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Thyroiditis, APD, & gluten.

by Traci
(Sonora, CA USA)

After searching through the forums and not finding answers I am asking for help. I have written before but I will give my past history.
I was on and off BCP at an early age because my periods were so heavy and I had ovarian cysts. I never consistantly used them because they made me sick. Finally at 18 I started them again because I was tired of having heaving periods and painful ovarian cysts. Now that I look back that was nothing compared to what I deal with now. My Dr kept changing the brand because they made me so sick and we finally started on Yasmine. She told me it was the best for ovarian cysts. At first it helped but within a few months I had painul, but not heavy periods again and I started developing stomach problems. I gained a bunch of weight even though I couldn't keep any food down. I went in for an ultrasound because I was having ovarian pain again and they discovered that I had a dark fluid filled cyst that needed to be removed. Also, during that ultrasoud they saw that my appendix was enlarged which normally can't be seen on a ultrasound. I had surgery to remove the cyst and my appendix. After surgery I could keep food down again but I got a very painful UTI. My Dr said it was from the surgery because an incision was made above my bladder. I was given antibiotics which helped the infection but the pain never went away. I should mention now that I was constantly on anitbiotics when I was younger because I always had strep throat and mysterious rashes that started just before I started menstrating. I also was diagnosed with a severe allergy to mercury and I had many amalgam fillings which I have had removed. For a few years I stayed on Yasmine and still sufferd with bladder pain, painful periods, rashes, hives, and painful intercourse. I was then diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. I tried NAET to clear my allergies and I almost felt normal again. I stopped taking Yasmine so I could get pregnant and did right away. Around 4 or 5 months I developed gestational diabetes and within a month I developed a rash wround my wedding ring. After I had my son I was given antibiotics and steriods to clear it up but it never completely went away. I was also tested for allergies to the metals in my ring but they all came back negative and I would get the rash even if I wasn't wearing my ring.

I got pregnant with my second when my son was only 7 months, but I was relieved because I had started menstrating again and I felt so much better pregnant despite the Gestational Diabetes. After I had my daughter I felt great! She was colicky so I had a real strict diet. I lost a bunch of weight and I just felt great. I started menstrating again when she was only 3 months old, maybe because I was hardly eating anything, but my periods were great. Light, regular and no pain. When my daughter was just over a year old I stopped breast feeding. I started working out more because I knew I wouldn't be burning as many calories. I then got a bad cold and within a few weeks I got thyroiditis for the first time. I gained 20lbs. in two months and felt awful. My periods were worse than ever. I tried for a couple years to get better, but with no luck. I even tried progesterone cream, which helped at first but I wasn't using enough and got worse. Suddenly I felt better. I soon found out I was pregnant again. During this pregnacy I felt great but I developed painful, bulging viens and it was difficult for me to keep my blood sugar levels balanced.
After my third was born I had a tubal and my bleeding never stopped. I also had large clots and the flow was full of mucous. My Dr. kept telling me to give it time, which I did but I never got better.
He did an ultrasound and found nothing abnormal. I went to a homoepathic dr and they ordered a complete hormone panel and it found that I was estrogen and testosterone dominant.My FSH was also low and my cortisol levels slumped in the afternoon. I am not sure how to read the tests but it also looks like my LH dropped drastically after ovulation. She didn't believe in using hormones so I went into debt purchasing herbs that were suppose to balance my hormones but nothing helped. My bleeding finally slowed when I stared menstrating again, after around five months after I gave birth, but even then I only had few days during the month that I wasn't bleeding. I also gained 20lbs and got horrible acnce and another mysterious rash on the back of my leg where I had had a heat rash when I was younger. I went back to the Dr, a few actually, and they all wanted to put me on BCP. I said no so they did lots of blood work. The only thing they found that was abnormal was my esinophil count/percentage which was high. More tests, allergy and parasites, all normal. I then went on an ellimination diet and everything got worse... rashes, labor-like mentrual cramps, acne, and I started having gall bladder attacks hours before I would start my period. I went off the diet and felt a little better.
Then I found your site.:)I started the cream (200mg)and my rash on back of my leg immediately went away (but not the one on my finger). I was feeling better. When I went off of it to have a period I got the rash back and felt awful. I wrote you and stared using Natpro continuously as you suggested. I finaly had a normal cycle. But then after a month I started feeling bad again. I developed fluid in my right ear (new symptom) and my rash on my leg came back so I started increasing the dose of Natpro. I continued to get worse even though I continued to raise the dose up to 1000mg/day. I wanted to quit but then read some posts on the forum and decided to raise the dose again to about 1500mg/day and I completely cut out gluten. Within 48 hours the rash on my finger was so bad that it was bleeding constantly and I developed thyroiditis which was so painful that I couldn't even move my neck. I kept using the Natpro for a couple days but I wasn't getting any better so I stopped. Within 12 hours my thyroiditis was gone and the rash on my finger cleared up.
I had a little spotting but not bad. So far my symptoms haven't worsened but it has only been a week. I have read that progesterone can trigger Hashimoto's if the dose is too high. I have been tested before many times and nothing abnormal. My Mom is Hypothyroid. I am not sure what to believe.
I also read about Autoimmune Progesterone Dermatitis and it sounds like I have a lot of the same symptoms. Before starting the Natpro my periods were all over the place but it did seem like my rash got worse just before bleeding.
I also read that if you have an autoimmune disease that something like gluten or smoking cigarettes can depress your immune system so it lessens your symptoms. Do you think that is why my rash on my finger comes back worse after cutting out gluten? Like I said before I'm not sure what I should believe. I trust you but I am worried that I am allergic to progesterone. I was diagnosed with a progesterone allergy through muscle testing and was treated and Natpro did seem to work better after that but I was told that a high dose of progesterone can make you allergic again???
And... I have also read about Post Tubal Ligation Syndrom. But then again I had a lot of the symptoms before my tubal. They just got worse. Honestly I think they are all attributed to being deficiant in progesterone at a young age and then the BCP made it worse. Including the heavy antibiotic use and amalgam fillings.
I am sorry that I have gone on and on. I just want to give you all the information (actually I am sure I left something out). Any advice is greatly appreciated. FYI I take IntraMax liquid vitamins and extra vitamin D and probiotics. As of right now I am not using the Natpro. I just ordered a huge shipment but now I am terrified that the thyroiditis will come back. (I forgot that I tried Armour a couple of times but I had heart palpitations. Told you I would forget something;) Please help. I am only 32 years old with a 6, 5 and almost 2 year old. I need my health and my energy. You have already helped me so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Comments for Thyroiditis, APD, & gluten.

