Symptoms, Negative Tests

[Booghead]

Doctor called and he said the tests came back normal. He says that the normal tests do not rule out the thyroid as being the cause of my problems. He says for now we should make an appointment to start treating the symptoms until we know what is wrong. This means he is putting me back on miralax, to achieve daily soft stools.

Going to get a little gross on you guys now. I have daily bowel movements almost always at the same time of day. They aren't "hard" and are much better then the last few months. I am eating fiber and all that. Problem is I have bleeding. It feels like no matter how soft the stools are it "cuts" on the way out. There is blood on the toilet paper. Which leads me to thinking I am still "constipated".

I have stomach pain, like "pinching" in certain areas. It doesn't hurt me so bad but it is uncomfortable. I have back pain some times and joint pain. My body turns spotting red after a hot shower. I have to take hot showers because I freeze otherwise. I have dry skin. Really dry, my eyes are dry. So dry that I won't be able to get contacts when I go in to get glasses. I have to get glasses because my sight is getting worse (not bad but blurry lights and hard to read far away things). I get tremors when I'm nervous, it is like I'm shivering.

Since I have no answers at this point the only thing that made me feel any better was gluten free. I don't know if I have Celiac, but I do think gluten free can help people with lots of things. I don't know how my parents will feel about going gluten free again, so I might have to wait until I move out.

They haven't done an ultrasound on my thyroid, or any tests on other organs (pancreas, liver, etc). Thanks

[pricklypear1971]

Ok, remind me of what tests you had, when, results, and why they retested (sounds like they retested...but maybe I'm missing something).

Do I remember you had high TPO and high TSH?

[Booghead]

High TSH first time 5.17 range .3-3.0

I don't have the results of TPO but doctor said it was normal. I guess if need be I can get the results and ranges.

Free T4 was high a month after the "hypo" TSH. Then normal everything a month after that. Then they ran the TPO two weeks after the normal tests.

[pricklypear1971]

We're you gluten-free prior to the first and second tests? For how long?

[YoloGx]

I think maybe you should see a naturopath.

The following suggestions in the meantime might help you out:

To me it sounds like your liver is stressed as well as your bowels. I bet if you ate home made cultured foods it would help you out--like unpasteurized yogurt and/or sauerkraut--esp. if you have ever had a lot of antibiotics and/or were bottle fed as a baby. There are lots of clips on how to make home made soured foods on U-tube.

I personally would think if you took dandelion root and marshmallow root (regularly with meals or just beforehand--in caps or as a tea you boil for 15 to 20 minutes--you can purchase the powder or the whole cut herb), they would ease the dryness and make it so your stools don't cut you.

You probably also need to have more Omega 3's in your diet. One tablespoon of flax seed freshly ground would accomplish several things on that front--Omega 3 oil which helps combat inflammation plus gives you a good amount of roughage which helps with elimination. Its nice to combine it with a little apple pectin (say 1/4 tsp. powder) before you grind up the flax seed in your coffee grinder. Put the mixture into a glass of water and mix, then chase with another glass of water.

Chlorella will also help give you extra Omega 3's plus give you extra greens and protein and various minerals etc. you may need.

I would also suggest you use olive oil on your food. Its good to use on all those green veggies you probably aren't yet eating, yet need, eh? Blending fresh veggies is an excellent way too to get in your quota of vegetables, which I suggest should be higher than you are currently likely to be eating.

Adzuki beans are much more digestible than most beans. Like most, they will also help you with your stools due to their high fibre content. They are good for calming the nerves and helping you sleep and also help to detox the liver by melting the cholesterol. A little bit of seaweed cooked in the beans at the end (not from Japan due to all the radiation! or even north of there up through Alaska) helps with digesting the beans better. Be sure to soak the adzuki beans at least for a day and change the water at least 3 times. then cook it in your slow cooker for a while, or extra long on the stove if you have trouble with beans (like I have). Thus doing they have been really nice for me. I use digestive enzymes with them by Jarro meant to help digest beans (Jarro-Zymes Plus).

Daily walks and drinking at least 8 to 12 cups of water a day may be essential for you, as it is for many of us.

Going off all sugar probably for now is a must, if you haven't yet done it.

Good luck to you as you discover how to be a lot healthier. If these suggestions don't work or do weird things. please let us know.

