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gastroparesis and thyroid problems: linked?
i posted a pretty extensive medical history in the post just a few below that has the word "gastroparesis" in it, so i won't copy it here, but i am very curious to know if anyone else on here has both gastroparesis (mine is idiopathic... no known cause) AND thyroid issues. i have just recently been diagnosed with both the GP and with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and am desperately hoping the two are related and not just cruel twists of fate that happened to rear their heads at the same time. please let me know if you have any info on whether these two could be related!
I have a rather unique and unresolved medical history, but I thought it may be helpful for anyone else that comes along this thread. 3.5 years ago I came down with severe gastroparesis as the result of a virus. Extremely long story short, it resolved after 18 months suddenly, which is what doctors at Stanford has told me (after 6 months of not being able to eat a single thing and many minsdiagnosises including cancer).
{To respond to another commenter on the gastroparesis diet, the only things I could eat were white carbs (rice, bread, potato, fries were fine if cooked with the right oil, ect...), sugar, low fat dairy, and lean meats (chicken breast, turkey breast, some fish). Juice wouldn't digest most the time, basically no fiber and extremely little fat is best if you need to get your stomach to a better place.}
Shortly after my just as sudden gastroparesis recovery I got pregnant. Then 3 months after I had my daughter I was diagnosed with Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism. While breastfeeding until almost a year my thyroid levels were fairly steady in the graves range. Now that I am finishing weaning my T3/T4 are fluctuating all over the place and were last in the "normal" range with my TSH still non-existent. Since my last blood test a month ago, I have started gaining weight, been nauseous, haven't been hungry and have felt the gastroparesis fullness again. Pretty sure my TSH shifted to the other side.
Anyways, I definitely think they are related. I think if you are predisposed to an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's runs in my family) that the immune system can just over reacts to other things, like a virus, in my case. Someone should research idiosyncratic and virus induced gastroparesis cases, my guess would be they are all people with a family history of autoimmune disease.
{To respond to another commenter on the gastroparesis diet, the only things I could eat were white carbs (rice, bread, potato, fries were fine if cooked with the right oil, ect...), sugar, low fat dairy, and lean meats (chicken breast, turkey breast, some fish). Juice wouldn't digest most the time, basically no fiber and extremely little fat is best if you need to get your stomach to a better place.}
Shortly after my just as sudden gastroparesis recovery I got pregnant. Then 3 months after I had my daughter I was diagnosed with Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism. While breastfeeding until almost a year my thyroid levels were fairly steady in the graves range. Now that I am finishing weaning my T3/T4 are fluctuating all over the place and were last in the "normal" range with my TSH still non-existent. Since my last blood test a month ago, I have started gaining weight, been nauseous, haven't been hungry and have felt the gastroparesis fullness again. Pretty sure my TSH shifted to the other side.
Anyways, I definitely think they are related. I think if you are predisposed to an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's runs in my family) that the immune system can just over reacts to other things, like a virus, in my case. Someone should research idiosyncratic and virus induced gastroparesis cases, my guess would be they are all people with a family history of autoimmune disease.
1 Comments
Most deafinatly, all of what you said I think is true, it is for me.You are lucky the GP went away and hopefully is gone again now.What you could eat was what I could eat, but not meat really at all.Its seemed the HEALTHIER I eat, puraid or not I still could handle them.Anyway the more I read the more in makes sense.HYPO-HOSI-WOMENS HORMONES-AND GASTRO GO TOGETHER, And of course virisas and operations DO IT.I wish the Drs would stop acting dumb and telling us we need pysc help!!!! If we do its cause they brought it on! Up date us please.
I understand this was a while ago that you posted this, but your story sounds very similar to my daughters. She is currently 3, diagnosed with central adrenal insufficiency, borderline low free t4 with a normal TSH, FTT. She is suspected of having Cystic Fibrosis but is not confirmed. Her recent Gastric Emptying study was abnormal. I was just curious what ever happened with your child. Did you get a diagnosis?
I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis about 3 years ago. The times it's been the worst is when I eat junk food. The Gastroparesis Diet always says eat bland foods and all cooked foods. I believe that allows you to feel somewhat better it doesn't fix the problem completely. Protein is very hard to digest. I've been reading a lot about eating raw foods and the great enzymes in them that help digestion. If you can't tolerate raw foods blend them into smoothies. I comsume many fruit smoothies a week. It doesn't just help digestion at that meal but it seems to help for the entire day. I have a Vitamix which literally breaks down the cell wall and basically pre-digests it so that your body does minimal work. Be careful with green smoothies though. I too believe there is a connection between Gastroparesis and Thyroid sometimes. When I drink too many green smoothies with Kale or Spinach in them my thyroid seems to get enlarged. I actually have a thyroid ultrasound scheduled this week.
My ten month old has Failure to Thrive and has been through a battery of tests over the past several months. She has been diagnosed with a mild case of overactive thyroid and will be tested again at the end of the month to see if she develops a full blown case. She started this roller coaster ride with the gastrotenologist who has been running multiple tests to definitely determine the cause of her FTT. Today, the results of her Gastric Emptying Scan came back abnormal and she was diagnosed with Gastroperesis. I am web surfing to see if there is a connection and seem to be finding some correlation between the two.
