Newbie

[Guest guest]

> someone please explain fasting to me, I thought it meant not ingesting

> anything, but I see some things about juices and raw foods.

The term " fasting " does refer to going for a period of time without any food

and usually just water only. This has been the traditional meaning for

centuries.

However, in our current society, people have transferred the use of the

word " fasting " to mean several different things. For instance many people

use the term " juice fasting " to indicate that they are consuming juices

only. (Technically, the meaning of this phrase would indicate that the

person is NOT drinking juices at all...the correct way to say this would be

" I am fasting, but consuming only juices. " ) However, I don't want to

confuse the issue any more than I have to. Let's just say that there are

many ways to " fast " in American society today, but the REAL meaning of

fasting is to go completely without food, and drink water only. That is how

I fast. I usually call it a " water-only fast " , to clarify what I am doing.

I have done water only fasts for periods ranging from one to 10 days, and

juice only fasts for several weeks. They have always been very beneficial.

Patty

[Guest guest]

No Homozon is Oxygen Therapy that cleans the colon.

This is a repeated question on this board. Could you search the archives?

Bernadette

[Guest guest]

Hi welcome to the bulletin board. Sounds like you don't need surgery

or RAI. Are you taking ATDs? Are the nodules causing problems? Too often

the docs like to push us into RAI when it isn't necessary. I held out for 4

years and now going into remission. I will never have RAI!! or Elaine

can provide lots of good info and if you visit the http://www.ithyroid.com

<http://www.ithyroid.com> and http://suite101.com/myhome.cfm/atomicwomen

<http://suite101.com/myhome.cfm/atomicwomen> and

http://daisyelaine_co.tripod.com/gravesdisease/

<http://daisyelaine_co.tripod.com/gravesdisease/> websites you'll find a

wealth of information. Also the folks here are extremely helpful.

By the way, there's another that has been on ATDS for 21 years!! She

was recently told she needed surgery because she has a goiter and it's

probably cancerous. She went to a thyroid expert in Los Angeles where they

tested her and told her she doesn't have cancer and as long as the goiter

doesn't bother her she can stay on TAP.

I'm on my fouth ENDO and he's great....he's from Europe (probably why he

doesn't push RAI). Stay tough and listen to your intuition, it's your body!

You might consider changing doctors if they pressure you too much. Have you

read the book " The Thyroid Solution " by Dr. Arem? Take care, Mona

Newbie

Hi, I'm Chris. I have been hyperthyroid for 8 years now and now the doctors

are acting like I seriously *need* surgery or the ablation. I'm hesitant to

have either done though. The cost of the surgery or ablation is not a factor

since DH is military but the thought of a visible scar or having any kind of

radiation in my body makes me uneasy. I was wondering what

suggestions/recommendations you all might have on this. I am subclinical

hyperthyroid (meaning I have very few symptoms which are all mild) and have

a goiter with nodules. That's basically it. I look forward to hearing from

you.

Chris

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[Guest guest]

Hi

The meds, the anti-thyroid drugs are used successfully to shrink nodules and

remove symptoms of hyperthyrodism. Since your symptoms are mild or

subclinical, you really wouldn't want to use aggressive treatment.

Significant side effects such as low white blood cell count and liver

problems are rare, occurring in less than 1% of patients. Symptoms like rash

are more common and are often treated with antihistamines.

I've found some of the best info on nodular goiter in one of the American

Foundation of Thyroid Patient's newsletters. You may be able to find this

info on their web site, www.thryroidfoundation.org

Visit my Web Site at http://daisyelaine_co.tripod.com/gravesdisease/

[Guest guest]

I'm not on any meds right now and they are wanting me to have another

thyroid scan even though I had one done 5 years ago. How much could possibly

change? The nodules don't seem to be causing problems to an extreme. The

thyroid is enlarged enough that it's uncomfortable but tolerable. It doesn't

interfere in my breathing or anything like that. I was in remission (without

meds) since 98 until this last summer. Is it possible I could go back into

remission again? Even as I am now, my levels are still within the high end

of normal range and my symptoms sre more like for hypo than hyper. Any

thoughts? As much as I'd like to, I can't change doctors bc DH is in the

Air Force and we have to see military doctors since we live in Japan right

now. There is no endocrinologist here so everything is being done through an

internal medicine doctor and through family practice who call another base

400 miles away that does have an endo for consultations. What differences

will the meds make and what kinds of side effects do they have?

