Oraquick (2nd Generation) OR Third / Fourth Generation Tests?
I am female, I had one exposure exactly 30 days ago, (4 weeks) unprotected vaginal intercourse with a man of unknown status. I took an Oraquick in-home HIV test on day 23 then again on day 30 and both come out negative. The symptoms I have had are excessive urination and a rash on upper arm. So of course I started freaking out. I plan on taking more on week 6, 9, and 13. You can say I'm obsessive. Any who, how accurate are the Oraquick oral swab HIV test at 4 weeks post exposure. I hear many people say its nearly 90 to 95 percent accurate by this time, however are they referring to a third and fourth generation HIV test, because as you know Oraquick is only a SECOND generation, so does these statistics refer to the Oraquick test or not? When will antibodies be detected at the earliest for an Oraquick HIV test? Has anyone tested neg on an Oraquick oral swab HIV test at three and four weeks then later tested positive on a blood test or any other test?
View 3 RepliesThyroid :: TSH With Reflex To FT4 - 19 ... How Bad Is This?
My latest lab results read:
TSH with reflex to FT4 - 19.825
T4 free 0.4
I keep seeing a lot lower numbers on this board and cannot find anywhere that shows more info on my numbers.
How bad are those numbers? My Dr just upped my levothyroxine but acted like it was no big deal.
Multiple Sclerosis :: Babinski Reflex, Hoffmann Reflex, Brisk Reflexes Symmetrical On Both Sides
I am a 42 year old mom of 2 boys. I have been healthy most of my life. In 2011, I noticed some numbness in my left hand and it seemed to be "clumsy". My mom has MS so it scared me. Considering my family history, my family doc sent me to neuro and to have an MRI. The MRI and my exam turned out to be normal. The neuro said it could be my ulnar nerve. 2012, another episode and this time with worst headache ever and blurred vision. Once again I checked out fine. Then in July 2014 while on vacation, I became dizzy and started to stagger. I went to an urgent care and they told me I had vertigo. After that the vertigo/clumsy remained, and I started having myoclonic jerking of my muscles and headache. I was checked by neuro when I got back from vacation. The vertigo went away but muscle jerking remained. Normal exam and bloodwork. August 21, it came back the vertigo/clumsy feeling, headache, my legs being sensitive to touch, and I occasionally repeat things when speaking like my brain can't remember. I went to a recommended neurosurgeon. His exam revealed Babinski reflex, Hoffmann reflex and brisk reflexes. It was symmetrical on both sides He ordered an MRI. I couldn't get in for almost 2 weeks. The waiting is making me crazy.
View 3 RepliesReflex Sympathetic Dystrophy :: RSD, CRPS, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Yes, I successfully cured/healed RSD! It is possible!
I effectively "cured" RSD with holistic treatments. I encourage anyone who suffers with RSD consider the holistic regime I created for myself. You can do it too.
Brief explanation of my RSD journey:
Once, I, too, suffered severe Type II Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy to my right foot and entire right leg up to my hip which presented itself after auto accident injuries stemming from both fractures and a ruptured plantar fascia in my right foot.
I was fortunate I had an early diagnosis (from my Chinese Doctor, who called it "nerve damage" and was first to diagnose RSD. Only because I was "pro-active" and pursued another opinion regarding my symptoms outside the closed box of conventional/allopathic medicine, which was the only treatment medical insurance will pay for.
After my initial nerve damage diagnosis, I brought this vital diagnosis to my allopathic doctors (who actually missed diagnosing it despite my detailed description of the pain and symptoms) who then concurred with my Chinese doctor's diagnosis and for the first time in my life I heard the words Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD.
I refused allopathic treatment of RSD (4-6 "nerve block" treatments were recommended to begin by several MDs, including anesthesiologists, sports medicine doctors and Podiatrists). Why? Intuitively speaking, I considered the nerve block procedures to be far too invasive and risky, and which required general anesthesia (additional risks), the use of a fluoroscope (unhealthy exposure of radiation), injections of cortisone and a long acting local anesthetic marcaine, and worse, the end results were NOT at all promising.
Instead, I committed myself to a more holistic approach toward healing because I trusted the wisdom of the body's ability to heal.
Immediately upon my nerve damage diagnosis, about 6 weeks after the auto accident, I began my daily regime of holistic treatments, which included acupuncture, naprapathy, osteopathy, physical therapy, physical exercise physiotherapy which I did for the next 6 months. (As a precaution, in case I did not gain immediate results from my holistic regime, I did arrange advanced appointments with an anesthesiologist to perform nerve blocks. However, I later canceled these appointments because I began to gain positive results relatively soon after I began my holistic regime to heal RSD.
