What to do, when your own body is trying to kill you?

Well... if ascending/descending aortic dissections, 3 aneurysms, 2 major strokes, constant hypo-tension (medically induced LOW blood pressure) and degenerative discs w/ associated back spasms weren't enough, I received the lovely news a month ago... that my thyroid, has gone into a hyper state again.

First time, was prior to all my medical issues. I wouldn't have ever known, unless the doctor just happened to run my thyroid levels. So I've been tested regularly since then. At the time, I was medicated and my levels returned to normal. However, I did develop benign lumps and goiter (thyroid inflammation).

Fast Forward, post all my medical issues and I noticed a few months ago, that my anxiety and stress were at close to uncontrollable levels. I'd get maybe 2 hours relief from pharmaceuticals and less than that with MMJ. I hadn't said anything to my doctor, but during a regular check of my thyroid levels, its showing hyper again.

So far, the levels aren't dangerously high on the blood test, the thyroid uptake was a bit high, though not dangerously... but the symptoms are 10x worse. I can't talk for more than 5 - 10 minutes before my voice starts to go out and my throat starts to hurt, horribly... especially when swallowing. It feels like trying to swallow a razor-blade at the sternum. If I get choked up, by something... my whole throat feels like its swelling shut.

The worst part though, is the hyperactive thyroid produces hormone levels that shoot stress and anxiety thru the roof. My two worst mortal enemies, no joke, no exaggeration. The heart palpitations aren't a walk in the park either.

So what to do... when your own body is trying to kill you?

When I was first diagnosed with Rheumatoid Disease, I went into a state of depression. I already had other medical issues, but adding an incurable disease to the mix was just too much for me to handle. I didn't even know RD would attack my organs, including my heart. It took me a long time to get any kind of acceptance of my medical condition. Now, I take things one day at a time.

Sage advice Vicki. BDV, do you supplement with any iodine? I have found that goiter and thyroid problems stem, mostly, because all of the iodine has been removed from our food supply, on purpose. The endocrinologists will tell you all you need is the iodine in salt to keep goiter away, not true. Your body will hold and use up to a gram and a half of iodine before it starts excreting it in urine. Every gland and major organ in your body uses iodine. Iodine used to be used as a dough conditioner in bread, it was replaced with bromine, another halide, which takes iodine's place in your body and messes it up. The problem is our environment is saturated with halides that mess with our iodine receptors like bromine and chlorine. I highly recommend this book on the subject:


http://www.drbrownstein.com/Iodine-Why-You-Need-It-p/iodine.htm

Now if you decide to supplement you will see Iodoral which is an oral, pill form, of iodine. I choose Magnascent iodine or "Atomodine" as Edgar Casey called it. Its basically iodine passed through a strong magnetic field so it is broken down to its atomic or base form. A drop or 2 in my water glass keeps things on track, and hygienic. A lot of people have forgotten that iodine kills all bad bacteria etc, there is no resistance to it like with antibiotics, but it won't harm healthy tissues.

http://www.magnascent.com/Index.aspx

i love learning new things like what you just posted t-dub.

forgive me if this is silly, i sincerely hope it isn't, but since you're clearly more knowledgeable on this subject...i'd love to hear your feedback on other similar remedies i've heard a little about, such as oil of oregano and neem leaves.

also interested in learning more about something i guess isn't often even checked, your body's ph level and how your diet's alkalinity/acid intake works. totally blew my mind when i read that your body turns lemons, which you would think are acidic, into nutrients that you metabolize as alkaline. if your body is being fed too much acidic food, i guess it has to extract the necessary counter parts from your existing tissue/bone to maintain a specific ph level range. i have no idea if that is true and i'd love to hear other more informed thoughts.

Thanks for the feedback. Just been feeling physically miserable for the last few months and its hard keeping your spirits up, when every morning waking up, is just a reminder of how miserable the day is going to be. Of course, its what you make it... but keeping a grin on your face constantly, when everything else hurts... is getting hard. Its especially annoying, when its difficult to explain that you can't talk anymore. It comes off sounding rude, to me.