Chris

Newbie

>

>

> Hi, I'm Chris. I have been hyperthyroid for 8 years now and now the

doctors

> are acting like I seriously *need* surgery or the ablation. I'm hesitant

to

> have either done though. The cost of the surgery or ablation is not a

factor

> since DH is military but the thought of a visible scar or having any kind

of

> radiation in my body makes me uneasy. I was wondering what

> suggestions/recommendations you all might have on this. I am subclinical

> hyperthyroid (meaning I have very few symptoms which are all mild) and

have

> a goiter with nodules. That's basically it. I look forward to hearing from

> you.

>

> Chris

>

> eGroups Sponsor

>

>

<http://rd./M=102308.1038796.2731130.908943/D=egroupmail/S=17000947

> 10:N/A=466330/?http://www.> Click Here!

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Rialon,

It sounds to me that you really don't have a problem at all!! If you want to be

hypo the rest of your life there are about three hundred more symptoms that you

will have to learn to deal with and from what I hear they keep coming.

I am hyper and I'm not taking anything except minerals and vitamins

(www.ityhroid.com) I was sooo bad when this started that the nodules were a

little bigger than goose eggs they were huge my eyes were about to pop out of my

head. I was meaner than a rattle snake and eating enough for a family of four

and loosing weight.

It sounds to me that if you had a very little ATD drugs you would be ok but if

you are in the normal range you are ok now! I would not let a regular doctor

touch me either they are doctors for things like this even in the air force.

That would scare the hell out of me, hell the endo's scare the hell out of me!!

remember it's your choice it will always be yours!

Raven

Rialon wrote:

> I'm not on any meds right now and they are wanting me to have another

> thyroid scan even though I had one done 5 years ago. How much could possibly

> change? The nodules don't seem to be causing problems to an extreme. The

> thyroid is enlarged enough that it's uncomfortable but tolerable. It doesn't

> interfere in my breathing or anything like that. I was in remission (without

> meds) since 98 until this last summer. Is it possible I could go back into

> remission again? Even as I am now, my levels are still within the high end

> of normal range and my symptoms sre more like for hypo than hyper. Any

> thoughts? As much as I'd like to, I can't change doctors bc DH is in the

> Air Force and we have to see military doctors since we live in Japan right

> now. There is no endocrinologist here so everything is being done through an

> internal medicine doctor and through family practice who call another base

> 400 miles away that does have an endo for consultations. What differences

> will the meds make and what kinds of side effects do they have?

>

> Chris

>

> Newbie

> >

> >

> > Hi, I'm Chris. I have been hyperthyroid for 8 years now and now the

> doctors

> > are acting like I seriously *need* surgery or the ablation. I'm hesitant

> to

> > have either done though. The cost of the surgery or ablation is not a

> factor

> > since DH is military but the thought of a visible scar or having any kind

> of

> > radiation in my body makes me uneasy. I was wondering what

> > suggestions/recommendations you all might have on this. I am subclinical

> > hyperthyroid (meaning I have very few symptoms which are all mild) and

> have

> > a goiter with nodules. That's basically it. I look forward to hearing from

> > you.

> >

> > Chris

> >

> > eGroups Sponsor

> >

> >

> <http://rd./M=102308.1038796.2731130.908943/D=egroupmail/S=17000947

> > 10:N/A=466330/?http://www.> Click Here!

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Dear

I agree with everything Raven said! You sound fine to me! With some

supplements and nutritional changes such as eating more broccoli and tofu,

you should be even better! HyperT is caused by underlying nutritional

balances, and can be cured the same way. Often, it goes into remission on

its own. RAI is barbaric, and may " cure " hyperT only in the sense that it

destroys the gland, causing one to be hypo for life. When I was sick, that

did not sound like a cure to me, although my endo pushed it. I told him in

no uncertain terms that that option was OFF THE TABLE, and that he'd better

come up with something else. I then took the meds for a while, which helped

while I figured out how to get myself better. When an appendix ruptures the

doctors can take it out, and we have no ill effects. However, we NEED our

thyroid. Just because it is misbehaving, I would not destroy it. Many

people in our life also misbehave--do we kill them off? No, we look for

solutions, try to act differently with them, etc.--misbehavior should not be

a death sentence. When children are acting badly, usually it's a message

that something is wrong, and we need to heed the message, not kill the child.

