Feeling really good after over 2 years

March 14, 2005

I just wanted to tell everybody that for the last few weeks I have

been feeling really good, just great, really!! So, all you

sufferers out there, hang in there. There is hope! I had a total

meltdown when I started thyroid over two years ago due to adrenal

problems and I was in terrible health a misery for at least a year.

I contemplated suicide numberous times, because who wants such a

miserable life. I was on two grains for most of my first year and I

was so impaired and felt awful most of the time. My adrenals were

not getting better. I was also on Cortef, and then later IsoCort.

Thanks to a great article by Dr. Derry on thyroid doses, I realized

that my dose was too low and that it was safe to go much higher. I

then took my care into my own hands and began to raise my thyroid up

very slowly, with lots of ups and downs and frustrating periods of

feeling lousy. It took me a long time to get my dose up to about 3-

3/4 grains. I finally decided that this was my best dose after

trying higher doses and not feeling well at all. I had many

improvements, but could not do a lot of activity due to adrenal

problems. Then, just recently I decided it was time to get off the

IsoCort and see what happened. I have dropped it down by half. It

was very difficult at first. But, the payoff was just so worth it.

The IsoCort, which had helped me in the beginning had become a

detriment to my final recovery.

I am now feeling just great and am working outside on the house and

keeping busy all day. Yesterday, I took a hike and felt really good

and did not crash. I have good energy all day. I have a theory now

that cortisones overly suppress the pituitary, just like low dose

thyroid does and in this way keeps you always a little low on

cortisone and unable to respond to daily minor stresses and extra

activity. So, I have learned that you should not stay on them any

longer than you need to as they will limit you.

I can see that I am going to be totally well and normal as I am very

close to it right now. I believe that I will will be doing great

when I finally get off the last of the IsoCort and my adrenals

return to mostly normal function in a few months. I might be just a

tad limited in strenuous activity, but I am not sure this will be

true yet. I just want everybody to know that you can actually feel

good. Hypothyroidism is not a miserable life sentence. It takes time

to recover your health - up to 3 years. You need to be free to

adjust your thyroid meds where they need to be to make you feel the

best and be healthy. This is absolutely, absolutely, essential to

recovery.

I just feel like celebrating. So, everybody, hang in there and fight

for what you need. Don't accept it when a doctor says that's the

best you can have and that you are " normal " when you know you are

not. To do so is to waste precious time from your life.

Tish

March 14, 2005

WOW Tish that is SO great! You may find once your adrenal situation is totally

back to normal you can raise even a tad more than you have. I am a firm believer

that as our bodies heal we can tolerate more Armour and actually will need more

as we get to our goals of good health. I started thinking this way recently

after being on the same thyroid dosage for many months and then suddenly

realizing I need more still! Also I need a BUCNCH more when I am ill, something

to store for future reference!

Artistic Grooming

Hurricane, West Virginia

March 14, 2005

I love good news stories like this, there's hope for us all

Lynda (in the UK)

Feeling really good after over 2 years

I just wanted to tell everybody that for the last few weeks I have

been feeling really good, just great, really!! So, all you

sufferers out there, hang in there.

March 14, 2005

I found when I first started to reduce my IsoCort, I had to drop my

thyroid dose as I was getting lots of hyper symptoms. I ended up

having to do a lot of temperature taking and pulse reading to make

sure my thyroid levels didn't creep up in the blood. I ended up

having to drop down to about 3 grains for about a week. Now, things

seem to have stabilized and I am back up to about 3-1/2 grains. When

I was on the IsoCort, I was on 3-3/4 grains. So, I think when you

first start to drop cortisone, you may have to temporarily adjust

thyroid down so as not to get a lot of thyroid build-up in the blood

from temporary low cortisol and end up beating yourself up with

hyper symptoms.

Tish

March 14, 2005