horrible bloating help!

[boish]

I am having horrible issues with bloating from water retention.  I am on armour 90 and based on recent labs which I posted before my doc wont change things right now.  Does anyone know anything I can try to reduce the bloat?  I am drinking tons of lemon water.  I stumbled across something that mentioned pedialyte?  

[boish]

I am looking for someone in Southeastern Mass

[gimel]

if someone raises a question about TSH, you can have given her info to refute any disagreement with what she is doing.  And doctors should do what they think best for the patient, not someone, without their even being involved with the patient and his symptoms, etc.  Even the Guidelines published by the AACE and the ATA, which have lots of flaws, includes the statement, "We encourage medical professionals to use this information in conjunction with their best clinical judgment.  The presented recommendations may not be appropriate in all situations."

There are recommended thyroid doctors in those areas.  If you will narrow it down to your particular area, perhaps we can find one for you to consider.  

[boish]

Thanks for all the helpful info!  It will be a struggle to get her to increase it.  I know she had me do an ekg as well as a urine test to check for something to do with calcium in regards to low tsh.  I will need to sign a waiver as well.  The problem she explained is if I go see someone else  like say my pcp and she happens t run a thyroidnpanel and they see my tsh it will come back at her???

I don't know.  I need to find someone new.  

My b12 has been checked several times and it is fine.  Actually was high.  But I do supplement.  My vitamin d has been low for years.  Unfortunately supplementing has resulted in an increase in my spinal pain.  The only connection my doc can figure is it modulates the immune system and mine is overactive as it is.  Ferritin I have not had checked.  

Any good docs in Mass or Rhode Island?

[gimel]

In that case, you are going to have to persuade, or push the doctor to get what you need.  Since your TSH is at low end of the range, I am sure that  is driving your doctor to deny you any further increase in meds.  That is unfortunate but somewhat typical, due to misunderstanding about the use of TSH to diagnose and treat a hypo patient.  

TSH is a pituitary hormone that is supposed to somehow accurately reflect the thyroid status of a thyroid patient.  In reality TSH cannot be shown to correlate with either of the biologically active thyroid hormones that do all the work in the cells.  When already taking thyroid med, TSH frequently becomes suppressed when taking adequate thyroid med.  Suppression does not mean hyperthyroidism unless there are hyper symptoms due to excessive levels of Free T3 and Free T4, which you do not have.  In fact your levels are at the bottom end of their ranges, so why should TSH drive the dosage decision, rather than the actual thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4 and your symptoms?  Not logical.  

There are a number of scientific studies that confirm that suppressed TSH is a frequent occurrence when taking adequate doses of thyroid med.  Here is a link to one of them.  Perhaps you can use it to help persuade your doctor.  

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1366242

Then, here again, is the link written by a good thyroid doctor.  In it you will find lots of info that refutes your doctor's concern about the suppressed TSH and recommends only clinical treatment by adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms.  I would also give a copy to your doctor in advance of your next appointment to allow time to evaluate and respond.

http://www.hormonerestoration.com/Thyroid.html.

As to what new dosage,  your TSH suppressed means that essentially all your thyroid hormone is coming from your thyroid med.  So, to reach a good levels for Free T3 and Free T4, I calculate that you need about a 25-30% increase in your meds.  That would mean an increase to 120 mg of Armour.  

As for the bloating and water retention, of course it can be related to other hormonal issues, but that is also a symptom that can be related to being hypothyroid.

You didn't mention anything about Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.

[boish]

Thanks.  Unfortunately right now I am stuck with the doctor I have.  I am getting new bloodwork done soon.  I am hoping to pursuade her to try an increase.  How much would you recommend?  Unfortunately I think my hormones are playing a majore role in this bloat/water retention which is complicating things.  I am unable to find hrt that does  not cause this.  I had a hysterectomy so I do need estrogen.  I was on oral estradiol for yrs and it was not until I switched to bios that things went haywire.  I went back to the oral but cant seem t get baanced again.  

[gimel]

I don't have any idea if Pedialyte would work.  At any rate it would be a band aid, when you need a cure.  You have been on the very slight increase since Feb 23.  That is long enough to get a good idea of the full effect, if you go ahead and re-test your Free T3 and Free T4; however, the dosage increase only took you from 77 mg of Armour per day up to 90 mg daily.  That is not going to be enough to adequately raise your Free T4 and Free T3 from previous levels of 1.0 and 2.6, respectively.  

Based on your doctor not understanding how T3 works so quickly, evidenced switching having you take the 90 mg on only 6 days, plus how she is resisting increasing your med adequately, I'd say it is time to find  a good thyroid doctor.   Remember what I posted previously, "A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not test results, and especially not TSH levels."

Also, has your doctor tested you for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin yet?