Saturday, July 9, 2011

Hyperthyroid / Graves disease

I was just thinking this evening how little I have spoken about Hyperthyroidism / Graves disease. This too was a symptom of Lyme. It is more common to have a Hypothyroid but either way your thyroid can be affected. I had the typical symptoms
Palpitations
Heat intolerance
Nervousness
Insomnia
Breathlessness
Fatigue
Fast heart rate
Trembling hands
Weight loss
Muscle weakness
Warm moist skin
Hair loss
..then when I went to the doctor her first response was that I should have my thyroid killed - which is permanent. I remembered what my cousin once said to me (who also had a thyroid problem -don't ever let them kill your thyroid if you can help it- since it was so difficult for them to regulate her and she still has problems) in any case I said no I wanted to try the medication first. In many cases a Hyperthyroid can go into remission and that is exactly what mine did. I was on the lowest dose possible and within a matter of weeks it was normal. They kept me on Tapozole for quite awhile even though I didn't think I needed it any longer but they wanted to be sure.

Before I tested positive for Lyme I remember speaking to Dr. Harris and asking him if my Hyperthyroid could be a symptom of Lyme and his response was that Lyme systematically goes through your body effecting your immune system and turning things off and saw no reason why it couldn't.

"This usually starts with the adrenal glands. No, I don't mean the thyroid, I mean the ADRENALS. Many physicians and patients start on the wrong end of things by first giving the body thyroid hormone, but this isn't usually how it should be done.

Why? In Lyme disease and chronic illness, the thyroid often malfunctions as a result of the adrenal glands, which are pooped from having to deal with so many bugs, toxins and stress. Treating the thyroid first puts greater stress on the adrenal glands, which then exacerbates the whole endocrine problem. Not treating the thyroid, however, can also stress the adrenals, but if you sense you have adrenal fatigue, it's best to deal with this problem first. "

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6 comments:

  1. I was on synthetic drugs for hypothyroidism and it didn't work. I now take 5 of the dessicated porcine thyroid and now my blood work looks good. I still have some exhaustion but at least I can mow my yard. My doctor is impressed.

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  2. Hi Tim, the medication for my hypothyroidism started to work too but I was still really exhausted and couldn't do much. Couldn't work in the yard etc. you know how that goes. The standard Lyme test I took during that time came back negative and my endocrinologist wasn't much interested in the possibility of Lyme. She only focused on the Thyroid, but I knew in my gut that there was something bigger that was wrong. I finally found the right lab (where I had requested my blood to go to but the tech never sent it there) then took the full panel test where most came back negative with only one tiny positive, my doctor didn't know what that meant nor know how to read the test and the endocrinologist wouldn't even look at it...since it was not something she believed in or was in her field.. Only to find out that Lyme is what I had and that was affecting my entire life and Thyroid. Good luck and best wishes.

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    Replies
    1. I am 28 and I have had Bells Palsy 5 times since 9 years old. August of 2012 was my last bout. I'm currently being treated for hypothyroidism but with minimal success. How much does it cost to be tested for Lymes?

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    2. Hi Richard I am so sorry to hear that and to me that does sound VERY suspicious for Lyme.

      The original Lyme test I took was through IGENX in Palo Alto it was called a Full Panel test. It can be difficult to read even for your doctor, my original doctor thought it was negative, but I requested a copy of the test and found one tiny (+) positive. I asked her what that mean and she didn’t know, so I called the lab and spoke to Dr Harris and he explained that I had been exposed, I still didn’t know what that meant – exposed? Does that mean I have it or only exposed? He said I better go see a doctor.

      In any case that test ran at that time around $450. Insurance did not cover it, then after that I had the co-infection test, which ran about $650 all well worth it.

      It’s been about 6 years now since my original test and there have been changes and improvements in the testing. I just went in for a check up and am waiting for the results. My doctor chose a different lab this time, on the East Coast. I don’t know the name of the new test or lab yet but I’ll find out and get back to you, I should know in July.

      The simple 3 day quickly test they have for Lyme usually doesn’t cut it or give you very accurate results but you could start there and just see what the results are then follow up with the more extensive test. You should look for a Lyme literate doctor and one that hopefully uses integrative medicine so they can help support your immune system while you go through treatment.

      60% of Bells Palsy patients actually have Lyme disease. Some doctors now will still go ahead and treat you for Lyme even if the lab results come back negative (since testing is so difficult) just by looking at your symptoms

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