Test Results: Thyroid Problem?

Trying to follow stickies as well as I can. There is a ton of information that is a bit overwhelming at first – and it’s hard to tell which questions are case-specific and which are basic musts. I’ll be as specific as I can and follow the “template” sticky guidelines.

Age: 26
Height: 6’3" (Brother 6’2", Dad 6’3", Mom 5’3")
Weight: 210, est. 15-20% bf
Waist: 34 jean size (around the hips), belly sticks out further. My fat distrubition is almost entirely in my belly (visceral, beneath the muscle, very little to pinch). There is some outside my obliques and kidneys, very little anywhere else
Hair: Pretty good coat of chest/stomach hair (not quite gorilla-like though), patches of thinly sparsed back hair, full facial hair/beard growth Full arm/leg hair. Full head of hair (history of full heads of hair past age 80 on males in both sides of family)
-Health: Was diagnosed with ADHD, prescribed adderall, but was diagnosed via a 20-minute conversation with an older doc, not a written test or anything official looking.
IMPORTANT Dad has Thyroid issues. Has taken Synthroid as long as I can remember. He said it’s not genetic BUT I have no clue if his doc was any good.
Drugs: No hair loss or prostate drugs. Had a prescrip for Adderall, barely used half the bottle though-- stopped after graduating college (don’t want to use meds if I can get by without). Haven’t used in years.
Supps: Vit D3 (4,000-6,000IU/day for 4-6 months now), Vit C, Fish Oil, Calcium, Vit B complex (recent addition to see if energy would go up), Creatine, Zinc, Magnesium
–conditions existed before I took any of that
Diet: Currently bulking at around 4200 calories/day. I did once diet with 1700cals/day for about 6 weeks, but symptoms pre-date that diet. I use iodized salt.
Training: 5-6 days a week, 1-1.5hours/day. Symptoms existed when I was training 2-3x per week at only a half hour at a time, so I doubt it’s overtraining related
-testes may have ached a couple times, honestly, it’s something I would forget a minute after it happened. I vaguely recall it happening several times a couple year sback but it may just be false memory.

Symptoms
-Constant fatigue. No amount of sleep is enough. Fight off urge to sleep at work sometimes, and during meetings. Occasionally yawn during working out, even as I’m working up to near max attempts.
-Brain fog. Never feel like I’m “in the moment”. Always thinking of something unrelated to what I’m doing or talking about
-Absolutely no motivation at work. Surf the web for 7.8 hours, do .2hrs work, go home. Definitely not depressed though, I like my life.
-Sex drive: I have plenty of desire, but my erections often go away practically instantly.
-Testes feel soft/small to me but I have no idea what a “normal” pair feels like obviously
-morning wood pretty regular
-Body Temp: generally fine except my hands are always cold.
-Some joints ache, particularly my knees
-Digestive issues: loose stool, frequent gas and “bubblegut”/indigestion. Thought I was gluten intolerant (which would lead to poor nutrient absorption and explain some of my problem) so I tested for tTG/IgA and it came out surprisingly normal (results below)

How do I react to stress? – I wildly overreact at first and try violently to fix the problem or win the argument. However I very quickly settle down into “well, nothing I can do about it now, no need to worry about it” mode

Mood swings: like I said I overreact to stuff, but my mood won’t change without some sort of antagonizer or reason. I don’t change moods if there’s no impetus.

Strongest symptoms are definitely fatigue and lack of motivation. They dominate my life at times. My mom’s birthday is in 3 days and I haven’t gotten her card yet FFS, let alone mailed it.

I don’t THINK I’m forgetting anything but the bloodwork results - sorry if anyhting important is missing but I’ll check this thread consistently.

-----RELEVANT TEST RESULTS—
(IMO) IMPORANT ones first
TSH - 3.620 uIU/mL [0.450-4.500] <---------!!!
T3,Free,Serum - 3.7 pg/mL [2.0 - 4.4]
T4,Free(Direct) - 1.29 ng/dL [0.82-1.77]

Cortisol (8:10am draw) - 24.2 ug/dL [2.3-19.4] <-----!!! (thought it would be low)

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy - 48.3 ng/mL [32.0-100.0] <–! (alarming consider I supp this)

Testosterone, Serum - 562 ng/dL [249-836]
Free Testosterone(Direct) - 11.7 pg/mL [9.3-26.5]

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA - <2 U/mL - [0-3 Negative, 4-10 Weak Positive, 10+ Positive]

Cholesterol, Total - 141 mg/dL [100-199]
Triglycerides - 57 mg/dL [0-149]
HDL Cholesterol - 52 mg/dL [>39]
LDL Cholesterol Calc - 78 mg/dL [0-99]