I'll check into that iodine info, t-dub. I remember I had a similar conversation with my doctor a few years ago, because I asked the same question, when they told me to cut out salt of my diet. I was told, there was all the salt I needed in the food we eat. Well, most of the food I eat, is home-cooked. My wife doesn't add a lot of salt, and if she does... its Sea Salt. I personally can't remember the last time I picked up a salt shaker. So if I'm not getting it in my diet, sure would be nice if someone said something, especially after having this flare up twice. I know I can process the iodine, because I just did the damn test, which came out pretty normal, which it measures the amount of Iodine your body processes (its the thyroid that does it, for those that don't know) can be accomplished by my body. Obviously, I'm not getting enough. I don't have Grave's Disease... so something has to be making it act up.

The other suckage part, is the Thyroid is exceptionally slow reacting to medications. Last time it took 3 months... I don't expect its going to be any quicker this time.

I also have Thyroid problems. (I'm Hypothyroid) They have been trying to get that particular medication right for over a year now. We always buy iodized salt because we know we all need it, me in particular. We were able to find iodized sea salt last time we were at the grocery store too.

My mother had a huge goiter, and they had to slit her neck from ear to ear during surgery to get the damn thing out. No way that's happening to me!

Of course it's hard for you, and very understandable that it's depressing. You can only do so much, and you shouldn't push yourself, if you can help it. Try to do something everyday that makes you happy.

A worthy quest. Here is one of the seminal works on the subject. I lent this book to my Rheumatologist's wife, and NEVER got it back despite repeated requests:



This will inevitably lead you to the subject of drinking electronically restructured water. Its why my lab has one of these, yes they are expensive . . .

Only one problem, with surgery option.

I'm not a candidate for ANY surgeries any more. Not an Anesthesiologist on the planet that will put me under, unless its with one of two surgeons in the United States. One is at the University of Penn, the other at University of Southern California.

Have they checked your Thymus Gland? Your symptoms say they shouldn't over look that one, ask for it. It could be infected or diseased (Thymoma) and triggering your Thyroid which would work normal otherwise. Been studying up on this. A tumor in me led docs to my Thymus. Still waiting on discovery info on that. As for anxiety, have you ever taken Xanax? Your anxiety is so bad, its turning into panic attacks. Xanax blocks those messages. And a little goes a long way. You can feel this medication work without feeling medicated. I do great on a once a day dose. Rarely, I have chopped one up to take a tiny amount to get the edge off. But I swear by it for panic style anxiety.

Only if your not allergic to it like I am. Now I know why my sodium levels stay low. Thanks!

Been on Xanax for close to 4 years. It works, but when your thyroid goes into overdrive... doesn't matter. You're going for a ride.

Only had 2 real panic attacks and 2nd wasn't that bad, because I realized what was going on. 1st one, scared the shit out of me, because it felt like my original dissection.

They checked my Thymus originally back in 2007 (fine). Haven't checked it now. I'll bring it up, with my doctor.

No shit man! When I am Hyperthyroid, I'm like The Flash. Heart rate sky rockets, no appetite, weight loss, etc. I despise it.

I can relate. Difference here, it's my immune system that goes rouge. What in the world did we eat or get exposed to causing all these hyper responses in our body's? And the real killer is the inflammation these events create. Not good! Do you feel like your body is trying to electrocute itself? That's how my hyper responses feel to me.

I get these electric "shock" buzz thingys that run from the center of my skull "zap" down my spine and out my arms and legs. Its a pins and needls/electric shock feeling and they get worse as I fatigue. My brother and sister who both have MS, also experience these. Their neurologist has no explanation, I have not seen him yet to make it a trifecta for his study . . .

Whoa! That sounds like a main nerve is under attack!!! Have you been diagnosed or are you still getting treatments as things come up? I bet Neurosurgeon would know the answer. Can you ask for a referral to one as another opinion on your case? A Neurosurgeon has to know more than a Neurologist to do their job. My Neurosurgeon wasn’t happy to find out that my Neurologist didn’t bother to do more testing on me, missing the possibility of a Neuromuscular disease which is something she should have known. In my opinion, she took very little interest in my case from the beginning. There’s a story behind that but it’s all water under the bridge now. Good news, my Neurosurgeon promised to hook me up with a better neurologist. You are right that if you can get into a study (that’s safe for you of course) that would help you gain access to some truly brilliant people. The doctors in research like the scientific side of medicine. They have to know how these responses you’re having connect. The practicing doctors we all see as patients may or may not take an interest in knowing the science behind their work. Have you Goggled your fingers off trying to find information? Having the internet for information has really helped me out a lot.

