Ran Into Some Problems

The ten pounds has stayed off so far. Unfortunately, I think I'm allergic to the one form of natural thyroid medication I'm taking (Thyroid-S). My head feels like hives and it's SO itchy! I've tried different shampoos and treatments but then recently realized that this is the same feeling I had when the doctor gave me a medication I was allergic to. I think it's probably a filler in the Thyroid-S that is causing the reaction.

I have an appointment for mid-January with a new doctor that came recommended to me. I didn't want to keep taking Thyroid-S for another month but I also don't want to go back to feeling horrible and gaining that weight back either. So I have reduced my Thyroid-S dose so I'm still getting more T3 and have gone back to Synthroid (ONLY temporarily) just until my new doctor can prescribe Naturethroid for me. I hear that's better for people who have allergies to some of the fillers in the other medications.

It's too bad if I'm allergic to Thryoid-S because I was feeling better and some weight dropped off. It could be an allergy or perhaps a hypothyroid symptom - meaning I need MORE Thyroid-S than I'm currently taking but if I'm allergic, I don't want to push it.

I've also bought natural progesterone cream, coconut oil, and magnesium oil. I've read some good things and wanted to try a few things out. I'm waiting for my books (Stop the Thyroid Madness and Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It) to show up on my doorstep. It's been Christmas here this week with all my stuff coming in!

I'll let you know what I think of the books after they get here and I read them. I can't wait until they get here.

I picked up some iodine tincture.  I want to try a skin test with it and see what that is about. There are several sites that talk about it but they say different things. Some sites say it can help tell if you are iodine deficient and other sites say it doesn't work for that. I'll give it a try and see what happens.

Edited to add 2/2/2010:  It wasn't a medication allergy. It was eczema:)

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My Thyroid Still Works!

I've recently read that our thyroids produce about 300 mcg of hormone a day. Based on my old Synthroid dose of 112 mcg, that means that about two-thirds of my thyroid is still working!?!? Those are the highest doses for both Armour and Synthroid so that sounds about right.

My sister-in-law didn't think my thyroid was working much because she doesn't have a thyroid and she was on the same dose of Synthroid as I was. However, it appears that parts of my thyroid are still alive and well! Yippee! That's great news.

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T3 AND T4 Studies

If you are on a T4 only medication and still not feeling well, you might be interested in reading about some studies done on a combo T3/T4 regimen.

About Thryoid - Mary Shoman

Mercola

The actual study at New England Journal of Medicine (here's an abstract version)

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Why do doctors push Synthroid?

Why do doctors push a synthetic medication over a natural dessicated thyroid medication that has been around far longer than the synthetic version?

Is it because you can't patent a natural medication...therefore pharmaceutical companies can't rake in the big bucks on them?

For more reading on this topic, read here.

I have had an endocrinologist outright refuse to prescribe a T3/T4 combination for my thyroid disease. He even went as far as to call in a prescription for Synthroid to my online prescription provider (which automatically deducts it from my bank account) after I told him I didn't want Synthroid! He's been fired.

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Bad Female Stuff & Thyroid

The really bad premenstrual stuff was back again this month. The only time I experienced such bad cramps that it hurt to move was when my TSH was too high. I was thinking it was time to increase my thyroid medication dosage anyway so after being doubled over in pain, I've decided to definitely add a little bit more.

I need to find another doctor to manage my thyroid but I had such a hard time finding one nearby, I got frustrated. I am going to have to search farther out to find a doctor who will treat symptoms and not just lab results. Why is it so hard for a doctor to actually listen to patients? Doesn't how they feel matter anymore?

Perhaps I should contact a compounding pharmacy and see if they can tell me any doctors in the area who use them. That might help. My pharmacist has been more helpful than my family doctor has been! They all wear the lab coats but even with all those years of medical school, my family doctor was a huge disappointment.

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Nail Care with Thyroid Problems

If your nails are brittle, it could be a sign that your thyroid hormone levels are off. Did you realize that it could be one symptom of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism? I didn't know that at first. I knew the hair falling out was one symptom because it was a big one for me for awhile in the beginning. Now, it's more of a mild irritant at times while I get my dosage adjusted.

Hypothyroidism is my curse to try to figure out personally. I've not gone hyper that I'm aware of. I was lucky in that even though I was hypothyroid, my nails weren't soft and brittle but they did get a lot of ridges in them. They're definitely a lot better lately.

I think I'm long overdue for a manicure (years overdue). One of the best places I've heard of to go is to get nail care in Huntington Beach. It's a bit too far to me (like 2,200 miles too far) but after giving my four year old a mini-manicure with red, white, and blue nail polish for Veterans Day this month, I might take a second look in the budget to find some room for a little nail care pampering for me too.

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Weight Loss Success!

Woo hoo! I am officially on my second leg of the weight loss. I broke it up into three parts. The first part of the weight loss went pretty good with the change in medication, however, it got hung up on those last few tenths of a pound before it'd push me into the second part for the next ten pound weight loss. It was like that for most of last week and I was beginning to wonder if that was it. Nope. As of today, I am officially on part 2 and the next ten pounds.

I figure in another five pounds, I'll be able to put on my wedding ring again without feeling claustrophobic from it being too tight. I don't expect to ever wear a size four again. I've had four kids delivered the old-fashioned way - that just does something to the hips, ya know? However, I do expect to be back into a comfortable size eight or maybe even a size six. Then it'll be time to sexy mama up a little bit! It would be nice to feel good in nice clothes again.

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The Miracle of Bio-Identical Hormones by Dr. Michael Platt

This week while I had the flu, it gave me some time to read a book I’d been wanting to read for awhile. The book is called The Miracle of Bio-Identical Hormones by Dr. Michael E. Platt. The book cover says it is about how to lose fatigue, hot flashes, ADHD, ADD, fibromyalgia, PMS, osteoporosis, weight, sexual dysfunction, anger, migraines and more. Some of the other things it talks about helping inside the book are things like restless legs syndrome and thyroid problems.

This was a very interesting read. I wouldn’t mind owning this book and having it on my shelf for reference.

I took some notes from it for myself so as usual, I’m posting them here so I can refer back to them. Maybe they’ll interest you as well.

THYROID

• TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone): It talks of the “normal” being between 0.3 to 5.5 but if your TSH is higher than one, Dr. Platt says that your pituitary is still indicating you need thyroid. Dr. Platt says that the TSH levels were arbitrarily picked from a study of only 100 medical students (and they weren’t worried about how their thyroids were actually performing during that time). Dr. Platt’s goal is to get TSH levels close to 0.3 so he knows you’re getting close to 100% of what you need. He doesn’t just use T4 (Synthroid or its generic) to get those results. He uses both T3 and T4. THIS IS WHAT I ASKED MY ENDOCRINOLOGIST TO DO AND HE REFUSED! MY TSH LEVELS WERE RIGHT AT 0.3 AND HE SAID THAT WAS TOO LOW AND HE MIGHT CUT BACK ON MY MEDS.
• T3 Meds: Armour, Thyrolar and Cytomel but these are all short-acting meds. Dr. Platt thinks a sustained-release form of bio-identical T3 is what he prefers. You get this from a compounding pharmacy.
• Dr. Platt says that people with ADHD always have low thyroid levels.
• Dr. Platt says progesterone is needed for your thyroid to function.

