Mother's hypothyroidism (What now?)

[deadman_uk]

Hi, I am posting on behalf of my mother, who has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland) approximately 1 year ago. I would like to mention that she is 44 years old and overweight by at least 10 stone (140lb, 64KG). My mother has almost been big but her thyroid problem has only started in the last year.

The doctor gave her the medication Levothyroxine (one 50 mcg tablet each day) which my mother took for 6 months. She has since stopped taking these as they made her feel worse (Even more tired than she already is, and more depressed). She visited the doctor after the 6 months to tell him how she was feeling. The doctor gave her two choices; she either continued taking the tablets (doctor recommended this) or stop taking them. My mother decided to stop, and even though the symptoms remain, they are not as severe as they were whilst on the tablets.

My mother’s symptoms are:

- Water retention and Swollenness around ankles and feet (Gets worse as the day goes on)
- Extreme tiredness
- Excessive sweating even in cold temperatures (Not caused by overweight as her mother is larger than her and is always cold)
- Eye sight getting worse
- Moody
- Depression
- Joint pain
- Anemia
- Headaches in the sun

My mother takes water pills for the swollen ankles/feet as they help a little bit, but she can only take them whilst she is at home because they make her go to the toilet continuously.

I wanted to help my mother so I did a bit of research and found out a lack of iodine could cause hypothyroidism. Looking at her diet, I don’t believe she is getting anywhere near the iodine her body needs. I recommend she purchased 500mg of Kelp supplements and since she is a vegetarian and doesn’t get a good amount of vitamin B in her diet, some 100% RDA Vitamin B complex tablets. My mother did not use the Kelp supplements as she said the smell made her feel sick. As for the vitamin B complex supplements, my mother has given no reason why she has not taken them.

I still recommend my mother gets at least some iodine in her body and since she refuses to take anything to do with seafood, I want to look into other ways. What does everyone thing about the product Atomidine?

http://www.iherb.com/Heritage-Products-Atomidine-2-oz-60-ml/6500?at=0

It is basically iodine in liquid form from what I can see, and a few drops can be added to water each day. Does anyone think this will help my mother? What about the Vitamin B Complex tablets? Anything think this is a bad idea? I hear fluoride can be bad for the thyroid so my mum will drink less tap water and more bottled water.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

[Smilerdeb]

The first thing I would recommend would be an antibodies test to see if your Mother has the Autoimmune Disease (Hashi's).
If she has this, is on no medication for the hypothyroidism, then she can die (sorry to be blunt) from Myexedema Coma where the organs start to fail.
The thyroid regulates a lot of organs in the body...it is basically like a clock. If you stop winding a clock...then it stops.

All the symptoms you have posted are Hypothyroidism.
I would say that your Mother was not on a high enough dosage to take any effect for the Hypothyroidism.

What Doctor in his right mind would tell someone with Hypothyroidism to stip taking meds???

Find another Doctor.

[deadman_uk]

Hi, I will certainly look into that autoimmune disease. The doctor didn't say not to take the meds, he just said it's an option (He cannot force my mother to take them). He did recommend to keep using them though.

If 50mcg is not a high enough dosage, what would be?

Thanks

[deadman_uk]

I read that Hashi's Autoimmune Disease is more common in the USA than here in Europe. Perhaps my mother has Ord's thyroiditis (Another Autoimmune Disease). I will certainly pass this information on to my mother and recommend she see another doctor. (Her previous doctor has actually now retired so I'll recommend she see her new doctor)

[deadman_uk]

As well as posting here, I also posted on another Thyroid message board. My mother knows I wrote this message, she was next to me as I wrote it. My mother will go to the doctor soon and I will print out the questions that she needs to ask. Below are these questions:

1) Am I deficient in B vitamins?

2) Am I deficient in D vitamins?

3) Am I deficient in Iron?

4) Do I have low levels of Ferritin?

5) Do I have low levels of Folate?

6) Do I have Hypothyroidism?

