Well I have been busy this past month trying to figure out how a few physical effects are happening to me now.
In May I took a heavy metals test and found out my lead levels were extremely high (see attachment). It's just that I did not get back into the doctors office to have them read until a couple weeks ago. We are checking our water and other potential sources, but the connection between heavy metal toxicity and cancers has come up in several places with different literature. So I find it interesting because this condition impedes the immune system greatly. What is worse is the means to remove it can me dangerous and so I'm holding off on that for now. Having functioning kidneys is more important to me at the moment;) So I will do the safest means for now which includes the sauna at the gym, lots of lemon water, high fiber and keeping the colon clear and clean even if it means green coffee enemas when needed!
Thank goodness I asked for the test because no other doctor mentioned it. I asked my MD Integrative Functional Doctor, Jane Sullivan-Durand to please do one. She also happened to just last week order a few tests including the MTHFR gene one to help me decifer any other conditions that could have played a role in my diagnosis last year. Waiting on that test but if I have it, a simple change to using different B vitamins would greatly support my system. She also ordered a repeat of the thyroid levels for me. I am seeing a MGH Endocrinogist again at the end of next week.
I was hyper thyroid 2 months ago, and then in 3 weeks the Dr. Mahata (MGH) said it was normalizing. I will test again next week before seeing her, but in the meantime, Dr. Sullivan-Durand also ran it again last week. She phoned me at 9:30 in the evening to tell me that I am now Hypo Thyroid, and extremely so! She was very concerned and wanted to put me on synthetic hormone that next day. My primary MD agreed, but I am will wait another week until I see the MGH Endocrinoloist.
As many of you readers are getting to know me now, I needed to do my diligence and research it a bit further. When I asked the Endicrinologist at my 1st apt if all these chemo drugs, which clearly affected hormone levels could have caused a chain reaction between my pituatiry gland, adrenals (very tapped out with stress) and thyroid...not to mention the fact that these drugs also attach the ovaries, she said they really don't knowi much about the effects of chemo. Really? Am I missing something or does this not make logical sense? Our Endocrin system is very complex for sure but the very first book I found on the subject clearly states and lists 3 of the drugs I had do in fact impede the thyroid from producing T3 and T4 as well as impeding the ability of the body to absorb it!! Source: Dr, David Brownstein, MD "Overcoming Thyroid Disorders" page 80 second edition. I've heard this guy is one of the top docs in his field, but he also looks at solving the underlying condition, not just treating the condition with pharmasudical scripts. This is why if you google him you will also find articles against him that people are paid to write in an attempt to discredit him:)
It's a pattern I have also seen time and time again. And I do know there is a place for chemo which is why I did it, but go in with your eyes wide open. This country has the best surgeons in the world for sure. In the meantime, I am doing what makes sense to nourish my thyroid and I may be open to natural hormone replacement therapy depending on if I in fact do have Hashimoto's which is a slight possibility. What my goal is to assist my body to make the hormones it needs and to create an environment where they are utilized. Once the chemo drugs leave the system, this book says it can take up to 6 months. I am rechecking levels to look for signs of improvement. The key is iodine (2 types) found in a product called Iodoral that you can find easily on Amazon. Guess what? Iodine is necessary for every cell to function properly and most Americans are extremely deficient. And even more interesting is the fact that aside from the thyroid, the other 2 organs that need the most iodine are the breasts and the ovaries...the ones that specific chemo drugs specifically assaulted. Seems interesting, however, if I now have an auto immune issue whereas my antibodies are attacking the thyroid I am also taking Standard Process Thymex directly from an animal source of pigs as well. Using individual Kenesiology testing to determine both amounts needed for me personally. This is my strategy before I consider taking hormone replacement therapy.
Fortunately, I feel no Hypothyroid side effects (tired, weight gain, loss of ends of of eyebrows, irritable, depressed) so that is reassuring because 2 of the books I just read on the subject say one needs to look beyond the blood test which only shows a small snapshot and observing the patients other physical symptoms are equally important. Yep, it's complex as always and will require close monitoring!