Re: Venting- Granny Chris and Jody - To

December 1, 2002

Hi -

That is the confusing part. Maybe it all just boils down to ease of

insurance coverage and/or pure laziness? We're not worth bothering

with? How many times do Graves' patients hear the old

diatribe, " You're going to go hypothyroid anyway, so why wait? "

Maybe synthroid, etc. is inexpensive, but considering it is what, the

3rd most prescribed med in the US, the profits might be in the sheer

volume of sales? Money HAS to figure in here somewhere. Maybe

getting rid of the hyper patient allows more time slots for the

profitable diabetic patients?

Gee, it's a good thing I'm not jaded or anything........

I try to analyze the motives behind the automatic death sentence

placed on an overactive thyroid until my head is swimming, but maybe

the profit angle isn't so much a consideration as the ability to

dismiss the patient by destroying the thyroid and supplying

replacement hormone.

As far as this color duplex sonography helping to determine the

optimum ATD dosage, I get mad when I think of all the years I was on

a thyroid rollercoaster trying to guess at an effective dose of ATD.

Now this study comes out (from Germany no less) that shows the

possibility of gauging ATD dosage needed to attain a euthyroid state

by the vascularity revealed in the color doppler. THEY FIGURED THIS

OUT OVER A YEAR AGO! Why can't we use this here? How many years

will it take for it to even get here? Then I find the Japanese study

that alludes to the same type of info, and it was dated 1996!

What else is out there that we are not privy to? The actual

cure??????

Just to let you know how cynical I am becoming with this. This

morning it struck me that probably the ONLY reason they are

considering lowering the higher end of the " normal values " for the

TSH testing to 2.something: It will place more patients into the

high TSH/hypO range....... thereby more thyroid replacement hormone

sales? I better take up a different hobby before I blow a cork!

hahaha!

Ok, off the soapbox...... for now. Thanks for the vent - we'll

figure this out, then we'll know better ways to head them off at the

pass, pilgrim.

Chris

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