Doctor Increases Armour from 2 to 3 Grains

My doctor appointment for my thyroid last Friday (6/11/10) went well.  I was on two grains of compounded armour up to this appointment.  My doctor, after hearing about all my hypothyroid symptoms I was having, raised me to three grains and switched me from compounded armour to regular armour.  He says it is in stock now and available so there is no point in my spending more every month on compounded.  Hopefully, the regular armour will be good and I won't see problems some people have had with it. 

In 4-6 weeks, I have to get blood tests for TSH, Total T3, and Reverse T3 to see how I am doing on three grains of Armour. 

If I am not feeling better in 4-6 weeks, the doctor mentioned testing for metals in my system. 

I have noticed over this past week that the scale is coming down a couple tenths each day in weight.  Time will tell if it will continue.

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It's YOUR Health! Don't Let Your Doctor Destroy It!

How many of us thyroid disease patients actually proactively manage our thyroid disease? I know I didn’t for the first seven years. It wasn’t until this past year that I got mad enough at not being listened to and feeling worse physically, that I researched myself.

About that time, I went to an endocrinologist who tried to tell me I may have chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. He had me wondering if I should apply for social security disability before he’d even examined me. I KNEW I didn’t have either. I KNEW it was all my thyroid. I was right. It just took finding the right doctor to put me on the road to recovery.

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Are you being proactive about your health?

When I first got thyroid disease, I thought it held the great possibility of putting me into a coma (myxedema). I started out scared of the disease. Was I going to need high risk life insurance to take care of my children if cancer got me? I lost hair, lost energy, gained weight, developed aches and pains, had devastating periods, worried about thyroid cancer in the many nodules on my thyroid and watched my cholesterol start to climb. Then I got angry – at the disease but more so at my doctors who wouldn’t listen.

I can not stress enough that you can not just let your doctor treat you without your being proactive about your own health. If you feel something is wrong, find a new doctor if your current doctor won’t listen. If your research finds information your doctor won’t even consider (and there is plenty of it, believe me) and you’re not happy with their reason why, find another doctor. It’s your health. They don’t need YOU as a patient but YOU need a good doctor!

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Thyroid Doctor Visit Update

I think my doctor appointment went ok on Friday.  He spent a lot of time with me going over each individual blood test I had done and writing down what I needed to do to fix that particular result. 

I thought he was going to put me on straight T3 to rid my body of the reverse T3 problem it has but he thinks that the reverse T3 problem was caused by my Synthroid medication (synthetic T4 thyroid medication) and since I stopped taking that a couple weeks ago and only take a natural thyroid medication, he thinks the abnormal reverse T3 results will go away on their own.

If he's right, then it went great.  If he's wrong, then I'll know it over the next couple weeks. 

He also increased my dose of Vitamin D, told me to add Selenium supplements, go back to iron supplements regularly and go back on the Iodine supplements (I'd stopped them when I got jittery on all the extra thyroid medications).  I get more blood work in two months. 

I am on two grains of natural thyroid medication currently.  If my system slows down, it will be raised.  He thinks with my thyroid disease and all the toxins we take in that I might need to go to three grains. 

My morning cortisol levels were low normal but he isn't going to do anything about that right now because I am not lacking energy in the morning. I usually wake up with energy and happy.  If I didn't have any energy in the morning, he'd address that.  I also never lacked for energy on our vacation and we ran from place to place constantly.

As I was sitting in his office waiting for him, I noticed that they actually offer prescription refills for basic medications right there in the office (like for respiratory infections and bladder infections).  That would be really convenient for a doctor to have their own POS systems in-office to scan and buy what we need in one trip.  Maybe eventually they'll offer grains of natural thyroid medication as well!  That would be super convenient.

So, I think it was a good visit. 

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Think I Found a Good Thyroid Doctor; Great Thyroid Update

I had my doctor's appointment on Thursday with the new doctor to manage my thyroid.  I think I found a good one.  Finally!  This doctor sat and talked with me for over an hour!  That doesn't happen very often.

First, everything that I had told the endocrinologist (that the endocrinologist wouldn't do), this doctor agrees with me on!  I wanted my T3 raised.  The endo said no.  This doctor increased my medication my 60 mg of compounded natural thyroid a day.  I go back in three weeks where he said he'll probably bump it up again, depending on how I am feeling.  The endocrinologist wanted to reduce my thyroid medication (to increase my TSH levels).  I would've felt even worse!  The goal is to increase my T3 levels into the upper part of the normal range.

The endocrinologist, when I complained of not feeling well, always feeling tired with no energy and achy, said I could have chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.  He completely ignored HIS OWN LABS that showed I was anemic.  Combined with low T3 levels, it's no wonder I didn't have any energy.  My Vitamin D levels were also very low (again, the endo. ignored his own labs). 

I told my new doctor that I was taking Iodoral (iodine).  He wants me to continue taking it daily. 

It was nice to go into the doctor's office and be heard.  It was nice to tell a doctor every symptom and be believed.  Not only believed but proactively helped.  I walked out of the endocrinologist's office angry and frustrated.  I walked out of my new doctor's office happy and full of hope that I'd finally start to feel like me again.

I go back for a 3 week check up in February and then get labs drawn in two months to see where I'm at in terms of medication dosages, etc.  The labs will be for:  TSH, Vitamin D, Ferritin/Iron & TIBC, Free T3, Free T4, Total T3, Reverse T3, Thyroglobulin panel and thyroid perioxidase microsomal antibodies (for the Hashitmoto's).

When I was done with my appointment, they handed me a print out showing all the medications and dosages, my vital signs for that appointment and what the plans are for follow-ups and labs.  Very cool!

Also, I am taller than I thought.  I don't think I've had my height measured since I got my first driver's license.  Instead of the 5'6" I thought I was all this time, I am 5'7.5".  That's WAY cool.  I always wanted to be 5'8" and now I'm close enough.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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