Prior to effective treatment in 2007, and for all of my life, I've felt like I was living in a dark and lonely corner of an amusement park, in a horror house of mirrors, travelling very fast on a roller coaster that wouldn't let me off! Lots of caffeine and exercise gave me brief moments of clarity, but not enough to save me from the constant disasters I created over and over again. I tried to outrun the weight gain, and I spent most of my time putting out the fires I created because of my confusion. Happiness was an elusive illusion that only other people could find. I lived my life without knowing what happiness or joy was. I was unable to craft relationships with others, so I had no people to call friends. Almost all of my family is dead. At the homestrech of this raod to death I was so sick I couldn't take care of myself. I fell victim to the greed and abuse of others who were "trying to help me."
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which is a major key to the discovery of "Peripheral Tissue Thyroid Hormone Resistance" -- PTTHR. Most Fibromyalgia is caused by low thyroid hormone levels such as Hashimoto's, or a condition known as Pituitary Thyroid Resistance, or my condition known as PTTHR. "The main underlying mechanism of Fibromyalgia is too little thyroid hormone regulation of the patient’s cells. Too little thyroid hormone regulation results from one or both of two abnormalities: (1) thyroid hormone deficiency, and (2) partial cellular resistance to thyroid hormone. Both abnormalities cause symptoms and signs mainly through the same mechanism—inadequate thyroid hormone regulation of gene transcription in the cells of affected tissues. http://www.drlowe.com/geninfo/explain.htm
I have ADHD. I was diagnosed as a young child, I was medicated for it, and I was sent to a special school. It still disturbs my life. ADHD has been determined to be a part of this disorder: "Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is a human syndrome mapped to the thyroid receptor β(TRβ) gene on chromosome 3, representing a mutation of the ligandbinding domain of the TRβ gene. The syndrome is characterized by reduced tissue responsiveness to thyroid hormone and elevated serum levels of thyroid hormones. A common behavioral phenotype associated with RTH is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)." http://learnmem.cshlp.org/content/5/4/289.full
RESISTANCE to thyroid hormone (RTH) is an inherited condition caused by defects that reduce the responsiveness of the target tissues to TH. The presence of goiter, tachycardia, hyperactivity, or abnormal findings on routine thyroid testing usually lead to further investigation and, ultimately, the diagnosis of RTH. Characteristic thyroid function tests are elevated free T4 (FT4) and free T3(FT3) concentrations with nonsuppressed TSH. Since the first cases described by Refetoff et al. in 1967 (1), more than 700 individuals with RTH belonging to about 250 families have been identified (2) (personal information). The prevalence of RTH is probably 1 in 50,000 life births (3). http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/84/11/3919.full
The diagnostic proof of Peripheral Tissue Thyroid Hormone Resistance is the fact that I take extremely large doses of T3 and it doesn't hurt me, but instead relieves all of my symptoms. "Patients with peripheral resistance must take TSH-suppressing dosages of thyroid hormone to have normal peripheral tissue metabolism. But there is nothing whatsoever harmful to these patients in having their TSH suppressed by these dosages of thyroid hormone. In fact, it would be harmful for most of them not to take such dosages. The adverse consequences include conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and liver, and cardiovascular diseases." http://www.drlowe.com/QandA/askdrlowe/resistnc.htm
My original thyroid tests in the late 1990's and early 2000 before any treatment were always "normal." "Patients who have peripheral tissue resistance to thyroid hormone have normal thyroid test results before treatment with thyroid hormone" http://www.drlowe.com/QandA/askdrlowe/resistnc.htm
I was obese and miserable, with no energy, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, IBS, mental confusion, my body temperature was frequently below 96 degrees and as low as 94.5 degrees. "If you suffer from chronic fatigue and have achy muscles and joints, heavy periods, constipation, easy weight gain, cold intolerance, dry skin, thin hair, a change in your ankle reflexes called a delayed relaxation of the deep tendon reflex (DTR), or a body temperature that tends to be on the low side of normal," http://www.endfatigue.com/health_articles_d-e/Diet-thyroid_hormone_deficiency.html
All of my adult life beginning with my first period, I suffered from very heavy and painful periods usually very brief lasting only 3 to 4 days. My short term memory was so bad I found I had difficulty maintaining relationships, and I was too tired to try harder. I was chronically anemic and I had symptoms of IBS. "chronic pain; tight muscles; poor memory; extreme fatigue, especially during your menstrual cycle; heavy menstrual flow; and anemia. These are classic symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism." http://www.drlowe.com/QandA/askdrlowe/femaleproblems.htm
In 1999 I had an unexpected 'period' that didn't stop and wasn't normal. I ended up in 2 different hospitals with severe anemia and excessive blood loss. The first hospital gave me a drug to build red blood cells. The second hospital tried to find out what the problem was, but couldn't pinpoint it.
In 2000 a mental health clinic diagnosed me as depressed in one visit and prescribed a Psych drug. The drug altered my behaviors and got me into trouble. In 2002 I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatique and treated with various Psych drugs again, none of which did anything for the fibromyalgia. But once again they altered my personality. I wasn't sleeping well, so they prescribed more Psych Drugs to help me sleep. I was in pain, so again more Psych drugs, plus Opiates. "This problem is not limited to depression. Low thyroid hormones, and the common occurrence of sluggish, poorly functioning adrenals, can play a role in a variety of emotional and behavioral symptoms and disturbances, including anxiety, excessive fear, mood swings like bi-polar, rage, irritability, paranoid schizophrenia, confusion, dementia, obsessive/compulsive disorders, and mental aberrations." http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/thyroid-depression-mental-health/
All of these symptoms are consistent with my diagnosis of Peripheral Tissue Thyroid Hormone Resistance. If I am under-treated I develop Coronary Artery Disease, Obesity, Diabetes, Rage, and Severe depression, and the risk of death is very real. If I am adequately treated I recover, and I am fine. My Cholesterol tells the tale of whether my treatment is adequate or not. "I only wish that physicians had the same concern for the potentially harmful effects of patients not being treated with thyroid hormone when it is needed, or with denying them a high enough dosage. These possible effects include elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, hypertension, enlarged heart, ischemic heart disease, vacuolated degeneration and fibrosis of the heart, congestive heart failure, primary biliary cirrhosis, learning disabilities, cognitive impairment, and suicidal depression." http://www.drlowe.com/jcl/comentry/drloblay.htm
There is a manual written about me and it seems to be completely accurate about my condition. It is:
The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia, By John C. Lowe, McDowell Publishing Company Boulder, CO
ISBN 0-914609-02-5 Hard Cover; 1,260 pgs. $99.95
"This award-winning book, The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia, is considered by thousands of readers—patients and doctors alike—to be the most thorough, well-researched, and overall important book ever written on four subjects: fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone resistance, and the clinical care of patients with these diagnoses." http://www.mcdowellpublishing.com
