Well I must be feeling slightly better because I’ve mustered up the energy to tap away here this afternoon.
The cold never materialised, thank God, but I still have a sore gum. This morning I was despondent that it wasn’t an infection because the antibiotics didn’t seem to be working, but 12 hrs on I think I’ll have to recant. I can feel the skin slowly closing over, leaving a smooth sensation rather than rough, and it is not so tender to touch. Plus I am not as grouchy as I was yesterday, which is a blessing. However, I have developed a neck ache. But I’ll keep my complaints about that to a minimum.
I had a phone chat with a good friend yesterday and we talked our aches and pains at length. She said, towards the end of the session “oh good Lord, is this what the future holds for us? Long discussions about our health issues?” I laughed and agreed we sounded like a couple of old people. I guess we are.
So here’s a funny thing. Did I ever mention that 3 yrs ago I had tried to get my reverse T3 tested (thyroid panel) but couldn’t find a lab here that did it? Forgot about it. Wilson’s Syndrome is not only rare, but disputed to even exist by a lot of the medical field. Anyhoo, then my naturopath brought it up again after my last miscarriage, saying she thought I had thyroid issues even though the regular tests were normal, and I should get my reverse T3 done. Am I repeating myself? I have a feeling I already talked about this, but am too lazy to go back and check. Anyway the results just came back and I know I haven’t told you about them because guess what? THEY WERE TOO HIGH.
And not ONLY were they too high, the ratio of normal, free T3 to reverse T3 was wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. It is supposed to be above 1. Mine was 0.72 and this means I have reverse T3 dominance. Finally I have something wrong with me! Too bad it is so rare people don’t agree it even exists, but fuck it, I’m claiming it!!!
Reverse T3 dominance, also known as Wilson’s Syndrome, is a condition that exhibits most hypothyroid symptoms although circulating levels of T3 and T4 are within normal test limits. The metabolism of T4 into rT3 is in excess when compared to T3 therefore it is a T4 metabolism malfunction rather than a straight forward thyroid deficiency. Periods of prolonged stress may cause an increase in cortisol levels as the adrenal glands respond to the stress. The high cortisol levels inhibit the conversion of T4 into T3 thus reducing active T3 levels. The conversion of T4 is then shunted towards the production of the inactive reverse T3. This reverse T3 dominance may persist even after the stress passes and cortisol levels have returned to normal as the reverse T3 itself may also inhibit the conversion of T4 to T3 thus perpetuating the production of the inactive reverse T3 isomer. There is some argument to this last point with some research indicating that the elevated rT3 is only temporary and not a permanent condition. The medical authorities officially do not accept reverse T3 dominance theory and thus many doctors will refuse to treat this condition. We have found prolonged elevated reverse T3 in many of our patients whom all respond well to T3 therapy.
So I had a looky around for treatment, found one, got DH to write me a prescription and we posted it off to Victoria to have it filled. Crazy to think you can’t get the medication in your own state. Given we are about to go into a long weekend, I am not expecting the package any time before next Friday, maybe even well into the following week. You know, that’s just part of living in rural Western Australia. It’s what I love about it most.
But. Treatment. O.M.G. To even HOPE that I might one day not be freezing all the time. To stop suffering from cold-induced urticaria. To not feel tired and groggy most of the time. To actually have a libido! The list of hypothyroid symptoms I have had, forever, is as long as my arm and I will not bore you with it here. But as long as those TSH tests were coming back normal, no doctor would diagnose me with a problem.
I spent all yesterday online (this resulted in the sore neck I am now (not) complaining about) doing some thyroid issue research and came up with some pretty good sites. If anyone out there thinks THEY might have a thyroid issue that’s going undiagnosed and untreated, I recommend you have a look at Stop the Thyroid Madness for some tips about how to be proactive in getting it sorted out.
Anyhoo. DH has just walked in the door. I’ve barely laid eyes on him all week, and we are about to start the long weekend and HE IS NOT ON CALL. So, time for a beer (or maybe that fancy new Belevedere 100 proof vodka we bought duty free) and a here’s cheers to some HOPE at least, that a few months of thyroid treatment might transform me into a new woman. I’d really love to let myself daydream about how this might even solve my fertility issues, but I’m not going to go there…
Happy Friday!
15 Responses to Friday on my mind. And, Wilson’s Syndrome.