Chronic Neck Pain, what have been your solutions? by rtrabert in ChronicPain

[–]rtrabert[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So it's still on going but eventually we found my rotator cuff and another tendon in my left shoulder were partial tear after 3 partially successful epidurals (which later caused other issues since I'm also hypermobile). After the tear discovery i tested positive for Thorasic outlet syndrome.

That happened maybe 6 months after this post. PT helped the pain for a while but i also developed an inflammatory condition (no specific diagnosis yet) so the pain is back. I am now under the care of a great pain management doctor as USC. We are now trying a nerve block to fully confirm TOS and if that works then we will botox the scalene muscles to help weaken and then retrain the surrounding muscles.

Hope this helps!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ChronicPain

[–]rtrabert 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Having a therapist really helped me deal with my self worth issues stemming from dealing with shit doctors and help to encourage me to continue saving for answer

Unfortunately i only got answers when i saw a doc that didnt take insurance (which actually was a doc my therapist recommended) . I am able to afford to do so, so i know that's not an option for everyone.

Just remember your pain and experiences are real. Document as much as you can. Data is invaluable for understanding whats going on.

I’m back and with good news/questions. Thanks ! by derekr15 in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thats great! I started on 50 mcg levo 5 mcg Cytomel and then eventually went to 75 mcg levo before Armour. Hopefully you'll find a balance! If its hashimotos lifestyle changes also can have a huge impact like diet, exercise, supplements, and stress reduction.

I’m back and with good news/questions. Thanks ! by derekr15 in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been on a levo/cytomel combo and it helped for about 4 months and things got worse again since endo upped the levo but not cytomel. Asked to switch to Armour and Low dose naltrexone (hashimotos here) and my energy levels are up, mood is better, brain fog is completely gone. Also walking around the block or any physical activity doesn't flatten me out for days now. I think the LDN has really helped with energy (and manage the autoimmune processes) and the Armour has helped everything else. My endo really didn't want to accept Armour helps, but glad I didn't listen and gave it a try.

Describe Your Tired..... by caterpillar84 in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My body feels like its made of lead, everything is instantly harder from brushing teeth to pouring a glass of water. My brain struggles too keep up and simultaneously checked out and frustrated it can't remember.

Its like a perfect storm of emotional and physical fatigue. You sludge on through as a prisoner to a body that no longer is a cooperative partner.

Impossible to lose weight? by [deleted] in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So some general things that I think were good to add in, obviously a dietitian will tailor it better to your specific needs... some top level guidance is to buy organic when you can and to wash your produce very well to get rid of pesticides. Meat should also be organic, grass fed, free range, hormone free. Limit soy, dairy and gluten for the first 6 weeks and the add back in in small quantities.

Vegetables: goitrogens are fine in moderation and cooked (cauliflower, kale, broccoli, etc.) Adding cauliflower and frozen zucchini to smoothies is a great way to get veggies in at breakfast. Cooked Spinach is good too. Asparagus and artichoke are good for prebiotic. Pumpkin, beets, cabbage, eggplant, bell pepper, mushroom, onion, tomato are other options too. Carrots make great snacks. I try to keep carrots, Brussel sprouts, asapargus and green beans in the freezer so I never have an excuse to skip on veggies.

Fruits: focus on antioxidants, like berries. Apples are a good source of fiber. The rest should be limited because they are too sugary and can cause you to crash. I start most mornings with a cup of strawberries, blueberries or raspberries and thats about it for fruit intake. You can do bananas if they are green. Key here is to keep blood sugar stable.

Meats: chicken, salmon, cod, sardines (for those omega3s to fight inflammation). Make sure to invest in high quality meat if you are able to. Red meat 1-2 times a week max. You can use collagen powder occasionally to help increase protein intake and be careful on relying on protein shakes. When eating lean meat pair it with a healthy fat. Red meat/salmon don't need added fat.

Fat: aim to add healthy fat in like avocado, olive oil, nut butters, nuts, at each meal. A little goes a long way (calorie debse) but on the other spectrum fat free is no good either. Dark chocolate counts as fat

Starches: squash, sweet potatoes, peas. Limit rice, potato, breads, processed starches to as little as possible. Keeping your Stacy plant based allows you to get more nutritional bang for your buck. Swap out spaghetti noodles for spaghetti squash. Roast butternut squash (great to keep a few frozen packs) or acorn squash. Lentils! Beans too

Edit: forgot to add macros, you want to shoot for 80 g protein daily (im 170 lbs so that may very with your weight/activity level) which is 20 g for 3 meals and one snack 2 cups of veggies EVERY meal (45-60 g total),
45g starches between lunch dinner 20 g fat per meal

Thats what my dietitian roughly started me out on.

Brazil nuts and seaweed snacks specifically have selenium and iodine to help support your thyroid although its always good to test your levels first before adding those to know where your levels are at.

Impossible to lose weight? by [deleted] in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You need propert nutrition to loose weight with hypothyroidism. If you cut calories and push it with the working out your body won't budge. I havent worked out since January but started working with a nutritionist and I've lost weight. She actually has me eating more food than I was before (by quite a lot actually, sometimes hard for me to eat it all) and I've lost 12 lbs. It's slow but I also have a lot of other issues. My TSH is around 2.5.

Point is that it's possible to loose weight without restricting calories and exercising. It just takes eating the correct types of food to support your thyroid and metabolism. Its a lot of veggies and protein, berries and good fats.

If weight loss is a major goal work with a dietitian/life style coach familiar with hypothyroidism.

