Thyroid medication

[Damzlfly]

Ok I have a question. I had my thyroid removed in 94, I had a cyst growing on it and they needed to remove it. Since then, i have been on thyroid meds. How will being RAW affect this? I am now 100% raw (and very high percentage for the last few weeks). I've noticed this week a few times I have forgotten to take my pills...that and I'm out of my asthma medication and have not bothered to get it refilled either...I'm just lazy..but no flare ups! I might just get it and keep it for an in case moment and see what happens ;) But I am concerned about the thyroid stuff. Has anyone had a similar issue?

[Veganforlife]

Hey there! Almost seven years ago I was diagnosed with a dead thyroid. Since then I have been put on Synthroid and my specialist doc (short, fat, bald MAN, pill pusher), has tried all different levels. Since going raw 9 months ago, he has cut my meds in half and then in half again. I am due to go back next month - April and I'm pretty sure he'll take me off of them totally.
I was hypOthyroid? And now he claims I am hypERthyroid. I asked him, "Well, shouldn't I be shaking or not sleeping, or acting like I'm hyper?" He agreed, but is flabbergassed as to why my thyroid is now functioning. He's reading the meds now - that's all.
For the first few months after going raw, he would ask if I was taking any other meds - nope - Synthroid is the only one. Was I eating differently? Just fruits and veggies, oh yeah, and green smoothies. "No, no, that should not have anything to do with this." Well hello! Ya dumb schmuck! Then why did you ask? I'm sorry, but to me that's stupid. I didn't want to go in the whole raw food gig with him, but I've hinted around. He knows I'm Vegan and knows I drink green smoothies. Before we depart I will tell him all about it. AND how he should be more informed. But he wouldn't want to do that - his patients wouldn't be his patients anymore!
Getting back to you. I don't see how a raw diet would affect you and your meds. My first thought is that you will need to take meds maybe forever since you don't have a thyroid producing iodine and metabolising and all. I'm wondering out loud here, but wonder if you incorporate more sea veggies into your diet, which are loaded with iodine if that would help your metabolism? There are many ways you can do this. Spirluna in smoothies for one. Dulse and kelp flakes in salads or smoothies.
Are your doctor/doctors open to discussing eating raw with you? Or are they traditionalists?
Maybe others will pipe in here too.
Good luck!
BTW - I love your name.
Damzlfly!:)

[asil]

Well, I had my thyroid irradiated but that usually doesn't kill off the entire thing -- it just takes out some part of it and it's unpredictable as to how much. SO if I started needing less in the way of meds, I wouldn't be too surprised. I'd just assume that the remainder of my thyroid had started healing and becoming more efficient. And lots of people who have malfuntioning thyroids report improvement on raw. But if you have no thyroid at all? Did you have the whole thing removed or just the area with the cysts? My yoga teacher had some cysts removed, along with a portion of her thyroid and after about five years of thyroid-stimulating yoga poses was able to get off meds entirely.

Whatever your situation, take it slow. As you probably know, it takes a long time for thyroid med levels to stabilize in the body -- about 6 months. So if you stopped taking your meds now, you probably would feel OK for a while, months maybe. But then it would take a long time to start feeling better again after you restarted your meds. And if you have no thyroid at, the results might be more dramatic.

Best of luck to you. :)

[Solace]

Veganforlife, Just had to say WOW to your story, again on the doctors are lost list.:) I have been off anti-depressants for over a month now, a phycotherapist told me " Vegan diet, oh well that will be good for fiber but thats it" lol what a joke.:rolleyes: Sorry for the off topic post:D

[Sharon in Colorado]

Lucy does he realize that you cut out all animal products, grains and cooked out of your diet? Maybe he isn't quite making the connection.

[Damzlfly]

Veganforlife - They did managed to salvage a portion of my thyroid, and I am already on a low dose of Synthroid - I think its .05...the white pills anyways. Which has always surprised me since I have so little of it left. I haven't seen my doctor in months, but as I am preparing for surgery (i know i know...carpal tunnel...its BAD and there has been no improvement) I'm going to ask them to do a complete blood screen. I'm curious how everything will come back.

Excellent suggestion on the sea veggies. I will grab some nori paper and dulse this afternoon.


BTW - I love your name.
Damzlfly!

hehe thanks...it goes with the tat of a dragonfly on my back...its a long but cool story...

[puffysmom]

No one ever told me that radiation only kills part of the thyroid. I made the mistake of listening to my doctor and having mine radiated cause he did not want me to stay on the medication he had me on at the time. I did not have a puter and if i had would not have listened to him. It all sounded so good. U just take a little pill daily the rest of your life. Well.........I dont like taking pills and it is the only one I now take. Before going competely raw i was doing mostly fruit and veggies and was able to get off my blood pressure medication. I had no idea that my thyroid could get better.
I dont have any doctors around who I can go to with the concept of trying sea greens. I feel like I am in a world of my own as I have no doctors or even know of anyone who is doing raw or even organic. I can now find things locally to eat but the idea that my doctor (who is a young woman)could help me out is a sad thought. BUT....thanks to all of u I can now maybe help my thyroid. Whats left of it.

Doctors dont want anyone to take their health into their own hands but not one of them is willing to help with peoples health except to perscribe medication. No money in it.

[Veganforlife]

Lucy does he realize that you cut out all animal products, grains and cooked out of your diet? Maybe he isn't quite making the connection.

Sharon - yes he knows I've been Vegetarian for 26 years and Vegan for 2. He has no clue...

[Damzlfly]

bought some dulse and dried nori today...lets see what happens. After the juice fast though