-------FULL UNFORMATTED TEST RESULTS------
-Note: Everything says “01”, it’s some Lab Number
Glucose, Serum 93 mg/dL 65-99 01 (fasted) (is that high?)
Uric Acid, Serum 5.7 mg/dL 3.7-8.6 01
BUN 30 HIGH mg/dL 6-20 01
Creatinine, Serum 1.26 mg/dL 0.76-1.27 01
eGFR If NonAfricn Am 78 mL/min/1.73 >59 01
eGFR If Africn Am 90 mL/min/1.73 >59 01
Calculated using CKD-EPI formula.
BUN/Creatinine Ratio 24 HIGH 8-19 01
Sodium, Serum 142 mmol/L 135-145 01
Potassium, Serum 4.3 mmol/L 3.5-5.2 01
Chloride, Serum 102 mmol/L 97-108 01
Carbon Dioxide, Total 26 mmol/L 20-32 01
Calcium, Serum 9.3 mg/dL 8.7-10.2 01
Phosphorus, Serum 4.3 mg/dL 2.5-4.5 01
Protein, Total, Serum 7.4 g/dL 6.0-8.5 01
Albumin, Serum 4.9 g/dL 3.5-5.5 01
Globulin, Total 2.5 g/dL 1.5-4.5 01
A/G Ratio 2.0 1.1-2.5 01
Bilirubin, Total 1.1 mg/dL 0.0-1.2 01
Alkaline Phosphatase, S 97 IU/L 25-150 01
LDH 180 IU/L 0-225 01
AST (SGOT) 28 IU/L 0-40 01
ALT (SGPT) 35 IU/L 0-55 01
GGT 17 IU/L 0-65 01
Iron, Serum 105 ug/dL 40-155 01
Cholesterol, Total 141 mg/dL 100-199 01
Triglycerides 57 mg/dL 0-149 01
HDL Cholesterol 52 mg/dL >39 01
LDL Cholesterol Calc 78 mg/dL 0-99 01
T. Chol/HDL Ratio 2.7 ratio units 0.0-5.0 01
TSH 3.620 uIU/mL 0.450-4.500 01
Thyroxine (T4) 5.9 ug/dL 4.5-12.0 01
T3 Uptake 38 % 24-39 01
Free Thyroxine Index 2.2 1.2-4.9 01
WBC 5.4 x10E3/uL 4.0-10.5 01
RBC 4.68 x10E6/uL 4.10-5.60 01
Hemoglobin 14.6 g/dL 12.5-17.0 01
Hematocrit 44.3 % 36.0-50.0 01
MCV 95 fL 80-98 01
MCH 31.2 pg 27.0-34.0 01
MCHC 33.0 g/dL 32.0-36.0 01
RDW 13.3 % 11.7-15.0 01
Platelets 275 x10E3/uL 140-415 01
Neutrophils 43 % 40-74 01
Lymphs 40 % 14-46 01
Monocytes 12 % 4-13 01
Eos 4 % 0-7 01
Basos 1 % 0-3 01
Immature Cells 01
Neutrophils (Absolute) 2.4 x10E3/uL 1.8-7.8 01
Lymphs (Absolute) 2.1 x10E3/uL 0.7-4.5 01
Monocytes(Absolute) 0.6 x10E3/uL 0.1-1.0 01
Eos (Absolute) 0.2 x10E3/uL 0.0-0.4 01
Baso (Absolute) 0.1 x10E3/uL 0.0-0.2 01
Immature Granulocytes 0 % 0-1 01
Immature Grans (Abs) 0.0 x10E3/uL 0.0-0.1 01
Hematology Comments: 01
Testosterone, Serum 562 ng/dL 249-836 01
Free Testosterone(Direct) 11.7 pg/mL 9.3-26.5 01
T4,Free(Direct) 1.29 ng/dL 0.82-1.77 01
Cortisol 24.2 HIGH ug/dL 2.3-19.4 01
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy 48.3 ng/mL 32.0-100.0 01

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA <2 U/mL 0-3 01
Negative 0 - 3
Weak Positive 4 - 10
Positive >10
.
Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) has been identified
as the endomysial antigen. Studies have demonstrated that endomysial IgA antibodies have over 99%
specificity for gluten sensitive enteropathy.
Triiodothyronine,Free,Serum 3.7 pg/mL 2.0-4.4 0

I am confused and slightly scared after I read a post from PureChance saying TSH>3.0 is really bad. Also am shocked I don’t have gluten intolerance because my digestive issues ease up when I eat low gluten (though don’t disappear). Payed for test out of my own pocket and would appreciate help!