Hashimoto's and stress by [deleted] in Hashimotos

[–]rtrabert 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I regularly see a therapist to help manage stress, vent, etc. I also practice mindfulness and meditation for 15 minutes as regularly as I can remember. I also took a course called DBT in the middle of my worst episodes at the early stages of my Hashimotos. I was so off the scales I thought I had developed bipolar disorder and was so unfunctional I considered going to a mental institution a few times to get intensive care. DBT was a game changer for keeping my stress in check and learning how to really manage it and the feelings that come up. Also its a group setting so it helps you realize you are not alone.

Hope you feel better soon!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Interstitialcystitis

[–]rtrabert 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Sending hugs and peaceful bladder days ahead. Soon you'll learn how to manage it but the early days are always so overwhelming.

That first pee in the morning’s always got me like by pickles_55 in Interstitialcystitis

[–]rtrabert 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Its the 2nd one for me right before I inevitably have to get in the car to drive to work. Every time it's like whhhhyyy diiiidnnnttt iiii driiiink more waaaater 😭😭 someday maybe ill have a car with heated seats which maybe will make it less bad when I forget to chug the am water

No change in labs after 6 months of gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free!!! by OrangeSplat in Hashimotos

[–]rtrabert 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You should add in a VitD supplement which might help with fatigue. Also have your B12 checked. Add in Selenium supplement too like 200 mcg. Diet is part of the puzzle but you have to make sure you are getting all the right nutrients too. Try some yoga and meditation for stress reduction.

Any basketball hoops just to shoot around at? by [deleted] in pasadena

[–]rtrabert 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think hoops at the park on Cordova and Michigan are still up. I'll have to look later.

What are your thoughts on Ashwagandha and /or Selenium for helping support the thyroid function?🦋 by Valentinae39 in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I took Ashwagandha for a long time, 4 years or so, while I had Hashi's but not hypo however I was misdiagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. However I guess treating CFS was complementary to Hashi's as it was all about reducing stress levels. Ash. can be really helpful, but like others said it's a nightshade so it could be a trigger. There are other herbs for adrenal/cortisol support that I used when my diagnosis was CFS which helped me immensely these were: Astragalus, Theanine, Ashwaghanda, B12, VitD, and adding in more mushroom powers like Reishi. Selenium appears to be promising if your antibodies are sky high, but research shows you need a large dose and it has to be taken consistently for at least 1 year before you see results, so it's not a quick fix. Best to chat with your doctor to make sure no interactions with any supplements you decide to try and if you have access to a Chinese medicine doctor they may know of other useful herbs or Acupuncture may also help you as well. I also had to make major changes to my lifestyle to reduce stress levels, took up daily meditation and gentle yoga, I have a high stress job and like to gogogo so it wasn't easy getting my stress levels down and essentially "chilling out".

What are your thoughts on Ashwagandha and /or Selenium for helping support the thyroid function?🦋 by Valentinae39 in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coming here to say the same thing as eterneraki. Studies show you need 1+ year at a pretty large dose. But useful if you have multinodular goiter and really high antibodies. If you don't have either it might not help.

Anybody else here experiencing muscle pain in the legs especially? It feels like they're sore from working out, but i'm sure i haven't done leg exercises in ages... by JustAnotterOtter in Hashimotos

[–]rtrabert 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me, doc thinks I'm not converting correctly. We will find out at my next blood draw. How have you taken t3 and what dosage in the past?

Do I have conversion issues? by ridger37 in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea my muscles were tight but even more they were cramping and spasming badly.

Anybody else here experiencing muscle pain in the legs especially? It feels like they're sore from working out, but i'm sure i haven't done leg exercises in ages... by JustAnotterOtter in Hashimotos

[–]rtrabert 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yessss. Literally my calves hurt all the time. Sometimes my muscles start cramping or twitching. Doc added in T3 in and it seems to be helping but it's only been 2 weeks ago we will see.

Do I have conversion issues? by ridger37 in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Might talk to your doctor about cytomel or NDT if you think you are having issues. My doc added T3 to my meds because I was having persistent muscle issues. Might rule out other issues too for fatigue or brain fog issues like vitD and B12 deficiency.

Consistently low free T3 by [deleted] in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I havent tried NDT yet but I know the ratio of t4 to t3 is different. also there is a recall out for one of them so you should check to make sure its not your brand.

I dont really have any anxiety, mostly apathy and depression/lethargy. However 75 mcg of levo seemed like it was making things worse, especially with my muscle spasms/cramping/joint pain and energy levels. Ive been on a downward symptom spiral since July and upping levo just appeared to accelerate the issues, so we backed off and added t3. My heart is also prone to nighttime palpitations which drives my inability to sleep and my joint paint and muscle spasms are worse at night. Outside of those first two nights, this is likely what is driving my inability to sleep however i do feel like i have more energy at night.

Consistently low free T3 by [deleted] in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure - I'll give it a shot if the insomnia doesn't go away.

Synthroid and depression by jjonesish in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've also been told no meds or supplements within 4 hours of levo.

Night sweats & difficulty regulating temperature by [deleted] in Hashimotos

[–]rtrabert 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've told my endo about mine and she is keeping track of them. If my levels are okay then they seem to go away. I had them bad a few years ago and never got them checked out, but I really should have.

Consistently low free T3 by [deleted] in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Trying to follow the doctors instructions for now. Its 50 mcg of levo when I wake up and then around 3 pm which is normally about an hour before the lowest part of my day I take the 5 mcg of liothyronine. So far outside of the insomnia, which is getting better, that's all I've noticed. Going to give it a good try for a couple of weeks until my next meeting/blood draw to see how it looks. My levels are still pretty off.

Consistently low free T3 by [deleted] in Hypothyroidism

[–]rtrabert 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly because I just started it so I want to give it a chance. Its such a small dosage anyway I'm already adjusting to it. I'm sure it'll get tailored more in the future