ADHD

• Dr. Platt says that people with ADHD always have low thyroid levels. He feels they are also low on progesterone (he says it is required for proper thyroid functioning).
• He believes adrenaline is “part of the ADHD causation”.
• ADD and ADHD is low progesterone levels, too much adrenaline (ADHD), and too much insulin. He doesn't believe ADHD is a learning problem.

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

• Dr. Platt talks about how doctors diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome and how he believes they may have a simple case of imbalanced hormones instead. MY ENDO TRIED TO DIAGNOSE ME WITH CFS BEFORE HE EVEN EXAMINED ME.

FIBROMYALGIA

• Dr. Platt mentions how anger and the muscle tension from it can cause a build-up of lactic acid and fatigue can give you a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. He also believes another common underlying cause of fibromyalgia is ADHD because of the high levels of adrenaline (increasing anger, stress, etc.). MY ENDO ALSO SAID I COULD HAVE THIS BEFORE HE EVEN EXAMINED ME.

DHEA

• Dr. Platt believes that people with higher levels of DHEA have lower incidences of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
• He said to get the test for DHEA-S, not DHEA.

PROGESTERONE

• #1 hormone that has to be replaced in most women as they get close to and go thru menopause.
• He believes the number one reason women can't conceive or have a hard time is because of low progesterone levels. He also believes it is the #1 cause of miscarriage. He believes the only reason women have morning sickness while pregnant and have postpartum depression is because of low progesterone levels.
• He believes progesterone eliminates RLS (restless leg syndrome) instead of treating it with toxic drugs used for Parkinson's Disease.

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Quickie Update

I've maintained the initial weight loss. Now I just have to give it a push to get some more off to get over the next hump. I have a few humps to get over:)

I'm doing better this week with adding supplements (antioxidants, Iodine, Vitamin C & D) into the routine. I guess it's a habit I'll form eventually.

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Would Maca Root Help Thyroid?

I was researching natural ways to balance hormones in the body and came across a plant called Maca Root. It's been used for centuries by the people of the Andean Mountain region. It is considered as safe as any vegetable. There is some suggestion of goiter if you eat too much and have a low iodine diet according to Wiki. Seeing as how I have thyroid disease and a goiter on my thyroid, this is interesting to me. It does contain a good amount of natural iodine, which I am very interested in. Since I am researching the use of Iodine in the treatment of thyroid health, goiter, and nodules, this is very interesting.

This is definitely something I want to make note of and study more. I doubt I'll buy grow lights and grow them myself because I doubt I could reproduce the environment of the Andean Mountains for good growth, but this is something I've not heard of before and worth a closer look for thyroid health. Growing other organic vegetables to eliminate chemicals would be a definite plus for my health.

There are some other reported benefits, outside the thyroid, to its use as well if you're interested.

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Can You Prevent Swine Flu?

I posted this on one of my other blogs but it is relevant to this blog as well (Vitamin D is important in the winter months too for our health) so I'm posting it here too:

I found this article, 14 Ways to Prevent Swine Flu, and thought I'd share it with you. I knew a few of these:

• Optimize Vitamin D levels (there's a difference between being optimized and taking the amount to get you within "normal range" which is true for other things as well (such as treating thyroid disease).
• Lower stress levels (SO important).
• Get the right amount of sleep and exercise.
• Wash hands frequently (and not with antibacterial soap).

There's more though. Here's the link so you can check it out!

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New Armour Causing Problems

A lot of people are having problems with the reformulated Armour vs. the old Armour. To read some of the complaints, check it out here at Consumer Affairs.

What was the FDA thinking by forcing this? Big Pharma's greed I think!

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Poll: Do you take natural or synthetic thyroid hormone?

The poll closed. It was a 50/50 split for synthetic and natural thyroid hormone medication.

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Adrenal Fatigue by James L. Wilson

I just finished reading Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by James L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., Ph.D. I was interested in reading this book because of the connection between stress and the adrenals (and thyroid disease).

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Questionnaire:

There was a questionnaire in the book to determine if a person has adrenal fatigue (hypoadrenia). You answer questions for a time in your past when you felt good and then "Now" questions.

The time I picked for "past" was early 2001, before I was diagnosed with thyroid disease. Even though I was in a constant state of stress back then (welcome to my life from the time I was a child on), my health wasn't showing the signs - or so I thought anyway.

Here's how I did on the questionnaire:

• For predisposing factors, my score was 10 (past) and 18 (now).
• For key signs and symptoms, my score was 18 (past) and 43 (now).
• For energy patterns, my score was 8 (past) and 14 (now).
• For frequently observed events, my score was 12 (past) and 22 (now).
• For food patterns, my score was 7 (past) and 10 (now).
• For aggravating factors, my score was 16 (past) and 15 (now) - I've learned to get some toxic mess (people) out of my life.
• For relieving factors, my score was 5 (past) and 6 (now).
  
  

Total Questions Answered: 50 (past) & 64 (now)

**This indicates I have some degree of adrenal fatigue.

Total Points: 76 PAST & 128 NOW

*This indicates that at that "past" point in 2001, before I was diagnosed with thyroid disease, I was showing mild adrenal fatigue. I've had a decline in adrenal health. At 128 points currently, I am showing a moderate adrenal fatigue at this time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Other notes from the book that pertain to me (there's a lot more to the book, but I only took note of things that struck a chord with me):

• People with adrenal fatigue many times have abnormal blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). Guess that explains why I get so nauseous if I don't eat by 9:00 a.m. It says I am better off with several small meals as opposed to a couple big meals.
• Adrenal fatigue is usually caused by stress. Welcome to my world!
• Chronic/severe infections can be a source of stress on the adrenals - asthma, sinusitis, bronchitis, etc. I have asthma. Boy, I'm not doing too well am I?
• Stress can mean a lot of things: physical/emotional stress, poor diet, respiratory infections.
• Blood pressure is "an important indicator of adrenal function." Low adrenal function is likely the most common indicator. I've had really low blood pressure for years. At one appointment, the nurse looked at me strangely when it was seriously low. I asked her if I was alive. She said, "I was wondering that myself."
• Increasing salt intake can benefit the adrenals (if you have high blood pressure, you should definitely read more in the book). Sea salt is a good source of salt with more trace minerals than regular table salt. Kelp is a good source of salt. (I use Celtic sea salt...tastes good too.)
• There's a recipe in the book for "adrenal recovery soup."
• The book talks about a person's craving for chocolate and how it may be your body's craving for magnesium. I crave chocolate frequently.
• There is an Elisa panel that can pinpoint food allergies with just one blood sample. It covers 90-100 foods and a more comprehensive panel covers 175.
• Ashwagandha: has multiple health benefits and can treat adrenal fatigue but in too high a dose, it can inhibit adrenal function (above 35 gms/day).
• Adrenal cortical extracts (adrenal cell extracts) support, fortify, and restore normal adrenal function.

