T Nation

Test, Thyroid and Their Symptoms

#1

Hello guys,i wanted to quickly outline my ‘‘problem’’ or perhaps my thoughts about something that has been bugging me the last year or so.

For the past year and a half i’ve been feeling lethargic compared to the past.I used to wake up 6am and go to the gym after 6 hours of sleep(did that for about 5 months with no sign of burning out whatsoever) going 6 times per week but now i find having to force myself to go even 4-5 days per week.That aside my strength has remained almost the same for that timespan that i feel ran down.
Last July or around there if i remember correctly i decided to visit some endos and test for many things since i didnt know what was wrong and what made me feel tired.
We tested everything from Heart Function to Testosterone ,Thyroid etc.

After all these tests were done including bloodwork,x-rays( or what its called that they test thyroid and other organs by that machine that they touch you with after they use gel,i dont remember their naming atm) and i got them to the endo for a review he told me that everything was in the normal range and that im slightly starting to have hypothyroism without being able to take medication as it barely has started and to check it annually.He then went on and suggested i visit a psychologist which i didnt do as i dont feel i have the need for one . I will proceed to outline the symptoms i witnessed below,i will provide the last years bloodwork and stuff later as i dont have access to them atm at work.

Symptoms i witness occassionaly that pass with time on their own,and others that still remain.

Orthostatic Hypotension
Lack of motivation (not only in the gym but in more aspects)
No strength increase despite gym and strength training consistency using numerous different variables
No Sex Drive,i only crave sex about once per 2 weeks,which is starting to be a problem with my 1.5year gf.Matter of fact sex drive is so low that i want to be more sexually active but its like my body is telling me no)
No morning erections for the past 1.5 years (thats as back as i can remember)
Substantial loss of apetite(dont take this sympton too seriously im not sure that it actually exists,its just that 2 years ago i was eating around 3500 daily while bulking and last year i managed to bulk on 2200 calories with mostly fat gain)
Slight Lack of Memory(i dont remember as many things as i used to and i find multiple times per day replying to questions others ask me about things with '‘i dont remember’'when in fact i remembered more things than most in the past)
The above symptoms are much more visible in the summertime(july-august purely broscience though i have nothing to backup my observations)

Also 7 months ago while deadlifting the standard weight i used to the moment i unracked it something in my lower back poped and couldnt do much for 2-3 days.Visited an appropriate doctor and found that that the distance of the disks 3 and 4 if i remember correctly is less than the normal one of the other discs.

I did my research on all those hormonal things but there are surely many things i dont know so i would really appreciate your input.
Also i apologise for the long read and if im not clear about anything please tell me to further clarify .

Will provide last years bloodwork in approx 7 hours from now

#2

Please read these stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category

  • advice for new guys - need more info about you
  • things that damage your hormones
  • protocol for injections
  • thyroid basics - check oral body temperatures as suggested
  • finding a TRT doc

Have you been using iodized salt to support thyroid function?

  • can be that simple
    GF affected too? - check her temperatures
    Feel cold easier now?
    Outer eyebrows sparse?

Get and post all lab work with ranges.

Endo’s are typically the worst for this type if work.

#3

im 5’6,140 lbs currently after a cut.
i dont get cold easier than in the past ,i live in greece where the climate is hot by itself though but in general i dont get cold easily as i have higher temperature than most people i’ve met.

I’ll look into injections and stuff if these things may be needed as i reckon in my case they wont let me supplement.

Also im not sure what doctor specialty i should visit as doctors clinics etc wont guide me to a trt specialist(if there is any in my country) as my bloodwork is normal according to them.

creatinine 0.84 mg/dl 0.5-1.5
potassium 4.3 mmo/l 3.5-5.5
sodium 139 mmo/l 135-147
calcium total 9 mg/dl 8.7-10.5
magnesium 1.84 mg/dl 1.7-2.5

WBC 5900 4000-10000
RBC 4790000 45000000-6300000
HB 14.2 14-18
HT 41.7 40-52
MCV 87.1 77-98
MCH 30.3 26-32
MCHC 34.8 32-36
PLT 223000 140000-440000
RDW-CV 12.5 11.5-14.5
MPV 10.7 7.4-11.5

T3 132 80-200
TSH 1.74 0.27-4.7
FT4 1.66 0.7-2
PRL 8.7 4-15.2
FSH 6.6 1.5-12.4
LH 4.7 1.7-8.6
TESTO 487 249-836
androstenedione 1.28 0.6-3.1
ANTI-TPO 9 <34
ANTI-TG 15 <115

K-potassium 4.7 3.5-5.1
Na-sodium 142 137-150
ferritin 253 30-400
Fe-Iron 118 60-160
CRP 0.5 <6

gLUCOSE 97 70-110
Urea,Serum 43 10-50
Bilirubin Total 1.24 0.10-1.2
Bilirubin Direct 0.41 0.1-0.3
SGOT/AST 22 11-38
SGPT/ALT 20 11-43
y-GT 13 10-60
CK,CPK 151 24-195
LDH 165 122-225

also i forgot to add that i have one kidney by birth

#4

Please see my comment above re using iodized salt.

