For 2008, as a hypothyroid patient: I will:
1) expect that the relationship with my doctor will be a TEAM approach to my health care: not just his medical school/continuing education/experience, but also my own important knowledge and wisdom that I have gained (from reading sites like this), plus my subjective experience on my medication. My doctor does not live in my body or experience my symptoms; I do.
2) take the time to find a better doctor if my doctor refuses to respect the knowledge I have gained from reading sites like this, and/or will not listen to my subjective experience in my own body!
3) make my symptoms far more important than ink spots on a piece of paper called lab results, and will not passively allow a doctor to treat me ONLY according to those lab results.
4) give myself important supplements, including, but not limited to: selenium and zinc (helps conversion of T4 to T3), other minerals which may include magnesium, etc., plenty of B-vitamins (which are needed as I improve my thyroid function, besides supporting my adrenals), Vitamin C (also supports my adrenals) and more that I feel are suited for my needs.
5) be open to the fact that if Armour or other desiccated thyroid products don’t seem to be working, I am making one of several mistakes in my use of it, and will identify my mistakes and correct them.
Do you have others as a thyroid patient? Just respond to this post.
Esmeralda said:
Dec 28, 07 at 3:54 pmHi! I am trying to find help for my husband and this site and related yahoo group has been a godsend.
Esmeralda
Dave said:
Dec 31, 07 at 9:05 amI have been searching for a website like this. I have been on synthroid or levoxyl for 12 years. I have gained 100 pounds, am so heat intolerant that I sometimes need AC during the winter. I sweat so much that people get scared and think I’m having a heart attack. I once got a doctor to try cytomel in addition to synthroid. When I doubled the cytomel dose on my own, I lost 20 pounds, and my mood and energy went up. Of course, the next time I had blood work, my tsh was low, so they cut off my cytomel. I think I’ll post my whole story later, but I am still trying to find someone who will listen to me and prescribe Armour. I am really disgusted with the way doctors “treat” me. No one ever diagnoses, they just throw more prescriptions at my symptoms.
Kizzmit5 said:
Jan 05, 08 at 2:14 pmwow, I think I have learned more reading this site than my 13 years of having thyroid problems. I didn’t realize how bad things were with all this. My doc won’t refill my script until I can afford more blood work, so I have been off meds for a few months. I was googling itching all over and found this site. I have never been given the low down on what is/was so important about taking my meds and the itching alone makes me want to get back on my meds as soon as possible. I’m going to come back to this site more often. Thank you for having it here for us. I’m going to do all I can to take better care (as far as our money and docs will allow, we live in a very small town) of my thyroid.
Reading the symptoms page, I hadn’t known that water retension almost to the point of congestive heart failure was a symptom. I have been suffering from water retension to the point the skin on my feet turn white and it hurts to move. Of course I was given more/different pills to take for this. There are just so many symptoms I have that I didn’t realize were part of this. Thank you for opening my eyes. I’m truely shocked and saddend by all of this. The only way to change things is to see it. So thank you!
SHELLY said:
Jan 15, 08 at 11:55 pmHI,
THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT INFO! I HAVE BEEN HYPO FOR 14 YEARS. I HAVE BEEN “DIAGNOSED” WITH RHEMUTOID ARTHRITIS (WHICH I DON’T HAVE. THEN I WAS TOLD I HAD FIBROMYALGIA — WHICH I AM THINKING IS JUST THE PROBLEM WITH MY HYPO NOT BEING TREATED PROPERLY (SYNTHROID ONLY). I WILL START MY ARMOUR TOMORROW. I HAVE STARTED ON LICORCE ROOT ALSO. I GO TO A “REAL” DOCTOR (HAS PRESCRIBED AMOUR FOR YEARS ) NEXT MONTH. I WILL GET ALL MY LABS DONE WITH HIM. IT HAS BEEN 14 YEARS THAT I HAVE FELT LIKE CRAP SO I AM EXCITED TO GET ON THE ROAD TO HEALTH! I HAVE GAINED TOO MUCH WEIGHT AND HAVE MUSCLE AND BONE PAIN AS WELL AS FATIGUE (TOO MANY SYMPTOMS TO LIST!!).
THANK YOU FOR THIS WEBPAGE!!!
PTL!
Mary Beth said:
Jan 18, 08 at 3:53 pmI have been hypo for over 15 years on synthroid. Fatigue and depression-so they check my levels and throw antidepressants at me. Which I will not take. I have trouble losing weight and retain water. I take maxide for the water retention but also have meiners disease in both ears. I am at the end of my rope. I need to find a good Doctor. How????? I am so ready for a change
Jean said:
Jan 24, 08 at 7:21 amI just started taking Armour 2 days ago after being on synthroid and levo for too many years (more then 20). I was up to 200 mcg of levo a day feeling totally awful and having so many depressive issues I was headed for a divorce. I finally convinced my doctor to switch me to armour after a TSH (Thats all she will prescribe) of 39.83!!! 4 is the high. She started me on 2 grains a day but I’m taking one split in half to start off slow, on request from moderator of thyroid message board. Thanks so much for this board. So great to know I’m not alone in this!!