Here's his web site.

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Thyroid Books

I am interested in reading different thyroid books. I've read several and am posting about some of them here. If you have written a book about thyroid health and thyroid treatment and would like for me to review it here, contact me.

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My Biggest Obstacle in Thyroid Treatment

...well, besides finding a good, knowledgeable doctor who will treat with something other than synthetic from Big Pharma.

My biggest obstacle (other than the above): myself.

I need to get consistent and organized. Taking my medication twice a day instead of all in one morning dose is getting easier to remember as time goes on. I also need to get a schedule going for taking my temperature to help me monitor my thyroid needs (my period is a good indicator too - - painful and heavy when my thyroid is out of whack and normal when hormone levels are better). I also need to remember the Iodoral and look into when I should be taking supplements during the day since some are better taken in the morning, at night, with food, without food, etc. I need to get all that figured out.

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Thyroid-S Working, Weight & Mood Changes

Since switching to Thyroid-S (natural dessicated thyroid medication containing both T3 and T4) a couple weeks ago, from Synthroid (synthetic T4), I've lost seven pounds. My moods are better too. I'm all goofy and happy-weird again! I'm coming back!!

My temp last week was 97.1 (which is what it's been around for many years now and doctors just shrugged off as "normal" since getting thyroid disease). Yesterday, it was at 98, but I also wasn't feeling well so I don't know if that was a very low grade fever for me or if my temps are coming up now that medication levels are starting to stabilize. Time will tell! I need to get in the habit of monitoring my temperature daily since low temps is an indicator for me on thyroid levels and adjustments needed.

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What does celtic sea salt taste like?

I bought the Celtic sea salt, which is supposed to be much better for you than refined salt, but I procrastinated with using it. I was afraid it would taste funny. I'm not too adventurous when it comes to trying new tastes but I finally tried it.

It tastes good. It tastes like salt to me. I've been using it to cook with, as well as in my salt shaker. I'm wondering if I can get the really coarse Celtic sea salt and put it in a pepper grinder? I might have to try it.

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Finished "Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, or Frazzled?" Today

I finished "Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, or Frazzled?" this morning. One sentence in the book described how I've felt for the last eight years: "You began to feel less whole, not quite right, lost in a haze, a mere shadow of your former self."

I took a few notes from it that I want to look more into, such as:

• 500 mg Taurine with morning vitamin
• Digestive enzymes
• Ashwagandha
• Rosemary
• Padma Basic (Tibetan formula)
• Ten Mushroom formula
• Look into saliva tests for cortisol.
• Licorice for adrenal; IsoCort.

The book discussed a topic that I am seeing in a lot of different thyroid books: fluoride. The more I read, the more I begin to wonder why the hell it is in a lot of people's drinking water! Did you know that, according to this book, what they add to the water to artificially fluoridate public waters is "hydrofluosilicic acid, an industrial waste product of the fertilzer and aluminum industries." Huh...doesn't that make you want to go turn on your tap and drink a nice, cool drink of water now? The book also says that less than 5% of the world's population drinks artificially fluoridated water (in Europe, that number is 2%).

What countries have BANNED FLUORIDE? Japan, Denmark, Sweden, India and Holland.

To read more about fluoride, go to the Fluoride Action Network and Keepers of the Well.

The book had questionnaires for a self-evaluation. My total thyroid score was 55. My adrenal score was 48. My Women's Sex Gland evaluation score was 37. This was to determine what type of "endo type" I was. I had the most points for thyroid so that makes my primary type a "physical endo-type" or "feeling fat." Given that my adrenal score was so close to the other, it bears looking into as well. For adrenal, it is an "emotional endo-type" or "frazzled." Sex-hormone evaluation is said to be a "mental endo-type" aka "fuzzy thinking." I feel all of the above so I guess it's no surprise that each category had so many points for me.

Another web site to look into: Canary Club. It's a support web site about hormonal imbalance.

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My Health Update

I've been slowly changing over from my synthetic thyroid medication to a natural dessicated thyroid medication over the last couple of weeks. I'm doing fine on the transition - no hyper symptoms like increased heart rate. No panicky feeling at all.

I've finally lost a few pounds so I think the T3 in the natural medication is better for me personally! I lost five pounds when I did this before (but my medical doctor freaked out over it - natural medication - so I stopped until I found the information I needed to manage my thyroid better myself).

I was taking iodine and am using Celtic salt during that time as well but I haven't been consistent with that yet. I guess it's a routine I have to create and get used to and I forget about the iodine more often than not (thyroid brain fog doesn't help me remember;). Once I get onto the Iodine routine, I'm hoping the goiter and nodules will shrink.

Hopefully the weight loss continues!

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Current Thyroid Reading

I am currently reading Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, or Frazzled?: A 3-Step Program to: Restore Thyroid, Adrenal, and Reproductive Balance, Beat Hormone Havoc, and Feel Better Fast!. It's written by a husband/wife team. They're also a doctor/nurse. They run the web site, Thyroid Power.

I'm about halfway through it yet so I don't have much of an opinion at this point. It talks about three different endo types but I am finding that I have many symptoms that fall into all three types. I've taken a few notes for things I want to remember to try (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants). I'll update after I finish reading the book, which I have to do in the next few days because it's overdue at the library.

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Win $50

If you are a nurse or doctor, or have some other employment in a medical facility that requires you to wear scrubs or a lab coat, you might already be familiar with Medelita. If you're not, check them out.

What I wanted to let you know about though was a contest they're having for a $50 AMEX gift card. Most of us are hurting for money right now and every little bit helps. It's easy to enter (do it by September 30, 2009).

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Health Delaying Vow Renewal

Besides money, one reason I've put off making an definitive plans to renew our vows is I don't want to do it looking the way I do now. I want to feel good about myself, and look good, when I'm standing next to my handsome husband so I'm not looking at any bridesmaid gifts (or whatever you call them for a vow renewal) just yet. Then again, when we got married the first time, my husband stuck his tongue out at me during the vows so maybe I'm taking the vow renewal too seriously.

We've been married almost 14 years. The 15 year mark would be a good milestone to renew vows I think. If we're going to do it then, I am going to have to make some decisions by early next year. Our 15-year anniversary is in December 2010. I don't want to renew in December though. Maybe I should look at a spring, 2011 then? That seems too far away though.