Already need an edit:
I was fasted for my test. I was not nervous or amped up about it at all.

I’m guessing Estradiol/E2 and rT3 next?

welcome.

glucose seems fine. I think ideal is 93-100.

yeah, E2 and rT3 would be helpful. Your iron looks good, but testing ferritin might help.

very odd. High TSH, but great Free T3 levels. Something else is going on. You really need to test for thyroid antibodies. have you checked out the stopthethyroidmadness.com site? It is the first stop for Thyroid issues.

your high cortisol is concerning + lowish CHOL and highish Bilirubin.

a 4-times daily cortisol saliva test might be helpful to see if there is a pattern. definitely needs more research/tests.

D3 is still low, but not horrible like most. I have to take 15,000iu to get levels in the 70s.

have you ever tried Betaine HCL (over the counter supplement) to raise your stomach acid? Take one pill half way through a high protein meal, if your stomach feels warm then you probably don’t need it, but if no reaction, then you can keep increasing the dose at each high protein meal until you feel the warmth, then back off one pill.

what are your actual body temps? generally fine is not really that useful as a diagnostic tool.

[quote]PureChance wrote:
welcome.

glucose seems fine. I think ideal is 93-100.

yeah, E2 and rT3 would be helpful. Your iron looks good, but testing ferritin might help.

very odd. High TSH, but great Free T3 levels. Something else is going on. You really need to test for thyroid antibodies. have you checked out the stopthethyroidmadness.com site? It is the first stop for Thyroid issues.

your high cortisol is concerning + lowish CHOL and highish Bilirubin.

a 4-times daily cortisol saliva test might be helpful to see if there is a pattern. definitely needs more research/tests.

D3 is still low, but not horrible like most. I have to take 15,000iu to get levels in the 70s.

have you ever tried Betaine HCL (over the counter supplement) to raise your stomach acid? Take one pill half way through a high protein meal, if your stomach feels warm then you probably don’t need it, but if no reaction, then you can keep increasing the dose at each high protein meal until you feel the warmth, then back off one pill.

what are your actual body temps? generally fine is not really that useful as a diagnostic tool.

[/quote]

Taking notes on all the suggested tests. Will take them as soon as I can, not sure when it will be but will update this page when it gets done.

I just saw the link to that thyroid site earlier today, and I’ll be reading up on it this weekend as much as I can.

I will probably up my D3 intake. The supplementing has helped a little bit with fatigue, I have no clue how low it was before I started taking it.

I have not tried Betaine HCL because I heard that it can lead to ulcers. If the test you described is a way of telling that, then I can certainly try it.

I’ll buy a thermometer and test. I was thinking I was answering the “do you FEEL cold” question, which I don’t (besides my hands). But I will take temps…I’ll find the thread somewhere but I believe the recommendation here was a measurement every 3 hours.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Get some good quality probiotics, from a health food store, better products are refrigerated and not cheap.

I only see one test for Gluten Intolerance/Celiac (the ttG IGA) but that isn’t enough. There are celiacs forums that have more info. I use this one:

http://forums.glutenfree.com/topic217.html

I understand EMA to be a measure of damaged villi, and not gluten sensitivity…You need the Antigliadin Antibody tests and the Deamidated Peptides (the latter may be unnecessary as you have already had the TTG)…

My deamidated peptides are negative (no damage) but my Antiglaidan IGG AB is very high (something like 70 with range <11)…which indicates gluten sensitivity…

If you know you are sensitive to gluten since you’ve done GF diets before, then take that information and run with it…you will feel a lot better and probably correct a lot of your issues…

I suspect the cortisol is currently high because it is busy fighting off the effects of the gluten, but I can’t be sure…

Any highly stressful events recently or very our of the ordinary occurrences?

You have a couple classic hypothyroid symptoms. Definitely should try removing gluten for awhile. Perhaps some other food allergy is a factor as well.

The medium TSH is 1.5; so this may be a major issue for you. My level was 4.2 before I started supplementing. I need to be at about 1.2 to feel normal.

You can get desiccated porcine from antiagingcentral.com or Thyrogold from thyroidscience.us if you don’t have a good doc that knows what he is doing.