When the thyroid acts badly, it is also sending a message--that there is an

imbalance in our body. PLEASE go to www.iThyroid.com and read about

supplements, nutrition, acupuncture, etc.--I'm sure you can get the help you

need there.

AntJoan

[Guest guest]

> I've found some of the best info on nodular goiter in one of the American

> Foundation of Thyroid Patient's newsletters. You may be able to find this

> info on their web site, www.thryroidfoundation.org

oops!

take out the extra 'r', and make it http://www.thyroidfoundation.org/

[Guest guest]

Hi Judy,

Welcome. I hope you feel better.

Debbie (Tommy's Mom)

> [Original Message]

> From: <maril2u@...>

> < >

> Date: 2/18/01 10:28:40 AM

> Subject: [ ] Newbie

>

> Hi:

> My name is Judy and I have just joined the list. I am hoping to

> find some

> individuals who either have primary billiary cirrhosis or knowledge

> of it to

> correspond with. I was diagnosed a little over a year ago, early

> stages. It

> all started with a gallbladder problem (non-functioning), high

> enzymes, then

> a liver biopsy. That's when they diagnosed the PBC with the biopsy.

> It's

> been a year since the surgery to remove my gallbladder and I've

> never been

> the same since. I seem to develop one health problem after another.

> Despite

> the fact that my blood tests including enzymes have returned to

> normal, I

> have pitting edema (use lasix), fatigue, depression (on paxil),

> thyroid (on

> small amount of synthroid), tingling and numbness in my legs and

> arms if I

> don't take my water pills every day, occasionally upper right

> quadrant pain,

> itching that comes and goes, and now this. I came down with a cold

> at the

> end of December and am still suffering from the after effects with

> an upper

> respiratory problem. It's been 7 weeks. Despite treatment with 4

> antibiotics, asthma inhalers (3), breathing treatments, a week of

> prednisone

> (taper on and taper off pack), I still have the congestion and it is

> not

> going away. I've had an x-ray of the lungs and they are clear.

> Blood tests

> were taken for pneumonia and they aren't back yet. T.B. test -

> negative.

> Getting ready for a cat scan of the upper respiratory area, EMG of

> the arms

> and legs, and tests with a respiratory therapist. I have never had

> asthma

> before and don't know if all of a sudden I'm getting it or what. I

> get bouts

> of coughing, trouble breathing, at night I can't go to bed without

> a couple

> of puffs of my inhaler so I can breathe. It seems to do the trick.

> I don't

> know if all of these things have an indirect relationship to PBC or

> what.

> I'm open to suggestions!!

> Thanks for listening.

> Judy

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Check out the symptoms and treatment pages on my website. And remember that each patient with Graves' disease is unique. Some people have a constellation of symptoms while others only have one predominant symptom. Also, predominant symptoms can change over time. You may have a raring appetite with weight loss for years, and later this can change to weight gain and skin problems. Also, symptoms tend to wax and wane, which can add to the confusion.

See my web site, http://daisyelaine_co.tripod.com/gravesdisease/

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

After many years of visiting/fighting with drs to have more than just the

TSH test done, I finally went to a clinic about 5 hours away from where I

live. The doctors were amazed that I could be so sick and no dr would/could

diagnose me. Both sides of my family have thyroid disease running rampant

through it. I was told I'm hyper, and awaiting a call from the clinic for

the results of my thyroid scan. More than likely, since there is no one in

my area that can deal with thyroid problems, I'll be travelling back and

forth for help.

Are there any specific questions I should ask the dr about treatment? What

is the most popular treatment/side effects for Hyper? When I first started

taking BP meds, about 5 years ago, my family dr gave me atenolol and I

became a zombie...I am now on Ramipril. I'm so confused, I don't know where

to start. I've been reading on the internet/newsgroups etc about thyroid

disease for years, basically self-diagnosing, but I want to be armed with

concrete info from others who are suffering with hyper. Any and all help

would be appreciated. Thanks. Take care...Val

[Guest guest]

Hi, thanks for the quick response. I will definitely have a look at your website. As far as I can see, after reading all the info on hyper that I could get my hands on so far, the drs I've been seeing would have to be idiots not to realize it's my thyroid...chronic diarrhea for many years, shortness of breath, trembling, fatigue, weight gain a few years ago of 40lbs in less than a year. I've been trying to lose it, and it's been a battle. The last three weeks, I've lost 9 lbs, and I don't know how...sound familar. Not to mention that my mother has a goiter, and my father had hypo. Sorry for sounding off...I'm just very upset at the moment I'm going to check your website. Thanks. Take care...Val

