Thyroid burn out .

[clo53]

If your doctor told you that you had to wait for your thyroid to burn out , what would  you expect to happen ? How would you know when it had happened?


This discussion is related to thyroid burnout.

[Poupa]

Grave's Disease is a very serious illness and can be fatal if you do not seek treatment.

The first step would be to see a knowledgeable endocrinologist. He or she may prescribe Methimazole until your thyroid becomes stable.  

Do not accept radioactive iodine as a treatment option. It has major side effects, permanently destroying your thyroid gland. As a result, you will need to take medication for life in order for your thyroid to function "normally".

I would highly recommend eliminating all shellfish, cruciferous vegetables, and seaweed from your diet as these foods may upset normal thyroid function.

Lastly, I would suggest Bikram Yoga. Frequent practice will help balance out your thyroid naturally.

Hopes this helps!

[goolarra]

At 52, if you're not menopausal, you certainly have to be peri-menopausal.  Without current thyroid labs, it's kind of tough to try to figure out what might be going on.  You can self order tests online.  No doctor's order is required, and the results are sent directly to you.  Last I looked, a thyroid panel was $85.  It would save you the cost of a doctor's visit (or two), and you would know if it was worth pursuing or not.  Healthcheckusa is a site that our members have had positive experiences with.  If you do that, you can post your results here, and we will help you interpret them.  Be sure to order the full thyroid panel (FT3, FT4 and TSH) since TSH alone is inadequate.  

[stephyneeL]

So my TSH is 6.8.  I have no medical insurance to see a doctor.  I was in the hospital at the time my TSH was checked in July 2012.  I am gaining weight like crazy but have no appetite.  I get hot, get cold, get hot, get cold.  I don't feel it is hormones, as I am not sweating at all (I am 52 and not yet menopausal).  I just feel in the last week or two that I have been very fatigued and this new hot/cold thing coming on.  Any comments?

[mtkst13]

below i posted what i think are the test names because the names you have are incorrect.  your free t4 and tsh are definitely on the border.  your other values look decent.  you need some monitoring for the next few months to see what happens with these numbers.  if they normalize, you need to have labs drawn at least once a year considering your antiTPO is slightly high.  you could be slowly developing hypothyroidism.

TSH 2.92 (.27 - 4.2)
T3 108 (80-200)
Free T4 1 (.9 - 1.8)
Total 8.3 (4.6 - 12)  i'm thinking this is total t4
Tuptake 1.22 (.80 - 1.3)   i'm thinking this is free t3
T% 26 (24 - 39)  i'm guessing this is t3 uptake
Antibodies 207 (0 - 35)  i'm guessing this is antiTPO

[tiredfedup]

My recent tests are as follows:

TSH 2.92 (.27 - 4.2)
T3 108 (80-200)
Free T4 1 (.9 - 1.8)
Total 8.3 (4.6 - 12)
Tuptake 1.22 (.80 - 1.3)
T% 26 (24 - 39)
Antibodies 207 (0 - 35)

So close to being hypo right?

[mtkst13]

definitely follow up.  a tsh of 2.92 is on the border.  a month is a good timeframe to check it again.  what are your frees?

my tsh went from .004 to 55.86 in less than a month.   my frees made huge drops.  it was pretty awful and was a roller coaster of symptoms in a very short period of time.  

[tiredfedup]

My NP, who told me that he would treat me with meds is now chickening out on me and said it looks like my thyroid is starting to burn out...come back in one month.  I was so disappointed.  My TSH went from 2.3 to 2.92.  This really stinks!  I will try another endo next.  

[mtkst13]

i know exactly what that means.  and you will know when it's burned out!

basically, your body, a virus, or a bacteria attack your thyroid causing inflammation and destruction.  all of the preformed thyroid hormones (t4 and t3) spill into the blood stream making you extremely hyperthyroid.  in the meantime, your thyroid has been damaged and is no longer producing new t3/t4.  therefore, when your body is done using the preformed t4/t3, your thyroid is burned out because it's been damaged and isn't producing t4/t3.  you are then HYPOthyroid to the extreme.

you go from hyperthyroid (rapid heartbeat, anxiety, energetic, sweaty, shaky, going to the bathroom alot/loose stools, hungry/weight loss) to hypothyroid ( slow heartbeat, apathetic, lethargic, cold, lifeless, dry skin, constipated, not hungry/weight gain/bloated) very quickly.  like overnight.  ohhh it's fun.