SHELLY said:
Jan 25, 08 at 12:28 pmI HAVE BEEN ON ARMOUR AND LICORCE ROOT FOR OVER A WEEK. I JUST STARTED ISOCORT ABOUT 3R 4 DAYS AGO. AT FIRST I WAS JITTERY AND EVEN HAD A SLIGHT HEADACHE WHICH I NEVER HAVE. BUT I HUNG IN THERE — 2 TABLETS OF ARMOUR AND 2 OF ISOCORT. THE HEADACHES ARE GONE AS ARE THE JITTERS. I HAVE MORE ENERGY AND THE ACHES AND PAINS ARE EVEN SUBSIDING!!!! WOW — THANK YOU FOR THE INFO ON THIS WEBSITE. NOW WHY WONT THE DOCTORS EDUCATE THEMSELVES??? PTL
SHELLY
luckitri said:
Jan 29, 08 at 6:49 pmThis site is fantastic! I think that I have had hypo for all of my life and I believe that my 13 yo has it also. It only registered on their tests a few months ago and I am not being adequately treated. I have been too ill to work so am stuck with docs on health plan and none of them consider Armour that I can find. The initial Synthroid gave me hope because it was the first time in years that I had done anything without total willpower moving every muscle but I am still no energy — it really is doing very little if anything so obviously my body is not converting it. My mother told me I had thyroid 30 years ago but I never found a doctor to admit it. I am in my 50’s. I have lost my life to this disease and medical stupidity. I would like a chance for the remainder of my life to be better but with the brainwashed docs available to me I am not sure how at this point.
Amy said:
Jan 30, 08 at 1:32 pmThank you for this website. I cried when I read your story because I so relate to how you are feeling.
John said:
Feb 19, 08 at 11:05 pmI been taking synthroid for years and feel miserable. Great site by the way. I just want to get better and have a doctor prescribe me something other then L-thyroxine.
louis rosenbaum said:
Feb 21, 08 at 6:44 amyour website valuable to me. I was unaware of it but my dental hygienist told me about it. I have taken dessicated thyroid for 55 years with good result until my physician cut my dose in half (based on free t4 and tsh results). I tried taking half the dose twice a day but still had symptoms. Symptoms disappeared when I went back to original dose. I am a retired physician and am happy to say I never prescribed t4 in my 38 years if practice. At this point do not agree with twice a day dosage or sublingual use.
Chantal said:
Feb 21, 08 at 7:55 amI was overwhelmed when i found your website. It was everything I needed to go to my doctor and finally get Thyroid (Canadian version of Armour). My TSH has been in the normal range the whole time but I felt terrible. I’ve been living with my symptoms for over 10 years. I was previously given multiple antidepressants. After accumulating all my symptoms and doing my own research, my doctor finally understood. I’m on day 2 of my Thyroid and I can’t wait to see what happens, I now have hope!! Thank you soooo much for sharing your story and all this wonderful information.
Suzanne Connor said:
Feb 23, 08 at 6:15 pmThank you for this website! There are so many people that have thyroid problems and don’t realize that there are other medications for hypothyroidism. Some that are more natural and cover more that the TSH factor.
I was taking 100 mcg. of synthroid. It took away some of the symptoms. I kept hoping for better results. It never happened. I did some research and found out about Amour. Which my Endocrinologist never mentioned as a treatment plan. I believe that pharmaceutical kick backs do exist. I asked him if he would prescribe Amour to me. Thank goodness he agreed. Within a month I started noticing the difference. I have been on Amour for 4 months now and finding better results. Also less symptoms of the hypothyroidism. I highly recommend trying this product. There should be no reason a doctor wouldn’t prescribe this. If he/she truly wants to help you and knows what their doing in this medical field of disease.
Crystalia said:
Mar 08, 08 at 2:43 pmThank you for your site. I was ill, swelling horribly, losing my hair, blood pressure sky-rocketing and ageing extremely quick, being unable to move after work and losing my ability to remember short term. I am an insulin dependent diabetic of 40 yrs. and I thought I was dying from kidney failure. I am 49. I studied up on estrogen dominance and treated my self with progesterone cream, my hair stopped falling out and things were a little better. I had no insurance and was able to get into a county health clinic. I was diagnosed as being “hypothyroid” and prescribed levoxyl amd lipitor. I refused to take it until I had studied on it. I studied all I could find on estrogen dominance on the internet and then came stop the thyroidmadness. I am so glad and thankful for your site. At the next doctor visit the doctor asked if I had been taking the levoxyl and lipitor. I simply said NO… and that I would not take anything unless she prescridbed Armour thyroid for me. She did. It helped for a while, and I do feel better and my weight is back down to 118 – 120 lbs. I still swelled and my hair is falling out again. I have slowly increased the Armour and experimented with the time and dosage. Right now I am devistated because of how thin my hair is and it is falling out again. I Have just increased the dosage again. I come back to your site often to read up on the suppplements and dosing the meds. I ask the Doctor to take a look at your site. On the next to the last visit I recieved no explanation but was told that my doctor was no longer there and would not be returning. I am seeing a new doctor and she recommended and referred me to the indocrinologist. I had asked for this over 2 yrs.ago. I just pray that this doctor is open and thinks “out-side the box”. Thanks again for your site. and if you pray , please pray for me and my doctor. Thanks so much…
Pat said:
Apr 29, 08 at 4:21 pmHi, you are all so encouraging! 1st I was hyper, 1997, then had radiation, and quickly became hypo. I have had thyroid eye disease which blinded me in 1st my left in 12/05 and then my right eye, 1/06. I haven’t felt good in over 3 yrs. My endo won’t listen to me and keeps giving me Synthroid up/down doses which in my opinion are doing absolutely nothing for me, I’m feeling so tired and miserable all the time. I’m about 100 lbs overweight and I ache ALL THE TIME, have had joint/knee problems and am frequently depressed. I have an 8yr old that I have no energy to do anything with. My endo keeps telling me to diet/exercise but I don’t have tne energy and am depressed most of the time and that is why I eat. I want to try Armour too. I’m going to see if my Endo will listen to me on 5/13 when I go to see him, please pray for me, if he doesn’t work with me here, I’m going to find another endo. I’m tired of this synthroid! Thanks for your encouraging comments. Peace