I've been miserable for eight years, not feeling like myself since my thyroid decided to betray me. Whose to say I will feel normal a year from now either?

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Got My Salt, Iodoral & New Thyroid Meds

My Iodoral and Celtic Sea Salt came in on the 14th from Amazon. I wish the book I'd been waiting for at the library had come in to (Dr. Brownstein's Iodine).


My new thyroid medication also came in. It was the day for deliveries at my house. Before I jump in with taking everything at once, it is time to do a little research and see what the best way to start these are. Besides the Iodine book, I wanted to have a copy of Stop the Thyroid Madness but my library doesn't have a copy of it. They are doing a nation-wide search for me.


The packaging of my meds was a little different than what I'm used to:

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Iodine, Celtic Sea Salt & Fluoride

I have taken the next step to helping myself. A thyroid needs iodine in order to function properly. I've also read that there may be a link between breast cancer and being iodine deficient as well as iodine being used in the treatment of breast cancer. It's very interesting reading and one I am going to look into more.

We don't get what we need from table salt as it is refined. I've also read by some that it is considered toxic.

Another problem that I've read concerning iodine is about fluoride and how our bodies can confuse fluoride with iodine, displacing it in our body. Fluoride is in a lot of water, toothpaste, dental treatments, and my children's school even gives fluoride treatments once a week to the students (they call it "swish"). If fluoride is doing this, it can lead to thyroid problems. According to PFPC, fluoride poisoning symptoms are very similar to those of hypothyroidism.

I am going to start supplementing with iodine, to see if it improves some of the symptoms of my hypothyroidism, goiter, and nodules. I ordered the Iodoral (iodine) and some celtic sea salt. I've replaced my toothpaste with a fluoride-free toothpaste (and studies are starting to show that fluoride isn't preventing cavities the way it is touted to so at this point, I'm ok with going fluoride-free to see if I start to feel better). Luckily, where we moved to, our water is already fluoride-free so I don't need to worry about the water supply.

I'll do this for a bit and see if I start to feel better. I'll start slow and at the lowest dose. Then, I'll go visit my friendly medical personnel in lab coats and see if any of my lab levels have improved.

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When Doctors Can't Help, Teen Diagnoses Herself!

I just read about this story on Suzanne Somers' blog.

After years of doctors missing the diagnosis for one teen girl, she ended up getting proactive and getting a diagnosis for herself. Doctors said over the years: Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Colitis. Ends up it was Crohn's Disease. Read more about this teen's story here.

It goes to show that doctors aren't always right. Knowing your body and not ignoring that feeling that something isn't right is important! Be proactive in your health care. I've not been lucky in finding a doctor who appreciates that I won't just go along with whatever they want anymore (like I did for eight, miserable years with thyroid disease). In fact, I can think of a family doctor and endocrinologist who are unhappy with me at the moment. Oh well. I'm not very happy with them either!

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Book on Bioidentical Hormones

I just finished Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones by Suzanne Somers. I really didn't understand what a "bioidentical hormone" was and wanted to find out more. "Bioidentical" means biologically identical to human hormones, to replicate human hormones, are not drugs. They are not like synthetic hormones, which are made from the urine of pregnant mares.





Since I have a disease that is hormone-related, I want to learn all I can and get different perspectives and find what feels right, and works, for me.

It was interesting reading and a different opinion than what you'd get from most mainstream doctors (including the endocrinologists I have been unhappy with for the treatment of my thyroid disease). I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this thought process being practiced down the road but it'll be a long road until then I think, if my own personal experience with mainstream doctors is any indication.


I've made a lot of notes from the book for my use and want to document them here for my future reading. My brain fog is bad enough that I have to make notes of pretty much everything or else it's forgotten in no time. These are some notes I've made from my reading from different information in the book:

• Cancer and synthetic hormone replacement (like Premarin, Provera, and Prempro) link: Study by Women's Health Initiative was supposed to last 8.5 years but was stopped after 5.2 years because risk of using synthetic hormones outweighed the benefits. Increased risk of breast cancer; also shows does not protect heart and bones like originally though.


• DHEA: most plentiful hormone in body, converted into other hormones (including estrogen and testosterone). Considered an antiaging and anti-disease hormone. Weight loss. Your DHEA levels can be checked via saliva or blood test. Female optimum level is 150-350 and males 250-450 according to this book. Available over the counter. There are side effects if you have too much so get tested before supplementing. DHEA may be better taken at night.


• Some reasons for sick thyroid: 1) Selenium necessary for T4 conversion to T3. 2) Estrogen dominance 3) Mercury 4) Stress


• You should support the adrenals when treating your thyroid (my endocrinologists and family doctors who treated my thyroid these last eight years never talked about it or obviously did this). I was finally recently tested, but the endocrinologist wouldn't even consider adrenal support.


• Chronically high levels of cortisol will degrade your immune system (like dealing with all the ex/step stress where I lived in a constant state of stress for about ten years?).


• The author gets regular injections of HGH (human growth hormone) because tests showed she was low. Have to be tested first. To read some studies, go to http://www.pubmed.com/ and type in "growth hormone".


• The "Seven Dwarfs of Menopause" (this I found funny even though I'm a few years away from menopause...I wanted to keep it): Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful, and All-Dried-Up. Menopause doesn't have to be miserable if your hormones are optimized (something for me to keep in mind for when I start to go through it).


• GI Bloat: There are foods that offend you and cause this. There is supposed to be a test you can take to find out what those foods are. You can find out more at Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, http://www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com/.


• Symptoms of low testosterone for men are low libido, decreased facial and body hair, enlarged breasts or no symptoms at all. Can cause osteoporosis in men.


• Calcium supplements: better as liquid because some in pill form do not dissolve and come out the next day.


• Iodine: Iodine is necessary and concentrates in the thyroid, breasts, and ovaries (I've read elsewhere that iodine is used in the treatment of breast cancer...it's worth looking into as I've been told (by other thyroid patients...not doctors) that Iodine would shrink my thyroid nodules and goiter.) Fluoride interferes in our body utilizing what Iodine we do get. Can get an iodine loading test to find out if you are deficient and by how much.
• Book mentions melatonin; 0.25 mg (tiny dose) or higher, depending on needs. Will look into.
• The book lists several doctors, specialists, clinics, and institutes for more information: http://www.bermansexualhealth.com/, http://www.ahealth.com/, http://www.drarvantely.com/, http://www.emotrics/, http://www.menopauseinstitute.com/, http://www.antiaging.com/, http://www.bornclinic.com/, http://www.drbrownstein.com/, http://www.juliecarmenyoga.com/.
  
  

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Thyroid Power: 10 Steps to Total Health

Last week, I read Thyroid Power: Ten Steps to Total Health. It was written by Richard L. Shames, M.D. and Karilee Halo Shames, R.N., PH.D. The book cover says:

The amazing program to help millions conquer fatigue, depression, overweight, and other chronic conditions.

