Sandy - burn out ?

[Guest guest]

Hey Sandy !

Wonderful expatiation of what so many of us go through before we figure out

we are going to have to learn the real facts if we want our quality of life

back to what it was or , in my case, much better.

I was also told it could not possibly be thyroid for years and years. Now,

after watching my thyroid labs, as they went up and down, due to darn poor

doctorin', I also now understand why I felt the ways I did in cycles over

the years. I had a couple serious bouts of hyper starting at the birth of my

first child, when I was promptly told it was all in my head, as I turned

skinny as a rail, shook all the time, lost TONS of my hair, and was really

angry. :-(

Then there were the cranky, short tempered, cold, fat, to exhausted to do

anything but sleep if I was not at work years. Cried pretty much all the

time those years.

But the funny thing is , once I started learning about what thyroid symptoms

are, it had me wondering if a person could have this happen before the Big

Bang of Graves' ? But had not found complete information yet, and was out

there working on the short lists of symptoms and trying to figure out what

these labs really did mean? And why the doctor kept telling me my levels

were perfect... as he kept sending me up and down with the wrong doses all

the time.

Yep... lost and sick... thinking that my gut instinct about not swallowing

anything radioactive just had to be right, but fighting the doctor and being

so sick, I just plain did not know what to do.

Everyone was concerned because I looked like hell too. Got tired of trying

to explain to all of them what I did not understand yet either.

Then came the computer my friend gave me, ( twenty bucks of parts for me to

pay... what a guy ) as he was past concerned and wanted to do something but

didn't know what to do.

The rest is history as they say, but the day I saw the fact that this COULD

have been happening all along, and that most Graves' patients ARE hypo

before our diagnosis... well... that was a big day ! I WAS right !

Now to my point.

The antibodies that destroy our thyroid.. TPO have been doing their work all

these years. Thirty at the very least .

Then my TSI antibodies took over and I was HYPER to a new degree.

Antithyroid drugs get rid of TPO and TSI antibodies, so as long as they are

both gone before we go off the drugs, how could they burn out our thyroid

even more ?

In the past, they did not understand the antibodies, and did not have the

lab tests... so logically the patients were off the drugs before their time

was really up. The TPO antibodies were logically in the greatest number by

the time they no longer needed ATDs. They would then slowly have their

thyroid destroyed. Right ?

Thus the old time truth that a thyroid burns out. A __MHYH___ that most

doctors continue to cling to while they push RAI, and tell us we " might as

well get it over with now " . " The organ is diseased anyway " .

Damned convincing argument if the patient is still hesitant on the radiation

ya' know.

How many patients will figure out the truth about antibodies before it is

too late ? And they WILL continue to pass this doctors " Lie " on and on to

anyone that will listen. Because at that point they believe they have no

vested interest in putting in the time to learn such things. And it is not

an easy class. :-)

So Sandy... relax.

I have had at least 30 years of past damage and I am on Synthroid... but

only because of all those years I was not treated when I should have been.

It is real easy to treat this amount of hypo.

I take the smallest amount of Synthroid they make. .025 mg.

Full replacement is .300 !

Hugh difference !

MY thyroid functions almost perfect even after the abuse it has been through

Thirty years is a very long time.

My thyroid makes ALL the thyroid hormones. Not just the T4 and T3 that you

can buy.

My parathyroid glands are working great , so calcium should not be a big

problem in the years to come. Unfortunately the parathyroid glands are

damaged by RAI slowly very often, so it is not just surgery where they are

in danger.

For the younger gals, I have read in several good books and sites, that the

parathyroid glands are often the cause of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy,

which is not only dangerous for both mother and child, but can cause the

need for medication during the pregnancy to save the mother, but the amount

of medication must be very precise, as it can damage the baby.

Sandy... If because of the years you also had with undiagnosed thyroid

disease, you could end up with this same small amount of replacement, but it

is just not a problem at all. It is a matter of fine tuning an engine that

works. You do not open the hood and find nothing there !

The younger gals , after proper use of ATD, in theory should not even need

this much.

Hope that helps,

-Pam L-

3 1/2 years Graves', TED, and PTU. Remission due to SLOW reduction of PTU

(despite an incompetent endo ! ), improved lifestyle, excellent nutrition,

herbs, and looking at the big picture.

Pills alone only help the symptoms. We must help our bodies to heal.