Hi, I am 31 yrs old and was diagnosed with Grave's Disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis when I was 21... no treatment available at the time as I fluctuated constantly between overactive and underactive thyroid levels and my body was a mess, always sick is a pretty good description. I have just had my fourth child and my thyroid is horrible again, my endocronologist wants to do the radioactive iodine and put me on the supplements permanently. I had pancreatitis which led the Dr.s to discover gallstones and I just had my gallbladder out one month ago. I have been having bowel issues and am now going for a colonoscopy (never had one) and an upper endoscopy. They are suspecting bowel issues such as IBS or who knows what else. Whether or not it is a coincidence, I don't know at this point, but I thought I would mention that I am in a similar situation. I hope you figure it all out and get some relief.
take care, Tara
take care, Tara
My wife had thyroid cancer 5 years ago and was successfully treated with two radioactive isotope pills. Three years ago she had to have her gallbladder removed. Now she has severe gastroparesis and IBS and is on a feeding tube. Her gastroenterologist does not think that there is any relationship at all between these 3 illnesses. Coincidence? I think not.
I have been ill for ten years and I am only 32 for eight years no one knew what it was I had. My sysmtoms range from horrible pain in the stomach area, pain during bowel movements that would make me pass out, nausea, vomiting, fainting, fatigue, hot flashes, sweats and feeling full and huge weight gain and anixety. I had just about every test known to man and had everything from Crohns to IBD and latose intolenent to it was all in my head. I couldnt even care for my kids. Finally a doctor two years ago checked my thyroid the one test no one checked he said I had harshimoto hypothyroidism and some sysmtoms went away but not all. So just last year I had a test done called a gastric emtying and my doc realized that the food I had eaten 5 days prior was still there. So now I have sooo many meds and still feel sick at times......but its better. Now I look for foods that I can digest better So if anyone can help me with this great if not thanks for giving me my chance to tell a story
Forward thinking endocrinologists don't like TSH over 2.
Your T3 is in the low part of that reference range.
You have antibodies over the top of the reference range.
Find an ENDOCRINOLOGIST that will treat you aggressively.
A GI or an internist is fine for your other issues, but those issues might even go away (I think that likely) if you deal with any hypothyroidism.
If you find an endo who blows you off, find another one.
(Good advice in general for dealing with any doctors).
Unfortunately it is up to YOU to advocate for good care.
Even many otherwise good docs won't do much unless you light a fire under them.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Your T3 is in the low part of that reference range.
You have antibodies over the top of the reference range.
Find an ENDOCRINOLOGIST that will treat you aggressively.
A GI or an internist is fine for your other issues, but those issues might even go away (I think that likely) if you deal with any hypothyroidism.
If you find an endo who blows you off, find another one.
(Good advice in general for dealing with any doctors).
Unfortunately it is up to YOU to advocate for good care.
Even many otherwise good docs won't do much unless you light a fire under them.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
from the reading i have done, the current line of thought with TSH and other related hormones is that the accepted ranges may be too broad. this is what i tested at:
TSH in mid march was 7.83 and was 2.93 in mid april. (ref = .4 - 5.5)
Free T4 was 1.2 (ref = .8-1.8)
Free T3 was 295 (ref = 230-420)
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies were 414 (reference range < 35)
Thyroglobulin was 21.9 (ref 2-35)
Thyroglobulin antibodies were 33 (ref < 20)
how do i look to you?
as i said in the other post, i need to go in for cortisol testing this week and i also plan on asking my GI doctor to test me for celiac disease as well. whatever it takes to figure out what's wrong and why it happened in the first place. like you, i am unhappy and unsatisfied with an "i don't know" answer and push to figure it out at all costs.
TSH in mid march was 7.83 and was 2.93 in mid april. (ref = .4 - 5.5)
Free T4 was 1.2 (ref = .8-1.8)
Free T3 was 295 (ref = 230-420)
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies were 414 (reference range < 35)
Thyroglobulin was 21.9 (ref 2-35)
Thyroglobulin antibodies were 33 (ref < 20)
how do i look to you?
as i said in the other post, i need to go in for cortisol testing this week and i also plan on asking my GI doctor to test me for celiac disease as well. whatever it takes to figure out what's wrong and why it happened in the first place. like you, i am unhappy and unsatisfied with an "i don't know" answer and push to figure it out at all costs.
1 Comments
Hi hun I have never wrote on one of these things before but I want you to know I to have both.The story is so long and awful, I started feeling tired and fat, digestin was ok, I call an endo and they said it would be 4 week till they could see me.In that time I woke up on morning to go to work and I could not swallow, hard to breath and pain under left rib.One week later endo said hypo due to Hosimotos, but could not figure what was going on with all the other symptoms, 3 years of hell, money, tears and pain, I was finally diagonsed with gastraprisis.Now my tsh was no that bea like 4 but my free t 3 would not uptakeor somthing my point is, I KNOW IT IS NOT A COINCADANCE THAT I GOT BOTH SAME TIME.The Dr.s are missing this.I is hard not to cry while writing this because the gave me to operations I did not need because that did know I had Gasto...now have permant nerve pain and gatro and hypo.I am trying so hard to get my thyroid right and pray this fixs problem...they say to late I still hope.Please tell me what you are up to know. bless you
Low thyroid slows EVERYTHING down, so it could definitely be related.
I hope for your sake it is. Idiopathic means the doctor is an idiot for not finding the cause (only half-kidding) - and thus with no known cause it is hard to treat.
AGGRESSIVE treatment of the thyroid (TSH to normal or low-normal, never above 2!) and giving of T3 if needed (likely - T4 sometimes doesn't convert enough to T3) would be what I'd push for if I was in your shoes.
This could have you feeling better. Hope you can get your doctor to deal with the thyroid and that that makes you better with the gastroparesis.
I hope for your sake it is. Idiopathic means the doctor is an idiot for not finding the cause (only half-kidding) - and thus with no known cause it is hard to treat.
AGGRESSIVE treatment of the thyroid (TSH to normal or low-normal, never above 2!) and giving of T3 if needed (likely - T4 sometimes doesn't convert enough to T3) would be what I'd push for if I was in your shoes.
This could have you feeling better. Hope you can get your doctor to deal with the thyroid and that that makes you better with the gastroparesis.
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