If you have thyroid disease, you're likely familiar with many of those eh?

Some of the notes I made from my reading:

• Allergy is a common energy drain. There are allergy blood tests that you can take to determine if you have an allergy problem.
• We've all heard about the increased risk of osteoporosis with the wrong dosage of thyroid medication. I've heard it several times myself. It seems to be a great scare tactic doctors use when they don't want to deviate from the standard treatments. This books tells of research done that says that appropriate doses of thyroid medications is not harmful to bones and that the author thinks that you have a greater risk of osteoporosis by being undiagnosed or undertreated for hypothyroidism. The books states: "It is a medical fact that untreated low thyroid is a cause of osteoporosis."
• If you are considering estrogen therapy, you should read page 119 of this book and see what you think, talk to your doctor.

According to this book, here are some of their supplement recommendations:

• Vitamin A for low thyroid sufferers of 10,000-20,000 international units (IU). This is a supplement that can be toxic in high dosages so don't use more than what is recommended for you.
• Vitamin C for antioxidant properties (like Vitamin A). 1,000 milligrams a day is recommended.
• Vitamin E as an antioxidant in doses no larger than 400 US per day unless you are menopausal and having hot flashes (then it talks of increasing dosages...talk to your doctor).
• Adjust intake of B-complex to approx. 50 milligrams/day. B6 shouuld be about 100 milligrams a day.
• Bioflavonoids work with B vitamins and often are in fruits and vegetables. Can be very helpful for inflammation due to autoimmune thyroiditis (me). Recommendations in the book are 250-500 milligrams of quercetin and 100-150 milligrams phgnogenol.
• Minerals: This book says minerals are even more important than vitamins. Copper, zinc, selenium, chromium, manganese, calcium, magnesium. You can get these minerals with sea vegetables too.
• Ashwagandha is said to have a stimulatory effect on both T3 and T4 in laboratory animals. Also recommended is milk thistle of 300 milligrams daily.

Fluoride:

Read the information on fluoride in this book. You might find it enlightening. It talks of fluoride's possible thyroid-lowering effect. There have been studies suspecting fluoride for cancer as well. Perhaps putting 100% confidence in our governmental agencies isn't such a good idea. Read this too. To see a video about this, click here.

The authors of this book also have a web site.

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The Cortisol Connection Diet

I recently finished reading The Cortisol Connection Diet: The Breakthrough Program to Control Stress and Lose Weight. It was written by Ph.D. Shawn Talbott.

I read it because I am concerned about cortisol levels and adrenal function. I'm concerned about the high level of stress I was in for years and if that caused or contributed to my current health problems today. It's the first book I've read on this topic (so far). I plan to read more.

The different chapters are:

1. Eating for Quality and Quantity
2. Cortisol Control
3. Blood-Sugar Control
4. Thermogenesis
5. General Metabolic Support
6. Putting It All Together

I made note of some things that I wanted to remember for myself:

• Chromium: essential trace mineral for glucose metabolism, insulin regulation, and appetite control. For overweight people, the book recommends 200-400 mcg per day. I haven't looked it up with other sources yet to see if that is in line with other recommendations.
• Vanadium: another trace mineral for normal insulin function. I've never heard of vanadium! The book says safe levels are 10-100 mcg/day. Never having heard of this, I am going to need to research it more. You have to be careful because some sources of this have it at possible toxic levels (body building supplements).
• Banaba Leaf: Again, never heard of this. The book says it is a medicinal plant and uses of it are for diabetes and hyperglycemia. Will have to research this more.
• We have all heard this many times but we should drink lots of water! The book says it is needed for proper fat burning, maintaining muscle mass, and boosting metabolism. It says if you are dehydrated, it can boost cortisol levels and reduce your metabolic rate.
• When looking for an antioxidant, look for one that includes Vitamin C, Vitamin E, thiols, carotenoids, and flavonoids.
• Green tea: We've seen the green tea diets out there. The book talks about how green tea catechins "improve several metabolic aspects". The book recommends 200-750 mg of green tea extract standardized for polyphenols/catechins.

Now onto some thyroid support information:

• Stress hormones (cortisol) can inhibit conversion of T4 to T3.
• The book recommends the following nutritional supplements to support healthy functions: iodine and bladderwack.
• To improve conversion of T4 to T3: selenium and zinc, Vitamin E

Those were some of the notes I made from the book.

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Iodine, Adrenals, & Stress

I've been busy doing a lot of research on adrenal support and the use of Iodine in helping with goiter and nodules. Of course, it's nothing my doctor (any of them) have told me about because they are all about synthetic medications and nothing else. It's something I am seriously researching.

In addition to that, I worry about the effect of constant stress on my thyroid and adrenals (cortisol) in years past when we lived a very stressful life. Stress is a hard monster to tame. You can say relax, light some WoodWick Candles, and let your stress go but it's really not that easy for me because my brain doesn't shut down. It goes over and over what is bothering me. After many years of that, does stress affect your health? I think so.

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Doc still wants to stick needles in my neck!

I contacted my endocrinologist back about some of the lab results they'd sent me. My T3 was at the low end of normal and so was my cortisol. I asked that he prescribe me something with T3 in it (either Naturethroid or Cytomel) to bring my T3 level up (to still be within the "norm" range though) and for some adrenal support for my cortisol (again, still keeping the levels within "normal" but to raise it a little).

I got the response I expected...don't want to do that because it might have long-term consequences (why would it if I kept them within "normal" range?) and he wants me to schedule a biopsy (because the one in June wasn't bad enough). I'm so tired of this stuff. Like I want to have people in medical scrubs sticking needles in my neck again? Why do something so invasive AGAIN when there are other things that can be tried first (like Iodine) to shrink the nodules? Why choose to biopsy and remove the thyroid (which the endo is talking about doing) when there are other avenues less invasive that could be tried first? It might not work. I know that, but I want to try!

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Thyroid Supplements

I was at a health food store today looking at what they offered in the way of thyroid support and came across these:

Of course, I paid a lot more than the price shown here since I bought it at a health food store, but I was wondering if anybody else has heard or tried these?

Here's what the site says:

Indications
Naturally Supports Healthy Thyroid and Glandular Activity.

Ingredients
Vitamin B6: 2 mg (pyridoxine HCI), Folate: 400 mcg (folic acid), Vitamin B12: 60 mcg (methylcobalamin), Iodine: 225 mcg (Irish Moss and kelp), Zinc: 25 mg (L-Optizinc® - Zinc L-Methionine Complex), Selenium: 50 mcg (l-selenomethionine and Yeast Free), Copper: 1 mg (copper amino acid chelate), L-Tyrosine: 1 g (free- form), Irish Moss: 200 mg (Chondius Crispus) (Thallus), Guggul: 75 mg Standardized Extract (Commiphora mukul) (Resinous Sap) - min. 10% Guggulsterones, Kelp: 60 mg Whole Plant

Directions
As a dietary supplement, take two vegetarian capsules two times daily, on an empty stomach or just before meals.


