Iodine and Potassium Iodide

[Kmicic]

Hi everyone. I have a question, perhaps no one will know the answer, but I've seen similar problems on the forum, so maybe someone will be able to answer from their own experience.



My wife is currently pregnant. She has had a long-standing problem with reflux. Since her youth, she has had very cold hands. My wife has PCOS - quite a few cysts in her breasts. Before pregnancy, her Homa-ir index was 1.4. During pregnancy, it dropped to 0.5, so we suspect hypoglycemia and are currently testing her glucose levels with blood glucose meter. During pregnancy, the number of nodules increased. We did an ultrasound of the thyroid gland and its total volume is 8.2 units. The thyroid looked fine on the scan, but one area that looks like a potential nodular change worried the doctor - it is to be monitored further. The thyroid tests came back normal, but unfortunately the anti-TPO was 9 units - the laboratory norm was 5.8.



According to a doctor from Poland, Tadeusz Oleszczuk Kontakt - Konsultacje online i stacjonarne | Dr Tadeusz Oleszczuk, all these symptoms are indicators of slow thyroid atrophy and require treatment. The problem is that even though the symptoms match, it is difficult to find a specialist who would take care of this, and Dr. Oleszczuk himself sounds mysterious to me - he says that this is a very neglected problem and publishes books to “educate” patients, on the other hand, he has not opened any clinics or trained any staff, even though he claims to have a huge workload and therefore cannot accept new patients. So far, my wife has been on the right diet for a long time, and the thyroid tests, etc., were those recommended by Dr. Oleszczuk in his publications.



According to Dr. Oleszczuk, the thyroid volume in women with PCOS should be above 12 units; if it is less, it should be considered that the thyroid is slowly disappearing due to a latent disease similar to Hashimoto's. A reduced thyroid does not function well, hence the increased number of cysts in the body.



So far, the specialists we have seen have said that they do not have enough knowledge to say whether this is a problem that needs to be treated - in their opinion, it is fine and we need to wait - while Dr. Oleszczuk claims that waiting makes the situation worse. Do you have any thoughts on this? Maybe some tips or recommended doctors? We are also wondering whether she should continue taking the iodine recommended during pregnancy.



The sad thing is that we really want to take care of our health, but despite looking for recommended specialists and spending a lot of money, in the end, based on our experience, artificial intelligence diagnoses my wife best - then we go to a specialist and say, for example, “Hey, maybe it was H. pylori.” “Actually, that could be it, I'll prescribe some medication.” “Oh, you again? Did the medication help, are the symptoms gone? I'm so glad.” We feel that if artificial intelligence were given the ability to write prescriptions, it would be better than half of the doctors in Poland.



Thank you for any answers and sorry for the trouble.

 

[Gaby]

During pregnancy, the number of nodules increased. We did an ultrasound of the thyroid gland and its total volume is 8.2 units. The thyroid looked fine on the scan, but one area that looks like a potential nodular change worried the doctor - it is to be monitored further. The thyroid tests came back normal, but unfortunately the anti-TPO was 9 units - the laboratory norm was 5.8.

The gynecologist or midwife can monitor thyroid function, make sure it doesn't drop for pregnancy needs.

The nodules can be looked down the road, after the pregnancy, it's not urgent. If it's 8.2 mm, that is very common among people.

The anti-TPO is almost normal. It can be monitored as well. If it goes higher, she can be studied for Helicobacter pylori - a bacteria that classically triggers Hashimoto's. Gluten intolerance is super bad for the thyroid, you both have to take that into consideration.

Presumably the reflux is because of the pregnancy.

Overall, don't stress about it.

 

[Kmicic]

Thank you very much, Gaby, for your reply.

I apologize, the lack of units must have led to misunderstanding: 8.2 refers to the volume of the thyroid gland in ml. I will paste the ultrasound summary for clarity:



1. Thyroid ultrasound

Dimensions and volume: Right lobe 42x13x16 mm (V=4.4 ml), left lobe 36x13x15 mm (V=3.8 ml), shadow 2 mm. Total volume ~8.2 ml – normal (normal range up to approx. 18-20 ml).



Structure: Typical position, smooth contours, trachea not displaced.



Parenchyma: Normal echogenicity, homogeneous structure – no typical features of advanced Hashimoto's disease.



Vascularization: Increased, symmetrical in Doppler (PD) examination – physiological phenomenon in pregnancy (increased blood flow), may also be an early symptom of AZT.



Cysts:



Left lobe (upper part): cyst, diameter 1.5 mm.



Right lobe (middle part): two cysts, 2 mm and 1 mm in diameter.



The doctor performing the ultrasound described them as “borderline” (to be monitored) and asked about taking hormonal medications – a standard question in the context of PCOS and pregnancy.



Neck lymph nodes: Not enlarged.



2. Breast ultrasound

Characteristics of changes: Numerous, oval, smooth-walled, hypoechoic changes, without vascularization in PD – most likely cysts with dense content (complex cysts) and simple cysts, some with thin septa.



Size of changes: From 2 mm to 15 mm.



Largest cluster: In the left lobe, subareolar region, cyst 15x8 mm.



Condition of ducts and nodes: Milk ducts not dilated, axillary fossae normal, no pathological lymph nodes.



Conclusions: Image typical of benign fibro-cystic changes (fibrocystic disease), common in women with PCOS and during pregnancy. No signs of malignancy.



We will continue to monitor the condition of the thyroid and breasts during pregnancy, we are under the constant care of a gynecologist.



Reflux is probably related to pregnancy at the moment, although the line was very thin. It looked something like this:

Frequent sinus infections -> 4 antibiotics in six months -> X-ray that supposedly showed nothing -> another 4 antibiotics -> tomography at my own request privately -> fungal ball in the sinuses -> waiting for surgery -> private surgery in a private clinic due to hospital overload -> first symptoms of reflux mistaken for sinus problems -> experienced professor who performed the surgery says that the sinuses are fine, perhaps it is hypersensitivity, prescribes medication for the sinuses -> another visit to the clinic due to worsening sinus pain -> new substitute doctor says it is definitely a bacterial infection and prescribes a strong antibiotic -> severe deterioration -> due to the professor's prolonged absence, we look for another doctor -> diagnosis of reflux -> PPI treatment -> diagnosis of H. pylori -> eradication of H. pylori -> poisoning with eradication drugs -> H. pylori eradicated -> treatment with PPI -> stabilization after a few months -> struggle to restore iron/ferritin levels -> return to balance -> pregnancy.

At the moment, we are using Gaviscon, Rennie, and flaxseed, and of course a diet, so that we don't have to go back to PPIs. We'll see what time brings.



You could say that after such a history, we have reflux more or less under control and diagnosed in terms of medicine



We were most concerned about the thyroid itself due to its relatively small volume and PCOS. Perhaps this is normal and there is nothing to worry about, or perhaps the appropriate diet that my wife is now on is sufficient for the thyroid.