense. The bloating and pain could be connected with C, so you're probably on the right track, reducing the Entocort dosage. Sometimes, returning to normal, formed BMs can be painful, after D has been the order of the day for so long. The bloating is not normal, though, of course, but that may just be due to your digestive system trying to adjust to a more normal routine. If I were in your shoes, I think I might try one Entocort a day, to see what happens. If the D returns, you can always bump it back up.
No need to apologize for whining - we all come here to whine, now and then. We're just glad you pinpointed the problem. One of the problems with MC is the fact that it is often combined with other issues, and many of the symptoms overlap with other issues, so it's sometimes difficult to determine which condition is causing the various symptoms.
You should feel optimistic, not depressed, because now you're back on track, with that issue out of the way, (temporarily, at least - until your autoimmune thyroid issue "drops the other shoe").
I hope you feel better, each day. Thanks for the update,
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.