I have stuff I can share with you but, do have a few questions for you so I can share what's appropriate.

First off, *most importantly*, how are you feeling?

Do you have any of these symptoms listed in thyroid textbook "The Thyroid and Its Diseases"?

Fatigue
Swelling of eyelids
Emotional instability
Lethargy

Dry skin
Choking sensation
Low endurance
Dry mucous membranes

Fineness of hair
Slow speech
Constipation
Hair loss

Slow thinking
Weight gain unexplainably
Blueness of skin
Poor memory

Paleness of lips
Dry, thick, scaling skin
Poor concentration
Shortness of breath

Dry, coarse, brittle hair
Depression
Swelling
Paleness of skin

Nervousness
Hoarseness
Puffy skin
Anxiety

Loss of appetite
Puffy face or eyelids
Worrying
Prolonged menstrual bleeding

Swelling of ankles
Easy emotional upset
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Coarse skin

Obsessive thinking
Painful menstruation
Brittle or thin nails
Low motivation

Low sex drive
Dry ridges down nails
Dizziness
Difficulty in swallowing

Sensation of cold
Hearing loss
Weakness
Cold skin

Rapid heart rate
Vague body aches & pains
Decreased sweating
Pounding heart beat

Muscle pain
Heat intolerance
Slow pulse rate
Joint pain

Non-restful sleep/interrupted sleep
Pain at front of chest
Numbness or tingling
Insomnia

Poor vision
Protrusion of one or both eyeballs
Thick tongue
Weight loss or gain

Sparse eyebrows/loss of outer third of eyebrows
Swelling of face
Wasting of tongue
Gas/bloating


I suspect you started this thread because you're still not feeling well.

Dare I ask why it's been so long since you had labs?

Truly, until we stabilize at our optimal levels (as in, the levels at which we have no thyroid symptoms), our doctors should be ordering labs every 6 wks.

And, for whatever it's worth, I created a bunch of threads quite recently about different topics related to hypothyroidism. Relevant links were in each thread.

Please let me know what type of information you're looking for and I'll gladly share it.

cd----- I have to run now but I WILL get back to you and try to answer your questions. Later........

Back to try and answer some questions:

1. First off, *most importantly*, how are you feeling?

That's an easy and difficult one to answer. I feel like road kill much of the time and have done so for almost 15 years. The reason? Lyme and other TBIs (tick borne illnesses) most likely---- almost certainly. But since Lyme affects every system in the body and because hypothyroidism in my case was dx'd by my Lyme specialist ( Hashimoto's was the name given, but I'm not completely sure that that dx would stand up. I just don't know) where's the head and where's the tail?

But there's more!---- I achieved a very delicious 3-4 year remission after I went on IM bicillin shots for Lyme. With NO change in my thyroid test results or thyroid meds. But, as many remissions do, that gradually disappeared. I'm sorry this seems to be more about Lyme than hypothy. but they may be conjoined in my case.

But---- it COULD be the thyroid I guess ---except why a remission in the middle of all this with no change in my thyroid tx or lab results?

****Do you have any of these symptoms listed in thyroid textbook "The Thyroid and Its Diseases"? ****

My specious reply would be----- Yes and I can raise them, to borrow a poker term. (grin) But seriously, since I have many of those symptoms attributed to Lyme (and many others) who's to know what's causing what?
I'm not 'married' to my Lyme dx----- I do know I have it and other TBIs---- but there might be other things that I can do to raise the level of how I feel. Thyroid tx may be one of them.

The good news---- I just got word that I've been accepted to an endocrinologist's practice and perhaps things will move along.

cd said:

***Truly, until we stabilize at our optimal levels (as in, the levels at which we have no thyroid symptoms), our doctors should be ordering labs every 6 wks. ****

But how does a person with an on-going and devastating illness attain 'no thyroid symptoms' when many of them mirror what Lyme (and I'm sure many other serious illnesses) present with as symptoms.

I wish it were as simple as it would have been before I was infected---- a very active life into my late 50s with almost no health problems. When there's more than one health condition---- the lines get very blurred.

Heres a plain-English list of common symptoms: [of Lyme disease]

Brain and Central Nervous System: migraines, dizziness, brain fog, poor memory, poor sleep, lack of verbal fluency, confusion or disorientation, decreased ability to concentrate, facial nerve tics or paralysis, sore jaw, sinusitis, mood swings, difficulty chewing or swallowing, sore throat, hoarseness, muscle twitches, numbness and tingling, shooting pains, and lower back or neck pain. Lyme has also been found to mimic all the psychiatric disorders.

Muscles, joints, and bones: pains that come and go (with or without swelling), cramps, stiffness.

Circulation: too fast or two slow heart rate, irregular heartbeat (palpitations), inflammation of the heart muscle or arteries, and chest pain.

Breathing: sinusitis, difficulty breathing, and pneumonias.

Skin: rashes, itching, crawling sensations, benign cysts and nodules, and skin discoloration.

Eyes: pain, inflammation, blurred or double vision, retinal damage, floaters, flashing lights, light sensitivity, dry eye, and blindness.

Ears: itching, earache, buzzing, ringing, and sound sensitivity.

Digestive tract: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, mild liver function abnormalities, and spleen tenderness and enlargement.

Genitourinary tract: inflammation of the urethra and bladder, pelvic pain, testicular pain, and loss of sexual desire.

