My life is crumbling

Hey guys,

Prior to 18, I was an extremely happy-go-lucky kid. I was extremely outgoing and very active. I studied hard and was able to attend an ivy league institution. However, at the age of 18 (after graduating high school), I started exhibiting certain symptoms. 2.5 years later, more symptoms have come up, and overall my situation has gotten worse. Here are my current symptoms:

-heavy brain fog (especially near/behind the eyes region) – feel dazed/ “out of it”
-chronic fatigue
-overall cognitive impairment
-depression/bipolar symptoms
-lack of creativity
-extremely uncoordinated
-feel "slow”, slower reactions, slower thinking
-can't concentrate/focus
-harder to write essays/sentences
-feel disoriented
-feel kind of dizzy/shaky at times
-paranoia
-anxiety
-Indecisive
-Difficulty thinking (especially hard to reason/use logic)
-Speech impairment sometimes
-Low self-confidence – losing my friends!

***
these symptoms fade in and out throughout the day and became more intense at random times (especially mid-day, or an hour or so after waking up, or often after a hot shower).
***

I’m losing my friends, my creativity, everything I love in life. I can’t be myself, it’s hard to even be social—I always feel dazed or dizzy or tired or foggy. I went to a few homeopath’s and did some candida/lead [via merc. viv] detoxing, but the symptoms are still there and getting worse as time passes. I’ve also tried all sorts of things [i.e. Neurofeedback, etc] to no avail ! Does anyone have any suggestions? Having to live like this a torture! Any help at all will greatly be appreciated.

Bless you all, Thanks.

[Barb135]

Many of your symptoms could be thyroid related, but other things could cause them, also; therefore, my first thought would be to see your doctor and get some simple blood tests done.  Why have none of these doctors ordered blood work?

For thyroid, you need a minimum of TSH, Free T3 and Free T4.  I'd also suggest that you get vitamin B12 tested.  You might also want to get CBC and CMP.

[gsimo1234]

I've done bloodwork and everything has come up almost perfect. I used to have hyperthyroidism problems when I was really young but the thyroid issue has been showing up as normal in my last few blood tests (i.e. over the past 3+ yrs).

Regarding my condition, one naturopath suggested that I may have heavy metals toxicity. What do you think? Again, thanks for the help!

[Barb135]

For good reason, most of us have suspicion over "near perfect" thyroid labs because simple being in a "normal" range isn't good enough for most of us.  Why not post your levels, so we can see what they are and possibly make a better assessment.  Be sure to include reference ranges, since these vary lab to lab and must come from your own report.

[flyingfool]

I agree with Barb.  Almost perfect many times means nothing.

Many people find they need to be well up in the ranges to feel well. Simply being within the low part of the range is NOT perfect.  Or may not be for YOU.

Please post at least your most recent Thyroid labs including the reference ranges as barb stated.  That can help us help you out and provide suggestions.

[makani249]

I couldn't even begin to tell you where in the range of normal I feel at my best. I am always in range, but I feel like a mess. And constantly at a loss
because I haven't found an Endo that will treat my symptoms. >:(

[gsimo1234]

Here are my thyroid levels:

TSH: 2.01
[Ref Range: 0.27-4.20]

Free T4: 1.8
[Ref Range: 0.9-1.8]

Thyroglobulin: 17.10
[Ref Range: 1.60-59.90]

Thyroglobulin Antibodies: <20.0
[Ref Range: 0.00-40.0]

Also, my B12 was actually very high at the time of the test because I was supplementing with B-complex.

How would I even go about treating myself? Thanks for everything!

[Barb135]

Unfortunately, there's no Free T3 to go with the Free T4, which is at the very top of the range, and may or may not, indicate hyper.   Can you get a Free T3 test, along with another Free T4?  They really should be done together.

You don't treat yourself !!  You find a doctor who is willing to treat by symptoms, not necessarily lab values.

[cclv04]

I have these same symptoms to a tee. Everyday I wake up feeling good, then an hour later, or so, I "crash". I feel terrible brain fog, which leaves me with an overall cognitive impairment in all the ways you described it, until evening time. It also comes and goes throughout the day; I get a few moments of relief here and there. I aways describe my eyes as feeling heavy... maybe like how you described the brain fog feeling near your eye region? I also tend to feel worse after eating. Days where I have not eaten (skipped breakfast completely), my fog is much less.

My blood tests are normal, though my doctor told me I have borderline hypothyroidism which he has given me a thyroid pill to put me in a more normal range. I am unsure if it has helped. Sometimes I have better days than others. I have also nearly stopped eating before noon which has helped big time too - I only eat almonds and a little meat if I need to. One other thing that I do daily is I sip on those 5-hour energy shots. There is something in those (probably the high levels of B12) that sometimes clears out the fog temporarily. Besides that, nothing helps and I am often left feeling terrible everyday.

I get good sleep, eat well, drink plenty of water.

If anyone knows anything, would love to hear.

[gimel]

Please post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report and members will try to assess the adequacy of your testing and treatment.  Also, if you have been tested for Vitamin A, D, B12 and ferritin, please post those also.