Bea

[Booghead]

I was not gluten free for the first test of TSH. A month later when they tested Free T3 and T4 I had been gluten free for about 3 weeks. I went back on gluten the next test results were "normal".

I am not gluten free as of now. Nor sugar free.

Thanks for all the tips Bea. I will check them out!

[pricklypear1971]

You'll never prove it but my guess (and where the research is trending) is that a problem with gluten contributes to thyroid disease, particularly Hashis.

People go gluten-free to LOWER TPO.

I don't have any advice other than to beg your parents to get copies of all labs so far, and as soon as you're 18 get to a doc that will try you on thyroid meds if, in Tge interim, going gluten-free doesn't resolve your issues.

Don't think you can go gluten-free without parental cooperation? Bull. I'm a parent and if my child stages a mutiny against a particular food (and goodness, of he has a justifiable cause - even texture avoidance) I will adapt. So my advice is to mutiny.

[Avalon451]

I'm new to celiac but I'm not new to anal fissures, which is what it sounds like you have. I had to see a butt doctor a few years ago for this, joy joy. A feeling of "cutting" during BMs, and the blood you're seeing, can be caused by internal OR external hemorrhoids, and also anal fissures, which are cracks or tears in the area. They're mostly associated with constipation, but if you have frequent diarrhea (my experience) the tissues can be weakened and tear easily. Then it feels like you're pooping glass. Ouchy. The best thing you can do is keep the area scrupulously clean-- Cottonelle is your friend. Also sitz baths, sit yourself down in some warm water, a couple of times a day if you can manage it. I've seen all kinds of medications for this, but personally the one that healed me is boring and common... Bag Balm in the square green tin. You'll find it right by the other medicated creams and preparation H, etc. Even though it's supposed to be for veterinary usage, many people have found for years that it's amazing for hands that see a lot of small injuries like cracked skin, minor burns, and minor scrapes. When my brothers were short order cooks, and frequently scorched and cut their hands, they used it before bed every night to help heal and soothe. I also used it on my kids for diaper rash when they were babies (with the pediatrician's approval), and it worked better than any commercial ointment. Anyway, when I started using it externally every day, after sitz baths, I healed up and didn't have to have the horrible surgery that the proctologist was suggesting.

Hope you figure things out soon and feel better!

[Booghead]

Thanks Avalon, I have read up on anal fissures and that is what it probably is. Going to go for more fruits and veggies, and try to have a cleaner and healthier diet, along with drinking water. In all honesty one day I can truly be very constipated and the next day have a really soft bowel movement,so soft it is almost like diarrhea. It changes almost weekly.

In all honesty I kind of just want to forget all of this, and ignore everything. But I try to do that and then a major symptom pops up and I'm in horrible pain. The last 2 nights I have had terrible back pain. I carry a back pack at school, but so do thousands of other kids. I sit in chairs just like other kids. My back is just killer. I took prescription naproxen last night and it didn't help. I've iced it today and it didn't help. It is going to start hurting sooner tomorrow, the only thing I can hope is that the weekend will help it stop hurting. I'm fine in the morning but by the end of school it is starting to hurt and by 8 PM I have to go to bed because sitting anywhere hurts too much.

[pricklypear1971]

Thanks Avalon, I have read up on anal fissures and that is what it probably is. Going to go for more fruits and veggies, and try to have a cleaner and healthier diet, along with drinking water. In all honesty one day I can truly be very constipated and the next day have a really soft bowel movement,so soft it is almost like diarrhea. It changes almost weekly.

In all honesty I kind of just want to forget all of this, and ignore everything. But I try to do that and then a major symptom pops up and I'm in horrible pain. The last 2 nights I have had terrible back pain. I carry a back pack at school, but so do thousands of other kids. I sit in chairs just like other kids. My back is just killer. I took prescription naproxen last night and it didn't help. I've iced it today and it didn't help. It is going to start hurting sooner tomorrow, the only thing I can hope is that the weekend will help it stop hurting. I'm fine in the morning but by the end of school it is starting to hurt and by 8 PM I have to go to bed because sitting anywhere hurts too much.

You need a massage and don't carry a heavy backpack or carry it alternately in each hand.

Try stretching. Gentle stretching.

