I've been on 1000 mg of lysine for several weeks. Today, I bumped it up to 2000 mg.

Thanks!

Updates & Notes:

June 16: Was having some digestion problems. And the usual, ongoing exhaustion. Stopped all supplements except multi-vitamin. Also have been taking 2000 mg cordyceps and 130 mg DMAE. These are alleged to improve mental clarity.

June 20: No change in digestion problems, but, to my surprise, nothing worsened with my PN. Added in 10 g d-ribose.

June 21-24: Went up to 15 g d-ribose. Somewhere between 10 g and 15 g d-ribose, I began to recover my energy. For example, I woke up before the alarm and got out of bed. I did some long-postponed paperwork. I cleaned the inside of the refrigerator. I was like Lazarus back from the dead.

June 30: Mild return of left foot cramping at night and that weird stagger walk first thing in the morning. Added back 100 mg magnesium. Won't add it again tomorrow.

July 1: Still on 15 g d-ribose. Losing a little bit of the energy, but I'm hoping not to relapse. Worsened stagger walking in the morning. Added 500 g L-lysine. Won't add it again tomorrow.



Lab Tests Results, June 24:

Hermatology: Everything normal except RBC 4.21; HGB 13.3; HCT 38.8; MCH 31.6. I need someone to tell me what these things are.

Chemistry: Everything normal, including Uric Acid 4.0.

Immunoassays:
TSH 3.1 (Don't know what that is.)
B12 985.0 (This is "High," yes?)
Folate 18.4

Miscellaneous:
TIBC 425 (Don't know what that is.)

My doctor views these results as "Normal" and has no interest in follow up at this time.

The thyroid is not normal based on the new scale which goes up to 3.0 for normal. The old scale is still used, which goes up to 5.0.

Some doctors are not using the new lower scale. So it may be you are borderline hypo... you can search this on Google yourself.
It is a difficult place to be, dependent on what one doctor vs another may say.

Here is an article about this range and the controversy:
http://thyroid.about.com/od/getteste...altshlevel.htm

A borderline hypothyroidism is causing catastrophic and devastating fatigue? You may very well be right, but that's going to be a hard sell to most M.D.s. Indeed, the lack of clarity with regard to my symptoms is frustrating even to me.

I guess I will have to find an endocrinologist this summer.

Thanks again, mrsD. I'm very grateful for your help.

Yes, fatigue is one. Also skin color changes...orange/yellow deposits in palms and feet.
Hair loss, loss on arms and legs where it used to be heavier.
Puffy skin, fluid retention under the skin leading to pitting edema.
Tingling hands and feet. Cold intolerance. Brain fog.
Any swelling in the neck (goiter or nodules).

I had borderline TSH elevation... and very orange hands/feet. This is from the failure of betacarotene conversion to Vit A in the liver. It is one sign of hypothyroidism. (we eat alot of veggies). And I had a modest goiter too.

I had a thyroidectomy last year for Grave's Disease they were unable to control, then I spent 6 months with a TSH of 20 and virtually no T3. I had hashimotos. My hair fell out, my skin flaked and I was tripping all over, periorbital edema. Started about the time my legs and ankles weakened with the PN, actually I thought it was just the thyroid. Got my synthoid increased after asking my endo doc to do blood work after 2 months of begging and pleading. Took a couple of months to normalize.

I am also astonished to see the hepes zoster info. I do not take Lycine, but I will now. I have had 6 documented cases of zoster in 10 yrs. It lives in the base of the spine forever. Basically my immune system does not know what it is doing. Last outbreak was my eye last Oct and I had it on the toes of my dropped foot in Jan. I thought this might have contributed to my PN, but neuro doc says no because my spinal tap was neg for HZ. She did put me in Valtrex 1 gm three times a day. Started this last monday. I do have the residual pain at times.

Thank you so much for the links. I am out the door for the supplements.

mrsD,
forgot to add that at the time of the TSH of 20 and HZ on foot, I was deficient in B12. Level normal now, but switching to sl after what I've learned.

@Nervous...

I was hypo for several years. It became worse after the birth of my son when I was 34.

I had an episode of stress at work, and thought it was my heart, and went for a full work up at my doctor's. The only thing she found was the borderline thyroid. Sent me to an endocrinologist who told me right off it was all in my head. Looked at my orange hands, and felt my neck... and ordered a radio-uptake scan at my insistence. It came back very abnormal, and that is how I got my treatment finally (after another wait of 6mos). All that is missing from this story is putting a gun to his head to get treatment! He made me wait 6months too, and come back if I wasn't better...which I wasn't and THEN he gave me the Synthroid. I have to wonder why more doctors don't get assaulted by patients when they are this obtuse and arrogant!

So yes, JB is right...you have to beg and plead. It really should NOT be this way. I vent my frustration and anger more constructively, by coming here and warning others of this medical problem and horrible attitude some doctors have toward their patients with real thyroid malfunctions!

So glad you wrote this. The reason why my FORMER endo did not test me right away was he felt my initial dose of synthroid was just fine. Surgery was in April, levels were checked in the following Dec. When I saw him in the office after demanding an appt that took months, I was bloated out, bald, no body hair, 10 pound wt gain in 3 weeks, seriously bad eyes, fat pads in my face. He asked me 6 times in 15 mins if I had any "life changes" because I obviously had a depression problem, not an endo problem. Then he asked my husband if I was depressed and told me my weight gain was from holiday feasting. The following week he called with the TSH level of 20 and an apology, increased my med dose, and promptly got fired.

@Nervous, advocate for your health, become the leader of your health care team. Don't forget the doc works for you, you pay him.

This situation with doctors has made me turn away. I haven't got the fight left in me. Plus, I have never won any of the arguments. What happens to me is that I get thrown out of their office. Literally.

What is a radio-uptake scan? Aside from the blood test above, what other tests should I have to get an absolute answer as to whether or not I have hypothyroidism?

Thanks!