labs as of 08/10/2011
total test 1216 250-1100
SHBG 58 10-50
estradiol 45 less than or equal to 29
t4 total 2.4 4.5-12
t4 free 0.5 1-2.4
t3 free 2 2.3-4.2
t3 total 56 76-181
reverse t3 11 11-32
EDIT: i was taking trib 750mg (45% saponins) 2x per day
the last time i took my own t3 was at least 48 hours before blood being drawn
First off, you can’t compare your thyroid dose to Hallowed based on bodyweight, that’s retarded. If her thyroid sucks horribly and yours sucks slightly, it’s apples-to-oranges.
Secondly, I’m not surprised your SHBG and E2 are elevated given that insane diet of yours a while back. There is not much of a reason to keep increasing your test when those are elevated so high… I mean shit if your total test is 1200 and you have no energy clearly T is not the problem.
I honestly have no idea what to make of your thyroid numbers because you were self medicating, and changed your dosages before the test which will give you results that are not indicative of what your “true” thyroid levels are when dosing every day. Your body certainly isn’t making much, if any, on its own - so it will register as low because you skipped a day or two of meds.
Cortisol may be a big problem. SHBG and E2 are definitely a problem.
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
im def gonna get a cortisol test done soon i just hate coughing up the cash lol[/quote]
Do you enjoy spending your youth in a suboptimal state of health?
SHBG and E2 are issues, but they may very well just be symptoms of your current, degraded hormonal state.
I recommend holding off on the herbal band-aids for the time being and spending your money on things that will help address potential root causes. Google ‘chilln’s Hormone’s primers’ and read (don’t worry, they’re free) the various .pdf files that appear in the first link. While the actual protocol is mostly theoretical in nature (I am not sure how many people have had success going through the steps as outlined by chilln) the background information will be of immense value to you.
I am not sure how much research you have actually done on all of this. No offense, but I would guess fairly little. The above primers will give you some points to discuss with your doctor and a solid foundation on which to continue educating yourself.
Best of luck.
this is the first time SHBG or estrogen have been out of range - like i said prob because of the trib, which i have stopped since getting the lab results
i stopped taking the t3 prior to the lab work purposely, so i finally would be given a prescription
you’re prob right about the research btw, i pretty much stopped reading once i got my t3 in the mail… kind of fell into the ol’ “miracle supplement” crew
got my diurnal cortisol test back…
morning
7.4 ng/ml range 3.7-9.5
noon
1.7 ng/ml range 1.2-3.0
evening
0.9 ng/ml range 0.6-1.9
night
0.5 ng/ml range 0.4-1.0
*after asking anonym, he told me to go through my day as i usually do, IFing and a usual training day, i completely forgot and ended up having to see visit relatives (day before thanksgiving) all day and resulting in having a small breakfast and lunch to avoid insulting my hosts, then not even making it back home in time before the gym closed
(face palm!)
anyway waking up in the morning has been harder than ever and i crash usually anywhere from 4-5pm
for the last month or so, i have cut out stim use almost entirely except maybe a cup of coffee in the morning (12 oz) when i really need it and a cup 5x per week before i lift
i already know i should probably ordder another, i actually have some money now that i have been helping kids right papers, but any thoughts/input would be appreciated
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
got my diurnal cortisol test back…
morning
7.4 ng/ml range 3.7-9.5
noon
1.7 ng/ml range 1.2-3.0
evening
0.9 ng/ml range 0.6-1.9
night
0. ng/ml range 0.4-1.0[/quote]
What’s the final cortisol reading supposed to be (i.e., is it actually zero)?
All things considered, I’d think that these numbers indicate your cortisol levels are, in fact, low. While they start off OK (not great) at the beginning of the day, the drop towards the lower end of the ranges as the day progresses gives me the impression that your body doesn’t have enough available to maintain adequate levels as the day goes on… this would impact your morning cortisol, too, as your body uses your sleep to try and play “catch up” but is fighting back from a crap deficit to do so.