I haven't tried them yet. I'm wondering if I should run it by my endocrinologist first (who basically doesn't believe in any other thyroid treatment but synthetic and was talking about taking out my thyroid before he'd even examined me for the first time). Doesn't sound like I want to run it by him, huh? Maybe take a half or a quarter of a dose to start and see how I feel.

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7/14/09 Lab Results (Most of Them)

I mentioned I had a bunch of labs done. The doctor's note said that I may need less Synthroid and the rest of the labs look good. His notes also say that I may need another biopsy because they didn't biopsy one on the left side (they only biopsied on the left side).

There are so many lab results and I'm not sure what is relevant or not. I wasn't sure I should post all of them. I am going to post screenshots instead:

























This last test result came in later than the others:

DHEA, LC/MS/MS: 279 (reference range is listed as 102-1185)

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Poll: Are You Satisfied With Your Doctor's Treatment of your Thyroid Disease?

Poll Results:

• 12% said yes.
• 87% said they are frustrated and want help.
  

I am within the 87%. I have not found a doctor I am happy with so far and I've had thyroid disease for eight years now.

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No Lab Results Yet

There were a number of blood tests that the new endocrinologist took at my first appointment with him last week. I'd say about 15 or so were noted on the lab report for the blood draw. Unfortunately, my endocrinologist is not in the office this week so I can't get the results until next week.

Everybody about the thyroid seems to be a waiting game ~

• Waiting for lab work.
• Waiting for appointments with new doctors (why does it take longer to get in to see a doctor as a "new patient"?)
• Waiting to see what the new medications will change.
• Waiting for biopsy results.
• Waiting for ultrasound results.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

I guess having to wait a couple weeks is better than a couple months or years if we were under Canada's health care system. Oh wait, we might be if President Obama gets his way.

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New Endocrinologist, First Appointment Update

I had my appointment yesterday with a new endocrinologist. My opinion - eh!

On the positive, he took a ton of blood tests for not only thyroid hormone but for adrenals, ferritin, estrogen, etc. He is also agreeing with me that my TSH levels (which were at 3.7 in April) should be brought down to a 1 (I might aim for even lower once I get there but 1 is a start).

On the negative, he has no confidence in Armour as treatment for thyroid. He prefers Synthroid. Says there is nothing natural about hormone from a pig. (Hasn't anybody ever told him we drink milk from a cow too?) :) Anyway, he is willing to try a Cytomel down the road in addition if I need it but he prefers synthetic. On another negative, he doesn't want to believe that the symptoms I am still having are related to my thyroid. He mentioned chronic fatigue syndrome, fibro something or other. That's a load of crap!

He also said that because I've had four children, that my metabolism is not going to be like other women my age who have not had this many children. I don't expect it to be that of a 18-year old. I just want SOME metabolism. It's pretty much dead right now. His idea - cut back 100 calories a day to lose 2 lbs. a month and exercise. I explained that I wasn't eating a ton of calories and I was exercising. He told me to drink diet pop (sure, I'll load up on artificial sweeteners along with my artificial thryoid pills.) He thinks his idea to cut back 100 calories a day will work. He's young.

He said that there was a nodule on my left side that should have been biopsied and wasn't. I DO NOT want another biopsy. The last one made me SO sick for several days. He has to get my biopsy results to see if they did biopsy that side (they didn't). My doctor was supposed to have sent him my biopsy results sometime in the last two months! Obviously she didn't. Useless.

He mentioned the possibility of removing my thyroid. He believes it is barely functioning since I am at 112 Synthroid and with the risk of cancer... Seems to me everything else should be tried first before they cut a person's neck open and remove an organ and so far, I haven't found a doctor willing to do anything but the standard.

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Upcoming Endocrinologist Appointment

I have an appointment on Tuesday with a new endocrinologist for my thyroid disease. I don't hold a lot of hope for this visit. In fact, I'm wondering if I should even bother.

I am just so tired of people in lab coats with degrees on their walls treating me like whatever I say doesn't matter. I know I need a doctor who will treat my symptoms and not just my lab results. I need a doctor who will look at my labs and realize that even if they are within the wide range of acceptable, that there is an optimized level within those numbers and that is what I want.

I spent a couple hours online today researching information so I can go into this appointment knowledgeable enough to request what I need. One web site was Stop the Thyroid Madness. This site also has a book that I requested my library find for me.

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Low Dose Naltrexone

I was given a link to Low Dose Naltrexone to look up as a thyroid resource. The claim is that it can boost the immune system. Originally used in a higher dose to treat certain addictions, in lower doses, it is thought to improve symptoms in autoimmune disorders (MS, Lupus, Thyroid Disease, HIV/AIDS, Crohn's Disease and more) and even cancer!

Sound too good to be true? As a person struggling with thyroid disease and doctors who don't treat it right, I am certainly interested in finding out more about LDN. If you'd like to find out what it is, click here.

If you've used LDN for autoimmune disorders, I'd love to hear from you! Let me know if it helped, what symptoms you had, would you recommend it to others?

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Thyroid Biopsy Results Here

Yesterday, I finally received my thyroid biopsy results. The doctor has only had them since MAY 20TH. Nice of her to hang onto them so long while ignoring my phone calls and emails asking for the results.

Anyway, the results for cancer are negative so the cells they took from my thyroid were not cancerous. From what another doctor told me, biopsies aren't accurate because they only take a small amount of cells out of many, many cells so they could be missing it, but it is a relief anyway.

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Doctor Doesn't Give Biopsy Results

Why do doctors not give results of tests (labs, ultrasounds, biopsies) in a timely manner? Don't they know that in cases like a biopsy, where they are testing for cancer, that the patient is probably waiting anxiously for the result? My results were supposed to be in. My doctor's nurse was supposed to call me today. They told me it would be today (I specifically asked when I called this morning). I was told, "yes." I wasn't called. I also sent an email through the patient portal asking them to provide the results of the biopsy by today so I didn't have to wait through the weekend.

I know they results are there because the receptionist checked when I called. When they aren't there, they tell me they aren't in yet. She tried to get the doctor's nurse, who was busy at the time. They told me she would call me TODAY. I am so unhappy with this doctor and her staff.

Edited to add: I just called the hospital where the biopsy was done. They sent my doctor the results on May 20th. She's had them over a week and yet she, her nurse, or anybody else in her office couldn't find the time to give me the results?

