Levothyroxine & symptoms not improving

[faerydragon]

I've been 100 lbs my whole life, could eat anything I wanted without gaining weight and lots of energy. In 2004 I started gaining weight rapidly, loss of appetite, lethargy, insomnia, severe depression, weakened finger nails, new skin problems, the list goes on.
I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I also have a multi-nodular goiter on the right lobe of my thyroid plus a cyst.
I started thyroxine in Sept. 2007 and quickly went from .25 mcg to 125 mcg per day. I'm still suffering from the weight problems (got down to 74 kilos but have gained at least 10 kilos back, had been 230 lbs) and most of the other problems are still persisting. I pass out after eating about half the time and suffer from worsening memory loss (things I know that I know are hard to remember)
On top of everything, my last blood tests show low RDW, low Lymphocytes, high ESR, elevated CEA, TSH level at <0.003, T3 & T4 are within normal limits.
I've had an MRI without/with contrast to check for pituitary tumour,there's nothing there.
I'm in an area in Malaysia at the moment that has no endocrinologists and the doctors I am seeing here can only go so far with the help they can provide.
Any information you can give regarding what I might need to watch for or do until I can get to an endocrinologist would be very helpfull
Thank you.

[John Kenyon, CNA]

Hello --

While I believe, based on your history, that you have a connective tissue disease, some autoimmune process that may be causing a lot of different issues and right now is probably causing an unstable thyroiditis that can't respond properly to replacement therapy at all times, it is difficult to suggest what to look out for in particular. You're doing everything that's available to you at the moment, and I would continue on this course until you can get to where someone can do a comprehensive review of all affected systems, particularly the thyroid.

Meanwhile, because I believe you may be in the middle of a changing autoimmune situation, I'm going to refer your post to the resident rheumatology expert here, in hopes he may be able to make some additional suggestions. This is unusual, but Hashimoto's being a result of rheumatic changes, this may yield some additional help. Worth a shot, anyway.

Please check back here in a day or so and we'll see if there's anything more helpful posted. Good luck to you.