7) Do I have the Autoimmune Disease’s

- Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (Hashimoto's thyroiditis)
- Ord's thyroiditis

8) I would like a Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) Test with results of Free T3, Free T4 and know if I have any Thyroid antibodies.

9) Is it possible to see an endocrinologist?

10) I took 50mcg of Thyroxine daily for 6 months, it made me feel worse. Someone on the Internet said:

“Some people find that on alone they feel worse as they have problems converting the thyroxine into the active hormone (T3) that's needed by all the cells to function properly. In such cases, the addition of T3 (the active thyroid hormone) or the use of desiccated thyroid hormones (like Armour) resolves a lot of the problems.”

Would the addition of T3 or the use of desiccated thyroid hormones like Armour help?


Are these questions correct? Or have I misunderstood some of the things being said? Also is there anything else I should get my mother to ask the doctor?

[Smilerdeb]

No you have the questions right but I would say your Mothers needs a lot higher dose of T4 med than she was taking and also needs to be retested every 6 weeks to be dosed at the right amount.

She really needs the antibodies tests done plus the Free T3 and Free T4 as they 2 hormones are by what they decide the dose of Thyroixin at.
50mcg is just a starting dose and should be reviewed every 6 weeks for either an increase or decrease.
Please tell her not to self-dose.

Your Mother is in Grave danger by not taking the Thyroid medication.
Please tell her this.

[Smilerdeb]

I forgot to mention....the thyroid med wouldnt have caused the tiredness...the underactive thyroid and not enough medication is causing this.
As I said previously....your Mothers organs will start to fail if she is on no meds.

[Smilerdeb]

Bumping this up......

[deadman_uk]

Thanks Smilerdeb, I will get my mother to find answers to those questions and tell her what you said. Yes, I mentioned she is at risk of dying if this doesn't get sorted, maybe that will be enough for her to take action.

I'll keep this thread updated when I hear new information. Thanks

[Smilerdeb]

Good to hear you are keeping a watch on her.

I know the National Health system stinks in the UK......I was born in the UK and ended up coming out to Australia when I was 19.
I have been back once but decided Oz was my home.

All the best and let me know how she goes.

[deadman_uk]

Mum took my sister to the doctors today and rather than booking a separate appointment for herself, decided she would ask the doctor the questions I posted above. She did not go into much detail with me but she is going for a blood test sometime next week. I do not know if the blood test will outline all the questions, does anyone know?

[Smilerdeb]

It all depnds on what tests your sister asked for?
Can you not talk to her and ask her?
Let us know.

[deadman_uk]

You do not understand. My mother hard the Thyroid problem, not my sister. My mother visited the doctor for my sisters benefit but before you left, she showed the doc the questions I printed for her. She is going for a blood test, that's all I think she asked for.

[deadman_uk]

Is there no edit button on this forum? Wow my typing above is bad, let me say it again:

You do not understand. My mother had the Thyroid problem, not my sister. My mother visited the doctor for my sisters benefit but before she left, she showed the doc the questions I printed for her. She is going for a blood test, that's all I think she asked for.

[Smilerdeb]

Sorry i misread......
I thought your sister took your Mum when it actual fact, it was the other way round.
It all depends on what tests your Mother asked for...the lab sheet should show on it.
If it has TA (thyroid antibodies) or TPO or TRAB  then the antibodies are being tested.
If it has FT3, FT4..then the free T's are bing tested too.

Until your Mother starts looking after her own health and becomes pro-active in her condition, then no Doctor will do any of these tests unless she specifically requests them.

I dont mean to offend you but you cannot make your Mother look after her own health if she doesnt want too.
The same as I believe my daughter has Graves Disease too.
She asked me to get her a lab sheet from our family Doctor (which I did) that has been sitting on my coffee table for 3 weeks now.
No amount of badgering from me will make her go....I think she will only go when the 'going gets tough'.
And it was HER request for this lab test too.
This is coming from a daughter who first off accused me of being a Hypochondriac lol.

