Hypothyroidism Support Group
Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...
Hi everyone,
So I went to see a new endo on Aug 2. He said for me to stop taking all meds(desiccated thyroid) for 3 (yes 3!!) months. He said that my previous blood work of being off meds for 2 months isn't long enough. I have 2 more months of suffering to go. I don't know if any of the women out there have experienced this, but my breasts are enormous and my periods are extremely heavy. I feel like I can't get excited about anything. I just came back from vacation and my mood the whole time was flat. I don't know. I just felt like venting a little bit.
Thanks for being there.
Dawn
So I went to see a new endo on Aug 2. He said for me to stop taking all meds(desiccated thyroid) for 3 (yes 3!!) months. He said that my previous blood work of being off meds for 2 months isn't long enough. I have 2 more months of suffering to go. I don't know if any of the women out there have experienced this, but my breasts are enormous and my periods are extremely heavy. I feel like I can't get excited about anything. I just came back from vacation and my mood the whole time was flat. I don't know. I just felt like venting a little bit.
Thanks for being there.
Dawn
As I'm sure you know, there are no guarantees in life.
We do the best with what we have.
If you had a chance to read the criteria for a doctor to be included on that list, I think this is one of your best chances at finding a thyroid-savvy doctor.
And, maybe you could expand your circle of inquiry to a larger geographical area, if necessary.
I might have told you that I had to kiss 4 toads before meeting my prince(ss). I travel 1.25 hrs. to see her and I consider that a small price to pay to keep feeling awesome. Finding the right doctor meant that I am no longer suffering with the 30+ hypo symptoms I used to have.
There are other ways to possibly find a thyroid-savvy doctor such as asking local pharmacists (not the counter help) to give you contact info for doctors who Rx Armour.
You could also try a doctor from here:
http://www.naturopathic.org/AF_MemberDirectory.asp?version=2
Not surprisingly, just because a doctor prescribes Armour and/or is an alternative MD doesn't mean they do things right.
That's when being a knowledgeable thyroid patient can help.
For whatever it's worth, I found my doctor through networking. Yet, my doctor completely dropped the ball with two hypo people I referred to her - go figure.
I have Graves' Disease which most people associate with hyperthyroidism.
Yes, I started my thyroid disease journey with hyperthyroidism....and I went into remission after taking anti-thyroid drugs for 27 months.
However, I joined the 20% of Graves' patients who go hypo after remission....thanks to TRab blocking antibodies that Hashi's patients can also have.
Those TRab antibodies I told you about not only block the production of thyroid hormone (causing hypothyroidism) but, they block the production of TSH.
Do you know what that means? TSH will be suppressed (below-range).
In Hashi's patients with TRab, TSH might still fall within the normal range but, it will most likely be low normal like yours. All of this info is just case in point about how TSH can fail thyroid patients.
My TSH was suppressed (below-range) while I was hypo with low-in-the-range FT4/FT3 levels.
Endo #3 saw my TSH .095 (.4-4.50) and declared me hyPER. She wanted me to resume anti-thyroid drugs at quadruple the dose I had been taking when I went off of them. No thank you!
When I went hypo under my current doctor's care, my TSH was even lower - .019. Yet, she had long before told me she knew to ignore TSH in Graves'.....she recognized the long list of hypo symptoms I developed....and she started me on thyroid hormone.
This is the type of doctor you need.....not one like my third endo (or my first or second ones)....and certainly not one like the endo you're seeing.
Please don't give up until you find a better doctor - good health is priceless.