After the first six months of intense daily regime of holistic treatments, my acute and horrible symptoms slowly began to disappear. Gradually, the dark reddish-brown discoloration of my foot and leg began to fade, the inflammation/swelling slowly began to reduce, and the distorted and abnormal shape of my right leg and foot improved (which my husband likened to a "slab of red meat" that "looked like something hanging in a butcher shop"). The over the top excruciating nerve pain (which was off the charts, not in the 1 to 10 range, when asked I rated it "100+++!") to the slightest touch or even a sheet touching my foot was far too painful to bear, slowly began to dissipate into the 1 to 10 range. The complete loss of normal ambulatory function with my right leg and foot (I required a wheelchair or crutches to hobble around on my left leg) began to slowly improve after much treatment and with my determination to be pain free, to walk, run and dance again, I "pushed through the pain" with the physiotherapy machines and "re-learn" how to walk again. I literally reprogrammed my brain to walk again.
About six months into my holistic regime, I was again able to walk on my right leg and foot without the aid of a cane or crutches. However, each time I flexed my right foot to walk, it was painful, far too painful to walk long distances. I rated it an 8 on the 1 to 10 scale when asked by an anesthesiologist which I deemed completely unacceptable live with the rest of my life.
This anesthesiologist, with whom I had a 6 months post-RSD diagnosis exam (for medical insurance purposes) was the director of the pain clinic at Kaiser Hospital in Sacramento, CA. This anesthesiologist, who would have otherwise performed nerve block treatments on me had I surrendered to them, wrote in my medical records, "patient sought alternative treatments with acupuncture, osteopathy, naprpathy for treatment for RSD and achieved remarkable results..." My Kaiser podiatrist wrote, "patient had miraculous recovery from RSD with holistic treatments..." My Kaiser internist, my private St. Francis Sports Medicine, a medical doctor, my Kaiser physical therapist all wrote similar comments in my medical records which not only validated my intuition to take the risk to explore holistic treatments but provided substantiation that they were effective and beneficial which forced my Farmer's Auto insurance company to eventually pay for my holistic treatments which were all rejected. Two years later I was reimbursed for all my holistic treatment costs.
I want to offer another perspective into the closed, blocked mindset dogma of allopathic medicine and doctors. During my final exam with the anesthesiologist(as previously mentioned), although this doctor was quite expressive about her amazement of my then-recovery with RSD, she still remained stuck in her dogma when we discussed my pain level. She actually told me that I had reached the limitations of any more recovery because I had passed the 6 months window of time for nerve damage. She said, "I am sorry but I am afraid you will have to learn to live with the pain."
This director of Kaiser's Pain Clinic which treats RSD patients continued to reinforce her assessment that I would not improve, that I reached the limits of any possible recovery. She told me how lucky I was, how much better off I am than most of RSD patients who never get better and only worsen, etc., and I assumed she meant that I would waste my time and money if I continued with holistic treatment.
She shook her head when I told her I wanted to continue with acupuncture treatments until I was completely pain free. She may have meant well and didn't want me to have high hopes of recovery and then experience failure, or whatever. This anesthesiologist, who performs nerve block treatments, gave me all the information of what she knew based upon her 20+ years of experiences with RSD patients.
Fortunately, I did NOT accept her prognosis. Instead, I passionately said, "Doctor, I trust the wisdom of the body to heal and I shall continue with acupuncture treatments until I am completely 100% pain-free. I'll be damned if I willing to live with this pain and can't go for long walks, run or dance the rest of my life because a jerk ran a stop sign and plowed into me!"
Her expression spoke volumes. She was a bit astounded by what I said but not one word of encouragement was spoken. There was a long uncomfortable pause between us. Finally, I said, "One day I will return and prove to you that I am pain free and then you can bring in an acupuncturist, a naprapath, and an osteopath into your pain clinic to help RSD patients.
It took another six months of treatment before I was completely pain free and before my right leg matched the color and size of my left leg. My internist/primary doctor was thrilled by my recovery and accredited it primarily to my "positive attitude and determination." Kaiser wasn't interested in accepting my recovery was due to holistic treatments. Instead, it was just considered "miraculous" remission of RSD which, of course, does NOT give any credit to all the beneficial holistic treatments I had.
I am still pain free after 11 years and walk miles daily and go dancing twice every week. I am grateful for all of my holistic doctors, I hope my allopathic doctor learned from my experiences and success with curing RSD.
Hepatitis C :: Gilead - Next Generation Of Harvoni?
Has anyone heard of a new drug in the works from Gilead, which is supposed to cure hep c in geno 1a patients with cirrhosis, having pre-treatment and null responders.
