A Tale of Two Docs

[Guest guest]

*chuckling* Not all ENDOs are Satan, you guys. Mine medicates low

normals, and she prefers Armour but lets the patient choose in case

there are concerns about animal products. She was a little slow

with the increases, but she a darn sight better than most. I did

switch docs, but that's because I opted for full hormone

replacement, a program that includes DHEA, progesterone, thyroid and

testosterone.

My new doc is amazing, btw. I told him I'd been adjusting my own

dose and was at 3 grains. Without even blinking he gave me a script

for 3 grains, plus one for an extra grain in case I needed to adjust

further. He looked at my labs from when I was on 1.5 and agreed

with my increase, saying that my FT3 'was still only mid-range' and

my FT4 was low. He also agrees that TSH is meaningless. Here's a

quote from when we were discussing TSH and dosing:

" TSH is meaningless. What would you rather have -- quality of life

or 'good' labs? "

Incidentally, he disagrees with sublingual dosing. He says that it

causes the Armour to absorb and metabolize too quickly, possibly

causing spikes and slumps. He says that if you're having trouble

with food interactions, you should adjust what you can and then up

the dose to compensate. I switched to oral dosing (swallowing), and

have not noticed a difference. I'm not trying to tell people what

to do, just offering his suggestion in case anyone is feeling uneven

during the day.

Oh - he says the optimal dosing pattern is once in the morning and

then a smaller dose around lunchtime. He says this most closely

mimics natural production, which is highest inthe morning and then

falls toward night. For me, I track my BBTs very carefully and when

I removed my night time dose (1 grain), my morning temp immediately

dropped by .5-.7 degrees and my daytime temp did too. I did it his

way for 5 days, and my temp stayed low. On day 6, I took a total of

4 grains during the day to see if total dose was the issue - no

change. On day 7, I added half a grain back in at night and my temp

immediately rebounded.

I emailed him, and he said to keep doing what works. He says that it

defies explanation, but occasionally he has a patient who insists

that a little at night helps them. In that case, he says keep doing

it, but keep the dose small enough that it doesn't interfere with

your sleep - usually not more than 1 grain.

So, my current schedule is 2 grains first thing in the morning, 1

grain between 12 and 2, and half a grain at night. I'm still

evening out on the other hormones - my DHEA was flippin zero and my

other levels were scraping the bottom of 'normal' - but I feel

pretty darn good.

And *drumroll please* I think I'm starting to lose weight again!

So, I'd give the first doc a qualified endorsement. She'll

definitely get you started, but I switched too fast to evaluate long

term management. Her name is Martha and she's in Ventura,

CA and on the TopDoc list. She takes most insurance.

The second doc is Neal Rouzier and he's frigging amazing. He treats

a LOT of out of area patients and after your first visit, which does

need to be face to face, he will monitor you through email, phone,

fax and labs. He's on Tahquitz Way in Palm Springs, CA and also on

the top doc list. Here's his website: www.hormonedoctor.com

Tell him Friday sent you! (no, I don't get kickbacks. Darn )

Cheers,

Friday