Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsD
I would start with T4 only. Give it a shot for several months.
If it doesn't work, consider the T3 added to it. Discuss this with the doctor, and make sure you can get the combo if the T4 doesn't work. For the vast majority the T4 will do the job.
You may still need T3, but see how it goes, to be sure. Too much T3 will rob your bones, for one thing, and overstimulate the heart for another.
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Thanks. I forgot to mention my iron is high, which is interesting, because usually people with thyroid issues have low iron.
I'm reading several books on thyroid issues and one doctor lists different issues that can affect thyroid absorption/conversion. Guess what one is?
Chronic inflammation!
So now I'm thinking if I don't figure out the cause of the chronic inflammation, any thyroid supplementation is going to have limited effect.
I still don't know if the inflammation is the cause or effect of the thyroid dysfunction. The thyroid affects every cell in the body? The thyroid (with the hypothalamus and pituitary) is involved with temperature regulation, right? If so, it would likely be trying to sort out the heat of the inflammation.
High cortisol also is one of the listed things that lowers thyroid function, and of course the chronic inflammation causes stress.
Low selenium can also be a problem, but my Spectracell results showed it was normal.
Janie B (StopTheThyroidMadness) interestingly suggests that too much iron in the thyroid could cause hypo. I don't know where my excess iron is exactly. But I did notice I felt slightly better after my last blood draw (five vials). Apparently occasional bloodletting is a valid way to lower iron. I might just use that as an opportunity to get new, specific, focused blood tests done each time.
Gamma Dynacare, which is the closest lab for me, has a few extra thyroid tests that I didn't get last time, including Reverse T3.