View 2 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: Leg Foot And Toe Cramps
i have my lab results, and the same goes for me my dr. changed my prescription from .5 to .75, i think .75 is to strong for me so i talked him into me alternating .5 one day and .75 the next. i did this for 60 days and felt pretty good, i had leg cramps but not as severe as now. i am back up to .75 because of my lab test showing me to have very high numbers. its pretty much just my right leg cramping , you can actually see the muscle tighten up starting at my lower calve and climb right up yo my knee. my foot contorts and stays like that for a few minutes , its unbelievably painful. what should i change, I'm willing to do anything .
View 5 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: Intolerance To Levothyroxine
how do I control hypothyroidism when I can't tolerate the meds?
View 1 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: Will My Head Grow More?
I am a 17 year old male and I have a severe hgh deficiency. I was diagnosed when I was 12 and have been put on a shot for the past 5 years and it has helped a ton. I used to have a very small head because I was hgh deficient and even now I feel it is small. The circumference of my head is 21.6 inches and according to Google that's below average. I really hope it doesn't look small but I feel like no one will give me an honest answer. I am still on the shot and will be for 3-6 months. If my doctor sees no growth next visit he will take me off it. I see my doctor every 3 months for a checkup to see how much I've grown and stuff. After I am done with the shot I have to see my doctor a month after to see if I make enough hgh without the shot or I will get osteoporosis, but I want to know if my head will still grow to the average size which is 22 inches around according to Google even without the shot. Also my head has grown a ton in the past 6 months. In the best 6 months my hats have increased in size. Please help me. If you need to know im 5'9" also I take the hgh shot 6 days a week.
View 5 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: High TSH And Low Free T4
I've been on Synthroid medication for 20 plus years and have done pretty well on it until recently. This routine test showed a TSH level > 100 and my Free T4 at .24 which is low. I've been placed on Synthroid at 300 mg and I'm waiting to see a specialist. In the meantime, I'm wondering what does this means?
View 1 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: Low TSH; Normal T4 FREE
I just received my latest thyroid lab results and my TSH was a 0.06 (range 0.34-5.60) and my T4 FREE is 0.99 (range of 0.61-1.12). My Dr said to continue my dosage of medications and we would recheck in a year. Should I be concerned
View 2 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: TSH Zero, Normal Free T3 And T4
I've had Hashimoto's Disease for 12 years and started taking Levothyroxine. For the past 8 years, I've been on a constant dose, and been very happy with no symptoms of hyper or hypo. Recently I moved and had to go to a new dr, who is very upset about the low (almost zero) TSH even though my Free T3 and Free T4 were normal. She wants me to totally go off all Levothyroxine for 6-8 weeks to "reset" my pituitary. I am very worried about what will happen to me if I did this. I tried going down in dosage, but all my hypo symptoms (gained 10 lbs in a month, extreme lethargy, depression, etc.) returned. Anyone out there have any ideas on what to do?
View 4 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: How To Get Rid Of Choking Feeling?
I have had choking feeling for the last 2 months. It is now almost everyday. I sleep very well and do not wake up with it. I start getting it by the afternoon until bedtime. It is really bothering me. I have had hypothyroidism for 12 years but my tests are fine and my ultra sound is good too. The ENT doctor says it is stress related but I think there is more to it than stress. It is really bothering me and I do not know what to do?
View 1 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: Someone Choking Me Feeling
Over the past one-two years I have been getting stressed about school work, my appearance, my friends etc. and I had a conversation with some of my friends and they thought I may have had anxiety. I thought nothing of it because it wasn't much at the time but lately it's been getting worse. I feel sick all the time and the most common thing is the choking part. I feel like someone is trying to choke me, but obviously no one is. I have trouble breathing when this happens and my throat closes up and I kind of feel a bit dizzy. I have looked at some websites and they all say it may be a certain infection or something but I want to know if this has anything to do with anxiety? I still have not told anyone about the choking thing except my mum because I want to be sure I am getting this right before I start seeking help.
View 4 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: Hashimoto's -TSH Below Zero! Safe?
I have an important question.
My last blood work from one mouth ago revealed a TSH of - 0.16. (ranges 0.3-4.5)
Though my levels of free T3 & T4 were midrange and maybe even slightly lower than they should be.
FT3: 3.30 (ranges 2.1-4.2)
FT4: 1.02 (ranges 0.7-1.8)
I'm on 112,5 levothyroxine and 12,5 cytomel daily dose.
Is it safe to have a TSH that low?
Can I even upgrade my meds to 125 levo a day? I still feel hypo and under medicated.
I did hear about the 'optimal' values between the ranges were a lot of people are on their best in their 'sweet spots'.
If the rule of thumb is that FT4 has to be 50% of the range and FT3 upper half to upper third, i's logical that I'm still hypo. This all being said, will my TSH drop even more when I go to 125?
I don't understand the link between TSH and the FT3 & FT4 results. How can I have such a low TSH and still not reach the recommended levels?
