gastroparesis and thyroid problems: linked?

[micaela27]

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!

[hbp702]

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.

[micaela27]

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.

[hbp702]

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.

[alwaysickandtired]

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

[PSRumbaugh]

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.

[TaraDoyle]

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

[sdharris]

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.