[Guest guest]

- I'm sure we all hit that anger from time to time. One of

the things that helps me to remain at least partially sane is to write

a log of all the 'offenses' by various doctors - date, full name, time

etc. My husband also accompanies me to all appts. It has really

helped me to have a male with me. Somehow the doctors are a bit more

thoughtful then. Maybe it's having a witness. If you want to

see how you've changed it is really interesting to read your thoughts and

concerns from say 6 months earlier....

By the way, I also keep my own medical records and have found it wonderfully

empowering to be able to just pull out an excel spreadsheet and know what

and when. I keep track of the date my TSH, Free T3, Free T4, my pulse

and blood pressure, my weight, any other ordered lab tests, and any symptoms

reported to the doctor. If you can, ask for copies of your lab results

as well. If you get involved it may help a lot.

On my last visit I handed the doctor a written list of problems.

She copied it and put it in her file with no comment. But I know

she has the informatiion. When I recently went to a new family doctor,

I gave him a copy of my history that I had prepared and he was really glad

to get the history.

K

Kirwan wrote:

Hi,

thanks for the quick response. I will definitely have a look at your website.

As far as I can see, after reading all the info on hyper that I could get

my hands on so far, the drs I've been seeing would have to be idiots not

to realize it's my thyroid...chronic diarrhea for many years, shortness

of breath, trembling, fatigue, weight gain a few years ago of 40lbs in

less than a year. I've been trying to lose it, and it's been a battle.

The last three weeks, I've lost 9 lbs, and I don't know how...sound familar.

Not to mention that my mother has a goiter, and my father had hypo.

Sorry for sounding off...I'm just very upset at the moment I'm going

to check your website. Thanks. Take care...Val

[Guest guest]

Thanks...a lot of good information here. Think I'll definitely start keeping a log of everything that's going on with me...right now I have bits of paper here and there My hubby is definitely coming with me when I see the doctor next time. I'm sure he'll think of things to ask, that I won't. Take care...Val - I'm sure we all hit that anger from time to time. One of the things that helps me to remain at least partially sane is to write a log of all the 'offenses' by various doctors - date, full name, time etc. My husband also accompanies me to all appts. It has really helped me to have a male with me. Somehow the doctors are a bit more thoughtful then. Maybe it's having a witness. If you want to see how you've changed it is really interesting to read your thoughts and concerns from say 6 months earlier.... By the way, I also keep my own medical records and have found it wonderfully empowering to be able to just pull out an excel spreadsheet and know what and when. I keep track of the date my TSH, Free T3, Free T4, my pulse and blood pressure, my weight, any other ordered lab tests, and any symptoms reported to the doctor. If you can, ask for copies of your lab results as well. If you get involved it may help a lot. On my last visit I handed the doctor a written list of problems. She copied it and put it in her file with no comment. But I know she has the informatiion. When I recently went to a new family doctor, I gave him a copy of my history that I had prepared and he was really glad to get the history. K

[Guest guest]

Hi and everyone on this wonderful list,

I want to share a few things with you too . I am pretty much a newbie, who went from very hyper with thyroid storm and all the symptoms you have except I was constipated during this whole thing, to being hypo. I went on PTU (300 mg. day) for around 5 months, plus I supplemented this with a tincture which included bugleweed and lemon balm, from my naturopath. Once I started on the naturopathic, I very very quickly changed and became ill, until I figured out that I had gone hypo. I had lots of problems with my doctor's office, getting the OK for a blood test, and did not trust my own instincts that I had gone hypo, since I had never had these symptoms before and didn't know what was happening (good indication here - check your temperature and if you have headaches every morning before getting up. My temperatures during this time were running around 96 when I was hypo)

Anyway, I finally got the blood test to confirm that I was indeed hypo, went to an endocrinologist for the first time (had to get it through my health maintenance organization). He agreed it was Graves' (I was worried about hashitoxicosis). I have gone down from 300 to 50 mg. per day of PTU, am back to feeling fabulous. My constipation is clearing up, my hair is beginning to stop falling out, but I have gained some weight now (from the hypo and taking PTU at the same time). But my energy levels are much higher now than when I was hypo and I am going down to 25 mg. of PTU today, with some bugleweed tincture still.