Thyroid Disorders :: Hair Loss With Levothyroxine
Hi everyone! I am totally new to this group and excited to get input from everyone! I'll try and give you a quick synopsis of the past year and a half for me when I gave birth to my first child....
Initially I felt fine, until about 4 months after I gave birth. I had initially lost all the baby weight and then I started gaining again, had major brain fog, dry skin, cold, crazy water retention and bloated face, unmotivated, etc. all the usual symptoms. In February I was diagnosed with Hashimotos by my regular doctor and here are my levothyroxine dosages and blood results since...
Feb 2015 Tsh 269. T4. <0.11. T3. <20. (No meds yet...initial blood work)
Apr 2015. Tsh 156. T4. 0.45. T3. 42. (25 mcg)
May 2015. Tsh 6.69. T4. 1.83. T3. 96. (75 mcg)
Sept 2015. Tsh 2.89. T4. 1.59. (100 mcg)
Oct 2015. Tsh 8.61. (75 mcg)
Nov 2015. Tsh 1.21. (100 mcg)
Feb 2016. Tsh 2.36. (100 mcg)
So my original Doctor began my levothyroxine regimen at 25 mcg for 6 weeks. I immediately felt much better even though my numbers were still going crazy. He upped my dosage twice then sent me to an endocrinologist. Both agreed that my numbers were so bad it could not be postpartum hypothyroidism and I had probably had this for a long time undiagnosed and the pregnancy made it officially just turn off. In October we lowered the dosage to double check this theory and I felt terrible and my numbers changed right away so my endo put my meds right back up.
Now, hair loss was actually never one of my initial symptoms and I am convinced that it began when i started my medication, but both doctors insist that it's my body getting used to the meds and my levels getting better and better. My endo thought perhaps it's was especially bad because I was also experiencing postpartum hair loss. But at this point it is now a full year since I have been diagnosed and on medication. Coupled with the hair loss I also started getting serious joint pain, but again my endo said I was adjusting and this was a common symptom of hypothyroidism.
So basically, I am wondering how after a year of medication I would still be experiencing symptoms with levels that are now perfectly fine? Unless it was related to the medication??....I feel very guilty bringing it up all the time to my doctor because I know I should be glad that the huge issues of brain fog, concentration and mood are generally good (I still say I am not exactly myself yet). I feel silly bringing up something cosmetic but it is so depressing to look in the mirror. I hate doing my hair, washing it, sometimes just running my fingers through my hair I get five more. Even though now I can say it's less, it's definitely still happening and I don't see any new growth. But, on the flip side, hair loss is associated with adjusting to armour and I am terrified to lose any more.
Thyroid Disorders :: Hair Loss With Ferritin
I am hypothyroid/hashimotos. I have been experiencing significant hair loss for over a year. I'm young and female so having sparse hair is NOT ok. I've read one needs to have their ferritin at 70 or 80 to experience hair regrowth. When I first met with my naturopath and got diagnosed this year I was put on 25mcg of Levothyroxine and I told her my main concern was my hair loss. My ferritn was at 32. I was put on a daily elemental iron supplement.
A blood test a month later and I was already at 54! Two months after that i was at 68.3! I was getting close to my goal but at that test she didn't like how my iron and iron saturation went too high/out of range. So she told me to only take my iron pill ever OTHER day and lo and behold two months later my ferritin was down to 45.1. Super frustrating. I am trying to bring my iron UP! So how does this work? How can my iron and iron saturation be so high and my ferritin so low? Is it actually dangerous for me to take the pill daily if my iron saturation and iron are above the limit? I'm not going to be able to fix my hair loss and bring my ferritin up if I am only taking it every other day! HELP!
Thyroid Disorders :: Normal T3 And T4 Levels With Raised TSH
What's your take -patient has normal T3 and T4 levels, no symptoms and a TSH elevated at 4.8 on a .358-3.8 range
View 5 RepliesThyroid Disorders :: When To Start Drugs According To TSH Levels ?
I have very recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I've taken the thyroid uptake scan and my dr. Office says it came back abnormal and enlarged thyroid.
According to my blood work my TSH is 0.227. (0.450-4.500)T4/free is 1.80 (0.82-1.77)
My question is should medication begin with these levels?
Thyroid Disorders :: High Cholesterol With L-Thyroxine
Have been on L-Tyroxine probably 30 years. When I weighed 120, cholesterol was 190, now that I am 68 and 30 lbs more, 150 at 5'4", my cholesterol is 416 (LDL in 300 range). I eat clean, no breads, cereals, carbs, etc (except only once in a while) eat wild game, game hen, fish, chicken, loads of fruits, veggies, etc., every thing super lean, fresh. take loads of supplements. I lift weights, do yoga, stretches, heavy gardening. Therefore, I find it absurd that my LDL is that high! I have absolutely no health issues except high cholesterol. Would Armour be better?
View 1 Replies