It’s pure and unadulterated CRAZY MAKING. You are on T4-only meds like Synthroid or Levoxyl. You have problem after problem after problem. You go to the doctor who runs the TSH, and he states emphatically “You are normal”.
“I am normal?? Then WHY do I feel like CRAP??”
The above is exactly and precisely what happened to me for more than 17 years while on Synthroid and later Levoxyl. I suffered immensely when I would do anything physical–pounding heartrate, feeling hot, excruciating insomnia, and fatigue SO profound that I thought I would DIE from it. And……I was always told I was “normal”, I was “adequately treated” and that there was no explanation for my symptoms.
Or take the scenario of a gal who recently contacted me in the deepest state of frustration. She had started on Armour over a month ago, has very suppressed adrenals which she is attempting to correct with adrenal support, yet she is flipflopping between hypo and hyper (a sign that she’s not on enough adrenal support, and/or her antibodies still have control). She is also suffering at night with “shaking severe heart palpitations”.
Yet, when she goes to the doctor, he states “your pulse is normal” and he dismisses her concerns and symptoms. And she states “If I go to the emergency room, they will run a TSH and say I am normal which is what they have done for years. I just cannot make myself go back there. I would rather just die than tell me I am normal. I am scared and do not know where to go or what to do.”
Unfortunately, there is hardly a thyroid patient around who doesn’t COMPLETELY understand the above feelings stated by this patient.
It is profoundly and sadly remarkable that the very professionals we seek out to help us, end up keeping us sick because they make ink spots on a piece of paper more important than symptoms…or they fail to listen to and reasonably consider that something else needs treatment–in her case, her adrenals!! We have not been “normal”!! Another good reason this site exists: because doctors fail us over and over, and we, as patients have had to figure it out ourselves, and pass it along. And thankfully, there can be a growing doctors out there who will LISTEN to us!
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 22nd, 2006 and is filed under Doctors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Jane said:
Apr 25, 06 at 2:44 amI have had 28 years of NO treatment as Drs said my TSH was ‘only’ borderline and normal. The fact that I also suffered CHS for 26 years, Fibromyalgia for 9 years, headaches, infertility .. all a complete mystery.
My life started to turn around last year when a senior Chinese Dr told me I had low thyroid and to ‘go back’. After finding this site and with his words echoing in my brain … I fight…
Its been 28 years overdue but I will fight until the battle is won.
Karen said:
Jun 23, 06 at 5:02 pmI’ve been on armour for a couple of years and saw great improvement over synthetics but I’m still not where I should be. I still can’t lose the weight I’ve gained (40 lbs), still swollen in abdomen and can’t build stamina despite exercising an hour every day. After about 6 months my system begins to slow down and the swelling gets worse followed by elapse of acid reflux. I’ve increased my dosage several times but doc is telling me I have to cut back. Does anyone else experience this?
Kristi said:
Aug 21, 06 at 2:39 pmSo thankful for discovering this website. I have suffered with Hashimotos disease for 10 years and am being treated with Levoyl. I still have very dry skin, hair, and eyes so dry contact lenses just pop right back out. I suffer from insomnia, intestinal problems, and feel like I am going crazy. All my blood work always comes back normal. My muscles and joints ache, and takes me forever to recover from hard mountain bike rides. How do I get on Armour? My doctor will not prescribe it. Do I have to change to another doctor???
Administrator said:
Aug 21, 06 at 7:09 pmHi Kristi. On the left of any page are links, and go to the one called HOW TO FIND A GOOD DOC. Time to fire your current doctor, and find a better one, for sure. If you have any questions along the way, use the FORUMS. That link is also to the left of any page towards the bottom of the links! Good luck.
Sue said:
Jun 01, 07 at 7:34 amI had one enlarged, non-cancercous thy lobe removed. And have been taking thy meds for 16 months , , ,
oh the DREADED normal! The problem as I see it: while we may fall within the V-A-S-T range of NORMAL, there is OFTEN room for improvement within those ranges. Hearing “NORMAL” will forever make me cringe
jeri duncan said:
Jun 02, 07 at 4:27 pmI just started taking thyroid meds 8 weeks ago. I didn’t feel relief, then did, then didn’t then did and now don’t and in addition all my joints ache badly and I am very swollen in my face and fingers. I am depressed and agitated on 88 mcg. of Synthroid. I am thinking of not taking it. They said I had a goiter and was borderline for years and then dropped a little bit. But what is that comparted to this. I call them on the phone and they say take more, even though they said I had fallen into normal at 25 mcg. Do they even care with so many patients? I now feel like I am suffering from symptoms of too much medicine. Swollen and terribly painful joints, (not before), agitated and joyless (not before) swollen fingers, calves with veins visible, I’m a wreck. Do they know what they are doing? And I have been gaining weight.
Susan said:
Dec 01, 07 at 5:36 pmI have had thyroid problems for more than 20 years. One doctor removed a “almost all” in 1985, then followed up with a .1 dose of levothyroxine for years without any additional tests. Four years ago a different surgeon removed a softball sized substernal goiter along with “almost all” my thyroid. My dose of generic levothyroxine never changed, with a test only once a year. I continue to have almost every symptom of hypothyroidism in your lists, but the TSH is 2.8 so, of course, the symptoms must all be due to diabetes or medication or even all in my head. My doctor said no matter what I could do it would only get wrose, then doubled the diabetes medication. The symptoms only get worse each week. There is no M.D. in our area of 100,000 in your doctors’ list. I have been to four doctors in the last three years. Maybe I should just give up and give in — buy a wig, stop playing music, and curl up in a corner with mega-size pain pills that don’t work.
Rene said:
Sep 07, 09 at 4:56 pmTo Karen who posted on Jun 23:
I have Hashimoto’s. I’ve been on Armour for three years. Doctor just switched me to Nature-throid because none of the pharmacies in my area could get Armour. Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I’ve had problems despite being treated on Armour for many years. I’ve been up all the way to 4 grains and still no relief. Still not better on Nature-throid either. Gained 130 pounds and I only eat 1,200 calories a day. Can’t sleep. Extreme fatigue. Depression. Memory problems. Used to exercise every day but now my ankles are so swollen all the time I can barely walk and can only stand for a few minutes. Can barely function. Haven’t been able to work in over 2 years. All thyroid tests come out “normal” yet I am NOT normal. Have switched doctors several times. Seems no matter what I do I can’t find any help. Have no idea what’s wrong. I’m on prescription thyroid medication so I should be back to normal but I’m not. It’s as if my thyroid medication isn’t working, yet tests say I’m “normal” but I have very severe hypothyroid symptoms. Does anyone here know what this could be and how I can get better???
Rene said:
Sep 07, 09 at 5:28 pmUpdate: Forgot to mention that also my blood pressure has gone up to 200 over 110. My cholesterol is over 300 with low HDL (the good cholesterol) and high LDL (the bad cholesterol). My triglycerides are way too high as well. Have developed GERD and Glaucoma. My blood sugar is up to 138 and I’m pre-diabetes. My whole body aches all the time, I’m in chronic pain. My hair keeps falling out, I have such dry skin that it cracks open and bleeds and I am out of breath all the time. I’m on three blood pressure medications, a cholesterol medication, acid reflux medication, glaucoma medication, two allergy medications as well as Nature-throid.