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Educating Yourself about Thyroid Disease

I've had thyroid disease for almost eight years now. After all this time, I don't know enough about it. I know what most doctors say but I am finding there is another layer to it, a thyroid movement for lack of a better phrase, of people who are proactively managing their thyroid disease WITH their doctors, not just doing what their doctors say blindly. In many cases, the "norm" isn't what is best for you. I've done the "norm" and believe me, it's not working.

I have a lot of work to do. I really want my thyroid levels optimized so I feel GOOD again. I feel overwhelmed on how to go about starting that.

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48 Hours After the Thyroid Biopsy

It's been 48 hours since my thyroid biopsy. I am a bit sore, especially when I try to lift anything with weight to it for very long. My neck is still swollen. My husband says it looks like I have a golf ball in my neck (sweet huh?).

Compared to Monday afternoon though, I feel a lot better. The first afternoon was a bit on the miserable side (headaches, brain fog, pain in neck and shoulder, discomfort at incision site). Yesterday was better than the day before. Today is better than yesterday. Tomorrow should be great.

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Video of Fine Needle Biopsy

This isn't my fine needle biopsy of my thyroid. This woman is entirely too happy for this to have been me at my biopsy this past Monday. I was like her with my first biopsy but this second one was a bit rough compared to the first. I'm not sure if they're all supposed to be rough and was just spoiled by the first doctor who did it so well.

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Thyroid Biopsy is Done

My thyroid biopsy is done. I am trying to keep my mind off of it but blogging isn't doing the job. This biopsy was worse than the first one I had. My neck and shoulder feels sore. Since they biopsied the right side, and I am right-handed, well...it's a little sore to move. Laughing is sore. Swallowing is sore. My neck is swollen, my head hurts and I feel just "icky". I didn't feel this bad after my other biopsy.

The results will be back in 7-10 days.

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Thyroid Ultrasound Results

I finally connected with the nurse at my doctor's to talk about my thyroid ultrasound results. I've always had multiple nodules on my thyroid that were cystic since developing thyroid disease eight years ago. However, the ultrasound showed that I have several solid nodules now (three to be exact). When I asked her if I should be worried about them being solid, she said, "Well, it's not normal that they're solid."

Alrighty then. I looked it up online and the risk of cancer increases a bit for solid nodules vs. cystic nodules.

She is going to schedule a biopsy at the hospital for me. Something to look forward to eh? It's a little creepy thinking about it.

If you'd like to read up on thyroid nodules, here is some interesting reading.

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Thyroid, Sexual Health & Infertility

I finished reading Thyroid Solution: A Mind-Body Program for Beating Depression & Regaining Your Emotional & Physical Health. It had some good points in it but I am glad I didn't buy it since there is a newer copy out called The Thyroid Solution: A Revolutionary Mind-Body Program for Regaining Your Emotional and Physical Health which I would rather have on my bookshelf.

I'll go on with some important notes that I made on the rest of the book (to see my notes from the beginning of this book, click here):

• After your thyroid levels are brought within normal range, you still should exercise and eat right. I need to do this more myself.

• Thyroid & Sexual Health: Hypothyroidism can lead to lack of interest in sex, which may decline a bit or vanish completely. If you have never been tested for thyroid imbalance and are exhibiting loss of interest and your gynecologist can't figure it out, have your blood drawn. It's as simple as that to rule out your thyroid being the problem in the bedroom. I am thankful this hasn't been a problem for me or maybe because I was a bit oversexed to begin with, it just brought me down to a more normal sex drive, lol. If you have the opposite problem - a raging libido - could be hyperthyroid. Get a blood test! Dr. Arem suggests that if you are still having problems after your hypothyroidism is fixed, to consider a T4/T3 combination (which can also help with persistent depression).

• Your Thyroid & Infertility/Miscarriage: Having an overactive or underactive thyroid can make it hard to conceive and it may be overlooked. The book talks of couples going through years of infertility treatments (and debt) only to find out it was as simple as a blood test to check thyroid levels! This was a big one for us. Despite having four kids, three out of those four children were difficult to conceive. It took about a year for our first child to be conceived. It took over a year for my son to be conceived. My third child was conceived the first month after we decided to try for a third child (during a big fight with my husband's sister...husband was being loving and consoling me and voila! A baby!) It was after this third child that I developed thyroid disease though I do wonder if my thyroid levels had been off just enough prior to diagnosis to cause problems conceiving my oldest two children. After diagnosis, it took almost two years for my last child to be conceived...the doctor was getting ready to give me infertility treatments when I finally got pregnant before he was to do that.

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Does a solid nodule indicate cancer?

What does "solid nodule" mean for a person with thyroid disease?

For years, I've had multiple nodules on my thyroid but they were more cystic. After an ultrasound last week, I still have the multiple nodules but now there is a solid nodule as well. What does this mean? Is it indicative of cancer?

My doctor didn't bother to call me. I signed onto the patient portal at her office and saw the results of my ultrasound about the solid nodule and that she was referring me for a biopsy of it. Why would a doctor post something like THIS, which she should imagine would be scary for the patient, without explaining it? She posted this on May 6th. She should have called me on May 6th or May 7th or May 8th! This is just another item on my list on why I am not happy with this doctor. I am going to be searching for a new doctor.

I've been doing a lot of research and I want my TSH levels down to 2 at the maximum. From what I've read online, TSH levels between 1-2 is when most people feel better. Since my TSH levels are so high, it explains why we had such a hard time conceiving our last child. High TSH levels seem to affect fertility.

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Stress & Thyroid Disease

I am reading The Thyroid Solution by Dr. Ridha Aremwhich I mentioned in the previous post. I am finding some interesting points that I wanted to start to share here. So, as I read through the book, I'll post some interesting points.

First is how stress affects your endocrine system. The book says, "under stress, the brain emits chemical messages that trigger major responses of the endocrine system. One such response is the overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands. Repeated overproduction of this hormone and other chemicals results in many of the deleterious effects associated with stress. If you handle stress well, the response of the endocrine system is minimal and short-lived. But if you are stressed for a long time; experience major upheavals, setbacks, or traumas; or have difficulties coping with stress, your endocrine system becomes chronically challenged and causes health problems."

I married a non-custodial father with a not-so-nice ex. We went through years of constant stressors trying to deal with the fallout with the kids because of the nastiness, violence, visitation hassles, court hassles, etc. in dealing with a situation where one home would not co-parent with the other, where everything was a fight. I was in a constant state of stress for years leaving me constantly stressed, angry and unable to sleep. I would toss and turn most nights, unable to fall asleep, because my mind would not shut off thinking about what was done, what had to be done, etc. I didn't just brush the stress off; I lived in the stress 24/7 - anger, frustration, tears - that was never ending. This was on top of too many years of my own family's dysfunction. Stress on top of stress...it was an unhealthy situation to be in all the time.

I've heard quite often about how stress can hurt you. I certainly believe it is a possibility. Your body can only live in a certain state for so long without it causing damage.

