Re: Feeling rather blue

[Guest guest]

i am always telling people when i try to explain

what hypothyroidism is, that i wish doctors themselves

could feel a little smattering of the pain that we feel

each day and the limitations we face in simple tasks.

perhaps then they would learn to listen a little better

and not depend on a test that most experts agree can

fall short of accurate.<br><br>maybe it is time for

you to change doctors to one a little more willing to

listen and give you a referral to the endocrinologist

that you obviously need to see. i know i had a doctor

souble my does of synthroid last week because even

though i told him i would pay for any testing over time,

he said <br> " you're a college kid with no

insurance...i'll just double your does. come back for testing when

you have insurance. " <br><br>i hope things get better

for you tyra, and please let me know if there is

anything i can do to be of any help to

you.<br><br>love,<br>shelly

[Guest guest]

Oh Tyra, I can understand why you'd be feeling

blue! " Been there, done that! " <br><br>You might try the

same thing I did with my last G.P., when he started

giving me " the runaround " . First of all, you should

gather as much info as you possibly can, that refutes

your doctor's claim that your 10.4 TSH is not in the

" severely hypo range " , and you should present that evidence

to her. Most women feel best at a TSH level of 1 to

2...and even if your doctor feels that a level of 4.96 is

within normal range, she needs to know that most of the

best & most recent research now shows that a level of

3 is too high for most women to feel well! The old

conservative " normal range " was considered to be from .5 to

5.5; only some of the worst of the Old Fogies Network

now see a range from 5.5 to 10.0 as being

" borderline-to-moderately hypothyroid! Many labs have adjusted that

" npormal range " down to about .4 to 4.5, and some leading

researchers are now saying that .2 to 3.5 should be

considered normal! With a level of 10.4, you're well above

that level of 5.5, which many conservative " experts "

feel is the high-end of normal range! No wonder you

don't feel especially wonderful...you're

undermedicated!<br><br>Secondly, you should be a lot more insistent about

getting

an explanation for the sudden spike in your TSH. And

if your doctor tells you that she just doesn't know

why it became elevated again, then tell her, " Well,

if you DON'T know, then why are you refusing to

refer me to a specialist? Why do you insist on treating

me yourself, when you admit that you're not sure

what's wrong? " <br><br>Tyra, if you don't mind me asking,

how long has it been since your dosage was altered?

Are you still taking Synthroid and Cytomel? Have you

ever considered taking Thyrolar, which is a synthetic

T4/T3 combo drug? Many of my friends on WTDF &

About.com are having great luck with it. It seems to win

especially high praise from those who used to suffer from

mood swings and depression. <br><br>You might get

opposition from your doctor about trying Thyrolar (because

it's NOT SYNTHROID, and it IS expensive), but you can

try to get around that...tell her that her treatment

strategy just isn't working for you, and you want to try

something different. Point out that your most recent

medication has caused a big jump in your TSH, and you feel a

lot worse than before. Ask to try the Thyrolar for a

limited time - say 6 months - and bargain that if it

isn't helping you by then, you'll drop the subject and

go back to your present medication(s). It sure can't

hurt to ask...and maybe your doctor will learn to

respect you and your feelings, instead of seeing you as a

lab value.<br><br>If that doesn't work, I'd recommend

that you begin a serious search for a new doctor...one

that'll treat you according to the way you FEEL, instead

of the " labwork is gospel " variety! If you can find

a doctor with a holistic approach, so much the

better!<br><br>Let me know what happens, okay?<br><br>