Holy cow, it’s like I’m reading my own bio with my own labs…

My own story, as well as my labs, is nearly identical to yours. I’m in my mid-30s and have been dealing with really bad fatigue issues my entire adult life. So much so, that it affects my motivation at work, around the house, etc. I have brain fog as well, have developed some sketchy ED issues, and suffer from what I believe to be IBS. If I eat brocolli, raw carrots, cauliflower, or too much leafy vegetables in the evening I develop a painful bloat within 15 minutes and vacillate between constipation and diarrhea. The absolute worst thing for me though is wheat beer. One 4 oz glass and I’m suffering from severe bloating and loose stools for the next 36 hours. Of course, I thought I had gluten issues as well and tested negative. I also have high AM cortisol, my Dad had hypothyroidism, my TSH was 5.2, etc.

So, what worked for me? I started on synthyroid. Nothing I’ve even done for my health has made such a dramatic difference in such a short amount of time. By day 7, I started to feel better but chalked it up to a placebo effect. By day 10, I’d had 3 days in a row of feeling great. My brain fog had receded a bit, I felt sharper, I was able to get out of bed first thing in the AM, I felt rested during the day, my motivation started to come back, and my mood lightened.

Surprisingly, the first week my IBS went a bit wonky. I would bloat, poop, then lose the bloat within hours rather than days. I started pooping twice a day and my bowels felt empty afterwards rather than only partially empty. It’s like someone woke up my digestive tract. Overall, the amount of bloat is lessened and the length of time is lessened. I’m going to start introducing back foods that I had eliminated in the past and see how I do with them, but starting synthroid definately impacted my gut issues for the better.

I can share more of my experiences if you’d like, but the first thing I’d recommend is to get to your doctor with a copy of your labs and request to be put on synthroid. (You can read about the synthroid v. Armour debate on the internet if you’d like) Don’t accept that since your TSH is in range, that you’re normal. Your TSH should be below 3 and many people don’t start feeling ideal until it’s between 1 - 2.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

<-------------- Not an MD

Also, get your B12 levels checked. There seems to be a link between hypothyroidism and poor b12 absorption.

I was deficient as well.

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
I only see one test for Gluten Intolerance/Celiac (the ttG IGA) but that isn’t enough. There are celiacs forums that have more info. I use this one:

http://forums.glutenfree.com/topic217.html

I understand EMA to be a measure of damaged villi, and not gluten sensitivity…You need the Antigliadin Antibody tests and the Deamidated Peptides (the latter may be unnecessary as you have already had the TTG)…

My deamidated peptides are negative (no damage) but my Antiglaidan IGG AB is very high (something like 70 with range <11)…which indicates gluten sensitivity…

If you know you are sensitive to gluten since you’ve done GF diets before, then take that information and run with it…you will feel a lot better and probably correct a lot of your issues…

I suspect the cortisol is currently high because it is busy fighting off the effects of the gluten, but I can’t be sure…

Any highly stressful events recently or very our of the ordinary occurrences?[/quote]

No, nothing out of the ordinary. I rarely feel stressed out so that may be the cause of my cortisol. I do get mildly angry at a lot of little shit (people getting in my way when I walk etc.) but I don’t think moments like that would cause a constant raising of cortisol.

I’ll try to throw in the antibody test next time I have a blood draw…these tests are expensive but I’ll see what I can do

Thanks for the help (and the website)

[quote]KSman wrote:
Get some good quality probiotics, from a health food store, better products are refrigerated and not cheap.[/quote]

There’s a small organic food market nearby… I’ll check it out.

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Also, get your B12 levels checked. There seems to be a link between hypothyroidism and poor b12 absorption.

I was deficient as well.[/quote]

Thanks for both the posts. Did you also test out OK with free T3/T4?

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Thanks for both the posts. Did you also test out OK with free T3/T4?[/quote]

Yes.

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Thanks for both the posts. Did you also test out OK with free T3/T4?[/quote]

Yes.
[/quote]

Yeah your symptoms are pretty similar… I could try my dad’s synthroid next time I’m home but I’m not gonna do it before I find a good doc to help me out. I will definitely be on the lookout for further similarities though - reassuring to know the answer was (relatively) simple for you.

Oh, and wheat beer is for girls.

In all seriousness I appreciate the help from everyone… I know it takes time to read through all that and I’ll hold up my end by updating facts as warranted.

[quote]scj119 wrote:

No, nothing out of the ordinary. I rarely feel stressed out so that may be the cause of my cortisol. I do get mildly angry at a lot of little shit (people getting in my way when I walk etc.) but I don’t think moments like that would cause a constant raising of cortisol.

I’ll try to throw in the antibody test next time I have a blood draw…these tests are expensive but I’ll see what I can do

Thanks for the help (and the website)[/quote]

You would be surprised at how those little issues add up to one big one…I live in DC too and I understand the idiocy that you have to put up with around here…I think it was the major contributing factor to my adrenal fatigue and crash…

Why are you relegating yourself to paying for this out of pocket? can you not find a doctor to help you?