What I am trying to say with all this is that you need to trust yourself and your own instincts, as well as the blood tests and what you hear from the doctors. In addition, you need to read everything you can find about this disease, and get really educated. The doctors mostly seem to want us to have RAI on our thyroids, because this is much simpler for them to treat, I suppose. But it is not. I sure am willing to give it my best to try to keep all my parts in my body, for sure. I am learning to be my own advocate and speak up about procedures that they want us to have. I had not been to an allopathic physician for 19 years when all this began to happen to my body, so I had very little experience in dealing with these " experts " . I am beginning to figure out that whoever I see, whether it is an allopathic GP or endocrinologist, or even a naturopath - they all have their own opinions, and I need to glean whatever information from them I can, and try to figure out for myself what is the best course of treatment.

So sorry for this long post, but there is one other very important thing I have not mentioned: it seems that there is no one who understands how horrible this dis-ease is, except for others who have gone through it. The rest of the population pretty much says " oh hyperthyroid, isn't that what Barbara Bush had? " , and figure out that it is just the opposite of hypo, which they consider to be just another little pill to take once a day. I have gone through lots and lots of emotional struggles with this illness, part of them being caused by Graves' itself, and tons of physical symptoms as well, and I am grateful for the support on this list!

Arlene in CA

Re: Newbie

Hi, thanks for the quick response. I will definitely have a look at your website. As far as I can see, after reading all the info on hyper that I could get my hands on so far, the drs I've been seeing would have to be idiots not to realize it's my thyroid...chronic diarrhea for many years, shortness of breath, trembling, fatigue, weight gain a few years ago of 40lbs in less than a year. I've been trying to lose it, and it's been a battle. The last three weeks, I've lost 9 lbs, and I don't know how...sound familar. Not to mention that my mother has a goiter, and my father had hypo. Sorry for sounding off...I'm just very upset at the moment I'm going to check your website. Thanks. Take care...Val

[Guest guest]

Hi:

Thanks for mentioning about your book. I must've missed somewhere

in the last few weeks of this list and searching 's site. I'm

going to try to see if I can get the book at the library.

daisyelaine@... wrote:

Hi ,

Check out the symptoms and

treatment pages on my website. And remember that each patient with Graves'

disease is unique. Some people have a constellation of symptoms while others

only have one predominant symptom. Also, predominant symptoms can change

over time. You may have a raring appetite with weight loss for years, and

later this can change to weight gain and skin problems. Also, symptoms

tend to wax and wane, which can add to the confusion.

See my web site, http://daisyelaine_co.tripod.com/gravesdisease/

[Guest guest]

Hi nuttyboomer -- welcome to the group --- I LOVE your

name -- how did you come by that one???? At first

this group can seem just a whole lot of names but it's

amazing how quickly they become a real part of your

life. We all have something to offer and to learn

and when you are too tired to go out and socialise

they are all - just there. I am a 54yr old kiwi kid

(NZ) - once married but now divorced. Graeme is still

my friend it's just that his mum is getting old and my

mum is getting old and his is in Australia abd mine is

in NZ. We didn't have any kids and figured that

neither of us would get to live in the same country

again so we felt it would be tidier. However, having

said that I'm off to visit at the end of the month.

Keep in touch

Caroline (NZ)

--- nuttyboomer37918 <fugate257@...> wrote:

> Hi all:

>

> New to the group but not HepC. I was diagnosed

> March 2001, once round

> of combo, the dragon returned, now I'm waiting on

> the access number

> to get the peg. Doing okay, however.

>

> Have a great evening!

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Caroline,

I came up with the name, because I love to make up (believe it or not) goofy stories. Kidding around is my way of trying to ignore this awful disease.

Thanks for the Reply!

Nutty

[Guest guest]

Just email me at: loganspoison@...

[Guest guest]

this is for californiaguy4u9, he can email me loganspoison@.../will exchange talk and info

[Guest guest]

you might need other supportive hormones (dhea, progesterone). Are you on

bc pills?