While lifting weights might create a transient spike in cortisol that would be seen in one of the numbers, it would ultimately draw on your reserves too much and mess you up down the line. Ditto for the prolonged elevations brought on by IF.
Instead of buying another spit test, see if you can’t get your hands on one to check preg/prog/DHEA-S.
I recommend preg/prog and DHEA-S so we can get a better understanding of a) whether or not you have enough raw materials for your body to make cortisol and b) where those precursors are flowing.
[quote]anonym wrote:
What’s the final cortisol reading supposed to be (i.e., is it actually zero)?
[/quote]
edited. my bad it is 0.5
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
[quote]anonym wrote:
What’s the final cortisol reading supposed to be (i.e., is it actually zero)?
[/quote]
edited. my bad it is 0.5[/quote]
as always, thank you for your input! ill look into those tests.
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
[quote]anonym wrote:
What’s the final cortisol reading supposed to be (i.e., is it actually zero)?
[/quote]
edited. my bad it is 0.5[/quote]
as always, thank you for your input! ill look into those tests. [/quote]
You’re welcome! And I’d recommend definitely getting those new tests rather than investing in another cortisol test. Given that your levels seem to hop along the bottom range of the tests on an off day with food, it would seem to me that, while fasting and lifting might create somewhat higher levels on the test, it is reasonably certain that your cortisol output isn’t up to snuff for maintaining that kind of lifestyle on a regular basis. Your difficulty waking up and afternoon slumps attest to this.
The high → low shift as the day progress is normal and desired… yours just seems a little too low which suggests there might be a problem up the line a ways.
Figuring out what precursors are low and working to fix them can be of tremendous value as far as not only boosting your cortisol and dependent energy levels (it was for me) but also, hopefully, addressing your rT3 issues (it was for me) such that you either might need LESS thyroid medication or, who knows, perhaps be able to get off of it, altogether.
As always, keep us posted.
just got more blood work back so i figured i’d put it up…
t4, t3, and rt3 are consistent with previous labs
test, SHBG and estradiol are back to normal after stopping the trib.
aside from that
DHEA sulfate 497 110-510 mcg/dL
Progesterone 0.7 <1.4 ng/mL
Amino Acid Test - Urine
showed asparagine, glutamine, threonine, tyrosine, valine and tryptophan were low
I have been on 2 grains Armour per day, despite not resolving RT3 issues. Dr O and Han have said they don’t believe RT3 to be a good indicator anymore and that the Armour won’t have conversion issues… Everything I have read and have been told tells me otherwise but I’ve decided to stop doing my own “self medicating”.
Recent labs show thyroid values to, again, be consistent with the last two labs above.
I have been supplementing with 100mg of Preg from what I assume is a low quality product.
Prog: 0.8 <1.4
I will be switching brands. Order is in transit.
Cortisol, AM: 14.2 4.0-22
C Reactive Protein: 1 <8
(I do not have units because values were given over phone)
Dose has been increased to 2.5 grains per day Armour.
On the phone today, Dr O has essentially told me they don’t know where to go from here. I am being referred to an Endo. The earliest I can get an appointment with the Endo they recommended is April 30… I really can’t wait that long.
No physical, body composition or mental improvements noticed since taking/increasing Armour. Quality of life is actually significantly worse than 1 month ago. It may just be coincidence or wear-and-tear, for lack of a better term. In the last week I have almost completely lost control of my emotions. Randomly while walking to class, watching TV, lifting etc I’ll become very angry/aggressive for a split second, then extremely sad/depressed. It only lasts 30 seconds max and then I’m fine, rationalizing I have nothing to be upset about.
If anyone has any thoughts or comments I’d appreciate it. Thanks.
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
I have been on 2 grains Armour per day, despite not resolving RT3 issues. Dr O and Han have said they don’t believe RT3 to be a good indicator anymore and that the Armour won’t have conversion issues… Everything I have read and have been told tells me otherwise but I’ve decided to stop doing my own “self medicating”.