Outer eyebrows sparse?
They looked at your thyroid with ultrasound?

Ferritin and iron are good, but:
RBC 4790000 45000000-6300000
HB 14.2 14-18
HT 41.7 40-52
are low for a male.

Low T does lead to lower HTC, but in this case, it would be good to check for blood in your poop to see if there is a low level GI bleed. It is called an occult blood test as the blood is hidden and not visible to the eye.

#5

im having no outer eyebrow sparse.
They checked my thyroid with ultrasound yes

What would you suggest me to proceed doing?
im planning on a bloodwork retest in approx one month or even in 3 weeks from now on.
Im not using iodized salt as most of my diet consists of server and ready foods like fresh chicken nuggets,yogurt,a little bit of toast bread,milk,cheese and ham

Edit: Yes im using iodised salt

#6

Your thyroid was larger and that prompted the ultrasound?

#7

Doctor wanted to test all possible causes of the said symptoms and since my father has thyroid problems ita best to keep check annually.he had hyperthyroism in his 20s and later this turned to hypothyroism.
As the ultrasound showed thyroid size was alright but it said with italian letters that there may be a cause of hypothyroism in the future

#8

This ‘can’ be a the progression with iodine deficiency. TSH levels are then elevated as expected and that level of stimulation can lead to thyroid nodules that start to function independent of TSH regulation and they can release more and more thyroid hormones, eventually suppressing TSH which goes low and one is then hyper. This state also predisposes one to thyroid cancers and autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune states are promoted by selenium deficiencies. Selenium is essential to the enzymes that clean up free radicals created with normal thyroid hormone generation. If selenium deficient, the free radicals create tissue damage and inflammation as the immune system cleans up the mess. The immune system can then recognize the debris as ‘foreign’ and then you have antibodies that attack the thyroid gland.

Most enzymes have metal atoms in catalytic reaction sites in their molecular structures. Trace elements are very important. This ties into nutrition and absorption in the gut.

When taking high dose iodine and kicking up thyroid function, it is very important to have a known and identifiable source of selenium which is available in many multi vitamin products. Look for iodine+selenium.

Some people are more vulnerable to the effects of this nature than others. So there is concern when a family member has had problems as there are shared genetic traits. Sometimes the shared risks might be that a whole family was iodine deficient at one time. It appears that you have a family doctor who also has knowledge of your father’s health history and seems to be proactively interested in your health instead of be reactive only.

I have seen in someone I know well who was not using iodized salt which led to hyperthyroidism and some ‘non lethal’ thyroid storms. There can be events where the thyroid can release a lot of hormones and one ends up going to the hospital. In this case, getting iodine in the diet has normalized her thyroid health and she seems recovered and does not need any ongoing care. When her thyroid hormones were high, she had significant weight loss, contrary to the patterns of females in her family and her past body shape. Years later she regained fat and female curves and is now at a healthy weight for her body type. So absent of current labs, it appears that she is quite recovered from a state that sent her to hospital care twice in the past. Getting hypo levels of thyroid hormones can lead to unexpected weight loss. Unexpected weight loss is always a danger signal.

She was not using salt because she cooked meals for her grandmother for years, who has been put on a sodium restricted diet by her doctor. So her grandmother and she both then had doctor induced iodine deficiencies. Doctors do not look at consequences. Then ‘she’ was programmed to not use salt and that became a long term preference. Following that I assume that she raised three iodine deficient children by not using salt in the kitchen and her husband became syndrome X and diabetic, which may not be strongly attributable.

#9

My body for one rejects high salt usage by itself as i dont like any good with a more than average amount of salt and i can perhaps tolerate less salt than other people.
The kidney doc mentioned that as well that many times we just have to listen to our body which is highly true especially in my case,in the past i didnt know i had one kidney we found out by accident almost 4 yeas ago.So all that ‘‘hate’’ for high salt diets and foods was perhaps a natural reaction of my one kidney so that it doesnt have to do more work to use sodium.

As a matter of fact its not that i dont use salt at all,my mother’s homemade food has normal amount of iodized salt its just that i cant add more as i wont be able to eat that food without vomiting it or being close to do that.

Also i think that sodium-wise my bloodwork wasnt bad but dont quote me on that i dont quite remember if thats the case.
I could also perhaps categorize this said weakness with all these symptoms to my cutting diet.
Its not like i struggled though i lost almost 13 pounds in 2.5 month timespan(willingly so)purely intuitively eating when i was hungry and never feeling even the tiniest bit of hunger.(Despite my numerous past semi-dirty bulks i actually have a low apetite and cutting is personally easier than bulking).

With that said,and i apologize if i offered unimportant information on the matter at hand,i plan to slow and lean bulk for the next close to a year while implementing minicuts along the way if fat storage gets out of hand.

#10

So you should be watching that you have iodine in your supplements if your salt intake is limiting iodine intake from that.