Gracia in ME

> hi all:

>

> i am a newbie to this message board. i have gone from being a

> healthy tri-athelete in the summer of 2000 to a person with a lot of

> health problems. i was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism in

> january of this year, after being treated for clinical depression for

> the entire year preceeding, and being put on way tooo many anti-

> depressants that my body kept rejecting. i have an unbelievably weak

> immune system, and i have raised liver enzymes (not sure why but i

> had an ultrasound to rule out gallstones). i have too numerous

> symptoms from the hypothyroidism to name them all here. by

> july/august of this year, i was starting to feel like my old self

> again because my doctor and i thought we had reached the magical

> number (or right dosage) of armour thyroid and cytomel. but, in the

> middle of august i drank too much caffeine and had a reaction between

> it and the thyroid meds which threw my heart into atria fibrilation.

> so now i'm back at square one... i had to go off of all the thyroid

> meds which brought back most of the hypothyroid symptoms (the main

> one being the extreme fatigue and frozen fingers, toes and nose when

> everyone else feels normal). I am now starting back on a VERY low

> dosage of bio-throid.

>

> Has anyone out there had this many problems? I am on 37!!! Would

> anyone be interested in giving me any advice on where to begin or

> even any books to read? I feel so lost. Thanks for any replies!

>

> Debra

>

[Guest guest]

I don't think you are overmedicated on 90 mg of Armour, but you should get

your adrenals checked for cortisol and DHEA. Also cod liver oil helps with

anxiety and mood.

Gracia

> Hi all,

>

> I am new the group, but unfortunately not new to hypothyroidism. I was

> diagnosed as hypothyroid at the age of 19 (10 years ago). At the time

> of diagnosis my TSH level was 11.4 (not sure about the other levels).

> I was started on 100mcg of Synthroid, and was taking that up until a

> month and a half ago, when I went to a different dr who put me on 90

> mg of Armour.

>

> I never felt good on the Synthroid. Most of my syptoms have been

> emotional...depression and anxiety, with the anxiety worsening over

> the years. After having tried several antidepressants over the years,

> and still not feeling that great, I was hoping that Armour would do

> the trick. At first it seemed that it was. I had moments of feeling

> better than I had in years, but also had terrible spells of anxiety,

> all within the same day. I felt downright manic. Over the past

> month and a half the moments of feeling good have diminished, and the

> moments of anxiety have increased.

>

> The last time I saw my doctor I asked if she thought that the dose

> might be too high. Her explanation for the worsening anxiety was that

> I am very hypoglycemic. So, I tried eating six meals a day, and, while

> I did feel worse if I missed a meal, I didn't feel much better

> afetr eating the meals. In fact, I am having enough anxiety that I am

> having to force myself to eat.

>

> What complicates matters is that I have been off antidepressants for

> several months now, and am wodering if the downward spiral that I seem

> to be in is because I need to be on medication. I hate how syptoms of

> thyroid disorder and depression/anxiety overlap!! I also hate that

> there are overlapping symtoms for hypothyroidism and

> hyperthyroidism...it can make it a little hard to tell what's going

> on.

>

> As for my recent bloodwork, my levels were tested about a week after

> starting the armour...much too soon in my opinion... and my TSH was at

> 0.258, and T3 and T4 were normal. I had experimented with taking 120mg

> of Armour the day before the blood work (BAD idea), so that certainly

> contributed to the TSH, but I had not taken my medication that

> morning.

>

> My head hurts from tyring to figure all this out, but I am feeling

> like the Armour dose is too high. I also believe that my original dose

> of Synthroid was too high, and I am starting to wonder if all the

> anxiety that I have had over the years has been in part due to

> overmedication.

>

> Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me. I am feeling pretty

> helpless at the moment.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Gracia,

Thanks for the input. DHEA level was checked with my most recent blood

work, and it was 158 ug/dL, with the normal range for my age group being

65-380 (according to this particular lab). Cortisol levels have not been

checked though...is that done with blood work or the " spit kits " that I

have heard of? How do the DHEA levels sound to you? My doctor seemed to

think that they were fine, but I am curious what others think.

I guess my main concern with the Armour is partly that the total amount

of thyroid is too high, but that the ratio of of T3 to T4 is wrong for

me....in other words too much T3. I made a trip to a different doctor

the other day (my usual doctor is in Paris), and we agreed to try a

levothroid/cytomel combination with a smaller percentage of T3. I am

hoping that being able to adjust T3 and T4 independently of each other

we will be able to fine tune the dosage. In the end, I know that it's a

question of trial and error...wish that wasn't so.