Its funny how things turn themselves around.
You can by all means help your Mother but she also has to help herself and by stopping her T4 meds, she is going to get very sick.
Take a step back and wait until your Mother asks you for advice, help etc......
As harsh as I may sound (and I dont mean to be harsh)...this is the only way that your Mother will take control of her condition.

By the way.....I wish I had a daughter like you who cared so much when I first started my journey with Graves Disease.
Hugs x

[deadman_uk]

Yes, I understand but my mother has done nothing about it for many many months. I don't believe she doesn't care, I believe she is being naive and doesn't understand exactly how serious this could get. She has a lump at the side of her neck which I'm sure is related to her Thyroid.

My mother is the kind of person where if I offered her factural advice about her or anyone else, she wouldn't pay much attention but if she heard the same advice on TV or spoken by someone else she really takes it serious.

If I was in her situation, I would have booked a separate appointment with a doctor, not chip in at the end of her daughters appointment. All I know is she is getting a blood test next week, I do not know what results will be shown, but if they do not answer the questions I've given her, I will pursue this further. I understand though that I cannot make her do anything, but I will try my best to help her a few times before giving up. She has a 7 year old daughter and a 12 year old who need a mother.

[Smilerdeb]

You truly are a daughter your mother should be proud of!
Hugs xxx

[deadman_uk]

But I am not her daughter, I am her son lol. Forget my daughter, she does not have a Thyroid problem nor is she me, she just had a doctors appointment which my mother attended because by sister is too young to go by herself. My mother is the one with the thyroid problem :P

[Smilerdeb]

Umm...yeah I know your Mother is the one with the thyroid problem and I know yr sister went to the Docs with your mother but Um....on your profile it says you are FEMALE lol.....
My apologies lol :)

[deadman_uk]

How odd. Do you know how I can change it? I am male, not female, and I don't want my profile to say I'm female either lol

[gimel]

Just go to one of the messages you've posted and click on your name.  This will take you to your own page.  In the top left area where it says "about me", you'll see edit.  Click on edit and change your designation from female to male.  

Much easier than a sex change operation.  LOL

[deadman_uk]

lol Thanks :) all sorted

[Smilerdeb]

Peeing myself laughing here Gimel lol

[deadman_uk]

Ok, I wanted to let you all know what's been going on...

My mother went for a blood test and heard the results yesterday. Since her old doctor retired, she has a new one and he looked at the results and said my mother does NOT have any thyroid problem at all. He did not talk about any T3/T4 levels with her so I can not list the numbers here, but these were tested as part of the blood test. This is confusing because her previous doctor 1 year ago said she had an underactive thyroid and issued her 50 mcg of Levothyroxine each day which my mother took for 6 months and it made her symptoms worse. The doctor said if she had a thyroid problem before, she does not now. Is it possible her old doctor got it wrong? that my mother never had a thyroid problem? Is it possible that the Levothyroxine, although made her feel worse actually cured her thyroid problem? I urged my mother to call the receptionist at the doctor's surgery in order to get her free T3 and T4 results but my mother refused and actually got mad with me for questioning the doctor.

Other things were also tested as I mentioned in an earlier post. The doctor said my mother is does not have a B12 deficiency but no results were given about vitamin D. My mums Iron is extremely low and the ferritin levels were low too, so I have ordered her some 18mg iron supplements (the doctor actually said 210mg but I cannot find these anywhere, and that dosage seems to be excessively high...) My mother's folate levels are not low, so that's a good thing. I am assuming the Iron supplements will raise my mothers overall energy levels and reduce or fix some of the tiredness she feels. Another annoying sympthom of her's is excessive sweating, so I also ordered 40mg of Black Cohosh which was recommended to her by a friend and seems to be very popular and safe from what I read on the Internet. The website I purchased from sold Black Cohosh as high as 540mg with very good reviews from customers, but I selected a lower dosage just to be on the safe side as I hear Black Cohosh is not good long term (over 6 months).

I still recommend my mother takes some Vitamin B Complex, is this something everyone here recommends? My mothers diet is rather limited to veg and junk food (no meat, fish or eggs).