General: tiredness, lack of stamina, fever, vague discomfort, irritability, nervousness or anxiety, and weight loss or gain.
End.

That's just a 'list' and of course as with the thyroid symptoms there are many that are and are not there for different times and different people.

I don't know if I've explained most of your questions. But what I'm looking for, at this moment, is an opinion of whether my thyroid tests bear further investigation (by the endocrinologist and me).
Are they 'normal'?

I'll wait for more questions before blathering on too much. (grin)

You poor thing!!! No wonder you needed some time to answer my questions.

So sorry to hear of all you've been through with Lyme.

Well, I can say this much, if your doctor optimizes your thyroid levels, any remaining symptoms would most likely be due to the Lyme.

Right now, your levels are far from optimal.....most people need their FreeT4 level at the high end of the range and their FreeT3 level above mid-range.

You can read about this on the link I'll provide below. The link is to a site called Thyroid Disease Manager and, it's maintained by several endos - one of which is Dr. Leslie DeGroot (one of the authors of thyroid textbook "The Thyroid and Its Diseases")

Anyhoo, please refer to chapter 9.8.2 to read about the types of levels doctors treating hypothyroidism should try to achieve for their patients:

http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter9/ch_9_3.htm


Based upon your lab's ranges, this would mean a FreeT4 level above 1.0 and closer to 1.27.....and a FreeT3 level above 3.3 and possibly higher.

Now, each of us has his/her own optimal levels that will be somewhat close to what healthy people have.

For whatever it's worth, I need both my FreeT4 and FreeT4 levels at the top of the range but, with you not being able to sort out symptoms, it makes sense to at least have your treatment goal try to mirror the types of levels healthy people have.

Since the porcine thyroid in Armour has a higher proportion of T3 than T4 compared to human thyroid, people taking Armour will have a proportionately higher FreeT3 level than FreeT4 level.

Most are fine with this.

Those that aren't can ask their doctor to add some T4 in the form of Synthroid/levothyroxine to balance things out.

I am aware of many thyroid forum members that do this....and it's helped free them from thyroid symptoms.

Also, the manufacturer of Armour indicates that the optimal dose of Armour will result in suppressed TSH.

Please reference paragraph 2 of page 3 from Forest Pharma's prescribing info for Armour:

http://www.frx.com/pi/armourthyroid_pi.pdf

So, just by looking at your TSH level alone, it's clear you need an Armour dose increase.

Perhaps sharing the Armour prescribing information with your doctor will help you get the much-needed dose increase.

I forgot to mention.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.

The only other causes of hypothyroidism are pituitary dysfunction which is very rare or medicine-induced hypothyroidism.

So, I'd be inclined to say your Lyme specialist is right....and you are fortunate that you got a diagnosis.

All too many people suffer needlessly for years because doctors don't recognize hypothyroidism even if it smacks them in the face.

I'm not sure who prescribed Armour for you but, please know that most endos are "anti-Armour" and even anti Cytomel (T3 med usually taken along with Synthroid (T4 med)

I think this happens because endos are more focused on treating the ever-increasing population of diabetics and they've forgotten what they learned in thyroid class and/or haven't kept up with the advances in thyroid care.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule but, I thought I'd forewarn you.

For whatever it's worth, my first 3 endos had no idea how to treat thyroid disease (although they acted like it and made me sicker than I was). My current thyroid doctor is an internist and she "gets thyroid".

Thank you, cd, for all your work!
Yes, I did know that a 'regular' endocrinologist might be resistant to Armour and I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row to present material to him that might allow him to get off the 'conveyor belt' and consider other routes.

I have many more questions---- (Can you bear that?) but for now other things that I'm thinking of, in conjunction with my thyroid and perhaps also important, are
cortisol levels
hypopituitarism
and a host of other interlinking hormone/metabolism effects.

I'm fortunate to have a secondary insurance that will pay for 'everything'. No kidding. Sometimes I have to work hard to convince a doctor that even 'experimental' tests will be covered 100%! They don't believe it until they see it.

So, I knew, from tests way back, that my leptin score was way high----- and it still is. Just had this test done in July 2011 also. Of course no doctor will treat for it because they say it isn't known how to treat it. That may be true and I know just enough to be aware that a person doesn't just flail around trying to 'fix' something as complex as the endocrine system!!!!

Anyone heard of leptin? It's a hormone that has an effect on metabolism and energy "Obese individuals generally exhibit an unusually high circulating concentration of leptin. These people are said to be resistant to the effects of leptin"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin

Here's my test result:

Leptin
Findings > 100
Range

Cave76

Thyroid disease is my only health issue and I'm very well-researched on that topic.

I have a general understanding of other health issues due to my casual readings.

I'm familiar with leptin in concept but, not enough to interpret lab findings.

Same thing with the other topics you asked about.....sorry.

I will share what I consider a valuable online resource. Her name is Elaine Moore. She has a medical background, is very well-respected in the thyroid world and spent 30 years working in hospital laboratories.

She could answer your questions. Elaine has a Q&A forum on her website in which registered users can submit questions and she answers directly.

Here's a direct link to her forum:

http://elaine-moore.com/QA/tabid/57/forumid/6/scope/threads/Default.aspx

You will note that her site is HON-certified as a source of trustworthy health information. (WebMD and Mayo Clinic's site are just two that come to mind that are also HON-certified)