[/quote]
I don’t agree with this…at all
Sorry to hear about your roadblock man. Hope you get some answers. IMO, it would be worthwihle to try clearing RT3 (what was the value?) with a combination of hydrocortisone and T3 only meds (Cytomel). I have seen enough anecdotal evidence to think this is the right track.
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
I have been on 2 grains Armour per day, despite not resolving RT3 issues. Dr O and Han have said they don’t believe RT3 to be a good indicator anymore and that the Armour won’t have conversion issues… Everything I have read and have been told tells me otherwise but I’ve decided to stop doing my own “self medicating”.
[/quote]
I don’t agree with this…at all
Sorry to hear about your roadblock man. Hope you get some answers. IMO, it would be worthwihle to try clearing RT3 (what was the value?) with a combination of hydrocortisone and T3 only meds (Cytomel). I have seen enough anecdotal evidence to think this is the right track.[/quote]
I agree with you but they are the only ones who will treat me and I have already been warned once about taking my own meds. If I do it again, I’ll have no one.
I did clear my own RT3 with cytomel months ago, I think I was at (8) on 11-32 scale, then I was put on Armour.
Prior to any Cytomel or Armour my RT3 was consistently 27+ (11-32). I’ll have to see if I can get the RT3 values on Monday as they were still pending when I first got my labs back. Thanks for the input!
How did you feel with the cleared RT3?
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
How did you feel with the cleared RT3?[/quote]
No different. I can pop 100mcg or 25mcg (real) cytomel and notice no difference. No heat, sweating, increased heart rate, energy etc.
I do not ‘respond’ to prohormones either. Took a legit product, had blood work done b/c I wasn’t getting any results, lab work showed Total test > 1500, and no strength or size increases were noticed. Got post-cycle acne across the shoulders, used standard nolva PCT and test stabilized back to previous values.
Did Han and O comment on your progesterone results? What possible conclusions can be drawn?
The first might be addressable just by knowing the brand you were using, but, really, blood work would be required to really know what is going on here.
What are their plans to get your cortisol up?? Do they have no other plans other than increasing your Armour and waiting for the endo’s schedule to clear up?
I would also have to disagree with their trivialization of rT3. Armour is probably a bad choice for you right now.
Did you end up asking MODOK what his thoughts are?
[quote]anonym wrote:
Did Han and O comment on your progesterone results? What possible conclusions can be drawn?
The first might be addressable just by knowing the brand you were using, but, really, blood work would be required to really know what is going on here.
What are their plans to get your cortisol up?? Do they have no other plans other than increasing your Armour and waiting for the endo’s schedule to clear up?
I would also have to disagree with their trivialization of rT3. Armour is probably a bad choice for you right now.
Did you end up asking MODOK what his thoughts are?[/quote]
I asked them about the Prog result (.7) and they said it wasn’t a concern. Haven’t asked since. I’ve been writing in the Prog tests.
I believe the preg I was using was a bunk product (Source Naturals). I’ve been using the new one (Swanson) over the last 3 days and I do feel a little better although it could be placebo.
Sent them my diurnal cortisol results but no plans on acting on them. So yeah, just waiting on an Endo…
Just got back to a comp now so will be sending MODOK a PM in the next few moments…
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
I asked them about the Prog result (.7) and they said it wasn’t a concern. Haven’t asked since. I’ve been writing in the Prog tests.
I believe the preg I was using was a bunk product (Source Naturals). I’ve been using the new one (Swanson) over the last 3 days and I do feel a little better although it could be placebo.
Sent them my diurnal cortisol results but no plans on acting on them. So yeah, just waiting on an Endo…
Just got back to a comp now so will be sending MODOK a PM in the next few moments…[/quote]
IMO, your best options are: LEF, MRM and Nutricology. The first two I can personally vouch for, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about the third (except the price).
I’ve switched over to BAC Nutrition for preg and DHEA and have been capping them myself with a Vit C filler. As affordable as you can get once you move past the start up cost of the scale and capping machine. Plus, I feel they are a reputable company.
Hopefully, MODOK has some good advice for ya.