Hashimoto's, as an autoimmune condition, means the body attacks itself. The immune system amps up the antibodies that attack the thyroid gland/functions.

Again, according to this book:

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis causes "gradual destruction of the thyroid gland and leads to an underactive or even moribund gland." In the same paragraph, "stress is one of the precipitating events that may disrupt the functioning of the immune system and thereby trigger the production of these thyroid-harming antibodies."

"...a study that revealed that people hospitalized for depression have a higher frequency of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis than the general population" showing another relationship between mental stress and Hashi's.

"...stress undoubtedly increases the severity of the autoimmune attack upon the thyroid gland, even when the patient has been stabilized..."

So what do you do about it?

Learn to handle stress better. Easier said than done eh? I know that first-hand. The key is finding something that works for you as a stress reliever. Mine were: moving away, outside the vicinity of everything stressful and then my husband bought me a horse so I can get away from the house and spend time with her which has a huge calming influence over me. Perhaps I should look into Tai Chi as well.

So, this is where I am at in the book so far, and the important points I took from what I've read. I'll share more as I read on.

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Weight & Thyroid & Cancer

People have the misconception that people who are overweight can't or won't control their eating. They probably imagine overweight people pigging out with more than the "normal" amount of food (damn do I really hate that word "normal" right now). For some, that may be true. For others, like me, I don't eat a lot. It's medical and that makes it worse for me because I feel helpless in being able to do anything about it. Especially when my own doctor won't use up-to-date recommendations so my thyroid is being treated correctly. I hear that is a problem with a lot of thyroid patients. Why won't doctors, and the labs they use, start using the newest recommendations for TSH? People shouldn't have to go years feeling like hell. If I was pigging out and making myself fat, then it'd be my own darn fault. I just want to find a doctor who I can trust. I wish more naturopaths took insurance because I think I'd have better luck getting a doctor who cared.

I was finally referred to an Endocrinologist last week. Then my ultrasound results came back and those say that I have multiple nodules (which I knew) but now there is a solid nodule as well. That worries me. When they were cystic, I didn't worry that much. I don't know what "solid" means though. My doctor didn't call to explain any of it. I had to log onto their system and see the ultrasound results and that they were referring me to a Radiologist type specialist for biopsy (I thought that was what I was going to the Endocrinologist for). So, I have no idea what is what right now. My doctor should have called to explain the findings to me instead of leaving a scary message like that on the patient portal without explanation.

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What I Have

I have thyroid disease. I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and hypothyroidism with goiter/nodules. I have several nodules on my thyroid that I had biopsied for cancer years ago. Because you can only get a small percentage of cells out of millions during a biopsy, even a biopsy isn't 100% accurate, which still leaves me to wonder. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder.

Despite blood tests showing me within normal range, I still suffer from brain fog. My memory, which used to be very sharp, is now like swiss cheese. I lose my train of thought often. I forget things very easily. My skin is terrible - very dry and prone to contact dermatitis. My hair, which was never smooth to begin with, is more coarse. At least it's not falling out anymore though (which is a symptom by the way). I used to be a skinny chick - - now I'm overweight and having a difficult time with how I look and feel about myself. My metabolism is next to nothing anymore. Exercising leaves me winded within the first couple of minutes. I am more irritable with less patience (I didn't have that much to begin with so that's bad). Even a "normal range" blood test does not mean all the symptoms go away.

If you are looking for a source of information, check out About. I am currently reading Thyroid Solution: A Mind-Body Program for Beating Depression & Regaining Your Emotional & Physical Health and have found a few good points that I will post about in another post soon.

A really good book that I've read is:

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When My Thyroid Betrayed Me

Three months after the birth of my third child, I didn't feel well. My neck was sore and I had a fever. My neck was really bothering me so I started feeling around. I became very scared when I felt lumps in the front of my neck. At the time, I had three young children (all under four years old) and hoped the lumps weren't cancer. I didn't want to leave my babies so young.

I went to my family doctor who did the blood tests to check my thyroid. Her diagnosis was Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Hypothyroidism & Goiters. I had several nodules on my thyroid. She prescribed Synthroid and referred me to an Endocrinologist.

At the Endocrinologists, they biopsied my nodules and put me on the schedule for regular check-ups. The nodules were negative for cancer. They stabilized my medication dosage over the coming months. They said the goiter/nodules would go away once the medication was stabilized, but they never did. My hair stopped falling out but the holes in my memory continued. I couldn't lose weight. I was tired and just felt off. The Endocrinologist, going by my lab results, said everything was fine. I didn't feel fine. This went on for five years.

Then we moved. I went to my daughter's new ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) who did an ultrasound and blood work. He said he could biopsy it again (at that point, it'd been about five years since my last biopsy), however, he didn't hold a lot of faith in the biopsy. He said out of the millions of cells in the area, the biopsy only grabs a small bit of those. It can get cells that aren't cancerous, but it doesn't mean that cancerous cells aren't present or that the nodules aren't cancerous. He didn't biopsy.

Because we moved, we had to find a new family doctor. My weight has continued to increase. She said she could manage my thyroid problems. Like the Endocrinologist, she manged it according to my lab work and didn't pay any attention to my continuing symptoms over the next two years. My most recent labs (from last week) are like this:

• My TSH: 3.70

Their lab is using the old recommendations for TSH. The old recommendations were 0.35 to 5.5 ulU/ML. The 2003 recommendations from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists is 0.3 to 3.04.

• My Thyroxine: 5.2

Recommended normal range is 4.9 to 10.9 UG/DL. I am at the low end of "normal".

• My T3, Free: 2.80

Recommended normal range is 2.3 - 4.2 PG/ML. I am at the low end of "normal".

The letter from my doctor that came with my lab results says my levels are great. I don't feel "great." I feel bad. I feel fat. I feel clueless when I can't remember what I planned to do 30 seconds ago because my memory is like swiss cheese.

The crowning moment from this last doctor visit is that my weight went up even more. I'm at 172 now. The only time in my life I've weighed this much was when I was pregnant. So when I received this letter talking about how great my levels were, I held back tears. I've held back tears for the last two days. I'm not asking to be a size 2/4 again. I'll take an 8! They now say they will refer me to an Endocrinologist (after they get their own ultrasound...not sure why they just can't let the Endocrinologist handle it). My referral is being held hostage until after I get the ultrasound (which is scheduled for Tuesday).

I just want to have some resemblance of who I used to be. I feel lost. I feel fat. I feel helpless. I feel like an airhead who would forget her head if it wasn't screwed on. I feel like I'm just a piece of paper showing my lab results and the rest of me doesn't matter. I want a doctor who will listen to me and treat ME, not just the lab results.

To read a little more of my past thyroid posts, they're here. I've created this blog you're reading now to be just about the thyroid and will post about it here from now on.

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