As for wondering if the original Synthroid dose of 100mcg was a little

to high, my TSH levels at that dose hovered between 0.7 and 1.0. I know

that some feel fine at those levels, but I am wondering if I am someone

that would feel better at a slightly higher level...maybe closer to 2.

Everybody is different, so again, I guess it's a matter of trial and

error.

I have a question for anyone out there. One of the thyroid books that I

have suggests that blood should be drawn 2 to 3 hours after taking

thyroid medication, but my doctor prefers for the blood to be drawn

before taking medication. What have you guys been told?

Sorry for the rambling messages, but I am so desperate to figure these

things out.

Gracia wrote:

>

> I don't think you are overmedicated on 90 mg of Armour, but you

> should get

> your adrenals checked for cortisol and DHEA. Also cod liver oil helps

> with

> anxiety and mood.

> Gracia

>

> > Hi all,

> >

> > I am new the group, but unfortunately not new to hypothyroidism. I

> was

> > diagnosed as hypothyroid at the age of 19 (10 years ago). At the

> time

> > of diagnosis my TSH level was 11.4 (not sure about the other

> levels).

> > I was started on 100mcg of Synthroid, and was taking that up until a

>

> > month and a half ago, when I went to a different dr who put me on 90

>

> > mg of Armour.

> >

> > I never felt good on the Synthroid. Most of my syptoms have been

> > emotional...depression and anxiety, with the anxiety worsening over

> > the years. After having tried several antidepressants over the

> years,

> > and still not feeling that great, I was hoping that Armour would do

> > the trick. At first it seemed that it was. I had moments of feeling

> > better than I had in years, but also had terrible spells of anxiety,

>

> > all within the same day. I felt downright manic. Over the past

> > month and a half the moments of feeling good have diminished, and

> the

> > moments of anxiety have increased.

> >

> > The last time I saw my doctor I asked if she thought that the dose

> > might be too high. Her explanation for the worsening anxiety was

> that

> > I am very hypoglycemic. So, I tried eating six meals a day, and,

> while

> > I did feel worse if I missed a meal, I didn't feel much better

> > afetr eating the meals. In fact, I am having enough anxiety that I

> am

> > having to force myself to eat.

> >

> > What complicates matters is that I have been off antidepressants for

>

> > several months now, and am wodering if the downward spiral that I

> seem

> > to be in is because I need to be on medication. I hate how syptoms

> of

> > thyroid disorder and depression/anxiety overlap!! I also hate that

> > there are overlapping symtoms for hypothyroidism and

> > hyperthyroidism...it can make it a little hard to tell what's going

> > on.

> >

> > As for my recent bloodwork, my levels were tested about a week after

>

> > starting the armour...much too soon in my opinion... and my TSH was

> at

> > 0.258, and T3 and T4 were normal. I had experimented with taking

> 120mg

> > of Armour the day before the blood work (BAD idea), so that

> certainly

> > contributed to the TSH, but I had not taken my medication that

> > morning.

> >

> > My head hurts from tyring to figure all this out, but I am feeling

> > like the Armour dose is too high. I also believe that my original

> dose

> > of Synthroid was too high, and I am starting to wonder if all the

> > anxiety that I have had over the years has been in part due to

> > overmedication.

> >

> > Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me. I am feeling pretty

> > helpless at the moment.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/6/2002 3:09:11 PM Eastern Standard Time,

gallea@... writes:

> My head hurts from tyring to figure all this out, but I am feeling

> like the Armour dose is too high. I also believe that my original dose

> of Synthroid was too high, and I am starting to wonder if all the

> anxiety that I have had over the years has been in part due

> to

> overmedication.

Dear ,

What is your average daily body temperature running?

in LA

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I haven't been monitoring my body temperature at home, but I do know

that at my last two dr's appoinments I was running a little high...I

think 100.2 and then 99.1. I will start checking myself during the

day...do I do this orally?

annah1149@... wrote:

> In a message dated 11/6/2002 3:09:11 PM Eastern Standard Time,

> gallea@... writes:

>

> > My head hurts from tyring to figure all this out, but I am feeling

> > like the Armour dose is too high. I also believe that my original

> dose

> > of Synthroid was too high, and I am starting to wonder if all the

> > anxiety that I have had over the years has been in part due

> > to

> > overmedication.

>

> Dear ,

>

> What is your average daily body temperature running?

>

> in LA

>

>