It is worth a try. Thanks for letting me know. :)

cute1

Your thyroid is in a typical condition for someone with thyroid disease.

How the heck your doctor can tell you that you have too much medication in you based upon an ultrasound is beyond me.

That's like looking at someone's mammogram results and telling them that their birth control pill dose is wrong.

(I need a dizzy icon now - lol)

I'm hooked on Greek yogurt!!!

I have it as part of my smoothie.

I've been having smoothies for lunch for about 4 months now. It's hard to describe but, I feel so much better "inside".

I agree CD. That is why I need another doctor. The convo. With this last doctor made me a nervous wreak. She said would you like to stop the cytomel or lower the synthroid a little. Can you image? I didn't go to doctor school and I can guess too but you have the labs in front of you. Not only that she took two weeks to call me and then another wheel to send me the labs. Thanks for all your help. :).
P.s. I went with a list of symptoms and she laughed at me. :(.

cute1

I am SO sorry you have been through so much nonsense with this doctor!!

Your experience reminds me of what I went through with endo #2.
I can't say she laughed at my symptoms list but, she refused to accept them as thyroid-related even though my FT4 level was in the toilet (she refused to check my FreeT3 level)

And, even when I brought her medical resources to back-up my dosing requests, she told me she didn't "believe in them"!!!

A clueless doctor is a clueless doctor.

Time to move on....for sure.

Hey, if you don't have another doctor in mind right now, I suggest you do what some other thyroid forum members have done: call your local pharmacists (including compounding pharmacists) and get contact info for doctors that Rx Armour and/or Cytomel - they do tend to be more thyroid-savvy.

I know your doctor seems to be a dud but, at least you might have a better chance with this idea.

Networking actually worked for me - my nail tech is 8 yrs. post-RAI for Graves' and she told me her doctor was the first, after several, to get her feeling right thyroid-wise.

I met with her doctor and am still under this doctor's care now.

I think you know I'm feeling really good and have been for quite some time. What a difference a doctor can make!

For whatever it's worth, I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing for a doctor to give us some options re our meds/doses.

My doctor actually offered me Cytomel before I thought I needed it.

Lo and behold, within a few months, it was very clear I needed it. She again offered it and, thickheaded me opted for a levo dose increase.

I knew within a week that this was the wrong decision and she readily Rx'd Cytomel for me.

She supported me with my choices because there was a chance my FreeT3 level could have improved with the levo dose increase.

But, quite recently, when my FreeT4 level went slightly over-range, she insisted on a T4 dose decrease and I had no intentions of asking her to do otherwise.

The thing is - the patient needs to understand their labs and symptoms to be able to make decisions that will help optimize their levels.

That's one of the things I'm trying to help others learn how to do since it really helped me.

I agree with that two and I didn't mind the options she gave me but I was upset because I don't know if I want to stop the cytomel. Years ago it helped with my period becoming regular again. I know she is doing her best, but I need what you gave me. You listened and your knowledge helped me.

I need to learn and I am learning about the ranges of T4 and T3. Maybe this doctor thought I could tell her what works best for me.

Before I came on here I thought the same thing, maybe she should raise the T4 med but I didn't have clarity of the T3 from the labs she gave me.

Truthfully these doctors should have this knowledge. It's there job to work with us and it annoys me I have to become an expert on this disease. I have work, school, three kids, a diabetic dog and diabetic husband. I am knowledgeable in thyroid disease but I am not an expert and that is what I need. Thanks for all your help.

I think you realize that the options she gave you didn't really make sense but, the fact that she did give you an option seems promising.

I realize you weren't able to figure out what you need and, I couldn't agree more that doctors should be doing this for us.

I acknowledge that many people don't realize some of their symptoms are relevant and many don't communicate this to their doctors.

However, I think you now understand why neither of her dosing suggestions were appropriate - based upon your FreeT4 level and not having a FreeT3 level.

Progress takes time - especially in thyroid land because our doses cannot be adjusted too much too soon.

Since many doctors don't do what needs to be done to help us get well, I think it's important for us to learn to understand our labs in conjunction with our symptoms.

Heck, my doctor is quite thyroid-savvy and it still took 15 months for me to stabilize at my optimal levels.

It seems many people suffer for much longer because their journey is delayed due to clueless doctors.

I'm glad you're here....and, I'll gladly do the math for you anytime you want help interpreting your labs.

In fact, I think I'm going to start a thread about how to calculate levels.....

You should do a thread. You're very knowledgeable and extremely helpful! Thanks for everything! :)

My daughter had her thyroid removed a year ago and she has changed drastically. Most of the time shes depressed, annoyed, agitated, tired most of the time, very, very argumentative. She has become cold and distant. I hardly recognize her anymore. To be quite honest I am almost starting to hate her. Literally hate her. Shes cold towards everyone except her husband. Her and her brother use to be so close and now he sees her as this morose, negative, hardly ever laughs anymore nuance. She takes Armor for thyroid replacement. I would really appreciate it if someone, anyone can tell me what to expect now that she has no thyroid. Is her behavior normal considering her thyroid has been removed? What effect does NOT having a thyroid have?