Your bm's are typical of a struggling system especially if you don't (even subconsciously) want to have one because it hurts. Eat fiber, water and DIGESTIVE ENZYMES AND PROBIOTICS. Pre thyroid meds digestive enzymes helped me stay more regular, but quite frankly thyroid meds were the best fix. Oh, and then going gluten-free. That fixed most things so far (that gluten hasn't permanently broken).

Are you attempting gluten-free at least?

[mushroom]

If you were not too self-conscious about it (and I KNOW, most teenagers probably would be ) one of those carry-on luggage bags with wheels would be perfect for you, altlhough you probably have to do stairs. You could put it in your locker and change books as needed??It's probably only when you get to be a little old lady who jams on her purple hatr and doesn't give a damn, that practicality reins over appearance.

[YoloGx]

If you were not too self-conscious about it (and I KNOW, most teenagers probably would be ) one of those carry-on luggage bags with wheels would be perfect for you, altlhough you probably have to do stairs. You could put it in your locker and change books as needed??It's probably only when you get to be a little old lady who jams on her purple hatr and doesn't give a damn, that practicality reins over appearance.

That is a great idea mushroom--though now they have those backpacks with wheels too. That is what I used in NYC a few years ago when I went on vacation. It went with me everywhere. I too could not carry anything on my back without severe pain.

By the way, in retrospect, the fact I needed to be completely gluten free but did not know it added to my distress. This is very clear. Its also now clear that my liver and gall bladder were part of this problem. They were toxified due to the extra work they had to do because of the gluten as well as their usual job managing the more usual toxins, cholesterol and releasing bile etc. Look it up--liver and gall bladder congestion. It causes pain in the back, shoulders and neck that keeps on recurring. It also is a leading cause of alternating constipation and diarrhea. I submit this might well be happening in this case.

So yes do go off the gluten for now. For most people there is often some distress caused by gluten whether they have celiac or severe gluten intolerance or not. In this case it is likely and added factor no matter what.

But also I suggest you take care of your liver and gall bladder with some timely intervention. Lighten the load with the cholesterol. Limit your meat to skinless chicken and fish. Maybe even avoid the chicken for now say for maybe a month or three or more as needed. Your body will tell you if it is the right thing or not. Eat the adzuki beans (and others) with brown rice instead. It helps melt the cholesterol and thus gets rid of the pain. Gallstones are cholesterol balls that form around various toxins in the liver and then migrate to the gall bladder. Teens can get them. I think I had them back then too. I have recently learned they are a very common problem for the gluten sensitive person.

Adzuki beans by the way are found in Asian markets. While you are there, also buy yourself some mung beans to sprout. They will moisten and cool your system.

Beans are nice with gluten free miso too--added in after your soup etc. has been served so you preserve the good flora in it. If you can't find it in the market, I suggest you order it. The good probiotics will help balance your digestive system a lot quicker.

Eating a lot of lemons, grapefruit and limes also helps detoxifiy the liver and gall bladder. You can use stevia in place of sugar to sweeten them. Eating a lot of apples and pears adds in the pectin your liver and gall bladder crave, as well as alot of vitamin C etc.. I eat them frequently with plain home made yogurt.

Meanwhile, dandelion root with nettles alternated with Oregon grape root or barberry root (these last two used separately from each other and sparingly) should also help flush out your system.

If they are too much for you, take less, or consider looking up homeopathics for the liver and gall bladder online. Don't take the liquid homeopathic remedies since the alcohol is usually made from glutenous grains. The little pills are the best. If these are a problem for you, you can make your own water based homeopathics using the pills as a base. I have instructions I can send you if necessary. Certainly it is an inexpensive way to go. You have to keep it refrigerated however.

You honestly don't want to wait and get a more severe problem which would entail removal of your gall bladder. You can live without it, however your life is more enjoyable with it since it is important; the bile it releases helps you digest fats. Without your gall bladder you will have to live your whole life with either fewer fats or more severe digestive problems down the line.

[YoloGx]

Here's a link concerning liver and gall bladder disease being linked to celiac. It happens a lot apparently because the first thing damaged for the villi is their ability to absorb/deal with fat. This then really stresses out the liver etc.

It so amazes me that more doctors don't just see this, but so many live in some other dimension I won't even comment on. Pub Med apparently has 250 articles linking liver and gall bladder difficulties with gluten intolerance.

Open Original Shared Link

Here's a site that just talks about the role of the liver in metabolism:

Open Original Shared Link

Bea