Looking for Advice

I'm looking for advice on my symptoms and recent lab work.  I'm just not sure where to go from here.

Symptoms:

Drenching Night Sweats

Fatigue

Weight Loss

Feeling full

Upper Abdominal pain that radiates to my left shoulder blade

Recent labs (Compiled over the last few tests)

Abnormal Labs December 2017

Bili Total 1.4 mg/dL       0.2 - 1.2 mg/dL 12/30/2017

WBC Auto 13.2            10E9/L x10E9/L 12/30/2017

WBC 3.7 x10E9/L         4.0 - 10.0 x10E9/L 12/31/2017

Neutro Manual 0.78      37 - 80 % 12/30/2017

Lymph Manual 0.01       25 - 45 % 12/30/2017

Band Manual 0.15          0 - 5 % 12/30/2017

RBC Morph Normal   12/30/2017

WBC Morph Normal   12/30/2017

Magnesium mg/dL 1.7 mg/dL       1.8 - 2.5 mg/dL 12/30/2017

RBC 3.29 x10E12/L                 4.30 - 5.10 x10E12/L 12/30/2017

Hemoglobin 10.6 gm/dL          12.0 - 15.5 gm/dL 12/30/2017

Hematocrit 31.1                       36.0 - 47.0 % 12/30/2017

MCH 32.2 pg                            27.0 - 31.0 pg 12/30/2017

Plt Ct 112 x10E9/L                   150 - 350 x10E9/L 12/30/2017

Lymph 17.00%                          25.0 - 45.0 % 12/30/2017

Sodium 134 mmol/L                 135 - 153 mmol/L 12/30/2017

Calcium 8.3 mg/dL                    8.4 - 10.2 mg/dL 12/30/2017

Alkaline Phosphatase 150 U/L  46 - 116 U/L 12/30/2017

ALT/SGPT 173 U/L                   12 - 78 U/L 12/30/2017

AST/SGOT 160 U/L                   10 - 42 U/L 12/30/2017

Protein Total 5.6 gm/dL            6.0 - 8.0 gm/dL 12/30/2017

Albumin 3.1 gm/dL                   3.5 - 5.5 gm/dL 12/30/2017

Bili Total 1.5 mg/dL                  0.2 - 1.2 mg/dL 12/30/2017

HDL Cholesterol 66 mg/dL        40-60mg/dL 12/14/2017

Vitamin D 22.7 ng/mL               30.0-100.0 ng/mL 12/14/2017

TSH 0.41 uIU/mL                      0.5-4.7 uIU/mL 12/14/2017

Normal Labs that may be beneficial:

Free Thyroxine 0.93 ng/dL          0.75-1.54 ng/dL 12/14/2017

Free Triiodothyronine 2.6 pg/mL      2.0-4.9 pg/mL 12/14/2017

Parathyroid Hormone (Intact) 62.6 vpg/mL      8.2-83.5 pg/mL 12/14/2017

Hi Lacey, wow, that’s a lot of tests that are wonky.  Am I reading this right?

I’m no expert, but I’ll give it a shot. I’ll try to group some of the tests together.

First, your calcium, magnesium, sodium and vitamin D are low. This is of concern, as it indicates water imbalances, dehydration, lack of proper nutrition, or even excessive vomiting. You’ll need to add a natural salt source into your diet, such as sea salt, and a multimineral (make sure it include boron), multivitamin (with coblimated Bs), as well as vitamin D. Really, your vitamin D should be much higher. Your protein levels are also low, so you may want to take a supplement of essential amino acid capsules, get a good quality animal protein powder and make smoothies, or both. My favorite protein is whey protein. Stay away from soy for sure. Make sure you’re also getting enough iron. 

The low minerals could be contributing to the low parathyroid numbers. This in turn can mess up your thyroid.

Next, you have high billi and high HDL. This can indicate liver problems. When the liver becomes sluggish, it cannot eliminate waste efficiently, becomes toxic, which messes up cholesterol production, and impedes the blood flow through the liver. This to me is really crucial because all of the blood gets cleaned by flowing through the liver.  

Also, the liver works with the gallbladder to provide bile for digestion.

So you may not be getting proper digestion. Your protein is also low. So either you have a poor diet, are vegan or have gut absorption problems, which the liver problems could contribute to.

The cause of the liver problems could be a sluggish liver due to low metabolism from hypothyroidism.  In addition, if your hypothyroid conditions are such that your body temperature is below normal, you will have difficulty digesting fats.  Between the low body temp and the sluggish liver, your cholesterol is funky... you’ve got low protein, which is required for production of everything in the body from thyroxin to reproductive hormones. The reproductive hormones get a double whammy, between the sluggish liver and low protein. So it isn’t surprising you’re having night sweats. Night sweats can be caused by hormone fluctuations or hypothyroid. 

With the sluggish liver, your kidneys, which also eliminate waste, become overloaded, and the body retains water to try and dilute out the toxins, in an effort to make it easier for the body to eliminate. 

Kidneys are connected with the adrenals, which use cholesterol, produced by the liver, to produce precursors to the sex hormones, DHEA. You have high cholesterol, which could indicate your body is producing more cholesterol to try and get your hormone levels up and balanced. But with the body in survival mode, do to hypothyroidism, the adrenals and kidneys are strained and also start to shut down, so your hormone levels drop. 

Bottom line is start with what you can do- supplement your diet to try and get the nutrients you need. Commit to this for three months and re-evaluate. 

2) Clean up your diet by going to an organic, gluten free Paleo diet. This is high in nutrients and will eliminate processed foods that strain your elimination. Consider cleansing  or herbs to support your liver.

3) Get your thyroid numbers at least to midrange of norms and make sure your body temperature is normal. More than one degree F below normal us unhealthy. You’ll  likely need thyroid meds for this. But the amino acid supplements and others will certainly help. 

4) Your system is pretty out of whack. The supplements will help s lot. Exercise will also help. I’ve found acupuncture helps to rebalance my system much faster than I could on my own.

I’m not sure if that gives you some useful direction. I hope so. Because you have so many deficiencies, I’d lean towards solving the nutritional problems first it the nutrition solves some of the other issues. 

Good luck.

Hi Lacey,  I did a little searching and you want want to investigate chronic pancreatitis. Specifically, your high alkaline phosphatase and Billi, symptoms of upper abdominal pain indicate possible pancreatitis. 

Since the pancreas, liver, gallbladder and thyroid are all related, once disease advances, it’s difficult to know what causes what. 

However, once you’re so far into the illness, you still have address each issue and choose which one to start with- pick the one you feel is most important to address.

The supplements are a no brainer since they’re fast and easy to order online or buy at your local store.

Hope that helps.