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:

No, nothing out of the ordinary. I rarely feel stressed out so that may be the cause of my cortisol. I do get mildly angry at a lot of little shit (people getting in my way when I walk etc.) but I don’t think moments like that would cause a constant raising of cortisol.

I’ll try to throw in the antibody test next time I have a blood draw…these tests are expensive but I’ll see what I can do

Thanks for the help (and the website)[/quote]

You would be surprised at how those little issues add up to one big one…I live in DC too and I understand the idiocy that you have to put up with around here…I think it was the major contributing factor to my adrenal fatigue and crash…

Why are you relegating yourself to paying for this out of pocket? can you not find a doctor to help you?
[/quote]

Well, I don’t have a car and there is a labcorp located right on my metro ride to work, so it was very easy. Finding a good doc is hard enough, and limiting my search to metro-accessible places doesn’t help.

I’m looking, but I got sick of feeling crappy and didn’t want to delay the first round of tests till I found a good doc. Didn’t make sense to me to put off the tests if I could afford them.

Bro for what you are paying in lab tests, you could easily take a taxi to a doctor’s office!

Hell my last labwork gave me a bill for $1,723 because Quest fucked up on my insurance…for that money you can buy a beat up old car and drive to your appointment…then just leave it there or give it to a bum or something and catch a cab back to your apartment!

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
Bro for what you are paying in lab tests, you could easily take a taxi to a doctor’s office!

Hell my last labwork gave me a bill for $1,723 because Quest fucked up on my insurance…for that money you can buy a beat up old car and drive to your appointment…then just leave it there or give it to a bum or something and catch a cab back to your apartment![/quote]

Haha well I didn’t pay near that much for the first round. I was hoping I’d find something easily fixable but like I said now that I know more about the complications of diagnosing thyroid issues, finding a doc is priority 1

Don’t suppose you have a doctor rec in the area?

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Yeah your symptoms are pretty similar… I could try my dad’s synthroid next time I’m home but I’m not gonna do it before I find a good doc to help me out. I will definitely be on the lookout for further similarities though - reassuring to know the answer was (relatively) simple for you.

Oh, and wheat beer is for girls.
[/quote]

Whatever you do, do not try your Dad’s synthroid. Synthroid is introduced very slowly over a long period of time finally working your way up to your required dosage over a period of months. It’s likely your dad is taking a dose that is way too much for you at first. You’d feel like you finished a pot of cofffee - intravenously.

Your doc would start you on 25 mcg and bump you up every 6 - 8 weeks, eventually stopping at the required dose.

Oh, and you’re right about the wheat beer. It must have just been an adverse reaction between the beer and the copious amounts of test coursing through my veins.

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Yeah your symptoms are pretty similar… I could try my dad’s synthroid next time I’m home but I’m not gonna do it before I find a good doc to help me out. I will definitely be on the lookout for further similarities though - reassuring to know the answer was (relatively) simple for you.

Oh, and wheat beer is for girls.
[/quote]

Whatever you do, do not try your Dad’s synthroid. Synthroid is introduced very slowly over a long period of time finally working your way up to your required dosage over a period of months. It’s likely your dad is taking a dose that is way too much for you at first. You’d feel like you finished a pot of cofffee - intravenously.

Your doc would start you on 25 mcg and bump you up every 6 - 8 weeks, eventually stopping at the required dose.

Oh, and you’re right about the wheat beer. It must have just been an adverse reaction between the beer and the copious amounts of test coursing through my veins.
[/quote]

Gotcha, thanks

Update: I have had a very busy couple of weeks, hard to get consistent body temp measurements (lots of meetings). Here are some body temp measurements at diff times:

Day 1 - waking (7am) - 96.2, 10am - 96.7, 2:15pm 97.9, 4pm 97.7
Day 2 - waking (6:45am) - 96.6, 10:10am - 97.4, 1:10pm - 97.5, 4:40pm - 97.6
Day 3 - waking (6:45am) - 96.8, 9:55am - 97.5

Broke my thermometer. Is that enough measurements to get a good reading or should I buy another?

Also - been taking acidophilus. Haven’t noticed an effect so far. If it’s not making a difference in a couple weeks I will switch to betaine HCL. I didn’t want to take both, and not know which one was helping (no betaine HCL at the store, so choice was easy. Will have to order online).

Also - will probably make an appointment with the guy who runs drrind.com. Only question is how much he charges, because my health insurance may not cover the whole thing. Hopefully will figure it out this week but I’m busy with a bunch of random stuff then out of town for the weekend.