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Nov 21, 2012
 Update
by: Traci

I started having insomnia and heartburn again so I decided to go back on Natpro, 4 tsp/day. Within 24 hours my thyroiditis came back! The rash on my finger has not came back so I believe it got worse before because I cut gluten out of my diet. I have seached for hours on the forums and I think I am not getting enough tyrosine, iodine, selenium, N-acetyl cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. I am going to head to the store tomorrow to get some to hold me over until I get some Energy Boost. What I am wondering now is how to take progesterone without causing thyroiditis? If I take the above listed supplements will I be able to take the progesterone without causing thyroiditis?
Nov 22, 2012
 Thyroiditis, APD, & gluten
by: Wray

Hi Traci I do have your last query and my reply to you. I'm so sorry you've had this set back, which does baffle me, (although I suspect low vitamin D). As it's evident progesterone does help, plus you always feel better when pregnant. Firstly the Autoimmune Progesterone Dermatitis, yes there is supposedly an 'allergy' to progesterone. I find it quite amusing reading the studies, if they weren't so misleading. I don't believe such a thing as APD exists. For a very simple reason, we make great quantities of progesterone during pregnancy, over 400mg/day in the third trimester. The occurrence of this so called disorder would therefore be far, far higher than it is. But it's extremely rare. It always occurs in the few days before we bleed. Progesterone increases from ovulation, peaking mid luteal phase, then the few days prior to bleeding it starts dropping sharply, please see the Graph we have. It's this drop or withdrawal, which causes all the major symptoms many women suffer from, including the dermatitis. The ratio of progesterone to oestrogen becomes skewed during these few days, with oestrogen dominating. One study which blamed progesterone says "The patient... had recurrent cyclic lesions on the skin... that appeared just before regular menstruation and persisted until a few days after." Ironically the anti-oestrogen drug tamoxifen was given to suppress it. Another study mentions "a significant premenstrual flare of skin lesions", but in this case they acknowledged it was caused by oestrogen, which makes a great deal of sense. The paper ends by stating "Women can become sensitized to their own estrogens; the major clue is worsening of the skin problem premenstrually" Again the drug used to suppress it was tamoxifen, see here, here and here.
Continued below
Nov 22, 2012
 Thyroiditis, APD, & gluten Part 2
by: Wray

Hi Traci Another study suggests "the possible impact of estrogen mimetics, in the environment and in food... is associated with mast cell activation" Progesterone inhibits mast cell secretion, see here. All the adverse symptoms we get are usually either around ovulation, or the few days prior to bleeding. At these times oestrogen can predominate if progesterone doesn't peak, or drops too fast. I have not found any study showing the thyroid is affected by high amounts of progesterone, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. Oddly enough if my thyroid flares up I smother that whole area with cream several times a day, and it goes. I also increase my vitamin D substantially too, taking about 100,000 iu's for 6 days. Have you had a test done? I know you say you're taking it, but please have your level checked. I mentioned about vitamin D and GDM in my previous reply, this is caused by a lack of vitamin D. Although the papers are always cautious about saying this, see here. GDM adversely affects progesterone too, see here Also a lack of vitamin D adversely affects the thyroid, see here, here and here. A lack of taurine plays a role in GDM too, see here. I did suggest you take some for your liver. Please stay off the progesterone if your symptoms don't become too bad, and have a vitamin D test done. I know you got the insomnia again, but the thyroiditis also came back. It could be you need the tyrosine, iodine and selenium, as these three are needed to make the thyroid hormones. Possibly the progesterone is stimulating the thyroid too much, and with a lack of these, the thyroid can't cope. The cheapest vitamin D test is from Birmingham Hospital. They'll send you a test kit, you put drops of blood on a sheet they supply and send it back to them. They'll give you the results by email. Continued below
Nov 22, 2012
 Thyroiditis, APD, & gluten Part 3
by: Wray

Hi Traci Ignore their adequate levels, far too low at 50nmol/L (20ng/ml). Even the FDA has theirs at 30ng/ml. BH give the results in nmol/L, these are 2.5 times greater than ng/ml. But this is too low according to the specialists. Alternatively the sites I gave you previously have test kits. Some women have found in spite of using high amounts of progesterone, that it was only when they got their vitamin D level up high, that persistent symptoms went, see here. Once you have them, please come back to me. We can then assess things again. If progesterone isn't for you, which would surprise me, we'll take back the stock you bought. Take care Wray

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