None of my docs know what it is. I just recently found out my siblings had the same issue, we don't communicate much as we are all extremely ill and kind of on our own trips. I'm holding my breath because as terrible as my Psoriatic Arthritis is, I'm in the best shape out of all of us . . .

There's still more discovery work your doctors can order. Since you and siblings are sharing these symptoms (give or take) if they gene map you, that would give docs a list of diseases your predisposed to have and/or inherited. Anything your siblings match to that hasn't already been checked off by your doctors could be the hot lead they need. Also, there is a test they can order from the Mayo Clinic that can look inside each blood cell and tell doctors if any (note the word any) disease is hiding inside them. It's a specialized test so their lab only sets up for it every couple of weeks, making the turnaround to ordering doctors up to 3 weeks out. I'm really sorry to hear your doctors are willing to throw their hands up in the air and say we come up dirt. They come up dirt because they've exhausted their mental bandwiths. There are smarter people at their disposal. I do understand their job can be labor intensive and frustrating, but a good doctor would be passionate to crack the case and when they run out of ideas, reach out. I would ask about these couple of tests and if they nay say them, seek out another doctor that's willing to take things to the next level with you. Here we are living in the 21st century where a blood test can DNA every living creature on the planet. If you can keep the same doctors it is better for you, but don't let a doctors laziness, pride, or boredom decide your fate. We are all making huge investments in medical care. It's there to take full advantage, not half.

Do I dare make a funny here? The ladies will get a chuckle. I'm reading the hyper thyroid symptoms and they sound like symptoms some of us women get with mennopause. Now imagine going to your doctor and telling them all this and they smile, pat your on the head and say, it's no big deal it's just mennopause. Eve sure screwed women! Sentence all of us for life to pay for the Apple.

Nerve "shocks" sound a lot like one of my "ills"... Chronic Myofascia Pain. basically, the myfascia (sheaths that surround the nerves) contracts for no known reason, and makes the nerves "fire"... could be pain, or a shock, or a twitch, or a spasm. When I get them, they will stop the associated muscle/join from working (if I'm walking, and my knee "fires", I can end up on my face). Mine is associated with my Fibromyalgea, but it can be caused by other neurological thing.

I have gotten the absolute best results by changing what I eat. Yes, MMJ helps a lot with the pain, aches, and stress, but the number of incidents has dropped since I took grains/glutens out of my life. That isn't all I did, though. Besides glutens, I also eliminated PUFAs, most sources of sugars, and I ingest a lot of traditional healing foods, like grass-fed butter, cod liver oil, pastured pork, and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kombucha.

On the bright side, BigDaddyVape, at least your medication of choice is probably not making things worse, like a lot of pharmas can. I do hope that you get to the bottom of this quickly, and get better soon.

Andropause . . . hormone probs aren't just for the ladies any more. I just had to quit the T-Gel because it was driving me absolutely insane. Replaced with Tongkat-Ali and Myomin, they are working fantastic so far, time will tell though as my body tries to go back to making and managing its own testosterone. . .

Deleted............no need anymore. It was already read by the person that needed to read it. Hope it helped..........

Tongkat-Ali and Myomin still working well. It will be interesting to see what the labs show when we pull them next.

Oh my goodness. What happened here?? I think I understood this particular thread being specific to an autoimmune disease. That’s the health crisis I’m in. Perhaps this site is not a good place to feel safe and learn how to cope. I found another support site called Daily Strength. The groups are specific to the type of disease the subscriber is dealing with. I have a rare autoimmune MG (myasthenia gravis). This Wednesday I find out if my PET scan found caner too. I certainly wouldn't want someone telling me it's not ok to share my struggles, ups, downs, or frustration with it. I think it’s important to keep in mind that everyone doesn’t find out quickly what is going wrong. It took doctors 3 years to finally discover what was going on with me. Before a diagnosis, folks like me are in no man’s land. They know something is very wrong and doctors have to flush out all the easy stuff. At this point in a medical journey people like me have to ride out their medical problem the hard way. For 3 years it’s been impossible for me to get my head around anything specific. All I could accept is knowing my life has been turned upside down and hit or miss if something like MMJ might help. Doctors don't treat patients until they know what they are treating. It doesn’t mean they don’t order medication to help keep symptoms in check but it’s a guessing game. So I for one totally understand that many people are out there just starting the process of coping with exactly what disease they are dealing with and understand what's going on inside their body and how they’re going to deal with it. I've discovered my 3 years of declining health is short compared to others. Some cases have taken up to 8 years. While in the process of waiting for diagnoses it can be a pretty lonely trail. Support groups are disease specific. Anyways, I think it’s wrong to put someone down because they feel stuck or having trouble getting traction. Each person’s battle is unique. Some have more family or friend support than others. Overall, if a person can’t greet people on the medical thread of this site with compassion, then they don’t belong visiting it. It takes a lot of courage to be open and vulnerable in hopes others can connect parts and pieces in their own journey. There is nothing wrong with seeking compassion from others. Each person in a medical battle will not be the same as another. That’s the whole idea of seeking support. One last point. If someone shares a write another can’t accept, no one but you obligated yourself to engage. If you can’t stand what you’re reading, try changing the channel to something else.

Hmmm.........my son was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis about 10 years ago. We first noticed it when we were sitting around the dinner table and noticed that one of his eyes started to drift off center. The diagnosis was pretty quick. I don't remember exactly what the drug was, but the doctor injected him with something while looking at how his eyes reacted. It was a pretty black and white diagnosis. He is now dealing with another auto-immune disease called SPS (stiff persons syndrome) which is a lot more rare than MG and a LOT more painful. They've got it under control, but he's taking stacks of tranks and opiates and he may have to stay on them for the rest of life, but he's dealing with it as are we.

Anyway, not quite sure where you are going with your post above, but the person that you are referring to has had a very long history here and what has happened here has more to do with that history than anything that was discussed in this thread.

While I think the majority of members here are a very compassionate lot, you are also correct that there are other sites more geared into dealing with the sharing of terminal illnesses and all that that entails than a site that is dedicated to vaporizers.

Member-to-member beef, I don't know the whole story, but it's behind us now.

You'd be surprised how fast people from other communities will ostracize you for even hinting at using cannabis as a medication for illnesses. Oh, you're a stoner loser, oh, you're just exaggerating/making things up to get your card you pothead, etc. At least here, the site is geared towards cannabis and vaping, with a more "open-minded" community (forgive the pun.)

Well said Iwien! Yes, a shop that sold me the PAX unit recommended this site to learn about vaping. But I keep in mind that everyone consuming cannabis legally are supposed to have a medical condition so I don't assume otherwise, however my state is not requiring medical records to be permitted so it depends on the doctor if a person will get the recommendation based on a person self diagnoses. Anyways, I had no idea how much there is to learn. Thanks to this site, I got my wings and tried a couple of different ideas. MMJ has helped with the muscle and bone pain the nerve pain is causing but it's not strong enough to hold back my immune system being in a snit. I've been in ER twice with what they call an inappropriate immune response. I think they should name it an immune temper tantrum. LOL!! Last one was pretty serious. The reason my case was so difficult to diagnose is I didn't have the drooping eye. I studied up on MG. There are 2 ways the disease can start. Optical MG is the most common. But there is what they call a generalized version attacking muscle groups of the body. My assaults on my legs and sinuses giving me fake asthma. I call it fake because I'm not allergic to anything. Because my legs are more typical to a case of MS, that's what they went looking for. When they got back the MRI's on my brain and spine the MRI just happen to pick up a tumor on the outside of my spine. They ordered a CT scan and referred me to Nero surgery. I'm now working with a Thoracic surgeon. He ordered a PET to confirm if the tumor is benign or malignant (Thymoma) OR if there are other tumors in my body. This tumor sure picked a cozy spot! It's surrounded by my lungs, aorta heart valve and esophagus. Good news, my blood work from Mayo Clinic came back clean. That tested each blood cell to see if any disease was hiding inside them. MG wouldn't show up on that test but cancer would. Soooo, at minimum I'm expecting this doctor to recommend removal of my Thymus gland and I'll find out if I need any cancer treatment. Did your son have his Thymus removed? From what I've read, doctors favor removing it regardless of malignancy when MG is found because it gives MG patients a better chance of going into complete remission.